New York stallions: Freud continues reign, family legacy

European Horse of the Year and perennial leading North American sire Giant’s Causeway died in 2018 – but the legacy of his family is very much alive. The late stallion’s active sons in the U.S. include the useful Creative Cause and First Samurai; Carpe Diem and Imagining, both of whom had stakes winners in their freshman seasons in 2019; and Brody’s Cause and Not This Time, who will represent him in this year’s freshman ranks. Eclipse Award champion Mitole, a grandson of Giant’s Causeway, enters stud this month in Kentucky. Giant’s Causeway is the broodmare sire of two winners of the Pegasus World Cup in Gun Runner and Mucho Gusto, the most recent victor. Gun Runner’s first foals are yearlings, and have been popular in the commercial arena. Meanwhile, Giant’s Causeway’s son Bricks and Mortar was crowned the 2019 Horse of the Year and is set to begin his stud career in Japan – continuing the global story for the great stallion, who is the sire of Shamardal, among the most prominent stallions in Europe.

Giant’s Causeway’s family influence is particularly strong in the Empire State. His Grade 1-winning son Frost Giant was New York’s leading freshman sire of 2012. The sire of Grade 2-winning millionaire Giant Expectations has developed into a perennial top-10 sire for Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions in Stillwater. Another son, Giant Surprise, standing at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, followed as the state’s leading freshman of 2015 and also consistently finishes in the top 20 in the state. First foals are arriving this year for Giant’s Causeway’s classic-placed Grade 2 winner Destin, who was among the most popular stallions in the state in his first season. According to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred, Destin covered 84 mares in 2019 at Sequel Stallions in Hudson, making him the second-busiest stallion in New York.

And then, there is Freud.

Group 2-placed Freud, a 22-year-old Storm Cat horse, is a full brother to Giant’s Causeway. But forget sibling rivalry. Rather than being cast in his brother’s shadow in Europe or Kentucky, Freud, who entered stud in New York in 2002, has found his own significant niche of the market to thoroughly dominate. The stallion has finished first or second on New York’s list of general sires with state-sired runners for 12 consecutive seasons, and has led the state’s turf stallion ranks for 12 straight years.

Freud again led New York’s general sire list in 2019, as he was represented by stakes winners A Freud of Mama, Bavaro, Dot Matrix, Just Stormin, Princess Dream, and Therapist. His seasonal progeny bankroll of $4,013,126 was followed by dual classic winner Big Brown, standing at Irish Hill and Dutchess Views, with $3,738,468. More than half his earnings came on turf, helping him again dominate the turf list. Freud’s runners earned $2,068,994 on the grass, well more than double the $778,115 for Courageous Cat, another son of Storm Cat, standing at Questroyal North in Stillwater.

Freud has also found a reasonable amount of success outside of his adopted home state, as his career is highlighted by Grade 1/Group 1 winners Alex Rossi, Fourstar Crook, Franny Freud, Giant Ryan, Must Go On, Sharp Azteca, and Summer Love. The stalwart stallion’s next mission is finding a son to carry on his legacy – and he looks to have a popular young son in the ultra-competitive Kentucky stallion ranks in Sharp Azteca, whose first foals are arriving this year.

Sharp Azteca earned more than $2 million while winning five graded stakes, highlighted by a 5 1/4-length triumph in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, with multiple Grade 1/Group 1 winners Mind Your Biscuits and Practical Joke second and third. Sharp Azteca also romped by 7 1/2 lengths in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup, establishing a track record. He was also second by a half-length to Battle of Midway in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile; second in the stallion-making Metropolitan Handicap and the Malibu Stakes, both Grade 1 events; and was third in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile in Dubai. Sharp Azteca covered 195 mares in his first season at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., ranking him among the 10 busiest stallions in North America, according to The Jockey Club statistics.

Big Brown notches graded winner

Although the versatile dual classic winner Big Brown was edged by Freud atop the New York general sire earnings list, he did earn distinction as the only New York resident stallion to sire a graded stakes winner in 2019.

Somelikeithotbrown was the New York-bred champion 2-year-old male of 2018, as he finished second in both the Grade 2 With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga and the Grade 3 Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont before finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, beaten less than three-quarters of a length.

Somelikeithotbrown began his 2019 season by winning the John Battaglia Memorial on the synthetic track at Turfway Park, followed by the track’s Grade 3 Jeff Ruby, a Kentucky Derby points race. His quest to make the Derby field, and his season, ended when he sustained an injury finishing fourth on dirt in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. He returns to the races in 2020.

Somelikeithotbrown is one of nine graded/group stakes winners for Big Brown, standing at Irish Hills and Dutchess Views Stallions in Stillwater. His accomplishments are highlighted by classic-placed Grade 1 winner Dortmund, now standing in Maryland.

Central Banker continues early success

Central Banker was a breakout success as New York’s leading freshman and juvenile sire of 2018, with his runners competing successfully against open company. The McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds resident has made the leap into the general sire ranks, again leading the juvenile list in 2019 with his second crop, and finishing a solid third on the overall sire list. Central Banker’s progeny earned $3,583,116 on the season, putting him just in range of Sequel Stallions’ perennial leading sire Freud, at $4,013,126, and Irish Hills and Dutchess Views’ Big Brown, at $3,738,468.

Central Banker’s standouts from his freshman season continued to run on strongly as 3-year-olds to bolster his résumé. Newly Minted was the stallion’s top earner in 2019, garnering more than $419,000, as she won statebred stakes at all three New York Racing Association tracks, taking the New York Stallion Stakes at Aqueduct, the Bouwerie Stakes at Belmont, and the Fleet Indian Stakes at Saratoga.

Meanwhile, Bankit, a stakes winner against statebreds and stakes-placed against open company in 2018, won the New York Derby at Finger Lakes. The colt bookended that with placings in the other two legs of the Big Apple Triple, finishing third in the Mike Lee Stakes at Belmont and second in the Albany Stakes at Saratoga. He also finished fifth in a pair of graded stakes at Oaklawn and Remington.

Central Banker has continued to be popular, as he covered 127 mares in 2019, making him the busiest stallion in New York, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred.