Three first-crop sires come into their first Keeneland September yearling sale already sporting a six-figure sale average for their yearlings. Multiple Grade 1 winner Omaha Beach, who stands at Spendthrift Farm, boasts the highest average of this North American class, sitting at $185,989 from 16 sold. Those include a $500,000 filly at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale by this versatile son of War Front, who earned his top-level victories around both one and two turns. Just behind Omaha Beach are classic-placed Grade 1 winner Audible, standing at WinStar Farm, at $141,400 from 35 sold, and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and Eclipse Award champion Vino Rosso, also standing at Spendthrift, at $118,368 from 38 sold. Vino Rosso’s group includes a $550,000 filly who was the highest-priced horse by a first-crop sire at the Saratoga sale. Omaha Beach is represented by 88 yearlings in the Keeneland September catalog, including a strong group of 11 selected into the Book 1 portion. Those include a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Casa Creed, and a colt out of graded stakes winner Lady Shipman, making him a half-brother to two-time Breeders’ Cup winner Golden Pal, among others. Of this trio with six-figure averages, Audible, by leading sire and emerging sire of sires Into Mischief, has improved the most on his debut stud fee. He stood for $25,000 at WinStar in 2020, meaning his yearlings are averaging more than 5 1/2 times that. His 92 Keeneland yearlings include a pair in Book 1, including a half-brother to graded stakes winner We the People. Vino Rosso, a son of the red-hot Curlin, has 95 yearlings in the Keeneland September catalog, with one selected to Book 1. Airdrie stallions have first yearlings The stallion roster of the Jones family’s Airdrie Stud has been enjoying a consistently successful run in 2022. The stalwarts on the roster are Cairo Prince, whose seven stakes winners this year are led by multiple graded stakes winner Cairo Memories, and Creative Cause, sire of classic-placed Creative Minister. Behind them are a number of up-and-coming young stallions, including Upstart, sire of talented 3-year-olds Zandon and Kathleen O.; Summer Front, who also was represented by a Kentucky Derby starter this year; American Freedom, sire of the exciting 2-year-old American Blaze; and freshmen Collected and McCraken, both with first-crop winners. About to join the fray are Grade 1 winners Divisidero and Preservationist. Both Airdrie stallions are represented by their first yearlings in the commercial arena this season. Preservationist, who raced for Centennial Farms under the patient tutelage of Jimmy Jerkens, took time to develop due to various physical issues. The son of Arch made one start each season at ages 3 and 4, and won both starts early in his 5-year-old season before going to the sidelines again. In 2019, he put together a full season and won 4 of 7 outings, including the Grade 2 Suburban and Grade 1 Woodward. In the Suburban, he rolled by 4 1/2 lengths over Grade 1 winners Catholic Boy and Pavel, earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 108. In the Woodward, he posted a 106 while besting Bal Harbour by three-quarters of a length in a field that also included Grade 1 winners Yoshida, Tom’s d’Etat, and Mongolian Groom. Preservationist retired as a millionaire and having won at distances from six to 10 furlongs, which Airdrie’s Bret Jones said earned him flattering comparisons to multiple Grade 1 winner Quality Road, a former Jerkens trainee who has become a leading sire. “Preservationist is a horse that we love, that we’ve made a big commitment to with our mares, because we really think he was a great talent,” Jones said. “When somebody like Jimmy Jerkens tells you that Quality Road and Preservationist were the two best-training horses he’s ever had, you better listen. So that’s the message we’ve tried to send. He’s getting very nice individuals, and I think they’ll be racehorses – but we’ll find out.” Divisidero is a son of the late turf champion and leading sire Kitten’s Joy. He earned more than $1.6 million while winning five graded stakes, most notably back-to-back wins in the Grade 1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs when saddled by Buff Bradley. Demarchelier picks up Dubawi line Dubawi, from a relatively rare bloodline, has risen to become one of the globe’s leading sires while standing for Darley in Europe. His first son to stand in the United States is Demarchelier, who actually represents a return home for the sireline in its twisting journey. Multiple Group 1 winner Dubawi, now 20, is from the only crop of foals sired by the aptly named Dubai Millennium, winner of the 2000 Dubai World Cup. That late champion, in turn, was by former Claiborne Farm sire Seeking the Gold. Demarchelier entered stud at Claiborne in 2020 and is represented by 15 first-crop yearlings in the Keeneland September catalog. Dubawi, Europe’s leading living sire, has been powering a massive run for the Godolphin operation in major international events over the past year. Last November, the stallion became the first sire to have three offspring win Breeders’ Cup races in a single year, represented by Turf winner and Eclipse Award champion Yibir, Mile winner Space Blues, and Juvenile Turf winner Modern Games. All three race as homebreds for Godolphin, which swept the Eclipse Awards as outstanding owner and breeder in North America. This June, Dubawi recorded five winners at the Royal Ascot meeting to help power Godolphin to the leading owner title for the second year in a row. Dubawi’s winners were Group 1 St James’s Palace winner Coroebus; Group 1 Platinum Jubilee winner Naval Crown; Group 2 Queen’s Vase winner Elder Eldarov; King George V winner Secret State; and Wolferton winner Dubai Future. The stallion had an additional influence on the royal meeting, as his son New Bay sired a pair of winners in Group 2 Duke of Cambridge winner Saffron Beach and Group 3 Hampton Cup winner Claymore. While Dubawi is beginning to develop as a sire of sires, only two of his sons have made their way to the United States. Demarchelier, who was the more accomplished of the duo on the track, is joined by Galawi, a maiden winner at Belmont in his only U.S. start who entered stud at Northview Stallion Station in Maryland this year. British-born Demarchelier was a $592,486 buy by Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm at the 2017 Tattersalls October yearling sale. He went on to win three of his four starts, all for Brant and trainer Chad Brown, highlighted by a victory in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge Stakes at Belmont. However, he sustained a career-ending injury in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby a month later.