Quality Road one to catch in race for leading sire

Just one-quarter of the way into 2022, there is plenty of road still to cover in the race for this year’s leading sire title. But at this early stage, the path runs through Quality Road. By virtue of an international performer and several American classic contenders, Quality Road leads his Lane’s End Farm stablemate Tonalist on the overall earnings list.

Through April 2, Quality Road, the sire of $20 million Saudi Cup winner Emblem Road and four other black-type winners, leads the overall earnings list with $13,452,952. Tonalist, whose son Country Grammer was second in the Saudi Cup before winning the $12 million Dubai World Cup, sits second with $11,876,812.

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Spendthrift Farm resident Into Mischief, the nation’s three-time reigning leading sire, sits third on the overall earnings list with $7,295,304. Into Mischief leads the way with six graded stakes winners and is leading Quality Road in North American earnings, $5,483,577 to $3,156,094.

Quality Road has a number of colts who will try to earn their way into the Kentucky Derby. El Camino Real Derby winner Blackadder and Rebel Stakes runner-up Ethereal Road are both expected to contest the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland, while Grade 3 Sunland Derby runner-up Bye Bye Bobby is nominated to the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes the following week.

Blackadder was an off-the-turf maiden winner at Santa Anita before winning the El Camino Real on Golden Gate’s synthetic. How he transfers his form to other dirt tracks moving forward will be key to his Derby chances. Quality Road is a versatile sire, with Grade 1 winners on dirt and turf. Blackadder is a full sibling to dirt sprint stakes winner Gingham, and they are from the immediate family of turf graded winners Owsley and Senada.

“Blackadder is a versatile colt with a versatile pedigree, by Quality Road out of a Pulpit mare,” said Tom Ryan of SF Bloodstock, part of a multi-pronged partnership that owns the colt. “There’s enormous upside if he were to show that same turn of foot on the dirt.”

Quality Road’s sireline will be in the spotlight as 2-year-old racing begins in America. The stallion’s son City of Light, now standing alongside him at Lane’s End, has been popular commercially and will have his first runners. City of Light, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup, has been described as bringing some of his sire’s good qualities to his own unique package.

“I think you see the frames that you see in the Quality Roads from the City of Lights, but City of Light has more style,” said Allaire Ryan, Lane’s End director of sales. “Quality Road can get you a big, imposing individual, but they can be rugged as well, and the City of Lights, I wouldn’t necessarily say they’re more refined, but I’d say they’re smooth-looking. They’ve got good heads on them. They’ve just got a lot of the good qualities. I’ve always said that I think City of Light is a better-looking version of his sire, and I think that rings true of his foals – they’ve got that style factor.”

Two other members of Quality Road’s freshman sire class are Frank Conversation at Rockridge Stud in New York and Great Stuff at Lovacres Ranch in California.