Of the 15 West Coast stallions bred to 40 or more mares in 2024, 14 stood in California. The exception was Washington-based Alternation, who was bred to 43 mares, according to Jockey Club statistics. “We were really pleased with that,” said Debbie Pabst of Blue Ribbon Farm in Buckley, Wash., where Alternation stands. Down in California, the state’s most popular stallions were Midnight Storm (who was bred to 80 mares), Shaaz (89), and Mo Forza (90), according to The Jockey Club. In a few years, the foals by those stallions will race at tracks such as Del Mar, Los Alamitos, and Santa Anita on a year-round circuit. In Washington, Alternation’s foals will race at Emerald Downs in Auburn, outside of Seattle. Washington state’s only racing venue, Emerald Downs will host a 51-day spring-summer meeting this year from April 27-Sept. 7. For the 2024 breeding season, Alternation led all Washington-based stallions with progeny earnings of $1,849,979, well clear of Coast Guard with $752,011. The rankings are distorted by Alternation’s foals, who raced across the United States and represent his time as a stallion in Kentucky. The list of Washington stallions was led earlier this decade by Conveyance, who died in 2023. In recent years, Conveyance’s foals had annual earnings ranging from $1.12 million in 2021 to $970,582 in 2023. Alternation, who began his stud career in 2014, was sent to Blue Ribbon Farm in fall 2023. His first crop of Washington-bred foals will arrive this year. For 2025, Alternation stands for a live-foal fee of $3,500, the highest in a state in which most stallions stand for $1,000 to $2,000. Alternation’s appeal stems to an extent from the success of Serengeti Empress, who won the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs in 2019, as well as the Grade 1, seven-furlong Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga in 2020. In her final start, Serengeti Empress was second in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland in 2020. Alternation also is the sire of Limation, winner of the Grade 3 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs in 2018, and Alternative Slew, a multiple stakes winner in Oklahoma in 2019 and 2020. Alternation, 17, is by Distorted Humor and won 9 of 19 starts, earning $1,064,727 in a four-year career from 2010-13. He was in peak form in the winter and spring of 2012, winning four consecutive stakes at Oaklawn Park and Pimlico, including the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap. “The horse has great credentials and he’s proven,” Pabst said. “He’s a good horse. We feel good about him.” For 2025, Pabst predicts Alternation will be bred to “hopefully between 30 or 40” mares. “When people see the foals, I think they’ll be happy with them,” she added. “There are not a lot of choices up here. There are only a few stallions with a few credentials.” Grazen leads Cal Cup stallions There were familiar names among the stallions with stakes winners on the California Cup program for statebreds on Jan. 18 at Santa Anita. Grazen, who led the state’s stallions in progeny earnings in 2023 and 2024, sired two winners on that Saturday – Shocking Grey in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint, and Old Pal in the California Cup Classic at 1 1/8 miles on turf. They combined to earn $173,750, making Grazen the only stallion with six-figure earnings for the day from the first five finishers in the afternoon’s five stakes. Stay Thirsty, who was California’s leading stallion in progeny earnings five times from 2017-22 and was second the last two years, is the sire of Whiskyginandbrandy, who was promoted from second to first in the California Cup Derby after Shea Brennan was disqualified from first and placed second for causing interference on the turn. Whiskyginandbrandy’s win was worth $96,250. For the 2025 breeding season, Grazen will stand for an advertised fee of $6,000 at Eclipse Thoroughbred Farm in Solvang, while Stay Thirsty will stand for an advertised fee of $10,000 at Lovacres Ranch in Warner Springs. According to The Jockey Club, Grazen was bred to 56 mares in 2024, while Stay Thirsty was bred to 72. The two other stallions who accounted for stakes winners on Jan. 18 are inactive. Big City Lights, winner of the California Cup Sprint, is by Mr. Big, who died last year. Take Another Card, who won the California Cup Oaks on turf, is by I’ll Have Another, who has been pensioned.