The Mid-Atlantic region has several growing state programs, but it also has a stallion roster in transition.
Many of the pillars of the past decade have exited the area’s stallion ranks due to death, pensioning, or relocation – the likes of Not For Love, Louis Quatorze, Smarty Jones, and Lion Hearted. This has left the market open for new stallions to establish themselves as the number of mares being sent to the area continues to climb steadily.
No matter the year, the racing surface, or the competition that comes to his home state, Freud continues to hold sway in New York with no signs of slowing down.
The durable Storm Cat horse, who stands at Sequel Stallions, continues to thoroughly dominate his niche of the stallion market, leading New York’s general sire list with progeny earnings of $5,168,822 in 2016, the ninth straight time he has finished first or second on the list among those with state-sired runners.
The pensioning of all-time leading Maryland sire Not For Love in 2015 and his death the following year left some colossal shoes to fill at the top of Maryland’s stallion ranks.
The most immediate heir to the throne to emerge is Great Notion, who leads Maryland’s returning active sires by general progeny earnings, juvenile earnings, and turf earnings. Great Notion, a 17-year-old son of Elusive Quality, stands at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City for an advertised fee of $3,500.
When Mind Your Biscuits won the Group 1, $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen going away March 25, he became the latest New York-bred to hoist the flag for a statebred program consistently producing runners who can hold their own against any company.
The North American bloodstock industry has largely managed to climb out of the recession that hampered the early part of the decade, but the demand for Maryland-breds has bounced back particularly well.
Of the top 10 states and provinces in North America by mares bred in 2016, Maryland was one of only two jurisdictions to post a higher number bred than the previous year, growing its roster of active broodmares from 799 to 923. The only other state in the top 10 to see a year-over-year increase in mares bred was perennial leader Kentucky.
When Empire Maker was exported to Japan in 2010, the chances of him establishing his own branch of the Fappiano male line looked extremely remote. Seven years later, with a Triple Crown winner, a champion 2-year-old male, and the possible favorite for the 2017 Kentucky Derby among his grandsons, the son of Unbridled is well on his way to living up to his name by building his own sire empire.
Both a veteran campaigner and rising stars delivered for Hard Spun over the weekend as the Darley sire enjoyed a solid run. The stallion was represented by three winners, led by his 7-year-old millionaire Hard Aces, who won the Grade 3 Tokyo City Cup going 1 1/2 miles Sunday at Santa Anita.
Hard Aces has now won four stakes, including the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita in 2015, and has placed in eight others.
Local Hero
Hard Spun-Liam’s Dream, by Saint Liam
(Bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm; $500,000 purchase by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds at Fasig-Tipton Florida sale of selected 2-year-olds in training)
Real Steel won the Group 1, $6 million Dubai Turf in 2016, but days before this year’s renewal, he was forced to abandon a repeat bid. It was no matter, as Vivlos won to give her sire, Deep Impact, consecutive winners of the rich event.
The Dubai Turf was the second Group 1 victory for Vivlos, who landed the Shuka Sho last year. This was her first trip outside her home country.
Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Unbridled sired a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner from his first crop in Unbridled’s Song, and that colt was sent away favored in the 1996 Kentucky Derby. But as he faded to fifth in the lane after being hampered by foot problems in the lead-up to the race, it was another first-crop son of Unbridled, Grindstone, who staged a dramatic rally to win by a nose.
