The Jockey Club projects a 2017 North American registered foal crop of 22,500, marking no change from the projected foal crop of 2016.
Though unchanged from year to year, the 22,500 foals projected for the 2016 and 2017 foal crops mark a 2.3 percent increase from the 22,000 projected for the 2015 and 2014 foal crops.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The 2-year-old colt Accountability won a maiden special weight race for California-breds at Del Mar on Friday, the first winner for the stallion Acclamation.
Acclamation, who stands at Old English Rancho in Sanger, Calif., was the champion older male of 2011.
California-bred champion Acclamation sired his first winner on August 12 when the juvenile colt Accountability won a $64,380 maiden race for California-breds at Del Mar.
Acclamation, bred by Old English Rancho and raced by Buddy and Judy Johnston and Peter and Mary Hilvers, won the Eclipse Award as champion older male of 2011 when he won three Grade 1 races on the West Coast, including the Pacific Classic Stakes. He went to stud at Old English Rancho in Sanger, Calif., near Fresno, for the 2013 season for a fee of $20,000, and has stood for $15,000 at the farm since.
In the big-book era of American Thoroughbred breeding, stallion managers have become increasingly selective in weeding through the high-class colts retiring from the racetrack each year. As a general rule, no matter how talented, horses without a Grade 1 victory after their names on a catalog page need not apply, though a sterling pedigree will sometimes override that requirement.
Bullet Train, who took a backseat to his famous, year-younger three-quarter-brother Frankel for most of his racing career, sired his first winner on August 6 when first-time starter Difamante won a $42,000 maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds at a mile on turf at Gulfstream Park.
Owned by Luis Duco Stables and trained by Luis Duco, Difamante came from last of 11 starters to win by a half-length over Zipping, with favored Adonis Creed third. He paid $57.80 to win as the only first-time starter in the race.
Freshman sire Stay Thirsty was represented by his first stakes winner today when the Ohio-bred 2-year-old colt Jocker Justice won the $75,000 Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes at Thistledown, breaking his maiden in the process. He had been second in his first two starts, including last out in the Hoover Stakes, at Belterra Park.
Recently deceased freshman sire Brilliant Speed got his first winner when first-time starter Fly won a $41,320 maiden race at Laurel today. Brilliant Speed, by Dynaformer, was found dead in his paddock at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., on July 14, apparently struck by lightning. He had stood at Three Chimneys since 2013.
Texan Tom Durant has been an owner of racehorses for some three decades, and he’s also been noted for his fast juveniles.
The resident of Granbury, Tx., took that show on the road to Prairie Meadows in Iowa, winning the $65,000 Prairie Gold Lassie on July 28 with Grandma’s Princess and the $65,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile on July 29 with Raise the Rumor, both Texas homebreds, both by his former racehorse Sing Baby Sing, and both trained by Randy Morse. Those are the first two stakes winners for Sing Baby Sing, whose oldest foals are 4.
