The summer meets at Saratoga and Del Mar are known for unveiling promising 2-year-olds, and for graded stakes that will begin sorting out the juvenile divisions. With rich maiden races and statebred incentives, the summer seasons also are crucial for freshman sires in New York and California, respectively, to begin putting their best foot forward.
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DRF Past Performances
Through the first half of 2024, five-time reigning leading sire Into Mischief has established a big lead on that list and has put himself on pace to break his own single-season earnings record. He also continues to add to his legacy with his son Goldencents, now a classic sire, joining him in the top five.
Stalwart stallion Tale of the Cat, the sire of more than 100 stakes winners, has died at age 30 due to the infirmities of old age, Coolmore announced in a release on its website Monday.
“Tale of the Cat has been at Ashford for 25 years, so was very much part of the family,” manager Dermot Ryan said in the release. “He was a great character who was loved by all, and I would like to thank [stallion manager] Richard Barry and all of his staff past and present who cared for him over the years both during his stud career and during his retirement.”
The late Galileo, his relatives and descendants, and the stallion Dark Angel were among the leading sires at the five-day Royal Ascot meeting.
Galileo, the international titan who died in 2021 at Coolmore in Ireland, sired three individual winners, the only stallion to achieve that mark at the meet. In addition to Kyprios, a popular returning winner of the Group 1 Gold Cup, he was represented by Group 2 Queen’s Vase winner Illinois and Queen Alexandra winner Uxmal.
Not This Time, who has distinguished himself as an elite stallion in recent years, was the only U.S.-resident stallion to record a winner at the Royal Ascot meeting last week. He was part of a solid week for the sireline of the late Giant’s Causeway, himself a star on both sides of the pond.
As National Treasure cruised home by 6 1/4 lengths in the Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap on June 8 at Saratoga, Spendthrift Farm general manager Ned Toffey turned to Mark Toothaker, Spendthrift’s stallion sales manager, who will be responsible for recruiting mares to National Treasure’s book when he eventually retires.
“Ned just said, ‘This makes your job a lot easier!’ ” Toothaker said outside the winner’s circle.
The young stallion Good Magic and the rising blue hen mare Puca landed in rare company with their son Dornoch’s victory in last Saturday’s Belmont Stakes – and Dornoch’s connections essentially landed a lottery ticket by purchasing the colt at a relative bargain before the family exploded thanks to his full brother, 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage.
Maryland took center stage three weeks ago, with national attention on 15 stakes races, topped by the Preakness Stakes. But as the traveling circus of the Triple Crown moves to New York, Maryland comes along seeking a bit of the spotlight. The lightly raced and unbeaten Maryland-bred Mindframe runs in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga; two races prior, fellow statebred Post Time, a multiple graded stakes winner, starts in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap.