Grade 1 winner and prominent Claiborne Farm sire Arch died Jan. 20 of an apparent heart attack at the Paris, Ky., farm. The son of Kris S. was 21.
“We are saddened by the loss of Arch,” Claiborne stallion manager Bernie Sams said. “He was a classy stallion who had the ability to sire top-class horses that performed well both on the track and in the auction ring.”
Multiple Group 1 winner and outstanding sire Kingmambo was euthanized due to the infirmities of old age, Lane’s End in Versailles, Ky., reported Wednesday. The son of Mr. Prospector was 26 and had stood his entire stud career at Lane’s End.
Kingmambo was last an active stallion in 2010, covering just one mare that season due to a neck problem before being pensioned later that year. The stallion was troubled periodically by neurological issues, missing part of the breeding season in 2006 and about a week in 2008.
Grade 2 winner Hold Me Back has been sold and will stand the 2016 breeding season at Irish Hill Century Farm in Stillwater, N.Y. for an advertised fee of $5,000.
The 10-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway previously resided at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky., where he was advertised to stand the upcoming season at the same price.
Elmazeed, a winning Bernardini ridgling, will debut at stud in 2016 at Rushton’s Farm in Holly, Colo., after selling as a stallion prospect for $1,500 at the Keeneland January sale of horses of all ages.
The 5-year-old raced once, winning a six-furlong maiden special weight at Belmont on May 16 by 5 3/4 lengths. Kiaran McLaughlin trained Elmazeed for Shadwell Stables, which bought the horse for $675,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale.
Grade 1 winner Strapping Groom will begin his stallion career at Haras Cerro Punta in Cerro Punta, Panama, during the 2016 breeding season after being purchased for $75,000 at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale.
The bid was secured over the phone by Tom Thornbury, Keeneland’s associate director of sales, near the end of Friday’s closing session.
Kentucky market coverage
Triple Crown sire line in spotlight for 2016
Leading Kentucky sires of 2015
Tapit (leading general sire by earnings and winners)
There is no denying the hype that surrounds a Triple Crown winner when he goes off to stud and the résumé boost his sire receives for adding his part to the feat. What’s more uncommon is a grandsire that stands to benefit from a Triple Crown win.
When the Ashford Stud breeding shed opens for business in February, American Pharoah will be only the fourth of the 12 Triple Crown winners to begin his stallion career while his sire and grandsire are still active themselves.
◗ Leading Kentucky general sire by earnings and winners
Tapit had the kind of year in 2014 that most stallions never compile over the course of their lifetimes. In 2015, he went even further.
For a second straight year, the 15-year-old son of Pulpit topped the North American stallion ranks by earnings, with 315 runners compiling $17,677,580. That figure easily surpassed second-place Medaglia d’Oro, who finished the year with 254 runners earning $13,014,924.
Scat Daddy
◗ Leading Kentucky general sire by stakes winners
Medaglia d’Oro
◗ Leading active Kentucky general sire by stakes winners
◗ Second-leading Kentucky general sire by earnings
By all indicators, the stallion industry lost something special when the young sire Scat Daddy suddenly died of a suspected cardiac event at age 11 in December. Already a successful young stallion, the son of Johannesburg was completing the best season of his career.
◗ Leading active Kentucky general sire by average earnings
The group of 12 horses to win the Triple Crown is about as exclusive as a club gets in any sport. Just as select is the group of 12 horses that sired them.
Pioneerof the Nile became the newest member of that group on a June afternoon in New York when his champion offspring American Pharoah crossed the finish line unchallenged in the Belmont Stakes to sweep the series of classic races.
