◗ Leading Kentucky freshman sire by earnings, average earnings, winners, stakes winners, and stakes wins
◗ Leading Kentucky juvenile sire by earnings
Uncle Mo’s position atop the 2015 North American freshman sire ranks was no surprise, as the stallion was himself an unbeaten 2-year-old with every right to produce similar runners. Still, his dominance of the category, as well as the way he held his own among established stallions, was spectacular in fashion.
◗ Leading Kentucky turf sire by earnings, average earnings, winners, stakes winners, and stakes wins
Few of Kentucky’s leading stallions have their respective honors in their grasp as tightly as Kitten’s Joy has for the past several years.
So great is Kitten’s Joy’s dominance of North American turf sires that if his top two earners were removed from the equation, he still tops the standings by a seven-figure margin.
Leigh Ann and Kerry Hopper’s R Star Stallions at Richwine, located in Anderson, Ind., stood its first stallion in 2010. Only a few years later, the operation has become a prominent player in the regional stallion market, and is poised for continued success in 2016 with some of the top stallions in the state.
The Ohio breeding program remains in the midst of significant upheaval as the market continues to adjust to the state’s new tracks and expanded gaming.
At the forefront of this critical period has been runners sired by residents of Mapleton Thoroughbred Farm in Polk, which accounted for the top two sires by progeny earnings in 2015.
Leading the way was Cowtown Cat, with 47 winners and progeny earnings of $1,814,628.
Shore Breeze ended Added Edge’s three-year reign at the top of Iowa’s sire standings by earnings, but both stallions walked away from 2015 with their own victories.
Shore Breeze topped the overall 2015 earnings list among Iowa stallions, with 25 winners and progeny earnings of $634,879. However, the 18-year-old son of Danzig relocated to Iowa for the 2014 breeding season, making his first Iowa-sired foals yearlings of 2016.
The Keeneland January horses of all ages sale closed Friday with declines in average and median, but a slight bump in gross, led by a trio of high-profile purchases by prominent owner and breeder Virginia Kraft Payson.
A total of 1,040 horses sold over five sessions for revenues of $35,463,000, up 0.45 percent from last year’s final gross of $35,305,500 from 948 horses sold over four days.
Multiple Grade 3 winner Silver Medallion will begin his stud career in 2016 at Argyll Farms in St. Mary, Jamaica, after selling Tuesday at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale.
The 8-year-old son of Badge of Silver was a $1,000 purchase by Ed Price of Pennsylvania-based Mohns Hill Farm, who brokered the deal to stand the horse in Jamaica.
Multiple stakes winner Zee Bros will stand at a farm to be determined in New Mexico after being purchased Thursday by Justin Evans’s A & A Equine as a stallion prospect for $3,000 at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale.
The 6-year-old son of Brother Derek retired with four wins in 19 starts over three seasons of racing for earnings of $449,230.
