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- Marketing approaches vary to fill young stallions' books - By Joe Nevills

- The invisible hand in the commercial market - By John P. Sparkman

For many, beginning a new job is a time of excitement, anticipation, and certainly some anxiety over the unknown.

Standing a new stallion is no different. While a rookie sire may never have more momentum and recognition than in his first year off the track, he still faces the challenge of attracting a book of mares strong enough to ensure that he has the opportunity to succeed when his first foals hit the track three years later.

The father of modern economics, Adam Smith, introduced the metaphor of the invisible hand of the market in his seminal book “The Wealth of Nations” in 1776. Smith’s metaphor for what he conceived as a natural, self-regulating function of a free market is readily visible in the accompanying table detailing the sharp decline in the number of Thoroughbred stallions and mares in North America over the last 20 years and the accompanying fluctuations in stud fees over the most recent decade.

Leading Kentucky general sire by earnings  and stakes winners
Leading Kentucky juvenile sire by stakes winners (tie)
Leading Kentucky turf sire by earnings, average earnings, winners, stakes winners, and stakes wins

In 2012, Kitten’s Joy reached a level of achievement as a sire that all but a chosen few would consider a career pinnacle. The following season, he topped it.

Leading Kentucky general sire by average earnings
Leading Kentucky juvenile sire by average earnings

War Front enjoyed a breakout season in 2013, and his success has helped attract even better mares to his court, so the best could be yet to come for the young sire.

Leading Kentucky broodmare sire by earnings

Storm Cat was born on Feb. 27, 1983, and died 30 years later on April 24, 2013. In between, due to the diligence and faith of owner-breeder W.T. Young and to his own extraordinary set of genes, he became the classic American success story.

Leading Kentucky juvenile sire by winners

Leading Kentucky general sire by stakes wins

Speightstown was relatively one-dimensional as a racehorse. As a sire, he has been anything but, showing versatility that has made him one of the leading sires in North America.

Leading Kentucky synthetic sire by earnings and winners

Candy Ride might fairly be called a “Stallion for All Surfaces.” His sons and daughters perform well on grass, both yielding and firm, and have distinguished themselves on traditional dirt tracks spanning the spectrum from glib and fast, to deep, muddy messes. But, above all, he is that new-age specialist known as a “synthetic sire,” one whose babies simply fly over artificial veneers of sand mixed with such geotextile concoctions as recycled carpet, rubber, jelly cable, and, yes, even spandex encased in wax.

Leading Kentucky freshman sire by earnings, average earnings, stakes winners, and stakes wins

Unbridled’s Song, who sired multiple champions, died last July at age 20. However, the continued prominence of Taylor Made’s flagship sire in the North American stallion ranks is more than assured, as he left behind a number of sons at stud. And judging by the dominance of this group on the 2013 Kentucky freshman sire list, that trend is poised to continue.