A new breeding season and a move to a different state may revive the career of the stallion Straight Fire.

Straight Fire, a 12-year-old by Dominus, will stand at Blue Ribbon Farm in Buckley, Wash., for the first time this year after fading from prominence in California. The sire of four stakes winners, Straight Fire was bred to 61 mares in 2022, according to Jockey Club statistics. The figure fell to 41 in 2023, 12 in 2024, and only three last year. In California, Straight Fire stood at Legacy Ranch in Clements.

Into Mischief and Not This Time were the top two sires in North America for 2025, both recording historic accomplishments. But their story doesn’t just play out over the 12 calendar months of that year. Like many bloodstock stories, their successes, establishing their own branches of a prominent sireline, stretch back over several decades and generations. And, like many stories, their sireline was touched by the late, great D.

In the final weeks of trainer Brittany Russell’s time with the Mid-Atlantic star Post Time, the only parting gift she could give him was to send him out a winner. Back at Laurel Park on Dec. 20, the dynamic duo connected one more time in the $100,000 Robert T. Manfuso, the Maryland-bred’s 11th and final victory at home.

The importation of the successful young sire Sergei Prokofiev from England should be a huge boost to the Ontario breeding industry.

Sergei Prokofiev will stand for $10,000 at Ballycroy Bloodstock north of Toronto after the son of Scat Daddy was purchased privately and syndicated last fall by his Canadian breeder, David Anderson. A $1.1 million Keeneland yearling purchase by the Coolmore clan in 2017, he won three sprint stakes in England and Ireland during his formative years, including the Group 3 Cornwallis.

Perennial leading sire Candy Ride was no slouch in 2025 as he continues to produce quality. The Lane’s End stallion, who turns 27 this year, finished 10th among North American leading general sires by earnings, with five stakes winners led by Dubai World Cup hero Hit Show.

But Candy Ride’s influence has shifted to his sons at stud picking up the torch. On various 2025 sire lists, he is represented by a number of top 10 finishers.

With dual classic winner Sovereignty, a lock to earn a divisional Eclipse Award and a strong candidate to be named Horse of the Year, leading the way, his sire, Into Mischief, continued his streak as the nation’s top stallion and his owner-breeder, Godolphin, looks to continue its own streak of awards, as well.