It often takes longer for a stallion to prove himself as a broodmare sire than as a sire of sires. With no expensive stud deals in the offing, fillies sometimes race longer than colts – and, of course, once retired, they only have one foal a year to begin building their resume, as compared to a stallion, who will have dozens of shots at stakes victories in each crop.
Ron Winchell and David Fiske know what it’s like to see a young sire start from modest beginnings and raise his game in meteoric fashion. After all, the Winchell colorbearer Tapit entered stud for a $15,000 fee in 2005, and is now one of the nation’s perennial leading sires and influential classic sires.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The month of April marked the start of 2-year-old racing in North America, and the first starters for the freshman sire class. As the calendar turns to May, Mo Town has stepped forward as the early leader of this class, and has the ability to make a statement this week at Churchill Downs.
Eclipse Award champions Arrogate and Gun Runner were rivals on the racetrack, both taking their turn in the spotlight, with Arrogate starting a streak of momentous performances in the summer of their 3-year-old season, and Gun Runner nearly unbeatable from that fall onward – only defeated by Arrogate.
MIDWAY, Ky. – Less than a day old, the dark gray filly tottered beside her mother on stilt-like legs, a near carbon copy of her half-brother Zandon at that age in these paddocks at Airdrie Stud. Looking at Memories Prevail and her newest foal on an April morning less than three weeks before Zandon’s Kentucky Derby run, Airdrie vice president Bret Jones couldn’t help reminiscing.
The broodmare Lady Samuri has established herself as one of the most noteworthy in production through the first third of 2022. The mare, owned by Stonestreet Farm, is the dam of a pair of stakes winners this season in Last Samurai, winner of the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap over the weekend, and Candy Raid, winner of the Bourbonette Oaks. Should Candy Raid go on to win the Kentucky Oaks, Stonestreet will have bred consecutive Oaks winners, as it also raised 2021 heroine Malathaat.
A.P. Indy and Curlin are among the most successful sires in the modern history of the American classics, and the two have proven a potent pedigree combination. Last year’s Kentucky Oaks heroine, Malathaat, was produced by crossing Curlin over an A.P. Indy mare. Nest, who will attempt to win the Oaks next week, is bred on the same cross.
