In retrospect, Congrats had all the ammunition he needed to get to the top of a sire list. He is by A.P. Indy and, as a son of the Mr. Prospector mare Praise, hails from the illustrious female family that produced such runners as Sea Hero for Paul Mellon and Roar for Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider.

More Than Ready has long been a popular commodity with Australian breeders. One of two Vinery stallions to lead sire lists in 2010, he has shuttled between Vinery’s Kentucky and Australian divisions since he entered stud in 2001 as Vinery owner Tom Simon’s first major stallion purchase.

Dynaformer always demands respect, and 2010 was no exception. The exploits of his progeny led him to his fifth leading turf sire title in the last decade, with his previous championships coming in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2009. Dynaformer’s offspring are so classy and reliable in grass routes that it is often unwise to throw them out in the betting, and they often reward their backers by hitting the board, often on top.

Giant’s Causeway has always been in demand, and his second consecutive leading sire title makes his 2011 stud fee of $85,000 seem downright conservative when compared with the six horses in Kentucky who stand for more.

Giant’s Causeway entered stud at Coolmore Stud in Ireland in 2001 but made only one season there. Because of strong demand from American breeders who loved his brave runner-up finish in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Classic to Tiznow, now also a leading sire, Giant’s Causeway was transferred to the Kentucky division at Ashford Stud for 2002.

This year’s survey of the Midwest’s regional breeding programs offers some sobering statistics. The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred shows a decline in breeding activity in practically every state, including one that has alternative gaming, Iowa.

Indiana

The one state that stands apart in this survey is Indiana. The state’s Thoroughbred breeding population is on a marked upswing, having seen its broodmare population more than double in three years since gaming was implemented at Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs in 2009.

Jet Phone has made the unlikely leap from teaser to commercial stallion after his lone starter, Aces N Kings, won the first five races of his career last year, including three stakes.

A 10-year-old son of Phone Trick, Jet Phone has entered stud at Valor Farm in Pilot Point, Texas, one of the state’s premier breeding operations. He will stand for a fee of $1,500.

“We’ve gotten a number of calls on him,” said Ken Carson, who manages Valor for Clarence Scharbauer Jr. “He is getting some play. He’s such a nice-looking horse, everybody who sees him falls in love with him.”

Shore Breeze is a stallion, not a racer, but his owner, John Haran, is betting big on this horse. Haran is the owner of some 40 2-year-olds of 2011, all of them Illinois-breds and all by Shore Breeze.

“Twenty are breezing right now,” said Haran, who races under the name of his Peotone, Ill., farm, Eagle Valley. “We’re going to know if it’s going to work out this year.”

Right out of high school, Carrol Castille found work at Dees Farm, a breeding operation in central Louisiana, where Castille had grown up. Castille has galloped horses, trained horses, and owned horses. He has bred horses and owns the Evangeline Downs training center, which used to be Evangeline Downs racetrack. His history considered, it was probably only a matter of time until he got into the business of standing stallions. That happened in 2010, and Castille’s Whispering Oaks Farm roster is up to four for the 2011 breeding season.

Comedero, who won five consecutive stakes last year, and Strong Suit, who won the Group 2 Coventry in England, were headline acts for the Arkansas breeding program in 2010. And one man was behind both horses.

Bill McDowell raised Comedero and Strong Suit at his family’s 900-acre farm in Sparkman, Ark., which is about 40 miles south of Oaklawn Park. McDowell was the breeder of Comedero, and the co-breeder of Strong Suit, along with Gainsborough Farm and Robert N. Clay.

LEXINGTON, Ky. − When Thoroughbred numbers and prices go down, breeders and stallion farms are among the first to suffer downturns. But they’re not the only ones. In central Kentucky, Thoroughbred breeding and racing drive a less obvious but large economy, from the companies supplying farm equipment to horse van drivers to veterinarians.