April is a big month for movement in the North American graded stakes standings, with Keeneland in full swing, and the final round of Kentucky Derby and Oaks preps taking place around the country.
A pair of horses in the value sire bracket stepped up in a big way last month, with Spendthrift Farm's Cross Traffic and Ashford Stud's Mo Town each picking up a pair of graded stakes winners. Both stallions stand for advertised fees under $10,000.
In the following charts, we'll take a look at the active stallions with the most North American graded stakes winners in 2023 through the end of April, organized into four stud fee tiers, to chart who is providing the most bang for their buck.
To be considered for this list, stallions must be active in North America for the 2023 breeding season, with an advertised fee. With runners being conceived at different stud fees in different years, this was the simplest way to keep a horse to one line. Plus, it provides a window to the stallion's current market standing, and not where it was a few years ago.
Important to note: These stats go through the end of the month for April. Results from any graded stakes races run since May 1 will be included in next month's standings.
To view last month's “Price of Success” rankings, click here.
Let's get to it.
Leading Sires Of 2023 Graded Stakes Winners, $100k Stud Fee and Up
No surprise here, Into Mischief remains head and shoulders above the rest. His seven graded stakes winners remains the most in North America
In April, the Spendthrift Farm cornerstone added another graded winner to his tally in Doppelganger, who took the Grade 1 Carter Handicap on April 8 at Aqueduct.
Gainesway's Tapit and Ashford Stud's Uncle Mo kept pace in second, each with four graded winners of five graded races.
Tapit saw Proxy become his fourth new graded winner of the year when he won the G2 Oaklawn Handicap on April 22. Kentucky Derby contender Tapit Trice became his sire's first two-time graded winner of the year with his score in the G1 Blue Grass Stakes on April 8 at Keeneland, after taking the G3 Tampa Bay Derby in March.
Uncle Mo's newcomer to the graded winner column was Adare Manor, who was victorious in the G2 Santa Maria Stakes on April 29 at Santa Anita Park.
Leading Sires Of 2023 Graded Stakes Winners, $99k to $50k Stud Fee
Hill 'n' Dale Farms' Violence extended his lead in this division when Kentucky Derby favorite cemented that status with a late-charging score in the G1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on April 1. That win added to his previous victory in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at the same track a month earlier.
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Another big month for Ashford Stud's Practical Joke, who added one new graded winner and one win in April.
Skelly became a first-time graded stakes winner for Practical Joke on April 15, when he took the G3 Count Fleet Handicap at Oaklawn Park. Practical Move, scratched from this weekend's Kentucky Derby, earned his second graded score of the season when he held on in the G1 Santa Anita Derby, after winning the G2 San Felipe Stakes in March.
Leading Sires Of 2023 Graded Stakes Winners, $19k and Below Stud Fee
Ashford Stud's division leader Classic Empire maintained his advantage with Angel of Empire's victory on April 1 in the G1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, establishing him as one of the top contenders in the Kentucky Derby. In February, the colt took the G2 Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds.
Cross Traffic entered the list with a pair of graded wins during a big weekend at Keeneland early in the month. Defining Purpose secured a spot in the Kentucky Oaks after an upset victory in the G1 Ashland Stakes on April 7. A day later, Here Mi Song entered the winner's circle in the G3 Commonwealth Stakes.
Mo Town also had a highly successful Keeneland meet, tallying his first two graded winners of the season. The first came on April 7 when Mo Stash took the G3 Transylvania Stakes, then Key of Life followed on April 16 with a win in the G2 Beaumont Stakes.
The post The Price Of Success: Cross Traffic, Mo Town Move Up Sire Rankings After Big April appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
