Bloodlines columnist Frank Mitchell is taking some well-deserved time off this week, so bloodstock editor Joe Nevills is stepping in to provide some insight on stallions who fell just short of the 2023-24 All-Value Sire Team's First and Second Teams, but still merited a shoutout.
This year's edition of the All-Value Sire Team is rounding to its finale, with just one more installment, two more positions, and four more stallions to be recognized next week. Those will be the Rising Star (stallions with two to four crops of racing age in 2024) and the Regional Star (stallions standing outside of Kentucky).
That means we have several stallions that are mathematically eliminated from making the roster due to their divisions having already been recognized. However, that by no means suggests that the stallions who didn't make this year's team are devoid of value or ability. In fact, there are some outstanding sires that kept showing up at or near the top of the lists, or made an impression on me upon physical inspection that simply couldn't get past the top two in a given division, and it frustrated me that I couldn't find a spot for them.
Let's take a look at some of the stallions that didn't make this year's team, but still stood out during my research. To avoid any spoilers for next week, there won't be any stallions eligible for the Rising Star or Regional Star positions.
To see who has already made the team, click here.
And, to see the massive spreadsheet I've used to track 159 value sires by 51 different statistical categories to aid in my decision-making process, sign up for our Patreon.
Caracaro
B. h., 2017, Uncle Mo x Peace Time, by War Front
Standing at Crestwood Farm, KY, $6,500
If you want to minimize risk standing a new stallion, stand a son of Uncle Mo. There are few active sires with a more proven track record of not just getting sons to stud, but getting sons to stud who get the job done.
I'm especially interested in the cross between Uncle Mo and a War Front mare, and Caracaro is the lone example of that at stud in North America. Fortunately, he gives me everything I want to see in that cross.
Uncle Mo is known for putting size and substance in his best sons, and Caracaro is as solid as they come. I see the War Front/Danzig influence come through in his neck and shoulder, and in his frame, which is slightly more compact than I'm used to seeing from an Uncle Mo stallion. His median yearling sale price of $27,000 has been competitive among first-crop yearling sires of 2023 that stand for $20,000 or less, so it's good to see buyers are accepting him, as well.
It wouldn't surprise me if Caracaro's runners have a few different ways to win. Uncle Mo is a dirt sire through and through, and Caracaro was himself a graded stakes-level runner on the main track. Still, he's got such a big foot under him, if he's able to pass that along, it could take to the turf nicely. Add that to the clear physical influence we see from the broodmare sire, and the Australian success of his siblings, and there's reason to believe the Caracaros could do grass once they hit the track.
Core Beliefs
B. h., 2015, Quality Road x Tejati, by Tactical Advantage
Standing at Walmac Farm, KY, $5,000
I make a point to get out to as many farms as I can to include physical presence to my All-Value Sire Team picks, beyond what a carefully posed conformation shot can provide. This also helps me learn how stallions develop as they settle in to their new careers, and there has been perhaps no more dramatic transformation in the Kentucky sire ranks in recent years than Core Beliefs.
When I saw him ahead of his first season at stud, I wasn't blown away. He was kind of gawky and needed to fill out and find his balance. When I saw him a year later, he'd matured dramatically. When I saw him this past September, he was a man, capable of standing beside anyone in the Kentucky stallion ranks.
The Walmac Farm stallion team has done a masterful job bringing him along, and I hope breeders that might have written him off early on go back and give him a second look if they've got a mare with some leg. (Yes, I am speaking glowingly about the sponsor of this segment. No, the sponsorship doesn't have anything to do with why I'm saying it. I've been singing the praises of their stallion team long before they came on as a sponsor.)
B. h., 2018, Tapit x Tiffany's Honour, by Street Cry
Standing at Spendthrift Farm, KY, $7,500
A member of last year's All-Value Sire Team, Greatest Honour has a walk to die for, with a physical and pedigree to match. I wanted to see more out of the median sale price during his first mixed sale season as a covering sire, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if his first foals come out firing in the auction ring next year, and he's back on the team from there.
Ch. h., 2017, Super Saver x Happy Week, by Distorted Humor
Standing at Airdrie Stud, KY, $10,000
The clubhouse leader for most dramatic physical change before and after his first season at stud among the value sires, and arguably among first-year sires at any price.
Happy Saver came to Airdrie Stud shortly after his farewell start in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland following a pretty taxing campaign. There was plenty to like there – his scope, his shoulder, and his athleticism – but he was still definitely race-fit and lean. In a year's time, he put on a lot of muscle, filling out in the chest and getting some more shape in the hindquarters. He's wonderfully balanced and has an elite Wertheimer page backing him up. If his foals develop like he did, astute breeders could end up looking very smart in a few years' time.
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B. h., 2017, Curlin x Marion Ravenwood, by A.P. Indy
Standing at Taylor Made Stallions, KY, $10,000
I fully expected to go to the Taylor Made stallion complex and be underwhelmed by Idol. The California handicap ranks were nothing to write home about during his heyday, and the stallion market is getting flush with sons of Curlin.
Then, I got a look at him in person and it all made sense.
Idol moves like a cat on the walk, helping show off his long scope. He's a bit racier than the typical son of Curlin at stud, but I see that as a positive for him. We know that Curlin over an A.P. Indy mare is a proven formula on the racetrack, and your two options to reach that cross in the stud book are Idol and WinStar Farm's Global Campaign.
Oh, and Idol's a full-brother to champion Nest. So, if you need any further proof that this proven cross is especially proven with this particular mating, there you go. By all rights, this should work.
Ch. h., 2018, Curlin x Byrama, by Byron
Standing at Spendthrift Farm, KY, $7,500
Another member of last year's All-Value Sire Team, Known Agenda has been priced incredibly fairly by Spendthrift Farm for what he offers on the page and at the end of the shank. Where Idol is on the lankier side for a son of Curlin, Known Agenda is on the stockier side. This horse devoured two turns on the track, so a lengthier mare could lean into that preference, or a bulkier mare could create one heck of a middle-distance horse. I'm so eager to see his foals hit the track in 2025.
Smooth Like Strait
B. h., 2017, Midnight Lute x Smooth as Usual, by Flower Alley
Standing at War Horse Place, KY, $3,500
As a stallion operation looking to relaunch its brand, War Horse Place has taken the path of trying to draw eyes through bargain pricing, and Smooth Like Strait absolutely merits a look at $3,500.
Smooth Like Strait was a graded winner each year from ages two to four, and it was rare that the gates opened and wasn't in the mix at the end. His turf preferences show through in his build, with a wide turfy foot and a lot of scope. At 16.1 hands tall, he should match well physically with a wide variety of mares.
More money gets poured into the North American turf program every year, and with an entry point this low, that could mean more room for profit if he can replicate his own success on the grass.
B. h., 2009, War Front x Rose of Summer, by El Prado
Standing at Airdrie Stud, KY, $5,000
It was neck-and-neck between Airdrie Stud barnmates Summer Front and Cairo Prince for the Second Team spot in the Turf Sire position. Cairo Prince ultimately won out, but after poring over the numbers, I gained a lot of respect for what Summer Front's been doing at stud. He and Cairo Prince were practically deadlocked in a lot of turf categories, and each of them were in the upper tier among sires standing for $20,000 or less.
If you're breeding to race with turf in mind, think hard about Summer Front.
Take Charge Indy
Dk. b. or br. h., A.P. Indy x Take Charge Lady, by Dehere
Standing at WinStar Farm, KY, $10,000
No matter how I sorted out the Team Captain and Veteran lists, Take Charge Indy just kept showing up. He gets 59 percent winners from horses of racing age, and 16 percent wins from total progeny starts, which both stack up very well among sires in this price bracket. His median yearling sale price also rose in 2023 to $30,000, which is well above his lifetime median.
He's hurting badly for the kind of breakout star or two that brought him back from Korea in the first place, but short of that, he's doing practically anything else you'd want to see from a sire in this price tier. With more foals from his return to the States about to hit the track, bred knowing what he was capable of, that next star could be just around the corner.
Zandon
Dk. b. or br. c., 2019, Upstart x Memories Prevail, by Creative Cause
Standing at Spendthrift Farm, $12,500
I had three extremely worthy horses for two spots in the Rookie category of the All-Value Sire Team, and it killed me to leave Zandon out.
His sire Upstart is a big, leggy horse, and Zandon got all of that in his own frame. He has a commanding presence coming out of the stall, and even fresh off the track, his walk was so impressive. Spendthrift Farm gets support to its rookie stallions like no other, so Zandon should have plenty of opportunities to show himself off through his foals.
In the meantime, I can't wait to see him next year to see how he settles in physically after a season of the stallion life. I bet he'll be quite the sight.
The post Bloodlines Presented By Walmac Farm: Notes From The All-Value Sire Team Trail appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
