With the last of the 105 North American Grade 1 stakes now in the books for 2022, let's dive into some of the statistics to see who bred, sired, sold, trained, and rode the 79 horses who won those races.
(Editor's note: Because there are so many overlapping ownership interests in horses and partnerships that include numerous individually named owners, it's almost impossible to track that information accurately.)
It might come as no surprise that a handful of trainers dominated the G1 ranks. Of the 105 races, 52 of them (49.5 percent) were won by four trainers: Chad Brown (18), Todd Pletcher (17), William Mott (9), and Bob Baffert (8).
They were followed by Charles Appleby (6), Steve Asmussen (6), Brad Cox (5), Phil D'Amato (4), and three each for Brendan Walsh, Graham Motion, Aidan O'Brien, and John Sadler.
Brown's 18 G1 wins were distributed among 13 different horses, with seven of the wins on dirt and 11 on turf. Pletcher's 17 G1 wins were from nine different horses. Fifteen of those 17 wins were on dirt and only two on turf. Mott sent out seven horses to win nine G1 stakes, with six on dirt and three on turf. Baffert had six runners win G1 races, all on dirt.
Seven different horses won three G1 races in 2022. Four of those seven were trained by Pletcher (Forte, Life Is Good, Malathaat, and Nest). Regal Glory won three G1 races for Brown, with Flightline winning three for Sadler. Taiba also won three G1 race – two while trained by Baffert and the third while in Tim Yakteen's stable.
Irad Ortiz Jr. led all jockeys with 20 G1 wins in 2022, followed by Flavien Prat (13), Joel Rosario (10), and Tyler Gaffalione and Jose Ortiz with seven each. Those five jockeys accounted for 57 of the 105 G1 races, or 54.2 percent.
Kentucky led the way with 56 of the 79 North American G1 winners of 2022 bred in the Bluegrass State, or 70.9 percent. There were two Pennsylvania-bred G1 winners, with one each bred in California and New York. Irish-breds won 12 G1 stakes in North America in 2022, with two each bred in France and Great Britain, and one each in Argentina, Canada, and Germany.
The leading sire of individual 2022 G1 winners was Curlin, with six (Clairiere, Cody's Wish, Elite Power, Malathaat, Nest, and Obligatory). Arrogate and Gun Runner were next with four each, followed by Dubawi, Into Mischief, and Tapit.
Godolphin bred 10 of the 79 individual G1 winners of 2022 to dominate that category. Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings was next with four individual G1 winners.
The Godolphin-bred horses all carried the stable's blue silks as homebreds. Of the 79 individual G1 winners in 2022, 29 were homebreds racing for their breeders.
Thirty-seven of the G1 winners sold at North American public auctions. Keeneland's September Yearling Sale offered the most with 22 graduates going on to win G1 races in 2022, including two that were pinhooked and sold the following year as 2-year-olds. Three G1 winners were from Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Sale, with three sold at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Saler, one of which subsequently sold as a 2-year-old. Fasig-Tipton Kentucky's July Yearling Sale accounted for three G1 winners, all of which were pinhooked into 2-year-old sales.
Seven horses exited 2-year-olds in training sales to win G1 stakes: two each at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co's April Sale and Fasig-Tipton's Florida Sale. OBS March, OBS June, and Fasig-Tipton Midlantic each had one 2-year-old graduate go on to G1 success.
Four G1 winners of 2022 were originally sold as weanlings at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale before being offered again as yearlings.
All told, horses that won G1 races in 2022 passed through the Keeneland sales ring 29 times, Fasig-Tipton 16 times, and OBS seven times. (This includes horses that were offered or sold more than once.)
Lane's End led consignors by selling four horses that would win G1 races, three as yearlings and one as an older mare. Eaton Sales, Gainesway, and Paramount each sold three subsequent G1 winners.
The 37 sales graduates that would go on to win a G1 race sold for a total of $15,913,000 in their most recent trip through the auction ring. That comes out to an average price of $430,081 and a median of $260,000.
Topping the charts is the $1.7 million paid for three-time G1 winner Taiba at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sales of 2-year-olds in training. The Gun Runner colt is one of five $1 million or more purchases that won at racing's highest level. The others are Colonel Liam ($1.2 million, OBS April); Malathaat ($1,050,000, Keeneland September), Gina Romantica ($1,025,000, Keeneland September), and Flightline ($1 million, Fasig-Tipton Saratoga).
At the other end of the spectrum, six eventual G1 winners sold for under $100,000, led by Speaking Scout, a $3,000 yearling purchase at the OBS October Sale. The other bargains purchased for less than $100,000 were War Like Goddess ($30,000, OBS June 2-year-olds), Last Call ($30,000, Keeneland Sepember), Leave No Trace ($40,000, Fasig-Tipton Midlantic October yearlings), White Abarrio ($40,000, OBS March 2-year-olds), and Jackie's Warrior ($95,000, Keeneland September).
The post By The Numbers: A Look At North American Grade 1 Stakes Results For 2022 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
