American Sires Through a European Lens: Part II

Following the appraisal of some of the more established stallions in America who should be on the radar for European breeders, this second instalment looks at some of the younger horses coming through.

It can be argued that attempts to push the Galileo (Ire) sire-line in Kentucky were not as successful as anticipated, with Noble Mission (GB), the brother of Frankel (GB), emerging the best of a group that included such major disappointments as Cape Blanco (Ire) and Magician (Ire). While Noble Mission now stands in Japan, his Grade I-winning son Code Of Honor ($7,500) is about to embark on his second season at Lane's End Farm in Kentucky.

The desire to establish the Galileo sire-line in the US was easy to comprehend, not just because of his championship stud career in Europe but in light of the success enjoyed by Sadler's Wells's son El Prado (Ire), whose sire-line has thrived via Medaglia d'Oro and Kitten's Joy.

Kitten's Joy's death earlier this year robbed turf-minded breeders of a tried and tested option, making the hunt for an heir suddenly all the more important. Thankfully, he has a number of sons at stud and of those based in Kentucky with runners, much encouragement can be gleaned from the start made by Oscar Performance (Mill Ridge Farm: $20,000). A multiple Grade I winner who raced without Lasix, Oscar Performance's first crop of 2-year-olds includes a Grade II winner on turf in Andthewinneris alongside a dirt stakes winner in Red Carpet Ready. A number of other representatives are bubbling under, as an overall group of six stakes horses attests, and he is poised to end the year as America's top turf sire of 2-year-olds, ahead of such proven names as More Than Ready and Kitten's Joy himself.

Next in line is Grade I scorer Divisidero (Airdrie Stud: $5,000), a seven-time winner over five seasons who possesses exactly the kind of hard-knocking profile that should be aspired to. He doesn't have numbers on his side but in his favour is an interesting pedigree that goes straight back to Almahmoud via Cosmah. The ingredients are there for him to surprise a few people.

Divisidero, a seven-time winner over five seasons, possesses exactly the kind of hard-knocking profile that should be aspired to

Medaglia d'Oro's legacy has various horses working for it, not least Bolt d'Oro (Spendthrift Farm: $35,000), who is currently in a three-way battle for champion first-crop sire honours alongside Good Magic and Justify. Regardless of which way the championship goes, Bolt d'Oro emerges as one of the leaders of his generation however the figures are diced. While a tally of five stakes winners is bettered only by the six fired in by Justify and Good Magic, no horse can come close to his 14 black-type horses, which translates to a highly impressive figure of 18.4% to runners. Members of the stakes-winning quintet range from Instant Coffee, winner of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S., to Major Dude and Bobby O, successful in the GII Pilgrim S. and GIII With Anticipation S. on the turf, respectively. He has had just the one runner in Britain and Ireland but the colt in question is Bold Discovery, a winner on debut at Naas for Jessica Harrington who later ran third in the G3 Killavullan S. With his stock also attracting the attention of the European pinhookers, expect to see more of his progeny over here in due course.

In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how Medaglia d'Oro's GII-winning son Enticed (Jonabell Farm: $5,000), who stands alongside his sire at Darley, fares with his first 2-year-olds next season.

Justifying the hype

As with American Pharoah, fellow Triple Crown winner Justify (Ashford Stud: $100,000) has been afforded chances with a number of high-performing grass mares, many of them daughters of Galileo (Ire) belonging to the Coolmore broodmare band. The bulk of his representation has naturally been in America, where he is the sire of four stakes winners to date, all on dirt. But that push to have him well represented in Europe is also paying off. Ballydoyle, for instance, houses the G2 Balanchine S. winner Statuette as well as the promising maiden winners Dame Kiri and Bertinelli. The Fozzy Stack-trained Aspen Grove (Ire) also won the G3 Flame Of Tara S. 

One of Scat Daddy's most effective weapons was his ability to work internationally and although it is early days, Justify is following that example, with a flurry of recent Japanese winners to add to his early success in America and Europe. A total of 28 winners and six black-type winners is an excellent start by any measure. But don't forget, Justify is a big horse who didn't make his debut until February of his 3-year-old year. It stands to reason that his progeny will continue to improve.

Fellow Scat Daddy stallion Mendelssohn (Ashford Stud: $25,000) is another who has not lacked for opportunity, with the combination of a Grade I race record, a $3-million yearling price tag, and having Into Mischief as a half-brother key in attracting 252 mares in his first book and another 242 in his second. Mendelssohn was an accomplished 2-year-old on turf for Aidan O'Brien so it's surprising that so few made back it to Europe this season (only four runners in Europe so far), although the handful to hit the track did include Ballydoyle's listed-placed colt Congo River. He is one of six stakes horses for Mendelssohn in a group led by the GII Jessamine S. winner Delight.

While few sire-lines have the commercial pull of Scat Daddy, it remains dangerous to underestimate that belonging to More Than Ready. Of those with first 2-year-olds, Grade I turf winner Funtastic (Three Chimneys Farm: $5,000)–a relation to Gun Runner no less–might not have the numbers behind him but his trio of winners do at least include the GIII-placed First Peace.

Next in line is Catholic Boy (Claiborne Farm: $15,000), a horse of rare versatility who won the GI Travers S. on dirt and GI Belmont Derby Invitational S. on turf. Also precocious enough to win the GII Remsen S. and GIII With Anticipation S. at two, he has around 110 2-year-olds to run for him in 2023, among them a handful bought to breeze in Europe. It doesn't take too much imagination to envisage him filling the void left by More Than Ready as an effective sire on both sides of the Atlantic.

And perhaps Yoshida (WinStar Farm: $10,000), the sole son of Heart's Cry (Jpn) at stud in North America and Europe, will prove capable of laying the foundations for the Sunday Silence line to take root back in Kentucky. Like Catholic Boy, he was top class on both turf and dirt, in his case as winner of the GI Woodward S. and GI Old Forester Turf Classic S., and has been deservedly well supported, with over 100 2-year-olds set to run for him bred off a first-year fee of $20,000. He boasts all the attributes to be effective over here and with several having headed this way, it will be fascinating to see how he gets on.

Of the other Hail To Reason-line horses, the first yearlings by the Arch horse Preservationist (Airdrie Stud: $10,000) generated plenty of positive chatter, selling for up to $280,000. A series of setbacks prevented him from running until he was four, making it harder to gauge how much precocity he might be capable of imparting, but once he got going, he progressed to land the GI Woodward S. If he remains true to the Arch sire-line, then a number of his progeny will also be effective on turf.

Fans of the Arch line also have his final Grade I winner Instilled Regard (Taylor Made Stallions: $7,500) to choose from. A $1.05 million 2-year-old in training purchase, he was capable of performing to a high level on both surfaces, running Grade I-placed as a 2-year-old on dirt before winning the GI Manhattan S. as an older horse on turf. All in all, this is the kind of profile–longevity and versatility–that served the Roberto sire-line so well for so long. He stands for just $7,500 but does have the backing of his owner, Larry Best of OXO Equine.

Accomplished War Fronts

There are also several War Front horses waiting in the wings including Omaha Beach (Spendthrift Farm: $30,000), his sire's most accomplished dirt horse whose Grade I victories ranged from the Santa Anita Sprint Championship over six furlongs to the Arkansas Derby over nine. He represents a highly appealing package as a seriously talented, well-bred horse with the backing of some powerful connections and the market liked what it saw from his first yearlings, as illustrated by an average close to $200,000. He will be one of the favourites to end 2023 as a leading US first-crop sire but with that War Front connection, he is also worth bearing in mind from a turf perspective too.

The first foals by War Of Will (Claiborne Farm: $15,000) were well received at the winter breeding stock sales, selling for an average of $102,762. This is just the type of horse who should be capable of appealing to a worldwide audience, primarily in light of a race record that included the GI Preakness S. on dirt and GI Maker's Mark Mile on turf. Also Grade I-placed at two on turf, he was a graduate of the Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale and hails from a noted Niarchos family (he is out of a Sadler's Wells half-sister to Spinning World) that has worked well in different parts of the world. Given his own history as an accomplished European breezer, his first yearlings will likely catch the attention of that pinhooking community next autumn. 

As far as pedigree goes, they don't come much better bred than Lost Treasure (Ire) (Hill 'n' Dale Farm: $3,500), a stakes-placed War Front son of G2 Rockfel S. winner Wading (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), herself a granddaughter of Urban Sea (Miswaki). He doesn't have huge numbers on his side but his first yearlings sold for up to $65,000 and should he possess even a small measure of the sire talent of his relatives, then a fee of $3,500 could come to look very good value.

The fact that [Peter] Brant and Claiborne Farm elected to give Demarchelier a chance at stud is surely testament to his ability

For all the chat of American-sired horses, however, sometimes it pays just to not overcomplicate matters. To that end, there are two Peter Brant-owned horses standing in Kentucky with strong European connections.

Demarchelier (GB) (Claiborne Farm: $5,000)) is a beautifully-bred son of Dubawi (Ire) who cost 425,000gns as a Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling. He looked to have the world at his feet when winning his first three starts, including the GIII Pennine Ridge S., before an injury suffered in the GI Belmont Derby Invitational S. brought his career to an immediate halt. The fact that Brant and Claiborne Farm elected to give him a chance at stud is surely testament to his ability–indeed, Brant has supported him strongly and the resulting foals are likely to be in the hands of some high-profile trainers. He's an intriguing prospect, especially at $5,000.

Gainesway Farm, meanwhile, is home to Raging Bull (Fr), a Wildenstein-bred son of Dark Angel (Ire) who stands for $10,000. The horse is in fact arguably the most accomplished son of his sire at stud anywhere in the world given he won three Grade I races at three to six years–namely the Hollywood Derby, Shoemaker Mile and Maker's Mark Mile. Another well supported by Brant, mares in foal to him realised $360,000 and $230,000 at the Keeneland November Sale. The lots in question, Editor At Large (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Isle Of Wight (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), were both snapped up by Denis Brosnan's Epona Bloodstock. Gainesway has long fared well out of standing turf milers and Raging Bull has been given every chance by connections to be the next in line.

The post American Sires Through a European Lens: Part II appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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American Sires Through a European Lens: Part I

The Thoroughbred is certainly more versatile than we sometimes give it credit for. There is always the capacity to surprise, particularly when it comes to predicting stallion success.

For instance, despite examples showing otherwise, it remains tempting to box sires as 'dirt' and 'turf' and 'American' and 'European' when actually some of them will prove capable of crossing the differing racing jurisdictions quite easily. Had all breeders and buyers remained on 'the straight and narrow', the chance to appreciate the likes of Scat Daddy, Medaglia d'Oro, More Than Ready and Distorted Humor, as perfectly capable influences for Europe might have passed us by. Naturally, not every dirt horse will serve European investors well but as history has shown on countless occasions, there will be those that work and therefore sometimes the inclination to act with an open mind and experiment with bloodlines can benefit in the long run.

In some cases, the issue with these horses is that they will be quite often well into their stud career before they become fully appreciated by an international audience. Kitten's Joy was middle-aged by the time he came to be well regarded by Europeans, having made his name through the hard work of his owner-breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey. He was part of a select group of older Kentucky stallions that consistently piqued the attention of turf-orientated breeders until his death earlier this year. Other such horses, More Than Ready and English Channel, have also died in the past 18 months while Distorted Humor has been pensioned.

That leaves a dwindling clutch of Kentucky-based sires who are proven at the highest level on turf. There is War Front (Claiborne Farm: $100,000), the sire of 24 Group/Grade 1 winners including this year's G1 Coolmore Turf Mile scorer Annapolis. He is rising 21 but the stats remain firmly in his corner, notably that 11% black-type winners to foals of racing age figure.

Medaglia d'Oro (Jonabell Farm: $100,000) has also long been a friend of the European breeder, with his stud record ranging from turf performers of the ilk of Golden Sixty (Aus) and Talismanic (GB) to iconic dirt runners such as Rachel Alexandra and Songbird. However, the Darley stalwart will be 24 years old next year while his studmate Hard Spun (Jonabell Farm: $35,000), another go-to horse for Europeans whose international stud career includes the turf Group 1 winners Hard Not To Like, Gatting (Aus) and Le Romain (Aus), will be 19. Similarly, WinStar Farm's venerable Speightstown ($80,000), another firm favourite with Europeans, will turn 25.

There is the trap of taking these horses for granted. They won't be around forever and for those looking to invest in American bloodlines, particularly pinhookers, there is value in pinpointing those younger stallions capable of perhaps following their example.

Quality Road (Lane's End Farm: $200,000) isn't young at 16 and is primarily a dirt sire. But like his sire Elusive Quality before him, he is also very capable of throwing turf runners as well; in fact, it was on British soil that he first came to attention as a potential sire of note when his first-crop son Hootenanny won the 2014 Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot.

The issue for European breeders is that when these elite stallions reach a certain level, they become almost out of reach. Quality Road will end 2022 as America's second leading sire behind Into Mischief and is set to command $200,000 in 2023, up from $150,000 in 2022. As such, he is very much the domain of American breeders.

Yet there is a subplot developing that will bring him to greater prominence in Europe, namely the handful of 2-year-olds housed at Ballydoyle. In 2019, Coolmore utilised Quality Road as an outlet for various Galileo (Ire) mares and are on the road to being well rewarded given that the five 2-year-olds to have run include G3 Killavullan S. winner Cairo (Ire) (out of Cuff {Ire}), Leopardstown maiden winner Mohawk Chief (out of Wedding Vow {Ire}) and Dundalk maiden winner Carracci (out of Butterflies {Ire}). The remaining duo, Canute and Time To Boogie, have both been placed.

War Front, of course, filled that role of clicking with Coolmore's broodmare band, many of them daughters of Galileo (Ire), for several years. With his resulting European success in mind, several of his sons should come under consideration.

As far as his proven sons are concerned, it doesn't cost the earth to use either The Factor (Lane's End Farm: $15,000), a proven Grade I sire who has been ably represented in recent years by the high-class, hardy turf sprinter Bound For Nowhere, or Summer Front (Airdrie Stud: $7,500). Both have served European pinhookers well over the years and in turn have had a smattering of representation over here, in particular Summer Front, who was represented only earlier this month by the Italian listed winner Tequila Picante. Also responsible for turf graded stakes winners such as Speaktomeofsummer and Fighting Seabee in the US, Tequila Picante maintains a successful association with Europe for the stallion that also includes the stakes-placed Summeronsevenhills and Ete Indien, a graduate of the Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale who won the GII Fountain Of Youth S. back on American soil.

 

Safe Option

Despite Speightstown's (WinStar Farm: $80,000) advanced age, his profile has not diminished. On home soil, he was represented by two Grade I winners in 2022–Shirl's Speight on turf and Olympiad on dirt–as well as yearlings that sold for up to $950,000. At the same time, he remains a safe option for Europeans, with his ability to throw fast turf runners and good-looking stock a particularly appealing attribute to the breeze-up community.

However, he won't be around forever. Currently, his legacy runs most strongly through Munnings (Ashford Stud: $100,000). Available early in his career for $10,000, his stud career has been one of a steady ascent to the top 10 American stallions, with this year's standing buoyed by the presence of 15 stakes winners led by the 10-length GI Woody Stephens S. winner Jack Christopher. That colt might have been an extremely gifted dirt runner but the ability to throw high-class runners on turf is also there as illustrated by Kimari, who ran second in the G1 Commonwealth Cup and G2 Queen Mary S. for Wesley Ward, and G2 Del Mar Derby winner Om.

The turf success of American Pharoah, himself a true dirt
performer with a pedigree steeped in dirt success, is living
proof of the dangers of pigeon-holing horses

Such is the versatility of this line that it would be folly for turf-orientated breeders to dismiss other Kentucky-based sons of Speightstown ranging from Charlatan ($50,000; Hill 'n' Dale Farm) and Olympiad ($35,000; Gainesway Farm) to Nashville ($15,000; WinStar Farm) and Lexitonian ($7,500; Lane's End Farm), for all they did all their racing on dirt. And given that speed was also the essence for a number of them, the scene is set for those horses to attract the attention of the European breeze-up pinhookers when the time comes.

Versatility has also been a striking element to the stud career of American Pharoah (Ashford Stud: $60,000). As befits a Triple Crown winner, the horse has never lacked for high-level support, particularly from high-profile international breeders. That in turn has allowed him the opportunity to be well represented on an international scale. In fact, his first ever winner arrived courtesy of the Aidan O'Brien-trained Monarch Of Egypt at Naas in April 2019 and, since then, he has continued to make his presence felt in these parts, notably as sire of the Group 1 winners Van Gogh and Above The Curve, both campaigned by the Coolmore partners.

The turf success of American Pharoah, himself a true dirt performer with a pedigree steeped in dirt success, is living proof of the dangers of pigeon-holing horses. As expected, his stock do enjoy dirt. But a willingness to experiment early on and cross him with turf mares and/or import a number of his progeny to Europe has helped build the horse as a major presence worldwide. Indeed, close to 10 yearlings by him were bought at the Keeneland September Sale to come back to Europe.

Fellow Ashford Stud stallion Uncle Mo ($150,000) is another with the ability to produce the goods on turf if given the right mare; for that, look no further than the top-class turf sprinter Golden Pal, himself an interesting new recruit to Ashford Stud, and the GI Hollywood Derby winners Mo Forza and Mo Town.

Uncle Mo has commanded six figures since 2017, making him likely out of reach for most European breeders. But it is probably worth keeping an eye on his son Mo Town (Ashford Stud), for whom a first crop includes five stakes horses on turf and dirt and the earners of nearly $1.5 million, enough to make him a top eight American first-crop sire. He stands for $5,000, quite a bit less than several of those who surround him on the table.

The key for breeders is to determine that stallion that could be on the way up. Not This Time (Taylor Made Stallions) is one such horse, having leapt from a fee of $12,500 to $135,000 within the space of three years. Much of his reputation is built on dirt performers of the calibre of Epicenter and Princess Noor but he is after all a son of Giant's Causeway and there has been enough action within his own stud career on grass–notably the 10 black-type turf horses of 2022–to make him interesting to the higher end of the European market.

Not This Time is the most successful American-based son of Giant's Causeway but that's not to say the others are not worth considering. The past season for Creative Cause (Airdrie Stud) was highlighted by the dual Grade III-winning grass 2-year-old Packs A Wahlop while Claiborne Farm's veteran First Samurai held his own as the sire of six stakes winners, among them the $800,000 turf earner Plum Ali. Both proven Grade I sires, neither is expensive at $7,500.

 

Storm Cat Speed

The Storm Cat sire line retains much of its popularity via Scat Daddy, whose sons Justify and Mendelssohn will be discussed in more depth in part two among the younger stallions available. But let's not forget Kantharos (Hill 'n' Dale Farm: $20,000), who descends from Storm Cat via Lion Heart, or Karakontie (Jpn) (Gainesway Farm: $10,000), a son of Bernstein (himself a high-class 2-year-old for Aidan O'Brien) who is now established one of Kentucky's most effective turf sires.

Grade II-winning juvenile Kantharos made his name out of Florida-bred crops that included the high-class speedsters World Of Trouble, X Y Jet and Bucchero. The latter was in fact deemed good enough to take his chance in the 2018 G1 King's Stand S., where he ran fifth behind Blue Point (Ire). Few Kantharos representatives have made their way to Europe but turf speed has been one of the elements to his success so far and thus he appeals as the type to click well with faster European-type mares if given the chance.

As a French Classic-winning miler owned and bred by the Niarchos family, Karakontie (Jpn) (Gainesway: $10,000) has understandably had plenty of exposure in Europe, notably as the sire of G3 Horris Hill S. winner Kenzai Warrior, Killarney listed winner Cigamia and Spendarella, who ran second in this year's G1 Coronation S. for Graham Motion. He is primarily a turf sire in the US but there has been the odd good dirt runner, notably Grade III winner Sole Volante.

Few Kantharos representatives have made their way to Europe but
turf speed has been one of the elements to his success so far

Both stallions are bred on a variation of the Storm Cat-Halo cross; Kantharos is out of a mare by Southern Halo while Karakontie's dam Sun Is Up (Jpn) provides a welcome strain of Sunday Silence.

For years, the Hail To Reason line more than held its own, renowned for its consistent ability to throw sound, durable horses. Sadly, as a sire-line it is now on the wane, its fortunes in Kentucky currently resting on Blame and Temple City, both proven Grade I sires but both also approaching the twilight of their careers.

Blame (Claiborne Farm: $25,000) sprang to attention in Europe as sire of the Niarchos family's G1 Prix de Diane heroine Senga out of his first crop. While he hasn't reached quite the same heights over here since then–although in fairness representation has been sparse enough–the son of Arch has forged a reputation as a very solid sire for his price point in the US, with his stud record ranging from a top-class dirt colt in Nadal to the Grade I turf winner Abscond. A 6% black-type winners to foals of racing age figure places him in a favourable light, especially for his price bracket. He is also rapidly developing into a broodmare sire of note: look no further than the outcome to the GI Breeders Futurity at Keeneland in which his daughters supplied the first two home in Forte (Violence) and Loggins (Ghostzapper). With that in mind, an accomplished Blame filly would be a worthy addition to any broodmare band worldwide, especially as he himself is related to Sadler's Wells and Nureyev on his dam side, allowing for some interesting inbreeding opportunities.

As for Temple City (Spendthrift Farm: $5,000), he is the sole son of Dynaformer at stud in Kentucky and doing that sire-line proud as North America's fourth leading active turf sire of 2022–a highly noteworthy feat given his lowly fee. A clutch of eight stakes winners in 2022, seven of them on turf, included the graded stakes winners Temple, Temple City Terror and Another Mystery to enhance a stud record already highlighted by the Grade I winners Miss Temple City, Bolo and Annals Of Time.

 

Part II of this feature will appear in Saturday's TDN and will take a closer look at some of the younger members of the American stallion ranks.

 

 

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