leading sire | Horse Racing Free Tips

Calumet Farm's leading sire English Channel (Smart Strike) has been diagnosed with multiple health issues and is unlikely to cover mares during the upcoming 2022 breeding season, the farm announced Wednesday morning.

“This is an unfortunate blow for a stallion that was rising to the peak of his career and finally getting the respect he deserved,” said a representative of Calumet in the press release. “However we, at Calumet, strive to provide the best care for all our horses and will always put the horse's health, safety, and well-being first. We are going to be monitoring English Channel on a daily basis but at this time, it does not look like English Channel will breed in the upcoming season.”

Currently ranked second on the leading turf sires list for stallions standing in North America and 17th on the general sires list, again for North American-based stallions, English Channel was the 2007 Eclipse champion grass horse and tallied six Grade I wins during his racing career, highlighted by victory in the 2007 GI Breeders' Cup Turf.

The 19-year-old stallion has produced six Canadian champions during his sire career, as well as the 2020 Eclipse champion turf male Channel Maker. His 11 crops of racing age include 62 Northern Hemisphere black-type winners and 32 graded winners, including 2021 Grade I winners War Like Goddess, Two Emmys, and Channel Cat.

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Lane’s End Farm has announced that perennial leading sire and 2000 champion older horse Lemon Drop Kid (Kingmambo–Charming Lassie, by Seattle Slew) has been pensioned from stallion duties. The 25-year-old will remain at Lane’s End Farm to enjoy the rest of his retirement.

Lemon Drop Kid is responsible for siring 98 black-type winners and 46 graded winners worldwide to date, including Grade I winners Beach Patrol, Cannock Chase, Citronnade, Christmas Kid, Lemons Forever, Romantic Vision, Richard’s Kid, Santa Teresita and Somali Lemonade.

He is currently ranked 11th on the cumulative list of leading active sires in North America, with total combined progeny earnings of more than $97 million.

Lemon Drop Kid is also quickly establishing himself as a proven source of Grade I/Group 1 talent as a broodmare sire (67 stakes winners/23 graded winners worldwide) including Bar of Gold, Digital Age, Divisidero, Elusive Kate, Finest City, Forever Unbridled, Tamarkuz, Unbridled Forever, Without Parole, et al.

“Lemon Drop Kid has been a Lane’s End stalwart for 20 years,” said Lane’s End’s Bill Farish. “We are very fortunate to be associated with a horse like him. We want to thank the syndicate members and breeders who have supported him for the past two decades. His legacy will live on through his sons and daughters across the globe.”

A son of champion Kingmambo, Lemon Drop Kid is out of the Seattle Slew mare Charming Lassie, who is a three-quarter sister to the legendary A.P. Indy. Lemon Drop Kid is a half-sibling to graded winners Brulay and Statue of Liberty, and hails from the family of Grade I winners Gay Mecene, Wolfhound, Summer Squall, Duke of Marmalade (Ire), Ruler of the World (Ire), and Court Vision.

He won five Grade I races, including the GI Belmont S., GI Travers S. and GI Whitney H.

Bred in Kentucky by W. S. Farish & W. S. Kilroy, Lemon Drop Kid raced in the colors of Jeanne G Vance. The $200,000 KEESEP yearling was trained by Flint S Schulhofer.

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