A good month can do a lot to swing the number of mares a stallion sees during the breeding season, his future stud fee, and plenty more – especially if that big month actually happens in the midst of the breeding season when broodmare owners might still be making last-minute mating decisions.
By that metric, there may be no stallion that did more to improve his stock in the month of March than Ashford Stud's Practical Joke, who picked up a trio of graded stakes winners.
The big month vaulted the son of Into Mischief to the top of the graded winner standings among stallions standing for an advertised fee between $20,000 and $49,000.
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 March, 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 March. Results from last weekend's graded stakes races on April 1-2 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
Very little change in this price tier from February to March, with the record-setting Into Mischief adding another graded winner to his lead on March 11 when Frank's Rockette won the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Ashford Stud powerhouse Uncle Mo had the most active month among the penthouse sires, adding one new graded stakes winner and two graded wins. Kentucky Derby hopeful Kingsbarns added himself to the list with a convincing victory in the G2 Louisiana Derby on March 25 at the Fair Grounds.
On the West Coast, A Mo Reay tallied her second graded win of the season, and her first career Grade 1 victory, when she got up just in time to take the Beholder Mile Stakes on March 11 at Santa Anita Park.
Leading Sires Of 2023 Graded Stakes Winners, $99k to $50k Stud Fee
Hill 'n' Dale Farms' Violence vaulted to the top of his division in March on the strength of two new graded stakes winners.
That group was led by prohibitive Kentucky Derby favorite Forte, who started the month with a successful seasonal debut in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on March 4 at Gulfstream Park. Forte topped Andrew Champagne's Derby Bubble rankings last week, and that doesn't look to change anytime soon.
On the same day that Forte reaffirmed his spot at the top of the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, Raise Cain staked his own bid for the classic race with an upset victory in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes. Trainer Ben Colebrook spoke about that victory, and the colt's plans and chances in the later stages of the Derby trail on a recent episode of The Friday Show.
Frank Mitchell recently dove into the pedigrees and sales histories for both Derby-bound sons of Violence in a recent edition of Bloodlines.
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Practical Joke started the month of March with no graded stakes winners on his ledger for 2023, but now he's tied for the second-most graded winners in the country after racking up a trio of graded stakes triumphs.
Two of those wins came on March 4, including Practical Move throwing his hat in the ring for classic contention with a seasonal debut score in the G2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. Earlier that day, Little Vic picked up his first graded stakes win of his career in the G3 Tom Fool Handicap at Aqueduct.
On March 18, Tejano Twist added a third win to Practical Joke's tally, going five-wide to win the G3 Whitmore Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Tejano Twist and Little Vic both hail from Practical Joke's first crop, which are 4-year-olds of 2023.
Oscar Performance, a member of the 2022-23 All-Value Sire Team, is on the list with Red Carpet Ready, who took the G3 Forward Gal Stakes on Feb. 4 at Gulfstream Park.
Leading Sires Of 2023 Graded Stakes Winners, $19k and Below Stud Fee
Classic Empire remains at the top of this division, which has gained several new members since last month.
Two members of the 2022-23 All-Value Sire Team have racked up a graded stakes victory this year from this price division.
Classic Empire finished as the First Team in the “All-Weather Sire” position, but his two graded winners through the end of March both came over the dirt. Angel of Empire left his mark on the Derby trail with a score in the G2 Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 18, while Classy Edition took the G3 Royal Delta Stakes at Gulfstream Park on the same day.
Runhappy, who was named to the First Team in the “Future Star” position for stallions with two to four crops of racing age in 2023, saw first-cropper Happy American take the G3 Louisiana Stakes back in January at the Fair Grounds.
The post The Price Of Success: Practical Joke’s March To The Top Of His Division appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
