Welcome
The Thoroughbred business is tough but the rewards can be heady. It's important to surround yourself with experts that will give honest advice to keep you from making stupid mistakes.

Don't confuse pedigree expertise with nick ratings. A good advisor knows that pedigree and conformation are inextricably linked. A good advisor considers your goals, your budget, and your preferences, and will work within your parameters or recommend when they need to be realistically revised. A good advisor of any kind is honest and objective.

It's important to realize that breeding Thoroughbreds is an exercise in genetics - knowledge of the gene pool and how the traits are passed on. We are breeding racehorses, which means we are breeding for performance. Inspecting the best runners and sires will quickly show you that perfect conformation is not a requirement for excellence. With all the factors that need to be weighed and balanced, Thoroughbred breeding is as much an art as a science; an intellectual exercise at its best and a crap shoot at its worst.  

RECENTLY PUBLISHED ARTICLES:
June 14, 2024: Do Milers Make the Best Sires?
March 15, 2024: Freshman Sires of 2024
Tiz the Law, McKinzie, Improbable, Complexity, and Instagrand.
January 24, 2024 Honest Pleasure is Everywhere
March 30, 2023 Who Became the Best Broodmare Sires?
February 14, 2023 Freshman Sires of 2023
December 23, 2022: Karakontie (JPN)
May 22,2022: Gun Runner Sire Phenom
February 1, 2022: The Freshman Sires of 2022
February 12, 2021: The Freshman Sires of 2021
March 28, 2020 : The Freshman Sires of 2020
April 2019: Kentucky Derby pedigrees/stamina figures
March 2019: 2019 Freshman Sires
June 2018: Justify's pedigree
May 2018: Sagamore Farm cemetery
March 2018: Kentucky Derby stamina
January 2018: Freshman Sire Picks for 2018
March 11, 2017: Freshman Sire Picks for 2017
Sep 19, 2016: X Factor
Pedigree Goddess.com: Feb 25, 2016: Joe Estes
Blood-Horse Jan 16, 2016: Colonel John
Blood-Horse Dec 12, 2015: Inbreeding to Deputy Minister
Click here for more

HERE'S ANOTHER GLIMPSE OF GREAT STALLIONS FROM THE PAST (added 4/4/19)
This one is a link to the 1938 movie "Kentucky" also on YouTube.com. It's retelling the great racing story "The Look of Eagles". If you plow past the unpleasant first several minutes of the movie about the Civil War, you are in for a treat. Or just jump ahead to 13:26 and you will see a color sequence featuring living and breathing Gallant Fox, Omaha, Hard Tack, Chance Play and of course, Man o'War.

Stallion Farms are starting to announce 2025 stud fees . So far the following Kentucky farms have announced their stud fees for next year:
War Horse Place
Walmac Farm
Crestwood Farm
Calumet Farm
Coolmore/Ashford (11/4/24)
Gainesway Farm (10/31/24)
Darby Dan Farm (10/31/24)
Lane's End Farm (10/28/24)
Three Chimneys Farm (10/25/24)
Juddmonte Farm KY (10/23/24)
Airdrie Stud (10/18/24)
Claiborne Farm (10/17/24)
Taylor Made Stallions (10/17/24)
Mill Ridge Farm (10/17/24)
Darley at Jonabell (10/16/24)
Spendthrift Farm (10/15/24)
Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa Farm (10/14/24)
WinStar Farm (10/14/24)

An Unsoundness Gene (June 30, 2022)
A recent article on The Blood-Horse.com from June 30, 2022 is headlined "Study Links Gene to Soundness in Racehorses" when it might more significantly read "Study Links Gene to Unsoundness in Racehorses." The study in question is published as a paper released in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B and is officially titled "Inbreeding Depression and the probability of racing in the Thorougbhred Horse," authored by Emmeline W. Hill, Martin A. Stoffel, Beatrice A. McGivney, David E. MacHugh and Josephine M. Pemberton. In this study, the DNA of unraced Thoroughbreds is compared with those that raced and the data indicated that horses who were unraced were more likely to carry homozygous alleles of a certain gene, THR14, which appears to be related to musculoskeletal development and repair. [You can read the research paper here.] The paper also studied the inbreeding in these homozygous individuals and found that the unraced horses had more inbreeding than the raced horses. The obvious conclusion is that inbreeding increases the chances of inheritence of this "unsoundness gene," so all of you who are slap happy about inbreeding and like having a lot of those ancestor names lit up as duplicated, be a little careful about what you are doing. We've all been told that inbreeding is risky and can be dangerous, and here's one proven reason why. Use some common sense and try to avoid a lot of inbreeding in your matings, and especially try to avoid inbreeding to unsound individuals. You could use a rule of thumb I like to follow by outcrossing inbred individuals. The purpose of that is to increase heterozygosity or "hybrid vigor" which is so important in creating a superior athlete.

STALLION EBB AND FLOW FOR 2022
     Let's look back one more time at the 2021 Report of Mares Bred. In Kentucky, there were a total of 205 stallions who bred 16,727 mares. Of that group, there were 111 stallions which are considered "proven," that is, whose first foals were at least three years old in 2021, those who went to stud no later than 2017. These 111 horses (54.14% of the total) covered 7,686 mares, which is 45.94% of the mares. Oddly, they only averaged 62.24 mares each. This means that there were 94 unproven stallions, 45.85% of the stallion population, who covered 9,041 of the mares, a majority of 54.05%, and averaged 96.18 mares bred. In 2021, 26 new stallions entered stud in Kentucky, and they covered 3,430 mares between them, for an average of 131.92 mares each, making them the most in-demand category.
     So there's irrefutable evidence that mare owners prefer to use unproven stallions, despite the inherent risk of wasting one's mare on a stallion who turns out to be a genetic dud. One reason is that the best stallions, Into Mischief and Tapit for example, are too expensive and exclusive for many breeders, so they look to unproven sons of those sires hoping to strike gold. Another reason is because the buyers on the other end, those bidding on in-foal mares, weanlings and yearlings, seem to prefer young, unproven sires. There's no logic to it, since the vast majority of hopeful first-year stallions every year in Kentucky fail. Many are shipped out before they even have foals of racing age.
     Kentucky lost about 24 stallions for the upcoming 2022 breeding season, led by the retirements of Distorted Humor, Stormy Atlantic, Congrats and Broken Vow; and the deaths of Bernardini and Lord Nelson. The rest account for the usual re-shuffling of stallions to other states and countries for any number of reasons, mostly because they didn't live up to the level of production in the sales ring or on the track in the world's most demanding Thoroughbred market.
     Compare this to the intake of 21 new/first-year stallions led by Essential Quality, the Champion Two-Year-Old Male of 2020 and likely Champion Three-Year-Old Male of 2021, who leads this group with a well-earned fee of $75,000. He's one of 14 Grade 1 winners in this class (including Knicks Go, Maxfield, Charlatan, Code of Honor and Raging Bull (FR)); 5 Grade 2 winners, 1 Grade 3 winner and 1 Graded-placed. (Copyright Anne Peters Dec 31, 2021)

2020 LEADING FRESHMAN SIRES
Nyquist ended the year as Leading Freshman Sire, taking command after his daughter Vequist won that big purse in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies-G1. He had 17 winners (tied for third behind Not This Time and Outwork; and even with Air Force Blue). Laoban ended the season as #2, with the help of 3 stakes winners including G1 winner Simply Ravishing and G2 winner Keepmeinmind out of his 13 winners. This makes his move to WinStar in Kentucky for 2021 look like a profitable move. Both Nyquist and Laoban are from the first crop by Uncle Mo, whose son Outwork came in #4 by earnings and #2 by winners (with 19), behind Not This Time in both categories. Not This Time led this sire list off and on throughout the racing season. He ended it #3 by earnings, but #1 by winners by a large margin with 28 individual winners, 9 more than Outwork. Not This Time also had 3 stakes winners led by G1 winner Princess Noor.

A couple of popular stallions whose progeny did not come out as quickly included Runhappy with 9 winners and zero stakes winners and California Chrome 8 winners, zero stakes winners. Both of these might have a better record next year when their first crop gets another year of maturity as three-year-olds.

My early picks and end of year results:
Nyquist - #1 by earnings; 17 winners, 2 stakes winners
Runhappy - #15 by earnings, 9 winners
Upstart - #3 by winners (18)
Brody's Cause - #10 by earnings; 6 winners, 2 stakes winners
Outwork - #4 by earnings, #2 by winners (19)
Upstart - #6 by earnings, #3 by winners (18)

REPORT FROM TURKEY (May 14, 2020) Thanks to my friend Günhan Demiralp, who lives in Turkey, we're given a little insight into the status of several former American stallions sent to continue their careers in his home country. He sent me the numbers below. Please note, this is by no means a complete listing of stallions/leading sires standing in Turkey.

2019 Stallion Ranking / Turkey
1. Victory Gallop
2. Unaccounted For (died 2013)
4. Mountain Cat (inactive)
7. Strike the Gold (died 2011)
9. Lion Heart

2020 Covers Turkish Jockey Club stallions
Bodemeister 100 full
Daredevil 120 full
Lion Heart 100 full
Super Saver 120 full
Victory Gallop 70 full (limited to 70 from 377 applications due to age)

2020 Covers / Private
General Quarters 50
Papa Clem 45
Tizway 95

2020 KY STALLION INTAKE AND LOSS (updated Jan 25, 2020)
As the 2020 breeding season approaches, it's worth noting that while Kentucky is getting 19 new stallions, it's losing 37, which is ALOT. Most are moving to other states, although 12 are going out of the country, with at least 4 (and possibly 6) pensions, and 1 death. Usually there's almost a balance between the gains and losses, but not since 2015 have we seen such a disparity between new horses and those dropping off the Kentucky roster. Compare this year's numbers to the last few years in the table below (numbers might not be exact). It's likely due to the increasingly large stallion books for popular stallions and the irrational demand for first-year stallions, combined with a dramatic drop-off in demand for stallions whose progeny are showing weakness in the commercial market.

I have 3 words of caution for stallion farms and breeders who give up too early on young, relatively unproven sires: "Take Charge Indy." After 3 seasons at WinStar Farm and discouraging first-crop yearling sales (a 2016 average of $38,833 and median of $22,000), Take Charge Indy was sold to South Korea. Now the sire of 20 black-type stakes winners from those first 3 crops, he has returned to WinStar for the 2020 season at a fee of $17,500, the same as his last Kentucky season in 2016. Let's hope buyers can ignore the fact that his yearlings might not be perfect, but they sure can run.

2019 Freshman Sires
I picked the year-end title holder, American Pharoah, but it seemed like a no-brainer at the time. I didn't do so well with the rest, except Liam's Map, who was #4 by earnings. Daredevil has been sent to Turkey. Palace had a lot of winners, but only 1 stakes winner. Bayern had a lot of winners, but no stakes winners. Hmmm.
My picks and end of year results:
American Pharoah - #1 by earnings, co-#2 by stakes winners (4), co-#1 by winners (27)
Daredevil - 12 winners, 1 stakes winner
Palace - 17 winners, 1 stakes winner
Liam's Map - #4 by earnings, 16 winners, 2 stakes winners
Bayern - 22 winners

FRESHMAN SIRE PICKS FOR 2017 (March 11, 2017)
I just uploaded my predictions for the leading freshman sires, those stallions who entered stud in Kentucky 2014 with their first crop racing as 2-year-olds in 2017. The article goes into extensive detail on each of the stallions from this Kentucky sire class, with a table of statistics showing number of mares bred and yearling averages/ medians to help support the analysis. As usual, my freshman sires picks lean toward stallions who were good 2-year-old runners themselves, and spoiler alert, for those who don't want to read the entire article, here are my top 5 selections.

Shanghai Bobby
Violence
Overanalyze
Liaison
Flat Out

2016 FRESHMAN SIRE SELECTIONS (March 8, 2016) This year's freshman sires, those with their first 2-year-olds hitting the track, are headlined by some of the darlings at last year's yearling sales: Bodemeister, The Factor, Union Rags, Tapizar, Jersey Town, Creative Cause, Shackleford and To Honor and Serve. They all have 2015 yearling averages of $75,000 or over. When I make my freshman sire choices, I like a horse who showed good form at 2, but could run into the middle distances at 3, and ran for most of the season. A classy pedigree and no major comformation issues helps, too. Union Rags seems to have the best all-around resume, being the best East Coast juvenile who grew up to win the Belmont Stakes. He's also a well-bred horse (by Dixie Union, dam by Gone West) and a striking individual. Stay Thirsty was G1-placed at 2, won the Gotham and Travers at 3, and the Cigar Mile at 4. With a top pedigree (Bernardini/Storm Bird) and all-around good looks, he's got a license to succeed. To Honor and Serve was a good late season 2-year-old, won the Cigar Mile at 3, and was a top older male at 4. His pedigree is A+ (Bernardini/ Deputy Minister) and he's a big, handsome horse. Shackleford is my wild card choice. He was a winner at 2, and was a brilliantly fast, gutsy horse, winning the Preakness at 3 and the Met Mile at 4. By Forestry, a highly underrated sire, his dam Oatsee is a true blue hen by Unbridled, and is from the same family as sires Gone West and Tentam. Finally, it's hard to ignore the hype that followed Bodemeister, and the class of mares it attracted. An extremely talented, well-bred (Empire Maker/Storm Cat) horse, he was unraced at 2, but the size and quality of his first book of mares could carry him to early success.

NEW ARTICLES (Feb 24, 2016)
The life of a freelance pedigree writer is tough and recently, The Blood-Horse discontinued the weekly Breeding/ Pedigree column in favor of a new sponsor, which means that I (and my pedigree-writing colleagues) must find other venues to share ideas. This gives me the opportunity to concentrate on this web page, so I've celebrated by adding a new article on Joe Estes, gifted writer and former editor of The Blood-Horse, to the line up on my Pedigree page.
Let me take this opportunity to encourage you to submit suggestions for future articles. What are you interested in reading about? Email me at pedgoddess@yahoo.com with your ideas.

REAL WORDS OF WISDOM ON BREEDING
The Aga Khan has been one of the leading breeders in Europe for decades, his studs producing runners like Shergar, Zarkava, Akiyda, Shahrastani, Kahyasi, Darshaan, Sinndar, Blushing Groom, Kalamoun, Sendawar, Siyouni, Dalakhani, Daylami, and many others. His father and grandfather bred the likes of Nasrullah, Mahmoud, Bahram, Petite Etoile, Noor and Gallant Man to name just a few. His daughter, Princess Zahra, has shown a keen interest in the family's racing and breeding program and recently addressed the Asian Racing Conference, offering observations on the Aga Khan's thoroughbred program and the current state of breeding that everyone should read. You can read Princess Zahra Aga Khan's speech here. This will link you to the website for the Aga Khan's studs, which is well worth an afternoon or a few days of browsing and learning.

LEADING FRESHMAN SIRES IN 2015
I picked Uncle Mo to be the Leading Freshman Sire of 2015 and he did not disappoint. He was the leader by earnings, by number of winners and by number of stakes winners (see lists below). His top colt Nyquist, winner of 3 G1 races including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, will undoubtedly be named Champion 2-Year-Old Male of 2015. Unfortunately, my other choices (Trappe Shot, Sidney's Candy, General Quarters) didn't fare as well, but we'll see how they do with their 3-year-olds in 2016. I was surprised to see Twirling Candy and Archarcharch right up there among the leading freshman sires, but good for them. Girolamo might have been the biggest surprise of all, with his first crop sired when he was standing in New York, but now he's in Kentucky and standing at $15,000, 3 times what he stood for last year.

MY PICKS FOR FRESHMAN SIRES IN 2015
Uncle Mo has all the qualifications to be one of the leading freshman sires this year. He was the Champion 2-year-old himself, and was just a flat out brilliant race horse. He's by Indian Charlie, who specialized in precocious/speedy, his yearlings sold well last year, and he's going to have a lot of juvenile runners out there. Trappe Shot's yearlings sold remarkably well for his $10,000 stud fee, and he was a very fast horse by Tapit, both of which suggest early runners. I've always been impressed with Sidney's Candy, both as a horse with record-setting speed and great conformation. He's by Candy Ride, who sired Shared Belief, the champion juvenile a couple years back. I don't know how many 2-year-olds General Quarters will have from his first Florida-sired crop, but he was a horse with tremendous ability and is bred to run early, by Sky Mesa out of an Unbridled's Song mare.

LEADING FRESHMAN SIRES OF 2014
While I didn't expect to see Quality Road and Super Saver come on so quickly, it doesn't surprise me since both horses were very good racehorses with great pedigrees. I was pleased to see the good showing by Munnings, who I fully expected to do well with his first 2-year-olds: #2 by number of winners, #3 by number of stakes winners, and #4 by earnings. It's good to see Tale of Ekati rank high by number of winners, with 14. Concord Point got 2 stakes winners from his first crop and is a horse to pay attention to as the first good son of Tapit with runners.

MY FAVORITE FRESHMAN SIRES OF 2014
Among the stallions whose first crop will be racing in 2014, here are some of my favorites. I think Munnings has "leading freshman sire" written all over him. Fast and precocious himself, he's built for the part, and is from a strong sireline, being the first good son of Speightstown to stud in North America. Blame is a magnificent individual, and although his runners might not be as precocious as Munnings, he stands out as an outstanding runner by a very good sire from a great sire-making family going back to Rough Shod II. I liked Tale of Ekati when he was racing, and I still like him. He was a G2 winner at 2 and multiple G1 winner at 3, by Tale of the Cat, out of a Sunday Silence mare, from a great female family. Line of David impressed me with his good looks and is by Lion Heart, who was exported too soon. He is also from the immediate family of Mr. Prospector, which says a lot. Concord Point was one of the first sons of Tapit to stud and is a big, stout, handsome horse with a remarkably intense pedigree.

GO SKY CAPTAIN!
Congratulations to owner Jack Oxley for his win with Sky Captian in the Dominion Day Handicap-G3 at Woodbine. Sky Captain was bred on my recommendation for breeders Three Chimneys Farm and Serengeti Stable. He's a 4-year-old son of Sky Mesa, who raced for Mr. Oxley, and who stands at Three Chimneys Farm. Sky Captain is out of the mare Anchors Away, an unraced mare from the first crop of Smarty Jones out of Away, by Dixieland Band. Anchors Away is a half-sister to the outstanding but ill-fated filly Eight Belles. Sky Captain sold for $210,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale to Mr. Oxley. He has now earned $206,513. Sky Captain is one of 6 stakes winners for Sky Mesa so far in 2014, and the 40th for him lifetime. Sky Captain is also the third stakes winner with Smarty Jones as the broodmare sire.

TONALIST IN THE BELMONT
This year's Belmont Stakes went to Tonalist (by Tapit - Settling Mist by Pleasant Colony), who adds to the sensational record of his sire Tapit. He becomes Tapit's fifth Graded stakes winner at a distance beyond 9 furlongs, following Careless Jewel, High Tap, Headache, Tapitsfly and Teen Pauline who all scored at a longer distance. In the case of Tonalist, Tapit may have had a little help getting that extra stretch to 12 furlongs, since his dam is by the outstanding staying influence, Pleasant Colony. There are actually a lot of remarkable things about Tonalist's background that a pedigree geek woud find interesting. His dam is a half-sister to the dam of 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace. She goes back in female line, through Toll Fee and Toll Booth, to the mare Missy Baba, who is also the third dam of 2002 Belmont Stakes winner A.P. Indy, sire of Pulpit, sire of Tapit. Missy Baba is 7x4 in the pedigree, so while it's not a significant concentration of blood, it shows the high class that this family continues to generate over the generations. Close behind Tonalist at the finish was Commissioner, who is from the last crop by A.P. Indy and is out of a mare by 1997 Belmont Stakes winner Touch Gold. Behind him came Medal Count, by Dynaformer, another great staying sire. Dynaformer was by Roberto out of Andover Way by His Majesty, and His Majesty's best son was Pleasant Colony. It's amazing how those staying genes rise to the surface in a race like this.

CHROMEO, OH CHROMEO
So California Chrome followed up his impressive Kentucky Derby win with an equally impressive victory in the Preakness Stakes.  This leaves the inevitable question, even as he trotted back to the Pimlico winner's circle, if he would be the one to win the first Triple Crown since Affirmed did it in 1978. Can he win the Belmont?  I don't know.  The Belmont is a tricky thing and winning or losing nowdays has more to do with circumstances than talent.  If he gets his trip, I don't see a horse in this crop that can touch him, IF he gets his trip.  This is no longer a matter of whether he's bred to go the distance, because he outran his pedigree when he won the San Felipe Stakes back in March.  He's one of those flukey horses who got the near perfect shake of the genetic lottery.  Yes, he was bred cheaply, but his pedigree is full of rich names and interesting patterns that you could spend hours poring over.  You can read more about it in the article I wrote about California Chrome in the March 29 issue of The Blood-Horse.  I'll be rooting for Chromeo in the Belmont, not because of the Triple Crown, but because he's a really good horse who wins in dominating style and seems to be head and shoulders above this crop of 3-year-olds...and he's pretty.  My weakness for flashy chestnuts goes back a long way.

GALA AWARD BECOMES 3RD GRADED STAKES WINNER FOR WILSHEWED
Back in February, we lost a friend in Bill Currin, and my sympathies are with his wife Betty and their family. I got to know Bill and Betty during the winter and spring of 2007 when Bill was training his glamorous colt Stormello (by Stormy Atlantic - Wilshewed by Carson City), owned with partner Al Eisman, for the Florida Derby. An elegant, fiery chestnut colt, Stormello would go to the front and try to run the field off their feet, showing brilliance and bravery in those long stretch runs. I loved Stormello, who sadly died in 2011. Watching racing one day in 2012, I was transfixed by those familiar Currin colors darting out front on a blazed faced colt who went wire to wire in that free wheeling style of Stormello. I was laughing when I discovered it was Stormello's full brother, My Best Brother. My Best Brother won the Del Mar Derby-G2T that year in brilliant style, and within a month, his half brother by Bernardini out of Wilshewed brought $1,550,000 at the Keeneland September Sale. Named Gala Award, he recently won the Palm Beach Stakes-G3T at Gulfstream Park and there is the possibility that he could go on the Derby trail, like his older brother Stormello did. So that gives the Currin's lovely mare Wilshewed her third Graded stakes winner from six foals. Wilshewed is based at Cathy Parke's Valkyre Stud near Georgetown, Kentucky and she will have my sentimental vote for 2014 Broodmare of the Year.

BEST STALLION VALUES 2014
One of the stallions I find myself recommending a lot this winter is Exchange Rate, who is priced very well at Three Chimneys at $20,000 (down from $30,000 last year). This offers commercial value since his 2013 yearlings averaged $81,259 with a median of $80,000. He's a solid proven sire whose runners win early for quick return. Mizzen Mast has also worked his way up into commercial favor, standing for $20,000 now at Juddmonte Farms, with a yearling average of $77,565 and median of $70,000. Three Chimneys has another nice proven mid-priced stallion in Sky Mesa, also priced at $20,000, with a yearling average of $66,283 and a median of $50,000.

NEW STALLIONS FOR 2014.
Don't forget to check my pages regularly to keep up with stallions as they retire from the track and are headed for stud duty. This is the most comprehensive list on the web for Northern Hemisphere stallions.
New Stallions and Roster Changes for 2014
The new Kentucky stallions by stud fee are:
Animal Kingdom   (Darley, $35,000)
Orb                      (Claiborne, $25,000)
Paynter                 (WinStar, $25,000)
Point of Entry        (Adena Springs, $25,000)
Fort Larned          (Adena Springs, $20,000)
Oxbow                 (Taylor Made, $20,000)
Shanghai Bobby    (Ashford, $20,000)
Take Charge Indy (WinStar, $20,000)
Denan (AUS)        (Darley, $15,000)
Graydar                (Taylor Made, $15,000)
Raison d'Etat         (Calumet, $15,000)
Violence               (Hill 'n' Dale, $15,000)
Jimmy Creed        (Spendthrift, $12,500)
Justin Phillip          (Castleton Lyons, $12,500)
New Year's Day   (Hill 'n' Dale, $12,500)
Flat Out                (Spendthrift, $10,000)
I Want Revenge    (Pauls Mill, $10,000)
Liaison                  (Spendthrift, $10,000)
Morning Line         (Lane's End, $10,000)
Overanalyze          (WinStar, $10,000)
Power Broker       (Hill 'n' Dale, $10,000)
Alternation            (Pin Oak, $7,500)
Data Link             (Claiborne, $7,500)
Fast Bullet            (Pauls Mill, $7,500)
Snapy Halo (ARG)(Calumet, $7,500)
Swagger Jack        (Millennium, $7,500)
Keep Up               (Mill Ridge, $5,000)
O'Prado Again      (Spendthrift, $5,000)
Awesome Patriot   (Spendthrift, $3,500)
Hero of Order       (Raut, $3,000)

2013 FRESHMAN SIRES
No one has asked my opinion yet, but I'll offer it anyhow. My favorite freshman sires this year are:
Kodiak Kowboy
Einstein (BRZ)
Pioneerof The Nile
Sea The Stars (IRE)

CENTRALINTELIGENCE FIRST G1 WINNER FOR SMARTY JONES
June 29, 2013, Centralinteligence ran away with the Triple Bend Handicap [G1] at Hollywood Park. Centralinteligence is a 5-year-old gelding by Smarty Jones out of Shootforthestars by Seattle Slew. He was bred by Smarty Jones's owner Pat Chapman, who was looking for mares to breed to Smarty Jones in the fall of 2006. We looked at Smarty's first yearlings that year and had been impressed with the colt out of the Seattle Slew mare Shootforthestars. I loved Smarty with Seattle Slew mares, and this one was offered at the 2006 Keeneland November Sale in foal to Elusive Quality (Smarty's sire), so this mare was among my recommendations for Mrs. Chapman to buy, which she did, for $450,000 and the rest is history.

Mrs. Chapman is also the breeder of Smarty Jones's 2012 stakes winner Res Judicata, a nice colt out of the homebred mare Mohonour, by Honour and Glory, a big, blaze faced mare who looks very much like her dam's sire Unbridled.

I'm so pleased for Pat, who is a genuinely nice person, who loves her horses, especially her Smarty. While it was disappointing to have him move out of Kentucky, it was nice that he could go home to Pennsylvania, where he now lives at Northview Pennsylvania, closer so Pat can visit more often.

Smarty Jones is one of the most undervalued sires in America. Check out his statistics, and be prepared to be surprised. According to The Blood-Horse Stallion Register, he has 21 stakes winners, 6% stakes winners to foals, which is excellent, with an AEI of 1.72. Go Smarty Go!

BELMONT STAKES RESULTS
So Palace Malice surprised most of us (he was nearly 14-1 after all) and won the Belmont over Oxbow and Orb. The top 3 finishers were visibly leg weary coming down through the final yards, but there was a blue blur closing fast for fourth, my longshot pick Incognito. So what have we learned from this Triple Crown season? I think we discovered that this is a very contentious crop of 3-year-olds that won't sort itself out until later in the summer or fall. What we often find in years like this, when 3 different horses break up the Triple Crown between them, is that these are very strong crops, and not "mediocre" as they're often labeled at this stage by misbegotten racing/handicapping columnists who spend too much time deriding the sport and whining because horses aren't predictable enough for them to win a bet. The second half of the season is going to be a lot of fun, I promise.

It's also important to acknowledge Palace Malice's sire, Curlin, who now has 3 stakes winners from his first crop, including the new classic winner, as well as Countess Curlin and Stopshoppingdebbie. Their dams are by Royal Anthem (Palace Malice), Private Account (Countess Curlin) and Wild Again (Stopshoppingdebbie), so he's crossing with a wide range of bloodlines so far, and they're all outcrosses at 4 generations. An interesting factor with Palace Malice is that his second dam is inbred 3x4 to Damascus. There's been a remarkable tendency for horses with inbred second dams to perform at a high level, results Tom Young and I discovered when we wrote the article "The Good, The Bad, and The Inbred" for Pedigree Post back in 2001.

BELMONT STAKES PREVIEW
The big race is tomorrow so I thought I'd go on record with my predictions, since nobody took my advice when I got excited about Oxbow for the Preakness. I'm still backing Orb - he had Belmont written all over him even before the Derby. And I can't ignore the other Malibu Moon colt, Freedom Child, either. I still like Revolutionary, but am adding a controversial wild card, Incognito, who is the only horse in the race who is truly bred to win the Belmont, by A.P. Indy out of C.C.A. Oaks winner Octave. I know he's inexperienced, but I think he might hit the board.

OXBOW SCORES IN THE PREAKNESS
While I hoped Orb would win the Preakness, I made sure to put a place and show bet on Oxbow after hearing Gary Stevens's comments on the colt after the Derby. Oxbow is interesting because he's by the grand sire Awesome Again and out of Tizamazing by Cee's Tizzy out of Cee's Song (so a full sister to Tiznow). This makes him a close relative of last year's good 3-year-old and G1 winner Paynter, also by Awesome Again out of Tizso, another full sister to Tiznow. And he's bred similarly to Ghostzapper, by Awesome Again out of Baby Zip, by Relaunch, who also sired Cee's Tizzy. So we know where the talent comes from. If only we could figure out where that weird roanish coloration comes from.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ORB AND HIS CONNECTIONS
I picked Orb for the Kentucky Derby this year as one of the very few horses in the race with the pedigree that I felt confident could go the mile and a quarter distance. Fortunately, he proved even better than I could have imagined. I've always been a fan of Malibu Moon and the female family speaks for itself. Orb has stamped himself as the best stallion prospect available, by my estimation. What a king of a horse!

HOORAY FOR PRINCESS OF SYLMAR AND MAJESTIC WARRIOR
I was not only lucky enough to have a $2 bet on Princess of Sylmar to win the Kentucky Oaks (which she did at 38-1 odds!), but I have always been a big fan of her sire Majestic Warrior.  I tapped Majestic Warrior as a prime stallion prospect for a former employer after his maiden win at two, and he was one of my choices as Leading Freshman Sire last year, which he was by number of winners (30) and fourth by earnings.

I am excited to have scouted out the sires of this year's Kentucky Oaks winner (Majestic Warrior) and last year's Kentucky Derby winner (Flower Alley, sire of I'll Have Another).

NEW STALLIONS FOR 2013
I keep a regularly updated list of new stallions and roster changes that will help breeders for the upcoming season. One of my favorite racehorses becoming a new stallion is Union Rags, who I thought was the best 2-year-old of 2011, and was one of two horses I was rooting for to win the Kentucky Derby (the other was I'll Have Another). In the absence of I'll Have Another, I transferred loyalties to Union Rags for the Belmont, which of course, he won. 'Rags has the combination of precociousness and middle distance ability, as well as Grade A pedigree that I look for in a stallion prospect. New stallions in Kentucky include:
Union Rags               $35,000
Bodemeister             $30,000
To Honor and Serve$30,000
Americain                 $20,000
Shackleford              $20,000
Stay Thirsty             $20,000
Creative Cause        $15,000
Gemologist               $15,000
Tapizar                      $15,000
The Factor                $15,000
Hansen                     $12,500
Brilliant Speed         $10,000
Caleb's Posse           $10,000
Jersey Town             $10,000
Midas Touch (GB)   $10,000
Aikenite                    $ 7,500
Algorithms                $ 7,500
Astrology                  $ 7,500
Bullet Train (GB)     $ 7,500
Dialed In                   $ 7,500
Lentenor                   $ 7,500
Mythical Power        $ 7,500
Santiva                      $ 7,500
Maclean's Music     $ 6,500
Baryshnikov             $ 5,000
Country Day             $ 5,000
Get Stormy               $ 5,000
Stately Victor           $ 5,000

There are a good number of horses who have retired since last spring who have not yet found a farm to call home. Regional stallion managers should review this list to see who might be available.

I'll Have Another's stud fee in Japan
Big Red Farm's website now shows us a lovely (but small) conformation photo of Kentucky Derby/ Preakness hero I'll Have Another, and mention that his stud fee for 2013 will be 3,200,000 yen. That currently converts to just over US $40,000. That's not such a crazy stud fee for the kind of runner he was, but it's obvious from the lack of response he got from Kentucky stallion managers that I'll Have
Another could never have demanded that here next spring. His sire, Flower Alley, will undoubtedly have a stud fee bump up but how much is the question. He was trading for $15,000 after the Preakness and covered 132 mares by the end of the 2012 season compared to 79 mares in 2011. He has another talented 3-year-old colt in G2 winner Neck 'n Neck, so he's clearly not a one-horse sire, and at $20,000,
he easily fills his book next spring.

I couldn't be happier or more proud watching Flower Alley's son I'll Have Another run down the game Bodemeister to win the Preakness just like he won the Kentucky Derby two weeks before. This is a fantastic, gorgeous colt, and now he's hopefully headed to Belmont to finish his Triple Crown bid in the Belmont Stakes. Have I mentioned lately that I'm a sucker for a chestnut horse with a star?

At my "going away party" at Three Chimneys Farm in the fall of 2010, Robert Clay asked what I was most proud of during my time there as Stallion Seasons and Matings Advisor. I didn't hesitate to answer "It's important to me that Flower Alley do well as a stallion," since I was the one pushing for the farm to get him as a stallion when others gave him the thumbs down.

Flower Alley was generally praised as the best-looking horse entering stud in Kentucky in 2007, but it took three long years of waiting to see what would come of that talent and those good looks. His first crop included the Graded stakes-winning fillies Lilacs And Lace and Bouquet Booth. His second crop includes Kentucky Derby/Preakness winner I'll Have Another. In retrospect, it seems kind of a no-brainer that one of the best sons of the classic sire Distorted Humor (sire of Funny Cide and Drosselmeyer) should follow in his daddy's footsteps as a classic sire. I'm so proud of my boy Flower Alley!

Rising Broodmare Sires North American based - foaled after 1997; the youngest (first season 2007 or later) in bold face. I update this throughout the year as I find relevant statistics. It's been updated through the 2024 Keeneland January Sale. Listed by # stakes winners
*this list has become difficult to maintain because EquineLine stats (via the Blood-Horse Stallion Register pages) for broodmare sires show all stakes winners, while The Blood-Horse Leading Broodmare Sires List and Keeneland catalog pages show only black type winners. As a result, this is not a complete or 100% accurate list.