Cape Cross (Green Desert – Park Appeal)
Just over 40 stallions in history have sired 100 stakes winners plus, with only a handful of these still active. However, a number of the world’s prominent stallions have reached the 100 stakes winners milestone this year.
In 2015, Cape Cross (Green Desert), Dansili (Danehill), Exceed And Excel (Danehill), Rock Of Gibraltar (Danehill) and Tale Of The Cat (Storm Cat) all reached this once oh-so-elusive goal, while the outstanding British sires Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) and Oasis Dream (Green Desert), are teetering on the brink on 98 and 96 black type winners respectively. Top sires Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) and Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) are also closing in on the 100 stakes winner landmark, with their tallies of stakes winners standing on 90 and 96 stakes winners respectively.
While all are undoubtedly top class sires, statistics suggest that Juddmonte’s Dansili (a full brother to the dam of promising South African sire, Ideal World) is the best of the five to reach the 100 stakes winners mark thus far in 2015, and Dubawi even better.
What the statistics say
Dubawi (Dubai Millennium – Zomaradah)
Dubawi is siring an astounding 11% stakes winners to foals, while Dansili is getting 10% black type winners. Dansili also has an extremely promising sire son to his credit in the form of Gr1 Phoenix Stakes winner, Zoffany, whose first crop to race in 2015 included seven individual stakes horses. Remarkably, Zoffany’s progeny earned over £700 000 – more than double the total of runner up, Canford Cliffs (Tagula). Dansili is also responsible for the Gr1 sires Rail Link and Strategic Prince.
Dubawi has also made a pleasing start as a sire of sires. His classic winning son, Makfi, produced a French classic winner in his first crop (Guineas winner Make Believe), while another Dubawi son, Poet’s Voice, made a pleasing start in 2015 with his first two-year-olds. Poet’s Voice, a Gr1 QE II Stakes winner from the family of champion US sire, Exclusive Native, finished 2015 as the fourth leading first crop sire in GB/Ireland.
By comparison, former Australian champion sire Exceed And Excel is producing 7 percent stakes winners to foals, with Rock Of Gibraltar and Cape Cross getting 6 and 5 percent respectively.
Indomitable Danehill
Danehill (Danzig – Razyana)
If anything, however, these stats simply underline what a magnificent stallion Danehill was. It is tough enough to sire 100 black type winners, but to have three sons (even if two of whom shuttled and covered many more mares than sires in days of yore) crack through this barrier in a single year is impressive to say the least. Two other sons of the sire, Danehill Dancer and Redoute’s Choice both have more than 100 black type winners to their credit, while Danehill himself is currently the leading sire of stakes winners in history – the Danzig son notching up a staggering 347 stakes winners before his premature death in 2003. Another son, Fastnet Rock, should not be long in reaching this list either.
Danzig
Danzig (Northern Dancer – Pas de Nom)
Danzig himself holds a strong hand as male line ancestor of these top sires – not only through Danehill, but his son Green Desert, who is responsible for both Cape Cross and Invincible Spirit, while one of North America’s favourite sons, War Front, could himself eventually end up on this list – especially when considering the exceptional book of mares he has covered recently.
Other stallions close to getting 100 stakes winners include yet another Danehill son in Fastnet Rock (80 stakes winners), Lemon Drop Kid (81), Malibu Moon (87), Medaglia D’Oro (77), and Stormy Atlantic (95).
North America’s leading sire, Tapit (who is currently clear on the US General Sires List by more than $4 million!) has a total of 68 stakes winners to date. Last year’s Champion US Sire, Tapit has been represented by 22 stakes winners in 2015.
In contrast, Japan’s big stallion, Deep Impact (Sunday Silence) has sired 66 stakes winners to date – some way off his famous sire’s total of 172 black type winners.
Leading lights
At the time of writing, the world’s leading active sires of stakes winners are:
Galileo – 203
Giant’s Causeway – 156
More Than Ready – 147
Distorted Humor – 128
Redoute’s Choice – 124
Elusive Quality – 120
Pivotal – 118
Active sires
The list of leading sires of Gr1 winners also makes for interesting reading. Galileo is the leading active stallion, with Johannes Vermeer’s victory in the recent Gr1 Criterium International making him the 55st top flight winner for the multiple champion sire. With some exceptionally promising three-year-olds set to represent him in 2016, Galileo’s already remarkable record could reach new heights next year.
Europe’s dominant champion sire over the past few years is well clear of his rivals in terms of Gr1 winners. Next best, among currently active sires are:
Giant’s Causeway – 28
Redoute’s Choice – 27
Dubawi – 23
Fastnet Rock – 21
Dansili – 19
Tapit – 17
More Than Ready – 16
Distorted Humor – 15
Shamardal – 15
Oasis Dream – 14
Elusive Quality – 14
Medaglia D’Oro – 14
Bernardini – 14
Speightstown – 13
Invincible Spirit – 12
Exceed And Excel – 10
Kingmambo
Another horse who broke through the 100 stakes winners (albeit as a broodmare sire) recently was Kingmambo, whose daughters have now produced 107 stakes winners. Kingmambo mares proved doubly successful this year, as his maternal grandson, Duke Of Marmalade, was represented by four individual European Classic winners. The latter’s Gr1 Investec Derby winning half brother, Ruler Of The World (One of two Epsom Derby winners to have been produced by Kingmambo daughters) stood his first season at stud in 2015.
Himself the sire of more than 80 black type winners, Kingmambo is also broodmare sire of this season’s top class 2yos, and potential classic contenders, Buratino (Exceed And Excel) and Cloth Of Stars (Sea The Stars). His influence has also been felt this season through his son, Dubai Destination – damsire of the mighty Derby/Arc de Triomphe winner, Golden Horn (Cape Cross) and Postponed (Dubawi), winner of the 2015 Gr1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes).
