With the European flat season having just got under way for the 2012 racing season, it is a good time to look at sires who are likely to make their presence felt this year. It is a look at some of the potentially prominent stallions in the Northern Hemisphere for the racing year.
Manduro
(Monsun – Mandellicht)
The brilliant German bred got off to a great start with his first crop of 2yos last year. Manduro’s start is made more impressive when taking into account the fact that he was at his best as a 5yo! Manduro, unbeaten at five, had a number of promising looking juveniles last year. His best runners, thus far in his fledgling career, were the G1 winner Mandaean (Criterium de Saint-Cloud) and the very promising Crossfire (an unlucky third in the G1 Criterium International). Another Manduro colt is currently second favourite for the 2012 Deutsches Derby, and the sire has a number of lightly raced, and promising, 3yos in the wings.
The modern thoroughbred is saturated with Nearco and Native Dancer blood, and Manduro’s pedigree great outcross to these two dominant male lines.
Street Sense
(Street Cry – Bedazzle)
The only horse ever to win both the G1 Breeders Cup Juvenile and Kentucky Derby has made a fine start to his stud career. His first crop already includes such high-class performers as Motor City (Iroquois S), Castway (Southwest S) and Miss Netta (3rd G1 Frizette S), while he is also the sire of a number of lightly raced 3yos such as Afford and Cigar Street, both of whom are highly regarded by connections.
Street Sense has no fewer than 10 of his offspring nominated to the US Triple Crown series and is currently the third leading second crop sire in the United States.
Proud Citizen
(Gone West – Drums of Freedom)
A horse with the pedigree (by a world leading sire from the family of Northern Dancer) to match a fine racing record (he was second in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Preakness), Proud Citizen is a very proven sire of champion filly, Proud Spell (Kentucky Oaks). Nonetheless, Proud Citizen’s stock has risen to new heights in 2012. This year, Proud Citizen has been represented by 10 stakes horses, including the top 3yos (and leading classic contenders) Went The Day Well (Spiral S), Mark Valeski (2nd Louisiana Derby) and Believe You Can (Fair Ground Oaks). He is also the sire of the top-class older filly, Vamo A Gulapiar (Santa Ana S). Proud Citizen, who has a 2012 fee of $10,000, is currently seventh on the US general sires list, and is enjoying by far and away his best season at stud since he retired back in 2003.
Hat Trick
(Sunday Silence – Tricky Code)
A horse who made a sensational start to his stud career, when his very first crop of 2yos produced unbeaten French 2yo Dabirsim. The latter is a leading hopeful for the French classics this year. Hat Trick’s first crop also included the top-class USA colt Howe Great (winner of the G3 Palm Beach Stakes and a possible runner in the G1 Blue Grass Stakes). One of Sunday Silence’s finest milers, Hat Trick has proven a fine representative for his sire in North America.
Distorted Humor
(Forty Niner -Danzigs Beauty)
Last year’s champion US sire, Distorted Humor is one of the world’s leading sires. However, it is as a sire of sires, that Distorted Humor should be watched. His son, Flower Alley, is the sire of G1 Santa Anita Derby winner I’ll Have Another, while another Distorted Humor horse, Any Given Saturday, is sire of unbeaten 3yo filly, and leading US classic contender, Princess Arabella. Yet another Distorted Humor horse, Sharp Humor, is the sire of upset G2 Louisiana Derby winner Hero Of Order.
Distorted Humor himself is already sire of such US classic winners as Funny Cide and Drosselmeyer, and he is likely to add to this list before too long.
Teofilo
(Galileo – Speirbhean)
Unbeaten at two, Teofilo retired to stud without having raced at three. He has made a very solid start to his stud career, not surprising when considering both his racetrack ability and pedigree (he was Galileo’s first top class son to retire to stud). His first crop has produced 19 individual winners which include G1 winner Parish Hall (Dewhurst Stakes) as well as a number of other stakes performers. While Teofilo himself never raced after his 2yo career, his pedigree suggests that he would have improved with time and distance, and his progeny should continue to improve at three.
Soldier Hollow
(In The Wings – Island Race)
The former German Horse of the Year has made a good start to his stud career. Like Manduro, Soldier Hollow improved with age, and was named Horse of the Year at four. He won at highest level as a seven year old, and retired to stud in 2008. His first crop made their racetrack debut last year.
Soldier Hollow has a terrific pedigree, by In The Wings (one of Sadler’s Wells most consistent sire sons), Soldier Hollow is a direct descendant of Thong, herself the granddam of Sadler’s Wells. His initial crop includes Pastorius, one of Germany’s top 2yo colts of last season, and a number of other smart, stakes performers. Soldier Hollow’s progeny should only improve with time and distance, and, should he continue to receive the support his race record deserves, Soldier Hollow could shape up as a leading German sire of the future.
.
Golden Slipper winner for Daylami
Former European superstar, Daylami, is the broodmare sire of undefeated Australian 2yo Pierro (Lonhro). Pierro won the world’s richest 2yo race on Saturday, defeating a host of well bred and performed 2yos. Pierro is now unbeaten in four starts – with all four of his career victories coming in feature race events.
Daylami has gotten off to a good start as a broodmare sire, and is also damsire of G1 Prix Morny hero and sire Arcano (Oasis Dream), G3 Prix du Bois winner Keratiya (Iron Mask) and G3 winner Summer Fete (Pivotal).
