The thoroughbred industry lost one of its great stars and best shuttle stallions following the passing of veteran More Than Ready on Friday.
The son of Southern Halo and the Woodman mare Woodman’s Girl was 25 years old at the time of his passing, and was euthanized due to the effects of old age.
More Than Ready
A brilliant two-year-old, who trained on to land the Gr1 King’s Bishop Stakes at three, More Than Ready – who finished second to subsequent South African Champion Sire Trippi in the 2000 Gr1 Vosburgh Stakes – proved an even better stallion than he was a racehorse.
At the time of his death, More Than Ready had been responsible for 216 stakes winners -of which 26 are Gr1 winners. 12 of his top level winners came in the Northern Hemisphere with the remainder scoring in the Southern Hemisphere.
He also claimed the title of Leading Sire of 2YOs in two different hemispheres, with More Than Ready North America’s Leading Sire of 2YOs in 2010 and Australia’s Leading Sire of 2YOs in both 2007-2008 and 2008-2009.
Among the numerous equine stars sired by More Than Ready were Golden Slipper winners Sebring and Phelan Ready, Breeders’ Cup winners Roy H, Uni, More Than Real, Pluck, Regally Ready, and Rushing Fall, Canadian champion Say The Word, and Australian star More Joyous – who won eight Gr1 races and 21 times in total.
His Northern Hemisphere runners also included Gr1 winners Verrazano, Funtastic, Room Service, Catholic Boy and Hit The Road.
More Than Ready also struck when covering South African mares Secret Heart and Sally Bowles, siring Gr2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winnng sire Pluck when mated to Secret Heart and Gr3 Sweetest Chant Stakes queen Consumer Credit when covering Sally Bowles.
A winner of seven of 17 starts – he won four graded stakes races and five of seven starts at two – More Than Ready also made his mark as a sire of sires, with his successful sons including the likes of Sebring and Daredevil. The ill-fated Sebring’s more than 70 stakes winners included Australian Horse Of The Year Dissident, four time Gr1 winner Criterion and six other Gr1 winners, while Daredevil is the sire of Preakness Stakes winner Swiss Skydiver and Kentucky Oaks heroine Shedaresthedevil.
Another son of More Than Ready, Gr1 Haskell/Wood Memorial winning son Verrazano, struck at the top level this year when his daughter Chi Town Lady won the 2022 Gr1 Test Stakes, while his versatile son Catholic Boy, a Gr1 winner on both dirt and turf, has his first yearlings this year.
Gimmethegreenlight – now a champion sire
More Than Ready’s Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winning son, and South Africa’s Champion Sire of 2020-2021, Gimmethegreenlight made his presence felt at last week’s August Two Year Old Sale. Not only was Gimmethegreenlight the sale’s Leading Sire by Aggregate, his son Yes We Can made R3 800 000 to top the August Sale.
Sire of 44 stakes winners, to date, Gimmethegreenlight also looks poised to make his presence felt as a sire of sires, with his five time Gr1 winning son Got The Greenlight set to begin his stud career this season, and his Gr1 Cantala/Gr1 Daily News 2000 winning son Yulong Prince standing at stud in Victoria, Australia.
However, Gimmethegreenlight was the not the only flagbearer for his remarkable sire in South Africa, with More Than Ready’s other local representatives including Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship heroine, and Equus Champion 2YO Filly of 2014-2015, Entisaar, Gr1 SA Nursery runner up Banaadeer, and graded stakes winners Readytogorightnow (Gr3 Winter Guineas, G3 Winter Classic), Ready To Attack (Gr3 Langerman) and Ektifaa (Gr2 Choice Carriers Fillies Championship, Gr3 Tony Ruffel Stakes).
Not surprisingly, More Than Ready has also become a high-class broodmare sire, with his daughters having produced the likes of dual Gr1 winning sire Rebel Dane (sire of outstanding filly Fireburn) and Saturday’s Gr3 Newtownanner Stud Irish EBF Stakes winner Aspen Grove.
