Untapable wins Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff
Gainesway Farm’s Tapit broke Smart Strike’s 2007 record $14.3 million in progeny earnings for a North American sire when Untapable became his fifth Breeders’ Cup winner in seven crops of racing age by winning the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Oct. 31–with two months left in the season.
He finishes the season with new-record progeny earnings for a North American sire of over $16.8 million (click here for NA General Sire List), nearly $2.5 million more than the previous record, and over $4 million clear of his closest North American-based rival, Ashford’s three-time Leading Sire, Giant’s Causeway ($12.7 million).
Also over $10-million in 2014 progeny earnings were three other North American sires: Ramsey Farm’s Kitten’s Joy, the 2013 North American Leading Sire ($11.7 million); and the Lane’s End pair of veteran City Zip ($11.3 million), who had a career year highlighted by two Breeders’ Cup winners (Work All Week and Dayatthespa), and Candy Ride ($10.5 million), sire of eight graded stakes winners in 2014, including Shared Belief.
What a year for Tapit–and his really well-bred horses are only now beginning to get to the racetrack.
Third consecutive title for Galileo
But even his record-breaking year could not stop Coolmore’s Galileo from claiming his third consecutive title as the TDN Leading North American and European Sire.
Having won that title in 2012 and 2013 with progeny earnings of $13.4 million and $14.3 million respectively, it was hard luck on Tapit that Galileo set his own record this year, with progeny earnings over $18.6 million (click here for General Sire List).
These included 38 black-type winners, 66 black-type horses, 25 group winners, 50 group horses, and eight Group 1 winners. Among North American and European sires, Dansili (5) was the only other sire with more then four 2014 Group 1/Grade I winners.
In 10 crops of racing age, Galileo has sired 151 black-type winners (average 15 a crop), 264 black-type horses (26 per crop), 95 group stakes winners, 183 group stakes horses (18 per crop), and 41 Group 1 winners.
Three other European sires topped $10 million in 2014 progeny earnings: the Darley duo which both had their first foals in 2007, Dubawi ($11.6 million in 2014) and Shamardal ($11.1 million); and Cheveley Park’s veteran Pivotal ($10.5 million, of which $6 million was won by African Story in the Gr1 Dubai World Cup).
Giant’s Causeway – top of the class again
Ashford’s Giant’s Causeway, three-time leading sire in North America and runner-up to Tapit in 2014, added the 2-year-old sire championship in 2014 to his collection of titles (click here).
Thanks largely to the late-season graded race-winning treble by the filly Take Charge Brandi, Giant’s Causeway was over $1 million in front of Tiz Wonderful, who departed Spendthrift Farm for South Korea late in the year.
He looks like a good buy for them, as he was also runner-up to Curlin on the 2013 third-crop sire list.
Leading sire of 2-year-olds in Europe was Ireland’s Tally-Ho Stud’s Kodiac, only a stakes-placed 3/4-brother to Invincible Spirit on the racetrack, but the sire of an amazing 43 2-year-old winners (from 89 2-year-old starters!) in 2014, including the G1 Cheveley Park-winning rocket, Tiggy Wiggy. Number two European sire of 2-year-olds was Galileo, who had 29 2-year-old winners, including no fewer than three 2014 2-year-old Group 1 winners.
Four of the top five freshman sires of 2014 were North American-based (click here).
The title is just about going down to the last day; as of Wednesday, Lane’s End’s Quality Road ($1.56 million), sire of GrI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hootenanny and unbeaten GII Nashua S. winner Blofeld, held just a $20,000 lead over WinStar’s Super Saver ($1.54 million), sire of Saratoga graded stakes winner Competitive Edge (GrI Hopeful) and I Spent It (GrII Saratoga Special, second in the GrI Hopeful).
Each had 16 winners going into Wednesday’s racing.
Ashford freshman sires Lookin At Lucky (29 winners, $1.4 million) and Munnings (27 winners, $1.1 million) ranked third and fourth, respectively, among North American freshman Sires. The leading European freshman sire is Ballylinch Stud’s impressive Lope De Vega ($1.2 million), sire of 24 winners, his four graded stakes winners including G1 Dewhurst S. winner Belardo. The Aga Khan’s Haras de Bonneval’sSiyouni, a speedy son of Pivotal (he won the G1 ‘Lagadare’ as a 2-year-old), ranked second in Europe ($1 million), with three group winners, ahead of Whitsbury Manor’s Showcasing ($947,000), a son of Oasis Dream.
Among 2014 second-crop sires, there is another tight battle at the top, this time between two European sires.
Coolmore’s Mastercraftsman
Coolmore’s Mastercraftsman, sire of Classic winners The Grey Gatsby (G1 Prix du Jockey-Club-French Derby) and Kingston Hill (G1 English St. Leger), finished the year with progeny earnings of $5.74 million (click here), just $80,000 in front of Gilltown Stud’s half-brother to Galileo, Sea The Stars, who had the earners of $5.66 million, including three Group 1 winners and no fewer than 13 runners which won or placed in group races.
WinStar’s Pioneerof the Nile ($4 million) was a wide-margin leader among North American second-crop sires. Next on the second-crop list came the French sire Le Havre ($3.3 million), sire of six black-type winners in 2014, including the dual Classic-winning filly Avenir Certain.
Lane’s End’s Curlin was the runaway leader among third-crop sires, with 2014 progeny earnings over $7.8 million (click here), and he was not surprisingly also leading 2014 third-crop sire by number of winners (103), black-type winners (12), black-type horses (24), and group stakes horses (15). The aforementioned Tiz Wonderful ($5.1 million) was second by progeny earnings among 2014 third-crop sires, followed by two other (remaining in) Kentucky residents, Hill ‘n Dale’s Midnight Lute ($4.7 million) and Spendthrift’s Into Mischief ($4.5 million).
Leading European third-crop sire was actually Duke of Marmalade ($3.2 million, including seven 2014 graded stakes winners), whose new South African owners (he stands at Drakenstein Stud in the Western Cape) will be feeling good about their purchase, followed by Darley’s New Approach($2.6 million).
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