With the international season having drawn to a close and statistics being tallied up, we look at who topped the sires’ logs in 2015
GB/Ireland
Galileo
Galileo has continued to dominate the UK General Sires List, just as his sire Sadler’s Wells did before him. The 2001 Epsom Derby winner picked up his seventh GB/Ire General Sires title last year, when his offspring amassed a mighty £5.735 million in stakes. His UK stakes winners included Gr1 winners Minding, Order Of St George and dual Guineas winner Gleneagles, while Galileo (whose son Teofilo was seventh on the log) was represented by no fewer than 10 top level winners the world over. Galileo had a superb season with 2yos and also picked up the GB/UK Leading Sire of 2YOS (by total prize money) title. He has an extremely promising young sire son to his credit, in the form of Irish 2000 Guineas winner, Roderic O’Connor (who will stand at the National Stud in 2016). The latter had 19 winners and two group winners from his first juvenile runners last year and ended up as Europe’s fourth leading first crop sire by stakes.
The only sire currently standing in the UK to have had more Gr1 winners in 2015 was Darley’s Dubawi, whose 11 individual Gr1 winners included French stars, Erupt and New Bay, Lockinge Stakes hero, Night Of Thunder, Gr1 Juddmonte International winner, Arabian Queen and Gr1 Dubai World Cup winner, Prince Bishop. Dubawi also made an excellent start as a sire of sires, with his young sire sons Makfi and Poet’s Voice leaving behind classic winners and Gr3 winners respectively in their first crops thus far.
Former brilliant 2yo, Zoffany, who ran Frankel close in the Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes at three, had a superb first season in 2015 and ended the year as the top first crop sire in the UK.
USA
Tapit
While not yet as dominant as Galileo, Gainesway Farm’s Tapit made it back to back titles when he became Champion Sire in USA for 2015. The former Gr1 Wood Memorial winner had a stunning 31 individual stakes winners last year and his progeny earned over $18 000 000 in stake money. Tapit’s 16 graded winners included the Gr1 winners Constitution, Frosted (who emulated his sire in winning the Wood Memorial), Ring Weekend, and Untapable. With some top class 3yos, including leading Kentucky Derby hope, Mohaymen, representing him this year, Tapit looks capable of defending his title in 2016.
Another sire who made a huge impression last year was Ashford Stud’s Uncle Mo, who romped away with the Leading First Crop title. The former Champion 2YO had 7 stakes winners in his first crop, including champion and Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile hero, Nyquist, and Uncle Mo, and will stand for a fee of $75 000 in 2016.
Sadly, Scat Daddy died towards the end of a year which had seen him enjoy such success that his fee had been increased to $100 000. The son of Johannesburg was represented by 30 stakes winners in 2015, with his 2yos in particular carrying all before them.
Germany
Areion
Areion headed the General Sires List in Germany both by prize money (€728 902) and as sire of stakes winners (6). The son of former champion, Big Shuffle, was winning his third title, having been champion sire previously in 2010 and 2014. Himself Germany’s champion 3yo sprinter back in 1998 (and from the same male line as Seattle Slew), Areion’s star performer last year was Gr1 Deutsches Derby runner up, Palace Prince. Areion subsequently made it a double as he was also Germany’s top sire of 2yos by prize money last year, while his sire, Big Shuffle, was Champion Broodmare sire.
Duke Of Marmalade, Drakenstein Stud’s resident sire and sire of 2015 Gr1 Deutsches Derby winner, Nutan, ended the year fourth on the German premiership, ahead of the likes of Rock Of Gibraltar (Danehill), Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway), and Monsun (Konigsstuhl).
France
Dubawi (Dubai Millennium – Zomaradah)
Dubawi was champion sire in France for 2015. The son of Dubai Millennium had an unbelievable year all round, with his offspring winning Gr1 races in Australia, Britain, Dubai, France, Ireland, Italy and Qatar, and the former Irish 2000 Guineas hero headed the French premiership, narrowly in front of Cape Cross. Dubawi’s main representatives in France included Gr1 Prix du Jockey Club hero, New Bay and G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner, Erupt, and his runners (who won 12 stakes races in France in 2015) earned over €2 000 000 in France alone. Remarkably, it is the first time since 2004 (when Linamix headed the log) that the sire of the Arc de Triomphe winner did not top the French premiership.
Galileo’s legendary sire, Sadler’s Wells, headed the broodmare sires list, with a rare Sea Bird male line representative prevailing as France’s Leading Sire of 2YOs, in the form of American Post (Bering).
Japan
Sunday Silence
Sunday Silence descendants continue to excel in Japan and his greatest son Deep Impact, made it four sires titles in a row for 2015, following a season which saw his runners win at the highest level in three different countries. The former Japanese Triple Crown winner had a remarkable year in 2015, when represented by no fewer than 20 official black type winners.
Deep Impact progeny enjoyed success the world over, with his son, A Shin Hikari, landing the Gr1 Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin and another son, Real Impact, taking out the Gr1 George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill. His other Gr1 winners in 2015 included Japan Cup heroine, Shonan Pandora (a daughter of the sire having now won the Japan Cup three times), classic winner, Mikki Queen and Gr1 QE II Commemorative Cup heroine, Marialite. Deep Impact’s tally of stakes winners in 2015 places him above many of the world’s top stallions –including Candy Ride (17), Dubawi (18), Giant’s Causeway (17) Invincible Spirit (15), and War Front (13).
