Leading US stallion, Distorted Humor, represented in South Africa by the Gr1 winners, Flower Alley and Pathfork, is a sire whose influence continues to grow.
Distorted Humor
The Forty Niner son, who began his stud career at a fee of $12 500, is enjoying a purple patch as a broodmare sire.
Distorted Humor was Champion US Sire in 2011 and is currently North America’s Leading Broodmare Sire by money earned, thanks primarily to the deeds of his maternal grandson, Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song).
Plenty To Pick From
However, the chestnut is by no means a one hit wonder as a broodmare sire, with Distorted Humor mares having produced nine individual stakes winners in 2017. This total includes Saturday’s Gr1 H. Allen Jerkins Stakes winner, Practical Joke (Into Mischief), who also won the Gr1 Champagne and G1 Hopeful Stakes last year, while other notable performers produced by daughters of Distorted Humor are 2017 G1 winning fillies, Elate (Alabama Stakes) and New Money Honey (Belmont Oaks), both of whom were sired by Medaglia D’Oro.
Distorted Humor is damsire of in excess of 50 stakes winners and as a relatively young broodmare sire with numerous daughters yet to be represented on the racecourse, looks likely to feature prominently as a damsire for years to come.
Distorted Humor is also North America’s 9th leading sire by Average Earnings Index, with the sire currently sporting an AEI of 2.03. (Put into perspective, three time leading US sire, Tapit, has an Average Earnings Index of 2.36 while current sire star, Medaglia D’Oro, sports an AEI of 2.04).
Sire Of Sires
The impeccably bred Mr Prospector grandson is also making a mark as a sire of sires, with Distorted Humor’s son, Jimmy Creed, making an eye catching impression with his first crop in 2017. To date, the Gr1 Malibu Stakes winning Jimmy Creed has been represented by nine first crop juvenile winners (from 20 runners) with his best runner to date being unbeaten Sorrento Stakes winner, Spectator.
Another promising sire son of Distorted Humor is unbeaten Maclean’s Music (bred on the reverse cross to Arrogate), who won his only racecourse outing. Maclean’s Music, currently North America’s 3rd leading second crop sire, made an immediate impression with his first 3yos this season including the classic Gr1 Preakness Stakes winner, Cloud Computing. Maclean’s Music boasts some impressive stats, with the Hill ‘N Dale based sire represented by six black type winners (from 64 runners in total) in 2017.
Wilgerbosdrift’s Flower Alley
Wilgerbosdrift based, Flower Alley enjoyed further US success this past weekend and had a number of winners, highlighted by daughter, Beach Flower, landing a stakes race over a mile. Her Gr1 Travers Stakes winning sire is best known as a stallion for siring US champion and Kentucky Derby winner, I’ll Have Another, himself standing at stud in Japan, and fellow US Gr1 winners, Lilacs And Lace and Lukes Alley.
Top Level
Any Given Saturday is another son of Distorted Humor to have both won at the highest level on the track and to sire Gr1 winners. The 2007 Haskell Invitational winner is responsible for $4 million plus earner, Hoppertunity and Mongolian Saturday – the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner.
Pathfork – a son of Distorted Humor
A smart performer, without being successful at the highest level, Distorted Humor is one of a handful of sires to become champion without having that all important Gr1 win to his name.
Rajsaman (Linamix), currently the leading sire in France, is another potentially belonging to this club, as are the likes of Danzig (Northern Dancer), Nureyev (Northern Dancer), and Elusive Quality (Gone West).
In South Africa, there have been plenty of examples of leading sires who never won at the highest level, including, in recent times triple champion sire, Western Winter (Gone West), Al Mufti (Roberto), Northern Guest (Northern Dancer) and Jallad (Blushing Groom).
Rose Leaves
Another interesting factor in the pedigree of Distorted Humor is that he traces back directly in female line to the great broodmare, Rose Leaves, whose stakes winning offspring included Calumet legend and five time champion US sire, Bull Lea (Bull Dog). This is also the same family as former South African champion 2yo, Scented Royal (Royal Prerogative) and last season’s dual local Guineas winner, Janoobi (Silvano), while Saturday’s Gr1 Travers Stakes winner, West Coast (whose dam is Breeders’ Cup winning champion, Caressing) is another from this celebrated family.
While Distorted Humor, whose fee at one stage reached $300 000, (equal to A P Indy), is only 24th on the US sires list this year – he has been represented by five black type winners in 2017 – he looks sure to yet make further impact on major international races through the legacy of his sons and daughters.
