Forty Niner's Legacy Through Sons and Grandsons

Forty Niner unquestionably left his mark on the breed as a stallion with sire-sons that have made an impact in both hemispheres on multiple continents.

The 35-year-old son of Mr. Prospector died May 18 from infirmities of old age at the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association's Shizunai Stallion Station, where he has stood since 1995.

Forty Niner, a champion at 2 and four-time grade 1 winner, sired sons that would make their own impact as stallions in Argentina, France, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Turkey, and around the U.S. Among those sons are 12 that sired 10 or more black-type winners and at least two graded/group winners. Seven of these Forty Niner sons sired 10 or more graded/group stakes winners and 21 champions.

The dominant leader of the group of seven sire-sons is WinStar's marquee sire Distorted Humor , a grade 1-placed, grade 2 winner who was bred in Kentucky by Charles Nuckols Jr. and Sons and initially raced through most of his career by Russell Reineman and Prestonwood Farms with trainer Elliott Walden. Distorted Humor retired to stud at Prestonwood and was part of the package when the farm was later sold to partners Kenny Trout and Bill Casner. Trout is now the sole owner of the farm and Walden is president and CEO.

To date, Distorted Humor has sired 155 black-type winners, which include 66 graded/group stakes winners and four champions. His career progeny earnings exceed $143.3 million, and his runners average $103,429 per starter. Now 27, Distorted Humor is still very much in demand having bred 97 mares in 2019.

Distorted Humor is doing his part to extend the sire line with 24 sons at stud worldwide this year. Among his most prominent sons by number of stakes winners, three are standing in Kentucky. They include Hill 'n' Dale Farms' Maclean's Music , Spendthrift Farm's Jimmy Creed , and Pin Oak Stud's Alternation .

Maclean's Music has the strongest record to date among the Kentucky-based sons of Distorted Humor having sired 17 black-type winners so far from five crops of racing age, including 2017 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Cloud Computing  and grade 3 winner Classic Rock.

Jimmy Creed has sired 11 black-type winners as of May 18 from four crops of racing age, topped by grade 2 winners Kanthaka, Spectator, Casa Creed, and King Jack.

From four crops of racing age, Alternation has sired eight black-type winners that include Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Serengeti Empress and Super Derby (G3) winner Limation.

Other successful Forty Niner grandsons are likely to surface in other parts of the world with Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Drosselmeyer now standing in Brazil, grade 1 winner Any Given Saturday in South Korea, and 2005 Travers Stakes (G1) winner Flower Alley in South Africa. Collectively these three stallions have sired 81 black-type winners, 35 graded/group winners, and 12 champions.