Constitution, American Pharoah Top Second-Crop Sires

After a seriously truncated first five months of racing this year, the North American second-crop sire list (first foals 2017, first 3-year-olds 2020) is even less clear than the second-crop sire list usually is after Memorial Day weekend.

Most years the list will be dominated by sires with a classic or classic prep winner in their first crop of 3-year-olds, but with the recognized classics all pushed back we're looking now at results, which in most years would resemble more the middle to end of April. Considerably more fluctuation in these lists has to be expected in the next three months than in a usual year.

There is a suspicion this might be quite a good group of sires; at the moment there are two clear leaders by cumulative progeny earnings as well as in several key black-type categories.

When we ran the figures May 28, Coolmore's 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah  ($3.93 million) had a lead of a little under $50,000 over WinStar Farm's Constitution  ($3.88 million).

Since then Constitution's daughter, Laura's Light, scored her second grade 3 win in the May 30 Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita Park, while American Pharoah struck back May 31 as Ocean Atlantique became his sire's seventh black-type winner in the Prix Suresnes at Deauville.

The pair are probably just about dead even by progeny earnings at just under $4 million each. They are also the top two sires by: number of black-type winners (American Pharoah 7, Constitution 5), number of black-type horses (American Pharoah 17, Constitution 12), number of graded stakes winners—all five of Constitution's black-type winners are graded stakes winners, while American Pharoah has three—and number of graded stakes horses (American Pharoah 10, Constitution 9).

American Pharoah is the crop leader by number of runners so far with 100, and Constitution is the leader by number of winners with 42.

Both look poised for further improvement in the coming months: Constitution has some good dirt 3-year-olds, headed by Curlin Florida Derby (G1) winner Tiz The Law, while American Pharoah is likely to have more grass representatives in Europe as well as North America who are just now getting started for the season. Of his 38 winners so far, 21 (55%) are winners on turf.

A total of 20 North American second-crop sires now have progeny earnings over $1 million, plus we have to throw in Mr Speaker , who was at $996,000 when we ran these numbers. The 19 with earnings from (almost) $1 million to less than $3.8 million can be divided into two groups: eight more sires with at least one graded stakes winner, and 11 sires that don't yet have a graded stakes winner, but several of which are displaying definite promise.

Ranked third and fourth by cumulative progeny earnings are two sires with two grade 1 or 2 winners each. Three Chimneys' Palace Malice , Curlin 's first top son to have runners, including Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T) winner Structor and Mr. Monomoy, a half brother to Monomoy Girl who won a division of the Risen Star Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) this year. In fourth is Liam's Map , who had the unusual distinction of having had two 2-year-old grade 1 winners in his first crop—Runhappy Hopeful (G1) winner Basin (most recently second to Charlatan in a division of the grade 1 Arkansas Derby) and Frizette Stakes (G1) winner Wicked Whisper.

The next four slots by cumulative progeny earnings are occupied by sires who are producing plenty of good winners and black-type horses without yet being credited with a graded stakes winner.

This was a big sire crop for Tapit . Besides Constitution, this sire group also includes Darby Dan's Tapiture , who ranks just behind Constitution with 41 winners, including three black-type winners and eight black-type horses; and Lane's End's Tonalist , who ranks ninth and is the sire of grade 2 winner Tonalist's Shape, one of the top 3-year-old fillies this season. Tapiture doesn't have a graded stakes winner yet, but 41 winners and eight black-type horses reads pretty well.

Just behind Tapiture, at No. 6 on the progeny earnings table, is Ashford's Competitive Edge , sire of four black-type winners and seven black-type horses. In No. 7 is Journeyman Stud's Khozan , a Distorted Humor  half brother to the top filly Royal Delta who is also Florida's top second-crop sire. He has nine black-type horses so far, of which two are black-type winners.

Hill 'n' Dale's Bayern  is eighth with 35 winners and five black-type horses, though no black-type winners yet. Tonalist ranks ninth, and five other sires with graded stakes winners are among the second 10. Summer Front , in 12th, is a grass horse by War Front  who has Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) winner Ete Indien on the dirt this year and grade 3 winner Fighting Seabee last term. No. 13 Honor Code  is represented by Withers Stakes (G3) winner Max Player, who is pointing for the Belmont Stakes (G1), but also has San Felipe Stakes (G2) runner-up Honor A. P. due to re-engage Authentic in the June 6 Santa Anita Derby (G1).

Daredevil , in 14th, was exported to Turkey after covering just 21 mares in 2019, since which time he's had grade 2 winner and Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) hopeful Swiss Skydiver and grade 3 winner Shedaresthedevil scoring in good two-turn 3-year-old fillies' contests. Karakontie , 17th, is the sire of group 3 winner Kenzai Warrior, pointing to the QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1), and Sole Volante, winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs and reportedly pointing to the Belmont Stakes. And Commissioner , in 19th, is the sire of grade 3 winner Island Commish.

Seven other sires with near or at $1 million-plus in cumulative progeny earnings are racking up points without yet registering a graded stakes winner.

WinStar Farm's Carpe Diem  ranks 10th but looks like he's knocking on the door. He's one of a rash of sons by Giant's Causeway appearing at the moment, along with WinStar's Fed Biz  (first 4-year-olds) and 2020 freshman sires Not This Time  and Brody's Cause .

Wicked Strong , Fast Anna , Race Day , Palace , Mr Speaker, and Florida's The Big Beast  are all right at or over $1 million in cumulative progeny earnings. We should also mention two sires in Maryland that have made good starts as that state's storied breeding history tries to revive: Northview Stallion Station's Golden Lad , a son of Medaglia d'Oro  who is 22nd with four black-type horses so far; and Anchor & Hope Farm's Bourbon Courage , by Lion Heart, is 24th with five. 

Second-crop sires are nearly always in flux at this time of the year, and this year only more so. But the next month will tell us a lot, in North America of course, but also in Europe, where their second-crop sires are going to be among those competing in a rash of classic races plus Royal Ascot in the next 30 days. We'll report back. 

To read more columns by Bill Oppenheim, and access APEX sire ratings and Brianne Stanley's Weekly Sales Ticker, please visit www.billoppenheim.com.