Here Come the Freshmen - Part 2

In our first installment we focused on the new stallions with a half-dozen or more yearlings in the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale. Here we will look at 11 other stallions—those that had 50 or more foals in their first crop. You will no doubt see tons of their yearlings in the upcoming Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, Keeneland September, and Fasig-Tipton October sales. We have biomechanically analyzed these stallions, all of which stood in Kentucky in 2014, and have some insights to share with what the market might expect, and what the market might get—expected or not.

Stallions from the A.P. Indy line: Three of the stallions come from this dominant line. Take Charge Indy   might be the one to get a little of this and a little of that, i.e., those that look like pinhooking prospects and those that might need some time. Power Broker  , a son of Pulpit, showed admirable consistency in 10 starts and comes from a storied family tracing to Lady Be Good. Then we have Orb  , the classic-winning son of Malibu Moon   who was a decent juvenile but a really good 3-year-old. He’s very well balanced, and he comes from the family of Shenanigans, his fifth dam, and this is a serious sire family. Over time he has a very high chance to become the leading sire of this bunch.

Stallions with sire-line questions: One of the highest scoring prospects, Fort Larned   is going to face some skepticism because his sire, E Dubai, has yet to score as a sire-of-sires, and Fort Larned has only 52 yearlings. Perhaps due to this, he is now standing in Florida. However, he was sound as a drum, won the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), and his second dam is the Hall of Famer Bayakoa. Not to be overlooked is Animal Kingdom  , an exceptionally versatile horse who not only won the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (UAE-I) on dirt but was second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT). His pedigree is as international as you can get: By a Brazilian scion of the Blushing Groom line (remember them?) out of an extraordinary, and totally German, family. We will get a peek at what he might be like by the Keeneland September sale because his first crop was conceived in Australia in 2013 and they are a half-year older. He has some very good physical properties and with 106 foals will be tested early and often. Point of Entry   was a long-distance turf horse whose sire, Dynaformer, has yet to produce a son who has stood the breed on its ear. This large, well-balanced horse is not likely to get you to the winner’s circle in July, but they might have some early kick when they get it together—he is from the family of Gold Beauty, after all. 

Stallions that resemble each other: These four stallions are from different sire lines and have different race records, yet there is a commonality among them: Though it might not be apparent to the naked eye, they resemble each other—and a certain group of proven sires—biomechanically. Success is often determined by the strength of the first book, both in quantity and in quality. Shanghai Bobby   (by Harlan’s Holiday) was a brilliant juvenile and might have received the types of mares that would work best with him—with 108 foals we shall find out. New Year's Day   was gone after three starts, but that third one was a win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I). By Street Cry, he has received more notice this year because of his half brother Mohaymen. Data Link   has a chance to help establish War Front  ’s reputation as a sire of sires, and with 97 foals, he will have all the chances. He didn’t win a stakes until he was 4, but then he went on a binge. Finally, Morning Line   is another of those sons of Tiznow   who are hardly what we would call small guys, but he also is packed with broodmare sire talent through A.P. Indy and Storm Cat. They might be a little late, but they might be worth it.