Interim Report: Second- and Third-Crop Sires

A total of 13 North American and European third-crop sires (with first foals of 2015 and first 4-year-olds of 2019) have sired group 1 winners thus far (all statistics through racing of May 8), though only one—Coolmore's Camelot—has sired more than one top-level winner.

Camelot has sired three to date, and with eight graded stakes winners, the son of Montjeu is the only third-crop North American/European sire with more than four graded stakes winners. 

Looking first at North American third-crop sires, the leader by cumulative progeny earnings is Hill 'n' Dale Farms' Violence , who has sired 120 winners, the most of any sire in the two F2015 tables, and earners of $8,245,568.

The son of Medaglia d'Oro  has sired 13 black-type stakes winners (Camelot has 15), and leads both tables with 24 black-type performers, with Camelot and former WinStar Farm (now in South Korea) sire Take Charge Indy now tied for second, each with 20. Take Charge Indy is second by cumulative progeny earnings ($7,953,304), including eight black-type winners. Violence and Take Charge Indy have three graded stakes winners each, though neither is yet among the seven North American third-crop sires with a group 1 winner.

Six more North American third-crop sires have over $5 million in cumulative progeny earnings.

WinStar stands two of the six (as well as having stood Take Charge Indy), No. 3 Paynter  ($6,267,124, seven black-type winners, including 2018 grade 1 winner Knicks Go) and No. 8 Overanalyze  ($5,399,909, six black-type winners, leading 2017 North American freshman sire).

Adena Springs' Point of Entry  (six black-type winners, $5,821,988) ranks fourth, ahead of former Ashford Stud (now standing in Japan) sire Shanghai Bobby ($5,720,889, six black-type winners) and two Spendthrift Farm sires, Jimmy Creed  ($5,632,545, eight black-type winners) and Flat Out  ($5,563,420, four black-type winners). After Overanalyze in eighth, Taylor Made Farm's Graydar  ($4,730,194, three black-type winners) ranks ninth.

Declaration of War, another Coolmore sire exported to Japan (he stood one season at Coolmore in Ireland, then four at Ashford) ranked 10th by cumulative progeny earnings ($4,518,806), but he is second to Violence among North American F2015 sires with nine black-type winners, including 2017 French champion 2-year-old Olmedo.

Darley's Animal Kingdom , Pin Oak Stud's Alternation  (sire of 2019 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Serengeti Empress), and Claiborne Farm's Orb  all have over $4 million in progeny earnings.

With Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1) winner Maximum Security's disqualification from the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), his sire, New Year's Day, the 2013 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner by Street Cry, ranks just 14th by cumulative progeny earnings ($3,745,500), though he would have moved up to seventh had Maximum Security been allowed the victory and winner's purse earnings of $1.86 million.

Also the sire of Ben Ali Stakes (G3) winner Bourbon Resolution from his first crop, New Year's Day stood five seasons at Hill 'n' Dale Farms but was sold to Brazil before the current breeding season—and now has reportedly been sold to Japan. Big loss, we know now.

Camelot ($6,782,897) is the leading European F2015 sire, with progeny earnings more than double those of No. 2-ranked Society Rock ($3,266,329), who was the leading European freshman sire of 2017 courtesy of Darley Prix Morny (G1) winner Unfortunately, but unfortunately died before ever having a runner. He stood at Ireland's Tally-Ho Stud.

The table shows Declaration of War as No. 2 in Europe, but really he should be ranked just in North America. Intello, sire of 2018 Qatar Prix Jean Prat (G1) winner Intellogent, has rotated between England's Cheveley Park Stud and France's Haras du Quesnay (at Cheveley Park in 2019). He ranks No. 3 among European third-crop sires, with earners of $2,901,757, including nine black-type winners.

Haras de Grandcamp's Dabirsim, who stood his first two seasons in Germany, was Europe's second-leading freshman sire of 2017 and now ranks No. 4 among European F2015 sires ($2,442,405), ahead of Tweenhills' Havana Gold ($2,298,498).

Darley Kildangan's Dawn Approach ($2,107,137) ranks No. 6, with another Darley stallion, Dalham Hall's Farhh ($1,910,996), in seventh. The top 10 is filled out by France's Haras du Logis Saint-Germain's French Fifteen ($1,910,409); Haras de la Haie Neuve's Pedro the Great ($1,885,565); and Haras de Bouquetot's Style Vendome ($1,803,948). Farhh gets extra credit as he has 3 graded stakes winners from just 72 named foals.

Spendthrift's Second-Crop Sire Exacta

Among North America's second-crop sires, Spendthrift Farm has so far hit the exacta, with 2018 second-leading freshman sire Goldencents  ($2,957,950) surging past last year's leading freshman sire Cross Traffic  ($2,716,637, including champion 2-year-old filly Jaywalk) by cumulative progeny earnings through May 8.

Goldencents, a dual winner of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) from Into Mischief 's first crop, is the first North American F2016 sire to have two graded stakes winners, both in 2019 for owner Allied Racing and trainer Bret Calhoun: the $150,000 Keeneland September yearling By My Standards, winner of the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2); and the $130,000 Keeneland September yearling Mr. Money, who won the Pat Day Mile presented by LG and E and KU (G3) on the May 4 Kentucky Derby undercard.

Airdrie Stud's Cairo Prince , from Pioneerof the Nile's first crop, ranks third in cumulative progeny earnings ($2,186,211), ahead of Lane's End's Noble Mission  ($1,983,597), a full brother to Frankel, who is the sire of promoted Kentucky Derby runner-up Code of Honor.

New York sire Central Banker  ($1,755,717, standing at McMahon's of Saratoga) ranks fifth, followed by Three Chimneys Farm's Will Take Charge  ($1,526,572, including four graded stakes performers); WinStar's Fed Biz  ($1,501,050); Ashford's Verrazano  ($1,433,825); Adena Springs' Mucho Macho Man  ($1,344,098); Three Chimneys' Strong Mandate  ($1,106,819); and Florida's Ocala Stud's Uncaptured  ($1,083,233), like Kantharos  (now departed for Kentucky) a son of Lion Heart, who was by Tale of the Cat.

Coolmore's No Nay Never (Scat Daddy), Europe's top freshman sire of 2018, continues to dominate the group by cumulative progeny earnings ($1,927,690) and is also the leading European F2016 sire with eight black-type winners and 16 black-type performers, six of them graded stakes performers, including 2018 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes (G1) winner Ten Sovereigns.

Two sons of Invincible Spirit rank second and third at this writing. Charm Spirit, who has alternated between England's Tweenhills Farm and France's Haras du Bonneval (Tweenhills this year), had $1,014,512 in progeny earnings through May 8.

Third at that point was Juddmonte's Kingman, also by Invincible Spirit and Europe's top miler as a 3-year-old in 2014. Kingman has five black-type winners so far, including Persian King, who won the group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas) May 12 as the even-money favorite. Persian King’s earnings of over €342,000 in the French classic comfortably moves his sire Kingman into second place on this list. Kingman also sired the exciting sprinter Calyx, winner of the Coventry Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot last year and the favorite for this year's Commonwealth Cup (G1) after coming back an impressive four-length winner of the Pavilion Stakes (G3) at Ascot May 1.

If there was betting on which second-crop sire will top this list at the end of the year, Kingman would be a short-priced favorite; he seems to be getting quality, promising winners every day of the week.

Coolmore's 2014 Investec Derby (G1) winner Australia ($880,404) ranks fourth by progeny earnings but leads the group with three graded stakes winners, including Broome, wide-margin winner of the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes (G3) and the May 12 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial (G3), Ireland's key Epsom trial.

Three French sires come next: Haras de Bouqetot's Olympic Glory ($859,488) and Toronado ($857,584); and Haras du Quesnay's Anodin ($820,856), France's leading freshman sire of 2018 and a full brother to Goldikova, by Anabaa.

For more articles by Bill Oppenheim, Northern and Southern Hemisphere APEX ratings, Brianne Stanley's Weekly Sales Ticker and more, please visit www.billoppenheim.com.