Sunday, march 2, 2014
2014 NEW YORK STALLIONS
new-york breds hot commodities at sales with purses up, state attracts better stallions o’cains carry on at saratoga stud
Leading New York sire Bluegrass Cat
Photo by Barbara D. Livingston
Dublin
THE LUMBER GUY
HOPEFUL (G1) Winner at 2
New York HORSE OF THE YEAR & THE FASTEST 3YO of 2012
HOW TO EARN YOUR BREEDING RIGHT n Pay a $100 security fee. Breed with no stud fees
owed until sale. n Once a sale is made at public auction, Spendthrift
is ONLY eligible to get back the stud fee AFTER...
To participate in the Spendthrift Share the Upside program the breeder will:
SECURE your spot n pay a $100 one-time deposit
SIGN your contracts
SOLD AS
YOU GET FIRST PROCEEDS UP TO
Yearling
$12,000
n stands and nurses contracts (2014 & 2015)
Weanling
$6,000
BREED your mare(s) in 2014 & 2015
n lifetime breeding contract
n have live foal each year & pay stud fee of $6,000 each
n Any shortcomings are forgiven. If proceeds exceed
the above numbers plus stud fee - you keep the rest! n
Selected stallions.
It’s that simple!
Your free breeding right begins in 2016 and continues throughout the breeding life of the stallion. Once you have earned your Lifetime Breeding Right, there are no expenses to you at all associated with the care and advertising of the stallion.
Dublin
THE LUMBER GUY
Afleet Alex / Classy Mirage, by Storm Bird
Grand Slam / Boltono, by Unbridled’s Song
– STANDING AT –
Keane Stud 217 Depot Hill Road, Amenia, NY 12501
Direct inquiries to: (888) 816-8787 143289-Dublin-TLG-full-DRFNY.indd 1
n
Des Dempsey (859) 509-2106 2/24/14 3:35 PM
drf.com/breeding
DAILY RACING FORM
Sunday, March 2, 2014
PAGE 3
THE REGIONAL SIRE LOTTERY JOHN P. SPARKMAN Selecting a stallion to stand in a regional market is a much trickier proposition than selecting one for national breeding centers like the Kentucky Bluegrass area or Newmarket, England. As a general rule, stallion rosters of the major Kentucky stallion stations feature each year’s champions and Grade 1 winners with highly fashionable pedigrees. Owners of the most desirable stallion prospects often select among competing stallion farms as much or more than the stallion managers themselves make selections. Stallion farms in regional markets like New York, though, must be more selective and circumspect. The smaller pool of breeders and broodmares means that the stallion must be a good fit in terms of pedigree as well as being a good racehorse. Since the champions and the Grade 1 winners with the most fashionable pedigrees coming off the track are destined for the major farms worldwide, regional markets, New York included, usually attract slightly lessaccomplished horses that are often closely related to the best Kentucky stallions and to stallions that have succeeded in the regional market before. Thus it is no surprise that the most consistently successful stallion standing in New York for most of the last decade has been Freud, a younger full brother to three-time leading North American sire Giant’s Causeway. As noted in an accompanying article, Freud once again stood at the top of a New York sire list in 2013 as the leading sire of turf horses. The influence of Freud’s sustained success, as well as the general cachet enjoyed by both his full brother Giant’s Causeway and their sire, Storm Cat, is evident in the accompanying table, which compares the sire lines of horses standing in New York with those standing in Kentucky. The table shows that the percentage of Mr. Prospector-line horses in New York is almost identical to the percentage in Kentucky, while the percentage of Northern Dancer-line horses is 9 percentage points higher in New York. Of course those percentages are based on a small sample size, and can change rapidly as horses move in and out of state from year to year. That difference is mostly due to the proliferation of Storm Cat-line horses in New York, many of them sired by Giant’s Barbara D. Livingston
Freud, a full brother to Giant’s Causeway, is a dominant sire in New York.
Continued on page 4
PAGE 4
Sunday, March 2, 2014
DAILY RACING FORM
drf.com/breeding
Continued from page 3 Causeway. New York’s leading secondyear sire of 2013, Frost Giant, is a Grade 1-winning son of Giant’s Causeway and there are several more promising sons of “the Iron Horse” in the pipeline. As noted in an accompanying article, New York’s overall leading sire of 2013, Bluegrass Cat, is also a son of Storm Cat. It is also notable from the table that New York is somewhat behind the curve on the most powerful nationwide bloodstock trend of the last decade – the dramatic rise of the A.P. Indy male line. Due primarily to the success of Pulpit and his sons, the male line of the 1992 Horse of the Year now accounts for 13.6 percent of the stallions standing in Kentucky, but only 6.8 percent of New York stallions. It is probably pretty safe to predict that this will change over the next decade as New York stallion managers respond to the powerful national trend. It is almost inevitable that a good son of Tapit, one of the world’s hottest sires, will appear in New York over the next few years. If nationwide trends mean anything, New York breeders also can look forward to seeing male-line descendants of the great American-bred Irish stallion Sadler’s Wells standing in the Empire State in the near future. The success of El Prado’s sons Medaglia d’Oro and 2013 leading general sire Kitten’s Joy is all but certain to make some of their sons available to New York breeders in the next decade. Sons or grandsons of Sadler’s Wells’s great son Galileo are also probable targets for New York stallion masters as Sadler’s Wells’s male line expands globally. The cachet of Galileo’s undefeated son Frankel has already expanded to Kentucky through his threequarter brother (and his pacemaker) Bullet Train, by Sadler’s Wells. Can New York be far behind? As the New York breeding program expands, courtesy in part to Aqueduct casino-fueled purses, the state is likely to attract more and better stallions. Already, global operations like Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum’s Darley have sent beautifully bred Grade 1 winners like Girolamo, by A.P. Indy, and now Emcee, by Unbridled’s Song, to stand in New York. The presence of Darley stallions, however, will always be at least partially dependent on the needs of the mother ship in Kentucky – witness the transfer of Girolamo to Darley at Jonabell this year. It has been a long time, though, since a New York stallion truly earned his way to Kentucky. Belong to Me, by Danzig, began his stud career in New York, but proved himself good enough to be purchased by Lane’s End and moved to Kentucky to complete his stud career.
Barbara D. Livingston
The late Storm Cat is well represented by sons standing in the Empire State.
That transition is much more difficult now than it once was, and it was never easy. The transfer of Alibhai, by Hyperion, from California to Kentucky in the early 1950s began a storied and glorious history of regional sires succeeding beyond all expectations and forcing Kentucky breeders to take notice. The victory of Alibhai’s son Determine in the 1954 Kentucky Derby confirmed that his sire was good enough for the Bluegrass State. Mr. Prospector, who began his stud career in Florida, is perhaps the most famous and most successful sire who proved his worth first in a regional market before moving to Kentucky. Although obviously brilliantly fast and bred well enough to be one of the highest-priced yearlings of his year in 1971, Mr. Prospector perhaps could have stood in Kentucky from the beginning, but his owner, Abraham I. Savin, preferred to stand him at his Aisco Stud near Ocala. The days of private breeders standing homebred champions in regional markets seem to have passed. The last leading American sire to stand anywhere but Kentucky was Tartan Farms’s Dr. Fager in 1977. The more likely scenario these days is exemplified by the story of Malibu Moon. Bred and raced by B. Wayne Hughes, Malibu Moon broke down soon after winning his second start as a 2-year-old. By A.P. Indy out of French Group 1 winner Macoumba, by Mr. Prospector, he was
SIRE LINES OF HORSES STANDING IN KENTUCKY AND NEW YORK IN 2014 SIRE LINE
KY %
NY %
A.P. Indy
13.6%
6.8%
Blushing Groom
1.2%
4.0%
Broad Brush
0.4%
2.7%
Hail to Reason
4.7%
6.8%
In Reality
4.7%
5.4%
Mr. Prospector
32.3%
32.4%
Northern Dancer
28.8%
37.8%
obviously talented, but as a non-stakes winner, there was no place for him to stand in Kentucky. Maryland’s Country Life Farm took a chance on him, with Hughes retaining a share in the horse. Malibu Moon sired champion juvenile male Declan’s Moon in his second crop, motivating Hughes to move the horse to his Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky. Malibu Moon has since sired 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb, and he finished fourth on the 2013 North American general sire list. Is there a Malibu Moon or a Belong to Me among current New York stallions? With 100-plus-mare books a necessity, competition among Kentucky stallions is more vicious than ever. With purses for New York-breds rising, perhaps there is no reason to go to Kentucky.
2014 Stallions
BLUEGRASS CAT
POMEROY
By Storm Cat $7,500 Leading Sire in NY by Earnings, Winners & Repeat Winners
By Jump Start $2,500 Graded SW of 10 Races incl. the Philip H. Iselin S.-G3
By Boundary $3,500 #2 by SWs #7 by Earnings
D’ FUNNYBONE
By D’wildcat $2,500 Five-time GSW at 2 & 3. 1st Yearlings in 2014
GIANT SURPRISE
SAN PABLO
POSSE
SOARING EMPIRE
By Silver Deputy $5,000 3rd on the NY General Sires List, 2nd by Repeat Winners
By Giant’s Causeway $2,500 Impressive Saratoga Debut Winner 1st Yearlings in 2014
Shar Upsie the de
By Empire Maker $3,500 GSW from the GSW Family of Verrazano, First Foals in 2014
TRINNIBERG
By Teuflesberg $7,500 Eclipse Champion Sprinter Breeders’ Cup Sprint-G1
B Secreed ure
Erin Robinson 859.421.7531 Lere Visagie 518.851.6616 5384 Route 9H-23 Hudson, New York 12534 www.rockridgestud.com
Multiple Mare and Vanning Discounts
14-0186.RKR.roster.DRFprint.feb27.indd 1
2/26/14 3:37 PM
PAGE 6
Sunday, March 2, 2014
DAILY RACING FORM
drf.com/breeding
PAGE 8
Sunday, March 2, 2014
DAILY RACING FORM
drf.com/breeding
new york-breds in demand at auctionS
Horsephotos/Fasig-Tipton
This Speightstown – My Reem filly sold for $300,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred sale at Saratoga last August.
By Joe Nevills When the long-awaited opening of Resorts World Casino New York City at Aqueduct became a reality in October 2011, the state’s racing and breeding programs soon benefited from a boost in purses and incentives supported by gaming revenue – and, in turn, the value of a New York-bred horse skyrocketed. Heading into 2014, the demand for Thoroughbreds foaled and sired in the Empire State remains strong, as evidenced by their continued improvement in the auction market. Since 2011, New York-bred yearlings have experienced a higher year-toyear growth in gross sales and average price than the overall North American market. “The availability of legislatively mandated VLT [video lottery terminal] funding resulted in the New York Breeding and Development Fund being able to distribute in 2014 approximately twice as much money as it had available to distribute in breeder and stallion awards in 2011,” said Barry Ostrager, president of
New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. and owner of Questroyal Stud North in Stillwater. “And with the increased purse structure [the New York Racing Association] has, New York-breds are running for unprecedented amounts of money in restricted company, and the quality of New York-breds has increased to the point where a significant number of New Yorkbreds can run in open company.” Average and median sales figures for New York-bred weanlings and yearlings each rose 20 percent or more during auctions in 2013, while the financials for 2-year-olds have remained consistent since a sharp spike in 2011. Of particular note, the yearlings of 2013 were the first crop foaled after the opening of the casino at Aqueduct, putting them at the forefront of the rush of mares and stallions to the state to take advantage of soonto-be-enriched statebred incentives while construction was under way at the racetrack. Ground was broken on the casino in October 2010, prior to the 2011 breeding season, when those yearlings were
conceived. The pool of New York-bred yearlings at auction grew by 47 percent last year, from 364 to 534, while revenue rose 82 percent, from $15,313,800 to $27,924,200. The average sale price rose 24 percent from $42,071 to $52,293, while the median price for a New York-bred yearling of $30,000 was a 20 percent improvement over $25,000 in 2012. All four of those figures were 20-year highs for New York-breds at auction. “I think we just happened to have had two great things coincide with each other, which is, of course, the slot funds finally coming to fruition as well as an economy that has greatly improved from the beginning of the recession,” said Becky Thomas of Sequel Stallions in Hudson, N.Y. “If you look at our stallion farm, where we are now on booking mares versus where we were five years ago, there’s just no comparison, but the market value of all breeding stock has continued to increase.” While the gross and average sale figures
Continued on page 10
PAGE 10
Sunday, March 2, 2014
drf.com/breeding
DAILY RACING FORM
Continued from page 8 for New York-breds still trail the overall North American numbers, the state’s rate of growth exceeds the national trends. The growth in the number of New Yorkbred yearlings sold in 2013 outpaced the overall North American growth by 35 percentage points. The 82 percent increase in gross sales for New York-bred yearlings was 58 points greater last year than the overall market’s growth, while the average price grew 13 percent more than did the whole of North America’s yearling auction market. The driving force behind this spike in popularity can be tied to the state’s breeder incentive programs, which, paired with New York’s recently boosted purses, can make it profitable to raise a New York-bred. According to the NYTB, a New Yorkfoaled and -sired horse who wins a race in the state earns a 30 percent bonus on top of the purse money for his breeder, capped at $40,000 per award. Second- and third-place finishers earn 15 percent. If the runner is foaled in New York but
sired by an out-of-state horse, the scale slides down to 15 percent to the winning breeder and 7.5 percent for second and third, capped at $20,000. Owner awards for statebreds who run in open company at New York tracks are 20 percent for first through third place up to $20,000 if the horse was New York-foaled and -sired. If the horse is not New Yorksired, the incentive is 10 percent for finishing in the money, capping at $20,000. Additionally, the state features a stallion owner incentive of 10 percent of purse money earned for a top-three finisher sired by a registered New York stallion, with a $10,000 cap per award. Currently, the base purse for a maiden special weight race at Aqueduct is $60,000 in open company (with bonuses of more than $10,000 for statebreds) and $55,000 for maiden races restricted to New York-breds. At last year’s Saratoga meet, open maiden purses approached six figures. “The program allows people that purchase those horses to have a much greater chance of not just having fun and winning races and making money, but
Auction results for New York-bred yearlings Year Sold
% Change Gross
% Change Average
actually turning a profit,” Thomas said. “If you look at the quality of the horses, New York is stepping up, and it’s stepping up because the competition is getting greater. You see a lot of Kentucky people and Florida people that in the past hadn’t used the New York program looking to capitalize on it. They’re not sending their whole herd of mares, but they’re sending mares to New York to hedge their bets.” While the perks of raising, owning, and selling a New York-bred are as great as they have ever been, Ostrager said it is important for breeders to continue upgrading their broodmare bands and attracting higher-quality stallions in order to maintain, and improve upon, the commercial value of the New York-bred going forward. “I’m guardedly optimistic that New York-breds will continue to be an increasingly important factor in NYRA racing in both restricted and open company,” Ostrager said. “Everybody’s interested in financial success in the breeding and racing business, and I think breeding and racing New York-breds is often the best opportunity for profit.”
North American auction results, yearlings
% % Change Median Change
Year Sold
% Change Gross
% Change Average
% Change
2013*
534
47
27,924,200
82
52,293
24
30,000
20
2013
7,161
12
429,835,677
24
60,025
11
2012
364
1
15,313,800
14
42,071
12
25,000
25
2012
6,409
-9
347,416,677
3
54,208
13
2011†
359
-7
13,474,500
35
37,533
45
20,000
67
2011
7,054
-7
337,626,163
12
47,863
20
20
2010
7,567
-4
$302,542,657
-4
$39,982
0
2010
385
10
$9,956,500
6
$25,861
-4
$12,000
Auction results for New York-bred weanlings Year Sold
% Change Gross
% Change Average
North American auction results, weanlings
% % Change Median Change
Year Sold
% Change Gross
% Change Average
% Change
2013*
123
1
4,131,600
38
33,590
36
20,000
36
2013
1,163
-4
61,661,781
25
53,020
30
2012
122
94
3,002,700
27
24,612
-34
14,750
-26
2012
1,208
-2
49,175,512
-24
40,708
-22
2011†
63
37
2,363,800
73
37,521
26
20,000
111
2011
1,228
-9
64,418,877
42
52,458
57
-5
2010
1,352
4
$45,215,963
-11
$33,444
-14
2010
46
-35
$1,369,500
2
$29,772
58
$9,500
Auction results for New York-bred 2-year-olds Year Sold
% Change Gross
% Change Average
2013*
170
-12
8,704,400
-5
51,202
8
25,000
2012
194
-5
9,206,100
-2
47,454
4
25,000
2011†
204
55
9,343,600
84
45,802
19
2010
132
-21
$5,082,300
-8
$38,502
16
Auction results for New York-bred 2-year-olds
% % Change Median Change
Year Sold
% Change Gross
0
2013*
170
-12
8,704,400
-5
51,202
8
25,000
4
2012
194
-5
9,206,100
-2
47,454
4
25,000
4
24,000
20
2011†
204
55
9,343,600
84
45,802
19
24,000
20
$20,000
0
2010
132
-21
$5,082,300
-8
$38,502
16
$20,000
0
* 2013 New York-bred auction statistics from New York Thoroughbred Breeders. All others from The Jockey Club New York State Fact Book. † Resorts World Casino New York City opens at Aqueduct in October 2011
% Change Average
% % Change Median Change
0
MARSH SIDE IS THE ONLY STAKES-WINNING SON OF GONE WEST STANDING IN NEW YORK GONE WEST - leading sire of sires including the Second-Leading General Sire in the nation for two consecutive years. MARSH SIDE’s first dam is G2SW COLONIAL PLAY - full sister to 2yo champion filly PLEASANT STAGE ($844,272, BC Juvenile Fillies-G1, Oak Leaf S-G2; 2nd Acorn S-G1, Kentucky Oaks-G1, etc.).
SEVEN TRIPLE DIGIT BEYERS • TRACK RECORD-SETTER AT 3 • WON ON DIRT, TURF AND SYNTHETIC RETIRED SOUND • TEXTBOOK CONFORMATION
Gone West - Colonial Play, by Pleasant Colony Fee: $3,000 stands and nurses
Dutchess Views Farm | 189 Johnnycake Hollow | PO Box 656 | Pine Plains, NY Inquiries to: Anya Sheckley or Michael Lischin 518-398-5666 | mail@dutchessviewsfarm.com dutchessviewsfarm.com Or, Stacy Christensen 203-363-7202 | schristensen@craneco.com
Millionaire Multiple Graded Stakes Winner Record-Setter at Monmouth (5 1/2 fulongs in 1:00.67) • Won or placed in 15 stakes (five Graded) at 10 major tracks at 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 • Broke his maiden at Saratoga by 5 1/4 lengths at 2 • Runnerup in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita • Compiled a record of 9-6-3 in 23 starts while recording five triple digit Beyer Speed Figures INQUIRIES TO:
Midge Hawver Phone: (518) 828-0777 Email: qrstud@mhcable.com
Sara Dunham, Director Phone: (518) 928-6615 Jay Ryan, Assistant Manager Phone: (518) 441-1005 Email: questroyalnorth@gmail.com
BRIDGETOWN is by North America’s Second-Leading Sire in 2013 SPEIGHTSTOWN is sire of 55 SWs (22 Graded) with lifetime progeny earnings of $47 million (2014 stud fee: $80,000). BRIDGETOWN’s first dam is a SP winner and multiple stakes producer. Second dam is the full sister to Kentucky Derby winner STRIKE THE GOLD (G1)
Speightstown - Ellesmere, by Tabasco Cat | 2014 Introductory fee: $4,500 stands and nurses
Located just minutes from Saratoga Race Course
58 Dunn Road, Stillwater, NY 12170 • Visit us at www.questroyalnorth.com
PAGE 14
Sunday, March 2, 2014
DAILY RACING FORM
drf.com/breeding
o’CAINS CARRY ON At SARATOGA STUD
Skip Dickstein / Times Union
From left, Lynwood O’Cain and wife Suzie, Mike Brown, and Rick Burke are principals in the new Saratoga Stud.
By Nicole Russo For more than two decades, two of the most recognizable faces in New York’s breeding industry have been C. Lynwood “Doc” O’Cain and his wife, Suzie. The couple became well known in the state while helming the stallion operation at the late Carl Lizza Jr.’s Highcliff Farm in Delanson, N.Y. However, following Lizza’s death and the dispersal of his stock, that identity has changed, as the O’Cains have worked to relocate and maintain the former Highcliff stallion roster. Following several years of transition, the operation has found a new home at Rick Burke’s Irish Hill Century Farm in Stillwater, N.Y., about 15 minutes from Saratoga Race Course. Not only is the addition to the facility an ideal home for the six-stallion roster, headed by multiple Grade 1 winner and sire Congaree, it has allowed Burke to brand Irish Hill as a fullservice operation, a mutually beneficial
arrangement. The new stallion facility has been named Saratoga Stud. “The transition has been going very well, seamless,” Suzie O’Cain said. “You had an existing stallion operation that had been highly and actively involved in New York for 23 years. And [Burke] had always wanted to expand into a fullservice facility. ... It just seemed to suit everyone’s needs.” Lizza, who campaigned 1981 Eclipse Award champion 3-year-old filly Wayward Lass, among many other stakes winners, had purchased the Highcliff property in partnership with Joseph Bartone in 1987. The O’Cains came aboard to manage the stallion operation and remained for more than two decades. Doc O’Cain, who has an extensive background in reproductive health care, served as the farm’s general manager and resident veterinarian, while Suzie O’Cain mainly handled stallion promotion and development. Lizza died in July 2011, a few days
following hernia surgery. He was 73 and had battled diabetes for more than 30 years; seven years prior, his left leg had been amputated due to the disease. Lizza, the New York circuit’s leading owner by winners in 2004 and 2005, had been watching his horses run at Belmont less than two weeks prior to his death, and his Flying Zee Stables would go on to win the owners’ title at that spring-summer meet. At the time of Lizza’s death, the Flying Zee operation had about 285 horses, including racing stock, broodmares, and foals. Lizza’s widow, Viane, continued to race horses in the Flying Zee name that summer, but in the fall and winter, his estate moved to disperse the stock in several phases. The O’Cains looked to keep the Highcliff stallion operation functional while also perhaps moving it closer to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where they own a home. The couple first moved operations
Continued on page 16
PAGE 16
Sunday, March 2, 2014
DAILY RACING FORM
drf.com/breeding
Continued from page 14 to Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater, taking about 65 horses, including the stallions and additional stock for longtime clients. The following year, the roster relocated once more, as the six former Highcliff stallions joined eight studs already slated to stand at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, making the operation the largest stallion facility in the state. Joe McMahon, who founded the operation with his wife, Anne, and Suzie O’Cain had previously worked together on the boards of several state organizations, including the New York Thoroughbred Breeders. Suzie O’Cain said that during this transitional period, the couple found support from the various facility owners who hosted them, as well as from the owners of their stallions. “The stallion owners have been so good to us and so loyal to Doc and I,” she said. “They’ve been so patient, and their support has been unending.” For 2014, the operation moves to another new, but perhaps more permanent, home. The O’Cains hadn’t been personally acquainted with Burke, a fifth-generation farmer whose family had lived and worked at Irish Hill Century Farm since 1883, but knew of him through mutual acquaintances in the industry and later reached out. The merger created opportunities for both parties, giving the O’Cains the opportunity to house and promote their stallions and carry out breeding operations, and allowing Burke, who had focused on broodmare care and sales prep, to brand himself as a “onestop shop” for breeders in the state. Doc O’Cain’s veterinary expertise also is a beneficial addition for Irish Hill. “He had a void in his program, and we had one in ours,” Suzie O’Cain said. The new Saratoga Stud facility at Irish Hill hosted a stallion show in late January, as construction neared completion. The new stallion barn and breeding shed – which saw its first usage in February – are fully built, with only a few offices remaining to complete. “The most important thing was to get the horses settled,” Suzie O’Cain said. Saratoga Stud will debut with a sixstallion roster for 2014, a group that has moved together from Highcliff, to Mill Creek, to McMahon, to Irish Hill. No new additions were made to the roster for this year – a conscious decision, despite interest, in order to establish an identity for the new facility. “We were approached by quite a few people with horses, and they were very nice horses that we put some consideration into,” Suzie O’Cain said. “But with
Barbara D. Livingston
Congaree is among six stallions at Irish Hill Century Farm in Stillwater, N.Y. this whole huge process [of building a new facility], we decided that the best thing we can do right now is restabilize our existing stallion roster. We wanted to get the horses where they needed to be, promote them, and put everything we have behind the horses we have. Because of the stallion owners’ faith and confidence in Doc and I, I felt really, really dedicated to re-establishing these stallions. I love every one of them. I really believe in every one of them.” The roster is led by stalwart Congaree, who stands for an advertised fee of $7,500. The 16-year-old son of Arazi was a fivetime Grade 1 winner during his racing career, including victories in the Hollywood Gold Cup and two editions of the Cigar Mile, for earnings of more than $3.2 million. His progeny have earned more than $13 million, led by multiple Grade 1 winner Jeranimo, Grade 1 winner Killer Graces, and graded stakes winners Mythical Power and Don’t Tell Sophia. Bob and John, a Seeking the Gold horse who captured the Grade 1 Wood Memorial,
is represented by seven stakes winners from his first three crops, while millionaire Cosmonaut had three winners, including a stakes horse, from just seven starters through Tuesday. Young stallions Maybry’s Boy and Stonesider have established themselves with New York-bred stakes winners, while the first foals by millionaire Smart Bid arrived this year. As she focuses on her stallions’ careers, Suzie O’Cain is optimistic about the longterm future of the industry in New York, bolstered by additions to purses and breeder incentives from revenue generated by video lottery terminals at Aqueduct in recent years. “New York is doing very well, and I think it’s going to continue to do well,” she said. “People are breeding in the state, and the sales are doing well, because people want to buy a New York-bred. And with the horse population [nationwide] shrinking, that affects supply and demand. ... It’s nice to see everyone happy at the sales again.”
drf.com/breeding
DAILY RACING FORM
Sunday, March 2, 2014
PAGE 17
2013 new york stallion honors
bluegrass cat ◗◗ Leading New York general sire by earnings ◗◗ Leading New York juvenile sire by earnings ◗◗ Leading New York synthetic sire by earnings Bay Horse Foaled Jan. 23, 2003 Storm Bird 78 Storm Cat 83 Terlingua 76 A.P. Indy 89 She’s a Winner 96 Get Lucky 88
Northern Dancer 61 South Ocean 67 Secretariat 70 Crimson Saint 69 Seattle Slew 74 Weekend Surprise 80 Mr. Prospector 70 Dance Number 79
Courtesy of Rockridge Stud
By Patrick Reed Bluegrass Cat enters his third season as a New York sire touting first-place trophies in three different earnings categories for 2013: general, juvenile, and synthetic. The 11-year-old son of Storm Cat had 120 winners from 224 starters last year, and they cumulatively bankrolled just under $5.5 million, placing him more than $240,000 ahead of Empire State mainstay Freud on the general earnings list. He also finished ahead of Freud on the juvenile list, with 19 2-year-old winners of 2013 and earnings of more than $712,000, and easily outpaced Posse on the synthetic list, with 23 winners and earnings of more than $880,000. Bluegrass Cat finished second to Freud in turf earnings. Bluegrass Cat is one of several young sires who embody the renaissance in the state’s bloodstock sector over the past several years. The horse has the sort of “A-plus” pedigree that would seemingly guarantee him a spot on a Central Kentucky stallion roster, and indeed, he began his career at owner-breeder WinStar Farm’s expansive facility in Versailles for the 2007 breeding season. In 2010, he finished as the second-leading freshman stallion in North America and reached the same mark as a secondcrop sire in 2011. WinStar partnered with Tim Simon’s Vinery New York operation to stand Bluegrass Cat at Sugar Maple Farm for 2012, and the stallion was among those transferred to Lere Visagie’s Rockridge Stud for the current season, where
LEADING NEW YORK GENERAL SIRES BY 2013 PROGENY EARNINGS
2014 2013 RANK NAME (BORN, SIRE) 2014 FARM STUD FEE RNRS WNRS EARNINGS
1 2 3 4 5
Bluegrass Cat (2003, Storm Cat) Rockridge Stud Freud (1998, Storm Cat) Sequel Stallions New York Posse (2000, Silver Deputy) Rockridge Stud Utopia (2000, Forty Niner) McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds Bob and John (2003, Seeking the Gold) Saratoga Stud
he stands for $7,500. Bluegrass Cat’s top earner among nine stakes winners last year was Percussion, who bankrolled $294,800 as a 5-year-old, followed by Laurie’s Rocket, who earned just over $250,000 in 2013 for owner Willis Horton of Will Take Charge fame. Virginia-bred Go Blue Or Go Home took the Grade 3 Highlander Stakes at Woodbine and won a listed stakes at Presque Isle Downs while earning more than $229,000. Through Tuesday, Bluegrass Cat once again was atop the New York general sire earnings list with more than $500,000. Percussion has twice placed in stakes at Aqueduct this winter, and the stallion is represented by the promising 3-year-old Rprettyboyfloyd, third in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 16. Bluegrass Cat was one of the more consistent runners of his generation, racing for Bill Casner and Kenny Troutt’s WinStar during 2005-06 and earning more than $1.7 million. He showed precocity by winning his maiden by 6 1/2 lengths in his second career start, then
$7,500 10,000 5,000 5,000 6,000
224 150 169 118 100
120 82 106 51 63
$5,498,097 5,255,739 4,005,912 2,492,056 2,424,431
tallied three consecutive stakes wins at ages 2 and 3 to place himself squarely in the Kentucky Derby conversation. A second in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby and a fourth in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes sent him to Louisville as a 30-1 longshot, but Bluegrass Cat validated his potential with a clear runnerup finish behind the brilliant Barbaro. He would race three more times, finishing second in the Belmont and Travers stakes and picking up his Grade 1 win in the Haskell Invitational before retiring to WinStar with a pastern injury. Bluegrass Cat, whose first New Yorkbred crop will race next year, could eventually fashion a career similar to Freud and leave an indelible mark on the state’s breeding community. In terms of pedigree, he is likely to never go out of style as a son of the late, great Storm Cat and from a female family that includes A.P. Indy and Mr. Prospector blood and branches out to include such relatives as Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Vosburgh Stakes winner Girolamo, both young sires.
New York’s Top 12 Sire in 2014
BUSTIN STONES also ranks #1 by Lifetime Percentage of Winners / Runners (78%) and is the only stallion among the top 12 NY Sires with less than four crops of racing age.
#1 NY Third-Crop Sire #18 Third-Crop Sire (standing in the U.S.) *statistics through 2/17/14
UNDEFEATED GRADE 1 WINNER 109 IN THE CARTER H-G1 34 2-year-olds to race in 2014 BUSTIN STONES City Zip - Shesasurething, by Prospectors Gamble 2014 fee: $5,000
P.O. Box 959, North Chatham, NY 12132 Inquiries to: Dr. Jerry Bilinski | mobile: 518.461.8424 farm: 518.766.9400 | office: 518.766.4600 | fax: 518.766.4601 email: drbilinski@aol.com www.nybreds.com/waldorffarm.com
drf.com/breeding
DAILY RACING FORM
Sunday, March 2, 2014
PAGE 19
2013 new york stallion honors
freud ◗◗ Leading New York turf sire by earnings Bay Horse Foaled Feb. 22, 1998 Storm Bird 78 Storm Cat 83 Terlingua 76 Rahy 85 Mariah’s Storm 91 Immense 79
Northern Dancer 61 South Ocean 67 Secretariat 70 Crimson Saint 69 Blushing Groom 74 Glorious Song 76 Roberto 69 Imsodear 67
Barb Burleson
By Nicole Russo On the afternoon of last May 4 at Belmont Park, New York-bred turf horses Hessonite and Lubash took their careers to a new level, recording their first graded stakes victories in the Grade 3 Beaugay and Grade 3 Fort Marcy, respectively. The two runners are among the standouts who helped their sire, Freud, maintain his usual stronghold among the leading stallions in New York for 2013. The 16-year-old Storm Cat horse, a full brother to perennial leading sire Giant’s Causeway, led the state’s turf sire list for the seventh consecutive year. Freud, who stands at Sequel Stallions in Hudson, finished the season with $2,551,458 in progeny turf earnings, easily outpacing Bluegrass Cat, another son of Storm Cat, who had progeny earnings of $947,755. Freud, also in the top three on New York’s general sire list for seven straight years – and the leader in 2008 – was second to Bluegrass Cat in those standings, edged out by around $240,000 despite having 74 fewer runners. Freud was represented by nine stakes winners in 2013 to match Bluegrass Cat in that category. Leading the way were the stakes wins by Lubash and Hessonite. Lubash outgamed Bombaguia by a half-length in the Fort Marcy for his sixth stakes win. He has earned $698,879 for owner-breeder Leonard Pivnick’s Aliyu Ben J Stables. About an hour later, Hessonite rallied past Peace Preserver and Dream Peace
LEADING NEW YORK turf SIRES BY 2013 PROGENY EARNINGS
2014 2013 RANK NAME (BORN, SIRE) 2014 FARM STUD FEE RNRS WNRS EARNINGS
1 Freud (1998, Storm Cat) Sequel Stallions New York 2 Bluegrass Cat (2003, Storm Cat) Rockridge Stud 3 Utopia (2000, Forty Niner) McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds 4 Congaree (1998, Arazi) Saratoga Stud 5 Posse (2000, Silver Deputy) Rockridge Stud
to take the Beaugay. The mare had already placed in multiple graded stakes for owners William J. Punk Jr. and Philip DiLeo. Hessonite retired having won half of her 22 starts, including nine stakes, and earning $879,644. She was sold to DATTT Stables for $750,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall mixed sale. Freud’s chief earner in 2013 was Effie Trinket, who won three stakes at Belmont Park. The filly stepped outside of her home state to finish second in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs. Freud’s other standouts last year included stakes winner Uncle T Seven; unbeaten multiple stakes winner Lovely Syn; Miss Narcissist, a multiple stakeswinning juvenile who helped her sire be second on the New York juvenile sire list; and stakes winner Freud’s Notebook. Freud, who entered stud in 2002, is the sire of 35 stakes winners, including seven graded, for total earnings of $28,978,327 through Monday – an average of $77,276 per starter. He is the sire of a pair of New York-bred Grade 1 winners, Giant Ryan
$10,000 7,500 5,000 7,500 5,000
87 97 45 28 45
26 16 8 6 15
$2,551,458 947,755 733,532 600,249 547,608
and Franny Freud, both standout sprinters. The ill-fated Giant Ryan was named New York-bred Horse of the Year in 2011 after winning the Grade 1 Vosburgh Stakes and the Grade 2 Smile Sprint Handicap. Franny Freud won four stakes in 2010, topped by the Grade 1 Prioress and the Grade 2 Beaumont. Freud won once in 12 starts during his own racing career, finishing third in the Group 2 Cork and Orrery Stakes in Ireland. Bred in Kentucky by Orpendale, he is out of the Grade 2-winning Rahy mare Mariah’s Storm, making him a full brother to European Horse of the Year Giant’s Causeway, who led the U.S. sire list in 2009, 2010, and 2012. Both stallions are full brothers to Group 2 winner You’resothrilling, Group 2-placed Tumblebrutus, Group 3-placed Tiger Dance, and stakes-placed Roar of the Tiger as well as half-brothers to Group 3-placed Hanky Panky. It is the family of champion and multiple stakes producer Dearly Precious.
PAGE 22
Sunday, March 2, 2014
DAILY RACING FORM
drf.com/breeding
LEADING NEW YORK GENERAL SIRES BY 2013 PROGENY EARNINGS 2014 CHIEF EARNER, 2013
RANK NAME (BORN, SIRE) 2014 FARM
EARNINGS
EARNINGS
1
Bluegrass Cat (2003, Storm Cat) Rockridge Stud
STUD FEE RNRS WNRS SW SWINS
$7,500
224
120
9
10
Percussion-$294,800
$5,498,097 Manando-108
2
Freud (1998, Storm Cat) Sequel Stallions New York
10,000
150
82
9
14
Effie Trinket-$368,628
5,255,739
TOP RUNNER-BEYER
Lubash-97
3 Posse (2000, Silver Deputy) Rockridge Stud 5,000 169 106 4 5 In the Fairway-$136,034 4,005,912 Apprehender-98 Que Posse-98 2,492,056
Sally’s Dream-91
5 Bob and John (2003, Seeking the Gold) Saratoga Stud 6,000 100 63 3 3 Jonrah-$115,267 2,424,431
4 Utopia (2000, Forty Niner) McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds
5,000
118
51
2
2
Sally’s Dream-$315,132
Groovin’ Solo-85 Pearl of Wisdom-85
6 Congaree (1998, Arazi) Saratoga Stud
7,500
87
48
4
7 Don’t Tell Sophia-$334,276
7
Pomeroy (2001, Boundary) Rockridge Stud
3,500
91
51
5
6
Brooklyn Cowboy-$116,255
1,826,717
8
Frost Giant (2003, Giant’s Causeway) Keane Stud
10,000
34
16
3
6
West Hills Giant-$261,996
1,673,093 Comandante-94
2,500
110
60
0
0
Glamour Puss-$86,130
1,539,854
Glamour Puss-94
Private
95
51
2
2
Samraat-$133,200
1,530,677
Samraat-95
9 Catienus (1994, Storm Cat) McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds 10 Noble Causeway (2002, Giant’s Causeway) Sequel Stallions New York
2,066,097 Don’t Tell Sophia-101 Flashpoint-99
LEADING NEW YORK JUVENILE SIRES BY 2013 PROGENY EARNINGS 2014 CHIEF EARNER, 2013
RANK NAME (BORN, SIRE) 2014 FARM
STUD FEE RNRS WNRS SW SWINS
EARNINGS
TOP RUNNER-BEYER
$712,692
Elusive Blueboy-81
Bluegrass Cat (2003, Storm Cat) Rockridge Stud
$7,500
53
19
2
2
2
Freud (1998, Storm Cat) Sequel Stallions New York
10,000
29
8
1
2 Miss Narcissist-$224,100
5,000
28
6
2
2
Free Mugatu-$121,373
407,618
Free Mugatu-73
4 Noble Causeway (2002, Giant’s Causeway) Sequel Stallions New York Private
15
5
1
1
Samraat-$133,200
356,339
Samraat-95
3 Utopia (2000, Forty Niner) McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds
Big Bazinga-$71,347
EARNINGS
1
694,739 Miss Narcissist-78
5 Posse (2000, Silver Deputy) Rockridge Stud 5,000 22 6 0 0 Geaux Mets-$69,050 346,676 Geaux Mets-74 Missy Bay-74 6
Bob and John (2003, Seeking the Gold) Saratoga Stud
6,000
15
6
2
2
7
Stonesider (2003, Giant’s Causeway) Saratoga Stud
3,500
11
1
1
1 May Shares-$121,000
Brothersofthetime-$112,300
225,052 May Shares-77
237,200
8 Cosmonaut (2002, Lemon Drop Kid) Saratoga Stud
5,000
7
3
0
0 Marvin’s Miracle-$100,000
214,166 Marvin’s Miracle-79
9 Pomeroy (2001, Boundary) Rockridge Stud 3,500 17 6 0 0 Melody Pomeroy-$45,750 203,258 10 Mr. Sekiguchi (2003, Storm Cat) Mole’s Hill Farm
2,500
9
4
0
0
Gem City Gal-$40,250
Emmett Park-74
Lake Drive South-63 Papa’s Paisley-63 Pomeroy’s Info-63
151,575
Gelfenstein-76
2013 EARNINGS
TOP RUNNER-BEYER
LEADING NEW YORK FRESHMAN SIRES BY 2013 PROGENY EARNINGS RANK NAME (BORN, SIRE) 2014 FARM
1 Cosmonaut (2002, Lemon Drop Kid) Saratoga Stud
2014 STUD FEE RNRS WNRS SW SWINS
$5,000
7
3
0
CHIEF EARNER, EARNINGS
0 Marvin’s Miracle-$100,000
$214,166 Marvin’s Miracle-79
drf.com/breeding
DAILY RACING FORM
Sunday, March 2, 2014
PAGE 23
LEADING NEW YORK TURF SIRES BY 2013 PROGENY EARNINGS 2014 CHIEF EARNER, 2013
RANK NAME (BORN, SIRE) 2014 FARM
EARNINGS
EARNINGS
$10,000
87
26
4
7
Effie Trinket-$362,728
$2,551,458
Lubash-97
7,500
97
16
2
2
E B Ryder-$114,631
947,755
Go Blue Or Go Home-89
3 Utopia (2000, Forty Niner) McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds
5,000
45
8
0
0
Sally’s Dream-$271,062
733,532
Sally’s Dream-91
4 Congaree (1998, Arazi) Saratoga Stud
7,500
28
6
1
2
Jeranimo-$293,464
600,249
Jeranimo-97
5
5,000
45
15
0
0
Lawless Miss-$72,458
547,608
Ol Army-95
5,000
31
6
0
0 Captain Gaughen-$110,990
542,195
Image of Disco-87
1
Freud (1998, Storm Cat) Sequel Stallions New York
2
Bluegrass Cat (2003, Storm Cat) Rockridge Stud
Posse (2000, Silver Deputy) Rockridge Stud
6 Disco Rico (1997, Citidancer) Keane Stud
STUD FEE RNRS WNRS SW SWINS
TOP RUNNER-BEYER
7
Bob and John (2003, Seeking the Gold) Saratoga Stud
6,000
34
8
1
1
Jonrah-$101,087
501,693
Jonrah-84
8
Stonesider (2003, Giant’s Causeway) Saratoga Stud
3,500
19
4
1
1
Stock Fund-$165,200
489,829
Lightning Stone-83
9
Sunriver (2003, Saint Ballado) Died 2009
35
8
0
0
Sun Worshipper-$75,943
489,593
Sunlover-81
10
Frost Giant (2003, Giant’s Causeway) Keane Stud
20
2
2
4
Frosty Bay-$166,520
344,572
West Hills Giant-85
10,000
LEADING NEW YORK SYNTHETIC SURFACE SIRES BY 2013 PROGENY EARNINGS 2014 CHIEF EARNER, 2013
RANK NAME (BORN, SIRE) 2014 FARM
1
STUD FEE RNRS WNRS SW SWINS
2
3
EARNINGS
Go Blue Or Go Home-$219,716
EARNINGS
TOP RUNNER-BEYER
Bluegrass Cat (2003, Storm Cat) Rockridge Stud
$7,500
63
23
$882,481 Manando-108
2
Posse (2000, Silver Deputy) Rockridge Stud
$5,000
47
14
0
0 Chortle-$79,240
540,963
Que Posse-98
3
Teuflesberg (2004, Johannesburg) McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds Private
10
3
1
1
Logan’s Peak-$130,077
236,625
Jovita’s Tuffy-88
4 Congaree (1998, Arazi) Saratoga Stud
7,500
20
5
0
0
Bear’s Big Boy-$32,236
169,297
Jeranimo-95
5
6,000
23
9
0
0
Fast Bobbi J-$21,325
157,347
Groovin’ Solo-85
2,500
29
7
0
0
Glamour Puss-$36,000
147,154
Glamour Puss-92
3,500
19
4
0
0
Billy Win-$36,390
123,988
Positive Response-84
10,000
4
1
0
0
Giant Finish-$65,250
100,606
Giant Finish-86
Bob and John (2003, Seeking the Gold) Saratoga Stud
6 Catienus (1994, Storm Cat) McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds 7
Pomeroy (2001, Boundary) Rockridge Stud
8
Frost Giant (2003, Giant’s Causeway) Keane Stud
9 Mr. Sekiguchi (2003, Storm Cat) Mole’s Hill Farm 2,500 12 3 0 0 Mail Order Groom-$26,291 96,054 Ms Hoochie Coochie-74 Rose and Shine-74 10
Golden Missile (1995, A.P. Indy) Milfer Farm
3,500
11
2
0
0 Runaway Wildcat-$27,070
LEADING NEW YORK BROODMARE SIRES BY 2013 PROGENY EARNINGS
RANK NAME (BORN, SIRE) RNRS WNRS SW SWINS
CHIEF EARNER, EARNINGS
69,035 Runaway Wildcat-84
2013 EARNINGS
TOP RUNNER-BEYER
1 Phone Trick (1982, Clever Trick) 220 108 5 8 Dawn Approach-$878,301 $3,962,770
Gangsterontherun-95 Winchill-95
2 Cure the Blues (1978, Stop the Music)
155
74
5
5 Cross Traffic-$687,967
3 Regal Classic (1985, Vice Regent)
181
89
6
6
Fighting Hussar-$109,928
3,289,183 Hemlock Channel-95
4
Jade Hunter (1984, Mr. Prospector)
125
63
6
6
Wine Princess-$282,203
2,600,761
Wine Princess-96
5 American Chance (1989, Cure the Blues)
85
45
3
3
Laurie’s Rocket-$250,760
2,205,018
Laurie’s Rocket-97
100
52
1
2
Lady’s Lunar Luck-$135,125
2,163,729
Johannesburg Smile-96
7 Distinctive Pro (1979, Mr. Prospector) 99 45 1 3 Willet-$249,500 1,697,745
Sailmate-95 Willet-95
6 Dixie Brass (1989, Dixieland Band)
8
Personal Flag (1983, Private Account)
3,342,550 Cross Traffic-116
113
53
1
1
Blisstikus-$122,935
1,619,811
W. B. Smudge-101
9 A. P Jet (1989, Fappiano)
71
38
1
1
Ground Force-$101,130
1,100,693
Ground Force-88
10
54
29
1
1
Queen’s Award-$116,026
Williamstown (1990, Seattle Slew)
941,574 Hunter Forward (AUS)-93
Nearly $5.5 million in progeny earnings last year, shattering the single-year mark by a NY sire. Storm Cat – She’s a Winner, by A.P. Indy • $7,500 Inquiries to Erin Robinson 859/421-7531
A
143288-BluegrassCat-full-DRFNY.indd 1
stallion standing at
111 two-year-olds race in 2014. • 5384 Route 9h/23, Hudson, NY, 12534
2/24/14 3:16 PM