Bill Oppenheim: Fasig Sires

Having covered the new sires with their first yearlings selling at Fasig July extensively, it is appropriate for us to acknowledge that there are other sires represented–quite a few of them, and quite important ones, too. There's one Tapit filly catalogued from Gainesway, and one War Front colt bred by Southern Equine and consigned by Bluewater; a couple of Kitten's Joy colts, and a Distorted Humor; but this is a sale that is timed to accommodate precocity and aspires to a $100,000 average; the really big guns in quantity arrive later.

Of the 22 'F2014' (first foals 2014) sires with their first yearlings catalogued at Fasig, 13 have four or more catalogued for tomorrow's sale, of which six have four or five catalogued, and seven have six or more in the sale (see last week's column). But there are also 20 sires with foals of racing age with four or more catalogued, of which 10 have six or more in the yearling book. Of those 10, just one F2013 sire with his first 2-year-olds is among those with 6+ catalogued. That is Spendthrift's Archarcharch with seven; he is currently third at this early stage on the North American Freshman Sire List, and one of four Spendthrift sires among the 10 sires with foals of racing age with 6+ catalogued. Three other freshman sires (first 2-year-olds) have four each catalogued for tomorrow's sale: in alphabetical order, these are WinStar's Sidney's Candy; Spendthrift's Tizway; and Ashford's Uncle Mo, currently the leading freshman sire in North America.

On the other hand, no fewer than five 'F2012' sires (first 3-year-olds 2015) are represented by six or more yearlings in the book. Leading sire in the whole book by number catalogued in Airdrie's Majesticperfection, and, perhaps not coincidentally, next in number catalogued is Spendthrift's Into Mischief, like Majesticperfection a son of Harlan's Holiday.

A rocket sprinter himself as a 4-year-old in 2010, Majesticperfection ranks second by progeny earnings on the 2015 Year-to-Date Second-Crop Sire List, and fourth overall on the cumulative second-crop list. He's sired three Black-Type Winners, all this year, including the dual Grade I winner Lovely Maria, winner of the GI Ashland S. and GI Kentucky Oaks. Ashford's Munnings, the current number one second-crop sire in 2015 and number two cumulatively (by $13,000 on Tuesday, to barn mate Lookin At Lucky), has eight catalogued. He has sired seven BTW and 13 Black-Type Horses total so far, of which the most accomplished is the filly I'm A Chatterbox, winner of the GIII Rachel Alexandra and GII Fair Grounds Oaks, both at Fair Grounds, then third to Lovely Maria in the Kentucky Oaks.

Munnings | Coolmore

Three second-crop sires are represented by six yearlings each. In order of their ranking by cumulative progeny earnings, Lane's End's Quality Road was Leading North American Freshman Sire last year, and is now third overall. He sired Grade I winner Hootenanny and Grade III winner Blofeld last year; they are among his six black-type horses so far. Spendthrift's Warrior's Reward, with nine cumulative BTH, ranks sixth on the North American second-crop sire list this year and overall while Darley's Midshipman, ninth in 2015 and eighth overall, has three BTW plus the dour closer Frammento, who was third in the GII Fountain of Youth earlier this year.

This leaves four 'older' non-freshman sires with six or more catalogued tomorrow. Spendthrift's Into Mischief has the most representatives of these sires, with 11 catalogued. After he had made such a bright start in late 2012 and early 2013, with Goldencents and Vyjack, he went from crops averaging 35 foals to covering over 200 mares. His third (2012) and fourth (2013) crops–this year's 3-year-olds and 2-year-olds– contained 36 named foals each, so it's no wonder his name isn't popping up in the results sheets every other day. His current 3-year-olds include the filly Strict Compliance, winner of the $150,000 Penn Oaks and a good fifth last weekend, having drawn 14 of 14, to Lady Eli in the GI Belmont Oaks.

Another Spendthrift sire, the veteran Malibu Moon, is the most expensive of those sires with 6+ catalogued at Fasig–he has seven–off a $70,000 stud fee in 2013 (now $95,000). He ranks #7 on the 2015 North American General Sire List, with $4.7 million in progeny earnings this year, and six 2015 BTW.

These are the last yearlings by budding sire of sires (Majesticperfection, Into Mischief) Harlan's Holiday, who died in the Southern Hemisphere in late 2013; there are six by him catalogued at Fasig. His yearlings figure to command good prices this year, as it has become apparent he was a high-quality sire and could 'pass it on'. The final proven sire with 6+ catalogued at Fasig (he has seven) is Claiborne's First Samurai, sire of two Grade III winners so far this year, plus Lea, who has three Grade I/Group 1 placings in his last three starts: second in the GI Donn and GI Stephen Foster, and third in the G1 Dubai World Cup. Now a 6-year-old from First Samurai's second crop, you can expect to see Lea included on the Claiborne Farm stallion roster for 2016.

FRESHMAN SIRES: in Europe, the Coolmore pair of Zoffany (three BTW at Royal Ascot, four overall) and Canford Cliffs (two group winners on Irish Derby weekend two weekends ago) have zoomed to the top of the Freshman Sire List. Also catching the eye: Ballylinch's Dream Ahead, now with six winners including a couple who look stakes caliber; Ballyhane's Roderic O'Connor, who now has four winners, including the black-type winning filly Great Page; and I am liking what I'm seeing so far by Coolmore's Pour Moi. He's not had many runners but they look like they might have some class. In the U.S. I'd make the same comment about Spendthrift's Paddy O'Prado, a half-brother to last year's champion 3-year-old filly Untapable, and surely the last major son of El Prado to go to stud. He had a five-furlong winner, and a black- type second, at Gulfstream last weekend. He was a top grass colt, remember, but also did run third in the GI Kentucky Derby.