Fact Of The Week

There was a time not too long ago when breeding was more international in nature. The leading sires in Britain and Ireland tended to be based in America, with the likes of the great Northern Dancer and his descendants leading the way. Nowadays, with increased specialization, America has fewer stallions to interest breeders in Europe, so we have seen the rise of homegrown sires of sires in the past 20 years. Our ranking of leading sires of sires features all stallions with 200 or more runners whose best 5% had an average Timeform rating of 110 or higher. Danehill, with 11 sons meeting the criteria, leads the way with Danzig's other European stalwart Green Desert and Sadler's Wells in joint second. Sadler's Wells's sons Galileo, Montjeu, High Chaparral and In The Wings have scores higher than 120, while only Dansili and Fastnet Rock, among the Danehills, and Green Desert's sons Cape Cross and Invincible Spirit, have reached this mark.