Ten (U.S.) Breakouts in 2015

For all practical purposes, the 2015 U.S. racing season is over, so it is not premature to construct a list of those who had breakthrough years. Be they horses, sires, jockey, trainers, stallions or owners, they made our list because they exceeded our expectations and/or emerged from the pack to make a name for themselves. A Todd Pletcher doesn’t make the cut because he’s been an outstanding trainer for years and nothing he did in 2015 came as a surprise.

There are plenty of candidates who could be added to such a list, but here are the ten I felt were most deserving of such recognition. With apologies to European correspondent James Willoughby for stealing his idea from the Nov. 11 TDN, here goes:

1. American Pharoah (Racehorse): At first glance he might seem like an odd choice for such a list considering he didn’t exactly sneak up on anyone. By Pioneerof the Nile, he was the 2-year-old champion in 2014 and, over the winter, was considered the top threat for the following year’s Classics. But no one predicted what was about to come, a 3-year-old campaign unlike anything seen since the 1970s. Not only did he become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since 1978 but he capped that off with a stirring victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He broke through because he went from being a very good 2-year-old with potential to a horse for the ages.

2. Florent Geroux (Jockey): The young French-born jockey first rode in the U.S. in 2007 and, all along, showed signs that he had the talent to emerge as a top rider. But it wasn’t until this year that he truly showed he belonged in the upper echelon of U.S. jockeys. He won seven graded stakes races in 2014 and just one Grade I, the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with Work All Week. With a month-and-a-half yet to go in 2015, he’s already won 12 graded stakes, including five Grade I’s. That list includes the Arlington Million, the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. He is 11^th in the nation in earnings, best among any rider who is not a regular in California or New York.

3. Uncle Mo (Sire): He was a very fast racehorse but that didn’t guarantee that he would be a successful sire. But it looks like Uncle Mo the sire is going to out-perform Uncle Mo the racehorse as his first crop of runners hit the track in 2015 and has been nothing short of sensational. He’s running away in the battle for leading freshman sire with, as of Nov. 11, $3,165,100 in combined earnings. Zoffany is second at $1,203,067. From his first crop he will already have produced an Eclipse Award winner in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Nyquist, who will be named champion 2-year-old male. Uncle Mo’s stud fee has been raised from $25,000 to $75,000.

4. Joe Sharp (Trainer): Sharp used to be best known as Rosie Napravnik’s husband, but it’s becoming a case now where Rosie Napravnik’s claim to fame might become that she is Mrs. Joe Sharp. Sharp, who was an assistant to Mike Maker, went out on his own last summer and hit the ground running. He represents the next in line of the new breed of ambitious, savvy young trainers who don’t just want to do well but want to create mega-stables that win all over the country. Sharp has thus far won 80 races this year from 443 starters (18%) and has won seven stakes, a remarkable start for someone who has been training for less than two years. By way of comparison, Pletcher won just 33 races in his first full year as a trainer and Chad Brown won with only 31 starters.

5. Lady Sheila Stable (Owners): Sheila Rosenblum is the driving force behind Lady Sheila Stable. She’s a former model and an alumna of The Royal Ballet School in London and the School of American Ballet. She’s blessed with infectious enthusiasm and a drive to succeed, two attributes that are serving her well in her newest endeavor, horse racing. She likes female horses, female partners and female trainers (Linda Rice is her trainer) and it’s a combination that is serving her well. After going a combined 0 for 8 in their first three years in business, Lady Sheila broke through this year with 15 wins from 39 starters and earnings of $1.5 million. Much of that came from their stable star, the fleet mare La Verdad (Yes It’s True). She was 6 for 7 this year, with her only loss coming in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, where she was second.

6. Scat Daddy (Sire): Not that he was ever a poor sire, but Scat Daddy has had a huge year in 2015 to emerge as one of the sport’s best stallions. Led by Nickname, the winner of the Grade I Frizette at Belmont and European star Acapulco, Scat Daddy has had a remarkable six graded stakes winners among this year’s 2-year-old runners. His 2-year-olds have earned $2,872,917, second to only fellow Coolmore stallion Uncle Mo. He also made a mark with his 3-year-olds as El Kabeir won two graded stakes on the trail to the Kentucky Derby. His success allowed Coolmore to raise his stud fee from $35,000 to $100,000 for 2016.

7. Sol Kumin (Owner): In just his second year in the business, Kumin was the part-owner of nine Breeders’ Cup starters, including Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue (Harlington). Kumin often partners with Jay Shanley, and they run under the name of Sheep Pond Partners. They made waves both last year and early this year with Lady Eli (Divine Park), who is 6 for 6 lifetime and won three stakes in 2015, including the Grade I Belmont Oaks. Lady Eli’s 3-year-old campaign ended due to a bout with laminitis, but she is scheduled to race next year. Lady Eli accounted for two of five Grade I/Group I wins for Kumin over a 12-month period.

8. Irad Ortiz Jr. (Jockey): While a top rider in New York for some time he had always taken a back seat to Javier Castellano and John Velazquez. No more. Ortiz now belongs on anyone’s list of the top two or three riders in the country. He is second in over all earnings behind Castellano, while nearly $2 million ahead of Velazquez. He’s won six Grade I’s this year as opposed to three in 2014. After losing to Castellano by one winner at the Belmont spring meet, Ortiz won the jockey titles at both Saratoga and Belmont fall. Castellano is 38 and Velazquez is 43. Ortiz is all of 23-years-old and has the backing of Chad Brown, all of which adds up to him eventually becoming the undisputed top rider in the country in the near future.

9. Runhappy (Horse): He began 2015 as a horse who had merely broken his maiden at Turfway Park for the low-profile trainer Laura Wohlers and the even lower profile jockey Adrian Garcia. Not exactly the type of horse who you might think would develop into one of the most sensational sprinters seen in many years. But that’s exactly what happened with the son of Super Saver. Unfortunately, his accomplishments have been overshadowed by the ugly split between owner Jim McIngvale and trainer Maria Borell, who has sued her old boss, but let’s not forget what he did on the racetrack. He won five straight for Borell, including the Grade I King’s Bishop and the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Sprint. And some of wins were simply sensational. With his speed and talent he will no doubt be a much sought-after stallion once done racing.

10. Mark Casse (trainer): Casse was one of those guys who has been around forever and everyone knew he was a good trainer, but somehow managed to never land the type of victories that would push him into the elite level when it comes to his profession. Part of that was because his main base has been outside of the U.S. spotlight at Woodbine in Canada, where he is a seven-time Soveriegn Award winner as that country’s top trainer. But in recent years Casse started to expand his operation outside of Canada and it has paid off. He won the Grade I Stephen Foster with Noble Bird (Birdstone) at Churchill Downs this summer and then picked up four more graded U.S. stakes wins entering the Breeders’ Cup. But Casse still had that Breeders’ Cup monkey on his back to worry about as he was 0 for 23 going into this year’s running. He didn’t just win a race, he won two as Catch a Glimpse (City Zip) won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Tepin (Bernstein) won the Mile to emerge as a leading Eclipse Award candidate. With $12.8 million in earnings to date for 2015, Casse is enjoying his best ever year.