Cover image courtesy of Juddmonte Farms
Looking back through history there are a number of stallions worth a mention in regards to their outstanding contributions both on and off the track - going as far back as Eclipse (GB) through to the likes of St Simon (GB), Lexington (USA), The Tetrarch (GB), Carbine (NZ), Nearco (Ity), Ribot (GB), Heroic, Bold Ruler (USA), Nijinsky (Can), Native Dancer (USA), Alydar (USA) and Secretariat (USA).
And there have been some great examples in more recent times...
Fabulous Frankel
Frankel’s race record is well-documented, the unbeaten superstar who earned so many worthy accolades including European Horse Of The Year on two occasions; the only horse to be crowned Champion at two, three and four.
14 starts, 14 memorable wins - 10 at the elite level.
Frankel (GB) | Standing at Juddmonte Farms, UK
There was just no stopping him on the track and he has continued on that fine work at stud - the joint fastest - along with his damsire Danehill (USA) - horse to reach the milestone of 100 stakes winners.
As of today (statistics from Arion), Frankel has been represented by 834 runners, 589 (an excellent 70.6 per cent) winners. Outstanding statistics for any stallion but it is Frankel’s record of siring quality performers that really sets him apart.
His very first foal born - Cunco (Ire) was his first runner, successful at his Newbury debut in May 16, going on to Group 3 success in the following year’s G3 Sandown Classic Trial.
It has been all up for Frankel since then. 142 of his sons and daughters are stakes winners - that’s 17 per cent stakes winners to runners with 24 per cent of his winners earning winning black type. 98 of his progeny are Group winners - 34 enjoying success at the elite level. And 15 of those are multiple Group 1 winners.
When it comes to winners, Frankel’s strike rate is better for males than females - 73.9 per cent vs 66.4 per cent but unlike quite a few other members of the Sadler’s Wells (USA) sire line, there is no male bias in terms of quality.
In fact his daughters’ 20.5 per cent stakes winner ratio is superior to his sons’ 14.2 per cent. When it comes to Group 1 racing it’s a close finish - 18 Group 1-winning sons, 16 Group 1-winning daughters.
The next generation is already looking good for Frankel - seven stakes winners including the recent G1 French Oaks winner Sparkling Plenty (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) amongst the first 104 winners from 183 runners produced by his daughters.
His first winner Cunco headed to Chile where last week’s Group 2 winner El Terrible (Chi) is amongst his first 15 winners from 34 runners. His first big race winner to sire stakes winners is the four times Group 1 winner Cracksman (GB) who has had 87 winners from 160 runners so far - eight stakes winners including last year’s G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and G1 French Derby hero Ace Impact (Ire) who, like his grandsire, retired to stud (Haras De Beaumont) unbeaten.
Quite frankly, Frankel is fabulous!
The magnificent Galileo
As was his sire Galileo (Ire)... we did not see quite as much of him at the races but he won six of eight including the G1 Epsom and G1 Irish Derby before a stellar stud career with 376 stakes winners - Frankel one of his 99 Group 1 winners.
49 of his sons have sired stakes winners, 24 of them represented by Group 1 winners. Frankel is the most prolific, Teofilo (Ire) also doing a good job with 24 of his 65 stakes winners being Group 1 horses.
Teofilo (Ire) | Standing at Kildangan Stud, UK
Galileo’s daughters have produced 331 stakes winners including 51 Group 1 winners.
Fellow Sadler’s Wells horse High Chaparral (Ire) is another of note, doing a particularly good job in this part of the world. A Group 1 winner in England, Ireland and America, he had 1156 (64.9 per cent) winners amongst his 1781 winners with 134 (7.5 per cent) stakes winners inclusive of 23 Group 1 winners. His daughters have produced 79 stakes winners 79 including 15 Group 1 winners. 14 of his sons have sired stakes winners - nine with Group 1 horses with his best racing so So You Think (NZ) leading the way with 56 stakes winners, 11 Group 1 winners.
So You Think (NZ) | Standing at Coolmore
Galileo’s half-brother Sea The Stars (Ire) is also worthy of mention - the European Horse Of The Year who was fourth at debut and never beaten again. 669 of his 1006 (66.5 per cent) runners are winners, 124 (12.3 per cent) being stakes winners including 21 Group 1 winners. Amongst his first 318 runners as a broodmare sire are 39 stakes winners including five Group 1 winners. Five of his sons have sired stakes winners, Sea The Moon (Ger) the most successful so far with four of his 33 stakes winners taking out Group 1 races.
Deep Impact makes an impact
The great Sunday Silence’s (USA) finest son, Deep Impact (Jpn) suffered defeat only twice in a 14 start career - one which saw him crowned Japanese Horse Of The Year twice and indicted into the Japanese Racing Hall Of Fame.
Five of his wins came at domestic Group 1-level, another two - including the 2006 Japan Cup - in international Group 1 races. He was the enthusiastic Japan racing public’s favourite horse with outpourings of emotion when he died in July 2019 aged 17.
Deep Impact has been Japan’s Champion Sire on 11 occasions - consecutively from 2012 to 2022. An outstanding performance from just seven crops with his final producing only 24 foals.
The late Deep Impact (Jpn)
1319 of Deep Impact’s 1716 runners are winners - 76.9 per cent. He has 202 stakes winners - 11.8 per cent stakes winners to runners, 15.3 per cent stakes winners to winners. 59 of his progeny are Group 1 winners with 18 of those enjoying that elite success outside of Japan.
His sons outperform his daughters in regards to overall (85.9 per cent vs 67.3 per cent) winners and stakes winners (13.6 per cent vs 9.7 per cent). He has 36 male Group 1 winners, 23 female.
His strike rate as a broodmare sire sits at 59.2 per cent; 2.9 per cent stakes winners with five Group 1 winners amongst the 43 stakes winners. 26 of his sons have sired stakes winners, five of those represented by Group 1 winners, Kizuna (Jpn) leading the way with three.
The big chestnut Curlin
What a terrific racehorse this handsome chestnut was - 11 wins from 16 starts, his seven wins at the elite-level earning him numerous titles including American Horse Of The Year on two occasions. A member of the US Racing Hall Of Fame, he was at the time of his retirement the highest American prizemoney earner with over US$10.5 million (AU$15.77 million) to his name.
Curlin gained popularity as he took his outstanding American form to the UAE, winning the 13th edition of the G1 Dubai World Cup.
Curlin (USA) | Standing at Hill N Dale Farms, USA
From his Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms base Curlin has continued on with his excellence as the only stallion to have been represented by three winners on the same day of the Breeders’ Cup meeting and the only stallion to have progeny win four individual Eclipse awards in the same year.
721 (73.5 per cent) of his 981 runners are winners. 107 are stakes winners - 10.9 per cent stakes winners to runners, 14.8 per cent stakes winners to winners. 22 of those are Group 1 winners including reigning Horse Of The Year Cody’s Wish (USA).
Special mention to fellow American star Arrogate (USA) who died aged seven with just three crops to represent him - the popular multiple Group 1-winning grey represented by 22 stakes winners amongst his 145 winners with six elite-level winners... a definite case of what might have been.
