by Margaret Ransom
A quiet week for the top-three stallions battling it out to earn the crown as 2022 leading first-crop sire–Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), Good Magic (Curlin) and Justify (Scat Daddy)–has led to a busy pre-Christmas week with Justify and Good Magic each picking up a winner and all three having multiple runners both here in the U.S. and abroad over the next two days heading into the quiet holiday weekend.
Justify scored first on Wednesday with his daughter Diamondsareforever breaking her maiden at first asking at Dundalk in Ireland and earning $11,154 for the win. Other runners for Justify this week include Amisfield in a $50,000 Msw at Fair Grounds on Friday, and O'Gangster at in a $70,000 Msw at Gulfstream Park on Christmas Eve. Also on Saturday, his filly Jasper Tiara will race 1800 metres in an about $101,196 newcomers race at Nakayama Racecourse in Japan. A win from any of his runners could help Justify make up ground on the two stallions in front with nine days left in 2022. His sons and daughters have now earned $2,411,394.
Good Magic had a quiet week last week with no winners, but his son Devil's Cay was successful in a $50,000 Moc at Gulfstream Park on Thursday to earn $25,800, extending his lead over Justify ever so slightly though not closing much ground on Bolt d'Oro. On Saturday he will be represented by Instinctual in a $32,000 Msw at Tampa Bay Downs. His current active runners have earned $2,485,673.
Bolt d'Oro will have a sizeable contingent assisting his effort to annex the title once and for all with four runners on Friday alone. A trio–St. Elmo, Itzos, and Fast Forward–are set to contest Turfway's 2nd race, a $70,000 Msw, while Roxy's Ball–a $650,000 OBSAPR 2-year-old–is entered in a $50,000 Msw at Fair Grounds carded as the 8th. His final runner before Christmas will be Carcano in a $32,000 Msw at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday. Bolt d'Oro still maintains a significant advantage over his two main rivals with progeny earnings of $2,641,366.
Note that Japanese earnings are added every Sunday night, and there may be delayed reporting from other countries, which could postpone the final results in a very tight race into early January. We will also be providing a preview of 2-year-olds entered the next day in North America and beyond.
Current Earnings Standings through racing of Dec. 22:
1st—Bolt d'Oro, $2,641,366
2nd—Good Magic, $2,485,673
3rd—Justify, $2,411,394
The TDN sire lists contain full-dollar earnings of Northern Hemisphere foals winning anywhere in the world. To view the current standings updated overnight, click here.
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