leading sire

Pop quiz: which North American third-crop sire leads his contemporaries by individual graded stakes winners in the Northern Hemisphere in 2024? It's not Justify, nor Good Magic, who are each tied with three and are the runaway leaders by 2024 progeny earnings. The correct answer is Mill Ridge Farm's Oscar Performance, who has four graded winners in 2024 and also leads the top third-crop sires by percentage of black-type winners to runners at 6.6%. In addition, Oscar Performance secured his first career Grade I winner as a sire Saturday with...

Every now and then, a horse comes along who never seems to set a foot wrong. From record-setting freshman sire to perennial top 10 stallion, Uncle Mo is one of those horses. Additionally, it seems every time the Coolmore America/Ashford Stud sire reaches a new benchmark, he moves the bar just a little--or a lot--higher. The first-ever stakes winner for Repole Stables was a 'TDN Rising Star' on debut himself and has since been represented by 18 'Rising Stars' of his own, including three since May, and sired his 15th...

While Ashford young gun Justify was busy making waves over the pond this weekend, it was Gainesway's time-tested sire royalty who quietly added to his legacy on American shores. No matter how you slice it, one stallion in North America--and only one--leads all active lifetime sires by every major category, be it earnings, black-type winners, graded winners, Grade I winners, and even lifetime starters and winners. Unmatched among living active sires, Tapit hasn't had bigger crops than the other stallions on the list (he ranks third among the top 10...

It was inevitable Into Mischief would be featured early on in our 'Saturday Sires' series, as his picture would probably be next to the phrase in the dictionary if the term appeared there. The five-time leading sire has now surpassed the remarkable threshold of 150 stakes winners with yet another graded winner this past weekend. Maybe it's a coincidence the phrase 'Saturday afternoon horses' came in vogue around the rise of Into Mischief, but maybe it isn't. After all, he practically invented the term. More than any other horse in...

Calumet Farm's leading sire English Channel (Smart Strike) has been diagnosed with multiple health issues and is unlikely to cover mares during the upcoming 2022 breeding season, the farm announced Wednesday morning. "This is an unfortunate blow for a stallion that was rising to the peak of his career and finally getting the respect he deserved," said a representative of Calumet in the press release. "However we, at Calumet, strive to provide the best care for all our horses and will always put the horse's health, safety, and well-being first....

Lane's End Farm has announced that perennial leading sire and 2000 champion older horse Lemon Drop Kid (Kingmambo--Charming Lassie, by Seattle Slew) has been pensioned from stallion duties. The 25-year-old will remain at Lane's End Farm to enjoy the rest of his retirement. Lemon Drop Kid is responsible for siring 98 black-type winners and 46 graded winners worldwide to date, including Grade I winners Beach Patrol, Cannock Chase, Citronnade, Christmas Kid, Lemons Forever, Romantic Vision, Richard's Kid, Santa Teresita and Somali Lemonade. He is currently ranked 11th on the cumulative list...

Two-time leading sire and 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew--Weekend Surprise, by Secretariat) has died at the age of 31. The legendary Lane's End Farm stallion sired 30 Grade I winners, 12 champions, 89 graded winners and 156 stakes winners. "It is with extreme sadness that we today announce the passing of our beloved A.P. Indy, he was 31 years old," a statement from Lane's End Farm read. "A.P. Indy passed away peacefully in his stall at the Lane's End stallion complex, the barn he called home...