Value Sires Part 5: First 3-Year-Olds

In this penultimate edition of the Value Sires Series, we look at stallions that had their first runners last year, and will therefore have their first 3-year-olds in 2022.

With the numbers for 2021 tallied, this group actually appears to be a deep one, with plenty of them having done enough to go into their second years with a legitimate shot to still make it as a sire. While the last two cohorts produced runaway leaders in Mehmas (Ire) and Night Of Thunder (Ire), this year the riches were much more spread out among a group of promising young horses.

Cotai Glory (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) was leading first-season sire of 2021 by winners (35), wins (55), black-type horses (8) and earnings in Europe (£796,103), just shading the expatriated Caravaggio (Scat Daddy). The latter's four stakes winners were headed by the G1 Cheveley Park S. victress Tenebrism (Ire), and also included the G2 Debutante S. and G3 Silver Flash S.-winning and G1 Moyglare Stud S. second Agartha (Ire). Caravaggio has two more Irish-conceived crops to come; he was expatriated to Coolmore's Kentucky satellite Ashford Stud last year and will stand for $35,000 in 2022.

Overbury Stud's Ardad (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) was quick to make his mark last season, and he wrapped up the year with 23 winners and two stakes winners: the G1 Middle Park S., G1 Prix Morny and G2 Norfolk S. winner Perfect Power (GB), and the G3 Sirenia S. scorer Eve Lodge (GB). Ardad also had the G2 Coventry S. third Vintage Clarets (GB). It will be interesting to see how Ardad's progeny develop: he himself won the G2 Flying Childers S. at two but failed to flourish at three. His dam only ran at two but her sire, Red Clubs (Ire), was a Coventry winner who trained on to be a group winner at three and a Group 1 winner at four. Should Ardad's progeny continue their upward trajectory, the breeders who sent 138 mares to him last year at a fee of £4,000 could be handsomely rewarded at the sales. Ardad is up to £12,500 this year.

The nod for leading European-based first-season sire by stakes winners last year went to the National Stud's Time Test (GB) with four. Two of those four were group winners, but Time Test's highest-rated runner thus far is actually the group-placed Sunset Shiraz (Ire), who was placed in the G1 Moyglare Stud S., G2 Debutante S., G3 Park S. and Listed Staffordstown Stud S. last year before breaking her maiden in her seventh start. She is clearly a filly with plenty of ability, and Time Test himself, like his damsire Dansili (GB), was an excellent runner without being a Group 1 winner. A triple group winner and dual Group 1-placed, Time Test stood his first four seasons at the National Stud for £8,500, and is up to £15,000 this year.

Time Test was one of two outstanding sons of Dubawi in this cohort, the other being the Aga Khan's homebred G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud scorer Zarak (Fr). France's leading first-season sire, Zarak sired two stakes winners last year but like Time Test, his highest-earning horse is not yet a black-type winner: that is Purplepay (Fr), who was third in the G1 Criterium International last year before selling to American owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson for €2-million at Arqana's December Sale. After standing his first four seasons for €12,000, Zarak jumps to €25,000 for 2022 and is booked full. Standing for the same fee is Coolmore's Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who sired three listed winners last year. And though the four-time Group 1 winner and dual Classic winner has not yet provided a pattern-race winner, there is reason to believe there is more to come: Churchill sired more runners rated 100+ by Racing Post ratings last year (6) in this cohort, with an additional four rated 90+.

Profitable (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), as his name suggests, was fast out of the gates with his first runners last spring, and he wound up the year with three stakes winners-and two stakes placed–and 29 overall winners, headed by the G2 Queen Mary S. winner Quick Suzy (Ire). Profitable has been one of the busiest sires of this group and after dipping slightly to €10,000 last year, is up to a career-high €12,500 for 2022.

G1 Prix de la Foret victor Aclaim (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) was busy churning out winners last year, his 27 leaving him not far from the top of the table, and he is available for £6,000 at the National Stud. Ribchester (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) turned out a noteworthy three 'TDN Rising Stars' in his first year with runners, in addition to the Listed Doncaster S. winner Flaming Rib (Ire), and the four-time Group 1-winning miler is down to a career-low €12,500 in 2022.

VALUE PODIUM

Bronze – El Kabeir (Scat Daddy): Caravaggio wasn't the only son of Scat Daddy to jump up in this group: there was also El Kabeir, Yeomanstown Stud's American purchase who made a big early impression with three stakes winners among his 14 winners. Those were headed by the G2 Gran Criterium scorer Don Chicco (Ire), and El Kabeir also had Harrow (Ire) and Rerouting (Ire) placed respectively in the G3 Tattersalls S. and G3 Solario S. last year. Another indication of the quality of El Kabeir's stock is that he had four runners rated 100+ by RPR last year; a number bettered only by Churchill and Galileo Gold in this group. A Grade II winner at two who trained on to win a Grade III at three, El Kabeir remains at €6,000 in 2022, the same fee at which he stood last year and down slightly from the €8,000 he cost his first three years.

Silver – Galileo Gold (Ire) (Paco Boy {Ire}): In addition to his studmate Cotai Glory, Galileo Gold has provided Tally-Ho Stud with a formidable duo in this sire crop. Like Ardad and Time Test, Galileo Gold provided two group winners last year, and he, Ardad and Caravaggio were the only sires in this group to provide a Group 1 winners in their first season with runners, his being the hardy and admirable G1 Phoenix S. winner and G1 National S. third Ebro River (Ire), while the filly Oscula won the G3 Prix Six Perfections and was placed in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, G2 Rockfel S., G2 Prix du Calvados, and G3 Albany S.-those two started a noteworthy nine and 10 times, respectively, last year. Galileo Gold won the G2 Vintage S. and was third in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at two before winning the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace S. at three, and his stock look like they have the scope to train on, with five achieving RPRs of 100+ already. A close relative of the dual Group 1-winning sprinter Goldream (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) from the family of Montjeu (Ire), Galileo Gold stands for €7,000, having dipped to €5,000 in 2021.

Gold – Cotai Glory (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}): this year's leading first-season sire by earnings, winners, wins and black-type horses gains another plaudit by picking up the gold medal on the TDN Value Sires Podium. Cotai Glory melds influences of class and toughness, being by Exceed and Excel out of a daughter of Elusive Quality-also the broodmare sire of successful sires No Nay Never and Deep Field (Aus)-and Cotai Glory exhibited those traits himself, running 30 times across four seasons. He won black-type races in each of his first three seasons and was Group 1-placed at four and five, including when a neck second to Profitable in the G1 King's Stand S. In addition to having three runners rated 100+ by RPR, Cotai Glory has seven rated 90+, providing hope that they, like he, will train on. Cotai Glory is up to a career-high, but still highly reasonable, €8,500 for 2022.