Caption: Giant’s Causeway (USA) (Storm Cat-Mariah’s Storm by Rahy).
The nature of thoroughbred breeding is that trends often take time to emerge and this is particularly so with a broodmare sire. Take a horse who covers his first mares at five: he’s going to be 14 before he has a significant number of three year-olds out of his daughters, and that’s only one crop.
So a 15 or 16 year-old sire is still a very young horse in terms of being a broodmare sire. Here we’ve looked at a selection of rising broodmare sires, many still active, who are generally 20 or less.
Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat-Mariah’s Storm by Rahy) is a three-time leading sire in the US, and appears to be the kind of horse who has a broodmare sire premiership in his future. The first stakes winner for Giant’s Causeway in this role didn’t appear until 2010, and his total now already stands at 68, 13 of them Gr.1. The offspring of his daughters seem to be effective doing almost anything, anywhere with Gr.1 winners on dirt and turf, and in North America, South America, Europe, Australia and South Africa.
Australian Gr.1 winners out of Giant’s Causeway mares include Awesome Rock and Escado (both from the Danehill line) and Warhorse (by General Nediym), and we can also note success with Sadler’s Wells, Halo (including through Sunday Silence and More Than Ready branches), A.P. Indy, and several different branches of Mr. Prospector.
It is also going to pay to keep an eye on Giant’s Causeway’s son, Shamardal (ex Helsinki by Machiavellian), out of a sister to Street Cry, who has five stakes winners as a broodmare sire, four of them foaled in 2013, including the Irish 2000 Guineas-Gr.1 victor Awtaad (by Cape Cross), and multiple Group winner Gifted Master (by Kodiac, a Danehill three-quarter brother to Invincible Spirit). We’ll be very surprised if Shamardal doesn’t turn out to have a very bright career as broodmare sire.
Forestry (Storm Cat-Shared Interest by Pleasant Colony) has not put together the kind of career enjoyed by Giant’s Causeway, but did have a spell as one of North America’s hottest sires, before slipping back down the ranks. He has picked up steam as some of his better bred mares have entered production, and we can note seven stakes winners coming from his 2011 crop, with another eight born in 2012 or 2013.
He is broodmare sire of two stakes winners, including Champion Two Year-Old Colt and Kentucky Derby-Gr.1 winner Nyquist, by Uncle Mo. We can also note success under Bernardini and Tapit, who are both from the A.P. Indy line out of mares from the Fappiano line (Fappiano having pedigree ties to Forestry’s second dam, who combines Dr Fager with a three-quarter sister to the dam of Mr. Prospector) and another A.P. Indy source Congrats, with the Fappiano line; Sadler’s Wells via Kitten’s Joy, and the Roberto line horse Blame, all having featured strongly here.
Storm Cat grandson, Johannesburg (Hennessy-Myth by Ogygian) has some similarities to Forestry, as his broodmare sire is from the family of Fappiano. He is broodmare sire of 2016 Irish Oaks-Gr.1 winner Seventh Heaven (by Galileo), 2016 Irish 1000 heroine Jet Setting (by Danehill Dancer son Fast Company), and English two year-old Gr.1 winner Crusade (by Mr Greeley, a son of Gone West). His daughters have produced five other Group/Graded winners, including Australian Gr.3 scorer Royal Tithe (by Show a Heart), along with a brace by Fappiano line stallions.
Bernstein (Storm Cat-La Affirmed by Affirmed) doesn’t have the commercial profile of some of these, but might be categorized as “sneaky good.” His northern hemisphere crops include twice Champion US Turf Mare Tepin, and Karakontie, who won the French 2000 Guineas-Gr.1, and preceded Tepin as a Breeders’ Cup Mile-Gr.1 victor. Bernstein’s greatest success came as a shuttle sire to Argentina, where he was represented by at least 15 Gr.1 winners, several of them champions.
The well-bred Bernstein, he’s a brother to the dam of Sky Mesa, going back to a half-sister to Buckpasser, is broodmare sire of 27 stakes winners, and while most of them are in South America, we can note that last year in the US he was represented by two Gr.1-winning juveniles in Champagne Room (Champion Two Year-Old Filly) and Gormley, a genuine Kentucky Derby-Gr.1 prospect for 2017. It’s perhaps worth mentioning that one of the best South American runners out of a Bernstein mare, multiple Gr.1 scorer Flowing Rye, is a cleverly bred son of the Danehill stallion Catcher in the Rye.
Given that he is one of the world’s all-time great sires, has covered top quality mares since the beginning of his stud career, and is out of one the greatest producing mares we’ve seen, it’s hardly a shock that Galileo (Sadler’s Wells-Urban Sea by Miswaki) is a very good broodmare sire. Galileo’s Australian crops didn’t have the impact of his European ones, but his daughters may still prove to be important as they are establishing themselves as great foils for Danehill line stallions, the cross having already produced 23 stakes winners, five Gr.1 (four of these by Fastnet Rock).
Galileo’s fellow Sadler’s Wells son Montjeu (ex Floripedes by Top Ville) also shuttled, but to New Zealand, where he took the advantage of a program less focused on speed and precocity. Montjeu is broodmare sire of 40 stakes winners so far, including multiple Gr.1 winner Obviously (by Choisir) and 2015 Irish 1000 Guineas-Gr.1 heroine Legatissimo (by Danehill Dancer). His daughters have also produced the excellent Savabeel filly Lucia Valentina, and ace European miler Charm Spirit (a son of Invincible Spirit).
High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells-Kasora by Darshaan) also spent most of his time as a shuttle sire in New Zealand, and was a tremendous success there with such as So You Think, Soot Out, Monaco Consul, Descarado and (It’s a) Dundeel. He’s really just getting going as a broodmare sire, and has 14 stakes winners from his daughters, including Gr.1 winners Suavito (by Thorn Park, giving the Nureyev/Sadler’s Wells combination) and The Wow Signal (by Starspangledbanner, from the Danehill line). His daughters are also flourishing under Green Desert line stallions.
Looking at Sadler’s Wells’ three-quarter brother Nureyev, his son Stravinsky (ex Fire the Groom by Blushing Groom) has been exceptional with
53 stakes winners 11 of them Gr.1, including such stars as Tepin, Lankan Rupee, Mosheen and Rip Van Winkle. He’s proved an excellent foil for Danehill line stallions, with that cross providing 14 stakes winners.
From the same sire line, England’s Kyllachy (Pivotal-Pretty Poppy by Song) has proved to be something of a surprise package. Of his first eight stakes winners as a broodmare sire, seven are Group/Graded, including Gr.1 winner Garswood (by Dutch Art, a grandson of Machiavellian).
Moving on to the Danehill line Dansili (Danehill-Hasili by Kahyasi) has long been one of his sire’s best sons. As befits a son of a ‘blue hen’ mare, he appears he’s going to become a significant broodmare sire too. His daughters have produced 22 stakes winners so far, including Gr.1-winning juvenile Astaire (by the Giant’s Causeway horse Intense Focus, whose dam is bred on the same cross as Dansili) and Irish Oaks-Gr.1 captress Chiquita, by Montjeu.
Mares by Australian-based Danehill sons are at a disadvantage as they are effectively barred from visiting a large proportion of Australian’s best stallions. Despite this, Redoute’s Choice (ex Shantha’s Choice by Canny Lad) and Commands (ex Cotehele House by My Swanee) are becoming excellent broodmares sires. Redoute’s Choice is already broodmare sire of 50 stakes winners, with four Gr.1 winners from four different sire lines (Sacred Falls by O’Reilly, from the Last Tycoon line; Zoustar, by Encosta de Lago son Northern Meteor; Pasadena Girl, by Savabeel; and Stay With Me, by Street Cry). There are also five Group winners by Lonhro, two by More Than Ready and another by his son Sebring.
Commands didn’t start at anywhere near the level of Redoute’s Choice, but he is doing a good job too. Perhaps not surprisingly, several of the affinities are similar, with Commands mares producing a Gr.1 winner by Street Sense (by Street Cry), Group winners by Lonhro and Northern Meteor, and a stakes winner by More Than Ready. There is also a Gr.1 winner by Hussonet, and Group winner by Red Ransom son Onemorenomore.
From the Green Desert branch of Danzig, Oasis Dream (Green Desert-Hope by Dancing Brave) is looking highly promising. The first stakes winner out of an Oasis Dream mare only appeared in 2013, and he now has 17 to his name, 10 Group or Graded. Successful crosses include Galileo and his son Teofilo, Shamardal, Mr. Prospector through Evasive and Raven’s Pass (both by Elusive Quality), Zamindar, and Campanologist (by Kingmambo); and Harbour Watch and Equiano (both by Acclamation).
Dixieland Band was a son of Northern Dancer who made it into the upper echelons from a modest stud fee. He proved to be a very good broodmare sire, and it appears that the same can be said for his son Dixie Union (ex She’s Tops by Capote). He is broodmare sire of 23 stakes winners, including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile-Gr.1 scorer New Year’s Day (by Street Cry), last year’s two year-old Gr.1 winner Klimt, juvenile Graded victor Mor Spirit
(by Eskendereya, a son of Giant’s Causeway) and South American Gr.1 winners Besitos (by Cima de Triomphe, a Galileo/Danehill cross) and Idalino
(by Pleasantly Perfect).
Kingmambo’s son, Lemon Drop Kid (ex Charming Lassie by Seattle Slew) is out of a three-quarter sister to A.P. Indy, so has enough pedigree for anything. As a sire he’s been a positive influence for ability on both dirt and turf, and it’s proved the same story as a broodmare sire.
Several of his best are by stallions from Lemon Drop Kid’s own Mr. Prospector sire line. They include four-time European Gr.1 winner Elusive Kate (by Elusive Quality); Gr.1 winners Unbridled Forever and Forever Unbridled (siblings by Unbrilded’s Song), Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint-Gr.1 scorer Finest City (by City Zip), Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile-Gr.1 victor Tamarkuz (by Speightstown), and Gr.1 winners Divisidero and Lochte, respectively sons of the El Prado (by Sadler’s Wells) horses Kitten’s Joy and Medaglia d’Oro.
Two other sons of Kingmambo, the former shuttlers King’s Best (ex Allegretta by Lombard) and Dubai Destination (ex Mysterial by Alleged), are also doing good jobs. King’s Best, a three-quarter brother to Urban Sea, has been building momentum, and as a broodmare sire his 2013 northern hemisphere crop produced nine individual stakes winners. Two of the Gr.1 winners from his daughters are by Danehill line stallions (the other by Siyouni, a son of Pivotal, out of a Danehill mare). Dubai Destination has turned out to be a much better broodmare sire than he was a sire. The first stakes winner out of a Dubai Destination mare didn’t appear until 2013, but his daughters have now produced 19 stakes winners, including Epsom Derby-Gr.1 victor Golden Horn, four time Gr.1 scorer Dubawi, and Thunder Snow, from the first northern hemisphere crop by reverse shuttler Helmet and winner of the Criterium International-Gr.1 last year at two.
Mineshaft (A.P. Indy-Prospectors Delite by Mr. Prospector) is another who is making fast progress as a broodmare sire. His first stakes winners as a broodmare sire did appear until 2013, and he has now already appeared as broodmare sire of 13 stakes winners, including last year’s Kentucky Oaks-Gr.1 scorer Cathryn Sophia, a daughter of Street Boss.
Orientate (Mt. Livermore-Dream Team by Cox’s Ridge), a one-time shuttler to Australia (2003, 2004), first came into view as a broodmare sire through the 2012 Champion Two Year-Old Shanghai Bobby, and is now broodmare sire of 17 stakes winners. He’s done well with sires carrying Fappiano, and in the southern hemisphere is broodmare sire of stakes winners by Denman and King of Danes.
Lonhro (Octagonal-Shadea by Straight Strike) was only represented by his first stakes winner as a broodmare sire in 2015, and now has four Group winners in this role. They are Gr.2 winner Morton’s Fork (Ad Valorem), and Group winners Serene Majesty (by Fastnet Rock), Shards (by Medaglia d’Oro) and Aspect (by Pluck).
Published February 2017
