The 2011 freshman sires promise to be an exciting group. Here are the ten that excite me the most, as I await seeing their sons and daughters hit the track next year…
1) Corinthian (Pulpit - Multiply by Easy Goer) $25,000 Pulpit has quickly become one of my favorite sire of sires with young sons at stud such as Tapit and Sky Mesa, and Corinthian was one of his most talented sons. A champion miler, he inherited his stunning good looks from his female family. A female family that is rich in the great bloodlines of the Phipps family. Siring fiery horses who can handle any distance and any surface could well be within his scope.
2) Hard Spun (Danzig - Turkish Tryst by Turkoman) $30,000 Speaking of versatility, as a sire, Hard Spun would appear to have it all. He displayed great speed, courage, and class on the track, and his breeding suggests that his offspring should be successful whether it be going short, long, on dirt, turf or synthetics. Of all the freshman sires, Hard Spun might be the surest bet to be a top sire in the near future.
3) Street Sense (Street Cry - Bedazzle by Dixieland Band) $40,000 A champion at 2, and a Kentucky Derby winner at 3, Street Sense is rightly one of the most anticipated new sires of recent years. His yearlings topped the average price for new sires list, and certainly look the part. By the same sire as Zenyatta, we may need to wait a few years to see the very best from his offspring.
4) Discreet Cat (Forestry - Pretty Discreet by Private Account) $17,500 If you are looking for a sire to make a big splash with the juveniles, Discreet Cat should fit the bill. A brilliant son of the speedy Forestry, he had as much talent as anyone on this list. While his progeny should lean to speed, his female family gives him hope to sire horses of greater stamina.
5) English Channel (Smart Strike - Belva by Theatrical) $25,000 One of the best American turf horses so far of the 21st century, English Channel has all the bloodlines to step in to the roll as a dominant turf sire in U.S. breeding. Considering his superior looks, class, and durability, English Channel is a near can’t miss turf sire, but with his sire’s versatility, he may have some quality dirt horses as well.
6) Invasor (Candy Stripes - Quendom by Interprete) $20,000 Proven time an time again, Invasor was a champion. By Candy Stripes, the sire of one of the nation’s best young sires, Candy Ride, he offers American breeders an interesting cross of distance and speed through his European and Argentinean bloodlines. If successful at stud, Invasor could be a much needed source of new blood in the States.
7) After Market (Storm Cat - Tranquility Lake by Rahy) $7,500 The first bargain stud fee of the group, After Market developed into one of the best turf horses in the nation. While turf influences are strong in his pedigree, his sire Storm Cat, and his excellent Rahy broodmare should pass on the versatility to win at both shorter distances as well as on dirt.
8) Any Given Saturday (Distorted Humor - Weekend in Indy by A.P. Indy) $20,000 One of the best sophomores of the excellent 2004 foal crop, Any Given Saturday is by one of the hottest sires on the planet and out of a broodmare by the great A.P. Indy. A million dollar earner on the track, he is one of the safest bets of this freshman sire group to be a top class sire.
9) Political Force (Unbridled’s Song - Glitter Woman by Glitterman) $10,000 Like him or not, Unbridled’s Song sires runners, and Political Force proved to be one of the more durable and distance loving of his sons. Graded stakes placed as a juvenile, and a grade 1 winner at 10 furlongs at 4, he also had the speed to run 2nd in the Met Mile. Out of a million dollar winning broodmare, Political Force should sire horses that can handle any surface and distance.
10) Jazil (Seeking the Gold - Better Than Honour by Deputy Minister) $7,500 Jazil may have been a bit of a plodder, but he was a successful and well bred plodder. Out of a top Mr. Prospector sire, Jazil was the first of two consecutive Belmont winnesr for his dam, Better Than Honour, before super filly, Rags to Riches. Jazil should be a great distance influence, but has enough brilliance in his breeding to expect offspring with more speed than he displayed.
