Page 28 - January 2007 The Game

28 The Game, January 2007 Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
Star-Studded Stallions: Ontario and Manitoba Sires had a Bumper Year
A dozen dazzling stallions in Ontario cracked the million dollar mark through the earnings of their offspring in 2006. Leading the parade of paternity was Bold Executive, the 23 year old sire who has been producing standout colts and fillies since he entered stud in 1989. His progeny racked up 54 wins, 7 Stakes victories and a total of $3,485,900 million this year. His smart-looking son, Main Executive, piled up four wins in 9 races and $276,557 while Executive Flight, a three-year-old daughter, won 4 of 11 races for $266,780.
In second place, in a kind of bitter- sweet reality, is 1998 Queen’s Plate winner, Archer’s Bay whose offspring totaled $2,749,861. Unfortunately, Archer’s Bay died in the fall of 2002, after servicing a book of mares. Bernard McCormack, Windfields Farm Director of Sales and Marketing, feels strongly that the horse-racing world is far worse off from the demise of Archer’s Bay.
“The results have shown what a great loss that was,” says McCormack, “It was the perfect situation for a Canadian stallion. Eugene Melnyk supported him very well with his mares. As a son of Silver Deputy, he passed on a bit more staying power, but he also could get sprinters and distance horses, and what he did was produce sound horses.”
Paying a great tribute to his deceased father was Arch Hall, who won three Stakes races at Woodbine this year including a neck decision in the Sir Barton Stakes, which he also won in 2004 and 2005. Lifetime, Arch Hall has 9 wins in 26 starts and earnings of $702,766.
Windfields also offers horse breeders the 14 year old Whiskey Wisdom whose sons and daughters accounted for 40 wins and $2,151,918 in 2006, good for 5th in Ontario.
“He started out as leading freshman sire and he’s maintained a top five presence,” says McCormack, “We’re going to stand him for $3,500 next year which is a very good value for the breeders.”
There’s a fascinating twist in the totals this year. In the past, certain stallions stood out by passing on grass-running or dirt-loving genes. Now, breeders will be wondering about a horse’s capacity to inspire winners on the Polytrack. McCormack thinks that Whiskey Wisdom fulfills that equation.
“Since the Polytrack came in late August, he’s done extremely well with his runners,” says McCormack, “Whiskey Wisdoms have been very speedy two year olds and might even be considered a little fragile. The Polytrack seems to have helped a stallion like him. He’s had 17 or 18 winners on the new track.”
Ascot Knight (1984) and Tethra (1992) also contributed to a fine year for Windfields, finishing 7th and 8th respectively on the stallion scoreboard.
“Ascot Knight has been a great servant to the breeders of the province,” says McCormack, “Typically, the offspring are good sound performers. Being a son of Danzig, he brings a lot of pedigree and what we’re seeing now is what a good broodmare sire he is. He’s a broodmare sire of 11 graded Stakes winners. Tethra is an extremely good outcross. He doesn’t have any Northern Dancer or Raise A Native blood His first Windfields crop went through the yearling sales this fall, so the Windfields-sired two year olds will race in 2007. He hasn’t had as many starters as many others on the list, but his average earnings per runner have matched ones higher up.”
Peaks and Valleys, standing in Canada for his first year in 2006, is third on the stallions list with 80 winners and earnings of $2,694,559. Peaks and Valleys is a 15 year-old son of Mt. Livermore, doing his best work this year at Gardiner Farms in Caledon.
Fourth in the stallion standings is Bold n’ Flashy of Park Stud in Orangeville. His flesh and blood ran to 52 victories and $2,126,236.
“He had a very good year,” says Park Stud owner Michael Byrne. “His son,
Marco Be Good, won the Highlander Stakes on Queen’s Plate Day.”
Byrne says that Bold n’ Flashy’s specialty is speed and that sure seemed to be the case with Marco Be Good, who sizzled the six furlongs on the grass in the Highlander in 107.87, a fifth of a second off the track record.
Bold n’ Flashy’s fee is $4,500 and, for that says Byrne, you’ve got a great chance at a nice solid horse.
“They’re precocious. They run early,” says Byrne of the Bold n’Flashy products. “They run on the Polytrack and on the grass.”
contributed to a successful year for Colebrook Farms Stallion Stable. Compadre would seem a bargain at $4,000.
John Burness, owner of Colebrook Farms has been standing Compadre for two years.
“He really hasn’t had a lot of mares, which is really unfortunate,” says Burness, He’s just an all-round type of a stallion that can get you runners, going long, going short, grass or dirt and he hasn’t had great mares going to him either. We’re trying to upgrade him to a
Park Stud is also proud of Perigee Moon who finished 12th of all stallions in Ontario with 21 winners and $1,057,384. Bryne has added two new stallions to the operation and is optimistic about both.
Leading Stallions: Ontario
1) Bold Executive, 1984 2) Archer Bay, 1995
3) Peaks and Valleys,1992 4) Whiskey Wisdom, 1993 5) Bold n’ Flashy, 1989
6) Tejano Run, 1992
7) Ascot Knight, 1984 8) Trajectory, 1997
9) Compadre, 1990
10) Tethra, 1992
11) Foxtrail, 1990
12) Perigee Moon, 1998
Wins Stakes Earnings
“We have a
horse called
Tomahawk who
was champion two
year old in
Ireland,” reports
Byrne. “He’s
seven and he has
his first crop of
about 60 foals now
and they’re mag-
nificent. The other is a new stallion called Survivalist, a four-year-old by Danzig out of Miner’s Game, a full sister to Seeking the Gold, by Mr. Prospector.”
54 7 40 6 80 5 45 2 52 2 52 2 33 1 15 3 30 2 36 2 37 0 21 2
$3,485,900 $2,749,861 $2,649,559 $2,151,918 $2,126,236 $1,716,565 $1,478,534 $1,301,830 $1,251,854 $1,247,084 $1,127,066 $1,057,384
Survivalist won the Gotham Stakes this year and was second in the Wood Memorial. He stands for $10,000. Tomahawk commands $8,500.
The 17 year old Compadre had another satisfying year in the standings, as his offspring were 9th with 30 wins and $1,251,854. The solid season of Atlas Shrugs (3 wins in 8 races, $219,843)
better mare and hopefully we’ll accom- plish that. His daughter Kabul has been a steady stakes runner,. She runs mostly in Stakes and high allowances. She’s made close to $800,000 in her career so far and has been multiple Stakes placed.”
In Manitoba, Premiership (1990) ruled the roost with his progeny combining for $468,285. He was followed by Lucky North (1981) at $428,318; Fabulous Champ (1989) at $387,728; Circulating (1990) at $101,151; and Canaska Dancer (1991) at $88,358.
Leading Stallions: Manitoba
1) Premiership, 1980
2) Lucky North, 1981
3) Fabulous Champ, 1989 4) Circulating, 1990
5) Canaska Dancer
18 1 13 1 10 2 8 1 2 0
$468,285 $428,318 $387,728 $101,151 $88,358
Wins Stakes Earnings
Enthusiasm About B.C. & Alberta Sires Runs High
By Peter Valing
As the 2006 racing season came to an end, confidence and optimism regarding British Columbia’s top sires was high. Not surprisingly, Vying Victor was once again the province’s top performer. He has, after all, held the title: #1 Leading British Columbia Sire since 2001. And the 17-year old stallion, by Flying Paster and out of Elegant Victress, “shows no signs of slowing down,” according to syndicate manager Toti Mabanta.
Why is Vying Victor B.C.’s sire sensation? A glance at his 2006 earnings will go some distance in answering the question. While he didn’t earn as much this year as he did in 2005 ($1,746,109), his $1,474,156 still managed to nearly double the earnings of nearest rival, Stephanotis ($748,250). His earnings over the past seven years have consistently hovered over the $1.2 million-dollar mark, and his starters have average lifetime earnings of
$50,000. Suva was his top cheque-casher this year. Mabanta is certain that his syndicate’s horse will
collect further accolades in the coming season.
“Vying Victor will hit 100 two-year-old winners very soon,” he predicts. If this forecast is accurate, the stallion
will set yet another provincial record.
“He’s got so many solid yearlings that it’s hard to say
which ones are best,” says Mabanta. “At the same time, the older his foals get, the better they get – they last long.” Indeed, the stats and figures solidly back Mabanta’s claim: “If you want a winner, breed to Vying Victor.”
Also standing at Ternes Farm in Langley is B.C.’s third-rank sire, Katahaula County. The stallion entered stud in 1995, and his first starter, Catahoula Parish, broke his maiden as a two-year-old and went on to become a
multiple-stakes winner.
“Katahaula County has not looked back since then,”
says Carol Anderson, who co-manages the sire with her husband, Bryan. He now has 9 crops and over 60 Stakes horses. His siring laurels include: Leading Sire of North America by Number of Two-Year-Old Winners, Number of Two-year-Old Stakes Horses, Leading Sire in Canada by number of Stakes Winners and Leading Two-Year- Old Sire in B.C. by Earnings.
What does the future hold for this 18-year old? “He continues to attract large books of some of the best mares in the province and his yearlings are still popular at the sales,” says Carol. “He looks and acts a lot younger than he is, thanks to Ben Ternes of Ternes Farm. We expect Katahaula County to continue to have top quality race horses, based on the quality of broodmares he has bred recently. Continued Next Page