Back-To-Back Winners for Freshman Sire Lil's Lad!
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Bill Oppenheim, May 21, 2003 – Europe’s New Sires The Young Guns: European Version... FROM THE DESK OF... I’ve spent much of the spring tracking the second-crop North American sires (first foals 2000). The Bill Oppenheim last time we looked at the cumulative earnings figures, we could say that at least eight of these young sires THAT 25-YEAR GAP were looking quite good. That’s still the case, but Funny You don’t need me to tell you we saw two Cide’s Preakness win pretty much means his sire, outstanding performances over the weekend: first Distorted Humor, has gone beyond recall as this group’s Hawk Wing went some way to redeeming his leader. It’s great news for WinStar Farm, which stands reputation in a hot renewal of the G1 Lockinge, then him, and it’s pretty safe to say his 2004 stud fee will Funny Cide enhanced his reputation with an equally reflect these successes. That’s two Grade I winners, impressive 9 3/4-length score in the Preakness, including (so far) a dual Classic winner, in his first crop, leading many observers to declare that this one really after all. has got a chance to be the first Triple Crown winner Partially because the European season gets under way since Affirmed. For followers of patterns, it would be later, we haven’t caught up yet with the situation with the younger European sires, so today we’re publishing an interesting irony: there were 25 years between the top 15 European second-crop sires and first-crop Citation’s Triple Crown sweep in 1948 and sires as well, because there has been some action on Secretariat’s in 1973. Now there have been exactly that front. 25 years since Affirmed in 1978. Last week we discovered how few sons of Danehill Funny Cide, of course, has much better claims than with runners there actually are at stud in Europe just numbers theory: he ran a Beyer 114 in the Preakness, yet. Danehill Dancer, whose first crop of four-year-olds and if he runs the same race in the Belmont, probably includes Lockinge second Where or When, has risen only Empire Maker has a chance to stop him. Yes, the from being a cheap sprint sire to one of the leaders of Belmont is 12 furlongs, not 9 1/2; big difference. But his sire group (European third-crop sires), with a stud Funny Cide has three big things going for him. First, he fee now of i30,000. Similarly Danetime, who never is a rapidly improving three-year-old, peaking at exactly even won a stakes race--he was third in the G1 July the right time. Sometimes those horses just forget to Cup as a three-year-old and third in the G1 Haydock quit. Second, he has the right style to see out the Park Sprint Cup as a four-year-old--is also advancing Belmont distance. Like the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Danehill’s claims as a sire of sires. With 28 winners does not play to come-from-the-clouds closers like we thus far and progeny earnings over £577,000, he still might think. Third, his fellow three-year-olds are not an leads the triple Group 1-winning miler Desert Prince (24 especially strong bunch. I know, I know, that sounds winners, over £515,000) among European second-crop like the knockers looking for something to knock, but sires. It seems just a matter of time before Desert it’s true. Empire Maker proved himself a class horse Prince takes over. He has seven stakes horses, after all, with his wins in the Florida Derby and the Wood (over whereas Danetime has just three, but, for the moment, Funny Cide), but otherwise this crop looks like it has Danetime still holds the lead. Compton Place (22 quite a few nice horses with few stars. Mind you, winners, over £496,000) is still less than £20,000 Funny Cide doesn’t know any of this, just like he behind Desert Prince in third. doesn’t know that Distorted Humor was a sprinter and his damsire Slewacide stood in Oklahoma. Cont. p. 4 (Bill Oppenheim cont. from p. 3) BACK-TO-BACK WINNERS FOR FRESHMAN SIRE LIL’S LAD! “Expect LIL’S LAD’s runners to have good speed and be precocious at 2.” S Lauren Stich, Daily Racing Form May 15 - Arlington - VALIDA - 2YO F. - WON OFF BY 4 LENGTHS BOX 626, VERSAILLES, KY 40383 May 14 - Churchill - FIRST MONEY - 2YO c. - WINS 1st START BY 4 (859) 873-7300 FAX (859) 873-3746 E-MAIL: [email protected] Stud Fee: $10,000 LF WEB SITE: lanesend.com class horse when destroying his field in the G2 Queen But the two most remarkable stories among this Anne S. at Royal Ascot as a four-year-old, and he has group may well be the sires occupying the fourth and come out firing, with four winners already, and another fifth slots at the moment. Air Express, by Topsider's win since Monday. So Daggers Drawn and Intikhab are son Salse, progressed from winning the Italian and the early leaders. Off to the quickest start in France is German 2000 Guineas (both Group 2 races) to an upset Verglas, winner of the G3 Coventry--always a good win in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot late in his race--at Royal Ascot as a two-year-old, and second in three-year-old year. Averti, a son of Warning, was a the 1997 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas. hard-knocking sprinter who raced into his eight-year-old But Verglas had a largely fruitless campaign in year. He never won a stakes until he was six, though he America later at three and four. The same could be said placed in seven others, including a second in the 1997 of Dr Fong, winner of the 1998 G1 St. James’s Palace G1 Prix de l'Abbaye at age seven. These two had pretty S. at Royal Ascot. He made seven starts in America at small crops. Whereas Danetime, Desert Prince, and three and four, and didn’t win, though he did run Compton Place have had 67, 70, and 56 runners, second in two Grade IIs, the Oak Tree Derby and the respectively, Air Express has had only 14 runners, and Strub. Averti 27. Air Express has 12 winners from those 14 Stravinsky, champion sprinter of 1999 when, as a runners, including Airwave, who beat Russian Rhythm in three-year-old, he won two Group 1 sprints, the July last year's Cheveley Park and is a leading candidate for Cup and Nunthorpe, stands in Kentucky, but does have sprint honors this year. Averti has 15 winners, including two winners thus far in Europe and is looking pretty six stakes horses, second only to Desert Prince’s seven promising from early returns. Cape Cross won the G1 among this sire group so far. Lockinge at four and the G2 Queen Anne at five; he has four winners thus far. Fasliyev was unbeaten in five Euro First-Crop Sires... starts at two, including three group race wins at six As it's not even the end of May yet, it's of course furlongs: the G3 Coventry at Royal Ascot, then the G1 very early days to be making any pronouncements Phoenix S. in Ireland and G1 Prix Morny in France. about who is and who isn't, among first-crop sires. But Orpen, a half brother to Peace Rules’s sire Jules by there have been a few developments, possibly Lure, won the G1 Prix Morny the previous year and was significant, thus far. Daggers Drawn won the G2 third in the Irish 2000 Guineas at three. There’s a lot of Richmond and G2 Champagne at two, but didn’t win racecourse form among this group, so it will be again--just like his sire Diesis and grandsire Sharpen Up. interesting to follow their progress as the stakes races His yearlings last year looked the part and sold get underway. accordingly. When these figures were compiled Monday, he had five winners of seven races already, First Crop Sires Table, next page then had his sixth winner Monday night. Intikhab, a son of Red Ransom, was only out of the first two on his final career start, his only run at five. He looked a real LEADING SECOND CROP SIRES IN EUROPE IN 2003 (In Order of Lifetime Earnings) Rnk Sire Rnrs Wnrs Wins Total £ SW SP 1 DANETIME 67 28 53 577,894 2 1 2 DESERT PRINCE 70 24 36 515,226 3 4 3 COMPTON PLACE 56 22 45 496,578 1 1 4 AIR EXPRESS 14 12 27 412,280 2 0 5 AVERTI 27 15 30 363,432 2 4 6 *GROOM DANCER 73 24 38 349,257 2 0 7 TITUS LIVIUS 64 28 45 347,835 0 1 8 DESERT STORY 50 19 29 340,539 0 2 9 STARBOROUGH 46 14 26 303,051 1 2 10 MEDAALY 73 18 28 293,958 0 0 11 PEINTRE CELEBRE 44 13 17 288,598 2 1 12 VICTORY NOTE 81 25 36 268,586 1 0 13 BAHHARE 59 14 19 223,083 0 1 14 SHANTOU 38 14 18 168,133 0 1 15 KING OF KINGS 37 11 14 162,492 1 1 * First British crop in 1999. Includes European earnings of American stallions. Includes American earnings of European stallions Statistics by Hyperion Promotions Ltd.