Executive Review By Tracy Egan, Executive Director The President and Chief Executive Officer of Fasig-Tipton, Boyd Browning, looks back at the Thoroughbred industry over 2019 and concludes that “the New York-bred program continues to be the ‘gold standard’ for Thoroughbred breeders and owners. The program provides tremendous incentives to both breed and race in New York.” Notable benchmarks of the past year are topped by NY-bred Tiz the Law, who established with his win in the Grade I Champagne that he will be worthy of seeking Kentucky Derby glory for the Empire State and the very same Sackatoga connections that won the 2003 Derby with NY-bred Funny Cide. Three other NY-breds scored graded wins in 2019: Pat on the Back in the G2 Kelso, Gucci Factor in the G3 Poker and Somelikeithotbrown in the G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks. NY-breds averaged $27,115 per runner, making more than 20,000 starts in North America and earning close to $90 million dollars. Worldwide, NY-breds accounted for more than $93 million in purse money. Significantly for breeders, $69.9 million was earned on tracks in New York State. NY-bred starters running in NYS competed for more than $44 million in purse money in nearly 800 races in which only NY-breds were entered. Auction revenue from NY-bred weanlings, yearlings and two-year-olds over the past decade has more than tripled, from $16.4 million in 2010 to nearly $52.6 million in 2019, illustrating Mr. Browning’s point that New York remains the premier regional Thoroughbred breeding program. The New York Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund was able to pay out 100% of awards earned in 2019. The NYTBDF remained the main supporter of research conducted by the Zweig Fund, contributing 2% of our total revenue. The 2019 foal crop of 1,606 foals remains more than 31 percent higher than the decade low mark of 1,225 foals set in 2011. STALLIONS Fifty-two registered stallions stood in New York in 2019. Breeders who use these stallions are rewarded with double the awards earned by the offspring of non-registered stallions or stallions who stand in other states: 30% vs. 15% of first-place purse money. NY-sired horses finishing second and third receive 15% of purse money vs. 7.5% for the offspring of non-NY stallions. In all cases, awards are only earned in races run in New York State. Six new stallions joined the NY stallion roster in 2019: Camelot Kitten This son of Kitten’s Joy is a full brother to Grade I Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Bobby’s Kitten and is himself a multiple Grade II and Grade III winner. The six-year-old was a first-out winner for owner/breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey and went on to make 23 starts with 6 wins and 3 seconds, for earnings of $1,069,477. Among Camelot Kitten’s stakes wins are the American Turf Stakes (G2), the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes (G2), the Hill Prince Stakes (G3) and the Pennine Ridge Stakes (G3). He stood at Questroyal North for a fee of $5,000. Destin This son of the late Giant’s Causeway comes to stud with the same good bone, balance and scope that he demonstrated as a sale yearling when bringing a bid of $400,000. This full brother of leading sire Creative Cause, who stands in Kentucky, affords breeders the opportunity to save on shipping and boarding fees while providing the same genes to their mares through this multiple Grade II winner. He stood at Sequel Stallions New York for a relatively modest $6,500 stud fee. Frank Conversation This multiple graded stakes winner is by sire of the hour Quality Road, whose son City of Light vanquished all comers in the Grade I Pegasus Stakes in January 2019. Quality Road was also ranked the number one sire of 2018 based on number of Grade I stakes winners. The handsome and robust Frank Conversation raced 19 times with 4 wins, including a G2 and G3 victory. He stood at Rockridge Stud for a fee of $5,000. Redesdale Hidden Lake Farm at Questroyal is betting that the glamorous pedigree of Redesdale will attract good mares. Not only is he a son of emerging sire of sires Speightstown, but his dam Harpia is a full sister to European Champion and top sire Danehill. Redesdale’s fifth dam Natalma is the dam of the most successful sire of the 20th century, Northern Dancer. Redesdale won three of four starts before his career was ended by an injury. More than 80 mares visited the court of Redesdale, who stood for a published stud fee of $5,000. The Lieutenant The Lieutenant is a half-brother to Triple Crown winner and 2018 Horse of the Year Justify. One could stop right there, but this son of Street Sense has his own racetrack laurels as a Grade 3 winner and multiple Grade 2- placed runner. His trainer Mike McCarthy regularly praised the horse for working on equal terms with his highly accomplished training partner City of Light. The Lieutenant stood at Sequel New York Stallions for a stud fee of $6,500. Shockingly, the stallion was killed in December 2019 along with other stallions at the farm in Peru where he was performing Southern Hemisphere duty. Weekend Hideaway This millionaire was the champion NY-bred two-year-old of 2012 on his way to earning $1,144,922 in 49 starts. In addition to his soundness and durability, winning 13 times with seven seconds and ten thirds, he is by emerging sire of sires Speightstown, whose son Central Banker (standing at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds) was number four on second-year sire list in 2019. Weekend Hideaway stood at Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions for a $2,500 stud fee. NEW STALLIONS FOR 2020 Future New York-breds may be a bit grayer in the upcoming years thanks to the addition of two highly accomplished gray stallions that will be standing in New York at Rockridge Stud in Hudson. Patricia Generazio’s homebred world-record-setter Disco Partner, a son of Disco Rico out of Lulu’s Number by Numerous, was one of the best turf sprinters on the planet, winning 11 of 33 starts with six seconds and eight thirds, including a win in the Grade 2 Jaipur Invitational Stakes in 2018 and consecutive victories in the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational Stakes in 2017 and 2018. He is standing his first season in 2020. In the 2018 Jaipur, Disco Partner set a world record for six furlongs, clocking a remarkable 1:05.67. He also won five other stakes, earning just under $1.5 million. He will stand for $5,000. “I believe Disco Partner is a very exciting prospect for New York breeders,” his trainer, Christophe Clement, said. “He had a tremendous amount of speed, and speed is always dangerous. He also had a fantastic turn of foot, and he’s retiring perfectly sound after consistently racing for many years at the highest level.” The gray Leofric, a son of Candy Ride (ARG) out of Lady Godiva by Unbridled’s Song, will stand for $7,500. He posted a record of eight wins, one second and three thirds from 14 starts, earning $951,040. He captured the Grade 1 Clark Handicap, the Grade 2 Fayette and the Grade 3 West Virginia Governor’s Stakes on the way to winning five of seven starts as a five-year-old in 2018. Dr. Disco, also a son of stalwart NY sire Disco Rico, is a chestnut who won multiple stakes races while amassing earnings of just under $360,000. With a record of 8 wins, seven seconds and three thirds from 34 starts, he should prove to be a good source of soundness for breeders. Being that he is out of a speedy Dr. Blum mare, his connections expect he will also pass along speed to his offspring from both sides of his pedigree. Dr. Disco is standing for a private stud fee at Keane Stud, the same farm that stood his sire from 2008 to 2014. Sakonnet earned a place in the stallion barn at Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater by virtue of a winning race record and the fact that he is by the late great sire Scat Daddy out of Beckles Road by Smart Strike. He will stand in 2020 for a stud fee of $1,500. Shatak, standing at Majestic View Farms International in Gardiner, NY, is a son of Cryptoclearance who earned over $100,000 and placed in the Grade 3 Miami Mile Stakes. He will stand for a stud fee of $2,500 in 2020. Snow Trouble lands on the Foggy Bottom Farm roster in Livingston County, NY as an allowance-winning son of top sire Tapit out of a Storm Cat mare named Smara. Perhaps more importantly, his eighth dam is the Reine de Course mare La Troienne. His published stud fee for 2020 is $1,000. Solomini, a son of Curlin out of the Storm Cat mare Surf Song, finished first in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity but was disqualified and placed third. He was second in the Grade 1 Frontrunner Stakes and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at two, and placed in both the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes and the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at 3, earning over $800,000 in his career. He will stand for a stud fee of $6,500 at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds.