This is going to be an interesting year! I said that last year, didn’t I! Well, nothing has changed.
Last year I started my article with American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile out of Little Princess Emma) and how overpriced he was. At $200,000 per LFS&N (Live Foal Stands and Nurses) American Pharoah was the most expensive untested sire I ever remember.
Apparently, the market agreed with me and most of his deals were done at 2 for 1 or better. This year, he is listed as “private”. I am guessing all those 2 for 1’s and other deals have already filled his book for 2017. Private is a good way of saying “we f#$ked up!!!
Again, a good alternative from almost any standpoint to stay “in the family” is another son of Pioneerof the Nile. And that son is Cairo Prince. He was the early favorite for the Derby in the same crop as California Chrome but was injured in the Florida Derby which ended his racing career.
Also, looking at past Triple Crown winners, few, if any, proved to be great sires. Seattle Slew, who was much maligned for poor conformation and sold as a yearling for $17,000 was the best of the bunch and he is represented in the top level of racing today only by offspring of one son, AP Indy. No other Triple Crown winner has a remaining sire line of any importance whatsoever.
At $15,000 LFS&N, Cairo Prince might not only be the best buy in the family, he might just be one of the best buys in the world. He will be a “first crop sire” in 2017, so this may be the last time he is a bargain if my predictions for him turn out positive.
An additional reason I like him is his much better pedigree on his dam’s side. His dam is by 1994 Horse of the Year, Holy Bull whereas American Pharoah’s dam is by a very unremarkable sire, Yankee Gentleman, who, other than being damsire of American Pharoah, is a total unknown. He wasn’t even a graded stakes winner. Neither dam was much of a runner but that in itself is not so important as their family. Both have fairly strong female families, but neither is exceptional. Still, $15,000 is a great buy with a pedigree like his.
A new sire joins my list this year. He is Flintshire. At $20,000 he may be as good or better buy than Cairo Prince. Flintshire is 4 X 3 crossed to Northern Dancer through some of his best sons, Danzig (his grandson Dansili) and his best son ever, Sadlers Wells is his damsire.
Wow, just wow!! He also is 4 X 4 crossed to Ile de Baron, a prominent grandson of Northern Dancer through the great, Nijinsky. He even has at the 4 level, Mill Reef and Ribot, two of the all-time greats. . And his last 4 deep is High Line, a good grandson of the immortal Hyperion.
Is it any wonder he was a great runner?
Another BIG bonus, Flintshire is free of both AP Indy and Mr. Prospector, making him ideal for the right mares from those families!! That in itself make him remarkable. He is moving up my list as I write!!
The most amazing young sire in recent memory, if not ever, is current second crop sire Uncle Mo. While it remains to be seen whether his 3 year olds will continue to progress, his domination over the other second crop sires in 2016 was almost unbelievable. He has been the # two or # 3 sire in North America most of the year on the GENERAL SIRE LIST. Even at $75,000, he was in my top five for 2016. However, in 2017 they have raised him to $150,000. I am still high on him, but not that high!
Two amazing young sires are Munnings, a third crop sire that is # 2 in his class and Quality Road who leads that class. Munnings stands for $25,000 and Quality Road stands for $35,000. They are a close call for best buy and I like them both.
Another of my favorites is still Curlin. At $100,000 he was pricey in 2016 but based on his age (standing only one year longer than Pioneerof the Nile) and the fact he is now # 2 on the general sire list (all sires standing in North America). And even though they raised him to $150,000, I still like him a lot.
Lastly in my top five is Candy Ride, # 6 on the general sire list. He will stand again in 2017 for $60,000 which is $40,000 less than I would demand if I owned him!
So, to rank my top five (or six):
# 1 Flintshire
# 2 Cairo Prince
# 3 Candy Ride
# 4 Munnings or Quality Road – take your pick
# 5 Curlin
Beyond these, I still like Midnight Lute, and especially Sky Mesa. Another young sire that STILL just isn’t getting the attention he deserves is General Quarters. At the bottom end of the market, there are still some good buys including Lion Tamer, Bluegrass Cat and Lucky Pulpit.
There are some good young sons of AP Indy that also deserve attention if you have a mare with Mr. Prospector and/or both Mr. P and Northern Dancer, these can be a great choice.
Other young sires worth a look if you have the right mare to match up are Colonel John, Majesticperfection, Blame and Lookin’ at Lucky. All are reasonably priced and have good performers. One reason I like Colonel John is he appears to be the best son of Tiznow, who also is just shy of my list, and this family is the major remaining male line from Man ‘o War.
There are a lot of other good sires out there but anyone can find a good one on my list as there is a great cross-section here to match up to any mare.
My Scribbles!! 