Five Stallions to Watch at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga


One of the major social events on the United States bloodstock calendar every year, the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings sale is always a major draw for horsemen. This year, American Pharoah looks to be the star of the show with 15 offerings but he and his fellow first crop sires aren’t the only stars people will be watching on Aug. 6 and 7.

Here are five established sires – from a stallion making his return to the U.S. to a young stallion still making waves - to be aware of when you watch the sale this week.

Classic Empire, the half-brother to Hip 93
 Candy Ride’s (Ride the Rails) 2-year-old Grade 1 winner Separationofpowers couldn’t have better timing, winning her second Grade 1 than two days before this sale. The stallion is coming off a year where Gun Runner won Horse of the Year followed by a win in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational to push Candy Ride to No. 1 in the General Sires rankings.  But Gun Runner is far from his only graded stakes winner this year. Eleven of his 84 winners have won stakes races with nine others placing in stakes, led by Gun Runner and Separationofpowers.

Candy Ride has five offerings including a half-sister (Hip 93) to champion Classic Empire and colt (Hip 238) out of a multiple stakes winner. Candy Ride stood for $80,000 at Lane’s End in 2018.

Curlin (Smart Strike) had a timely update right before the sale when he sired the winner of the Grade 1 betfair.com Haskell Invitational (2YO champion Good Magic) and Grade 2 Jim Dandy presented by NYRA Bets (Tenfold) in addition to the third-place finisher in the Jim Dandy. That’s just the tip of the iceberg for the stallion this year with 12 stakes winners and 11 stakes placers in the first eight months of this year. The stallion is a proven classic sire with at least one runner placing in a U.S. classic every year of his stud career and it looks to get even better from here.

Curlin has 11 hips in the sale (before outs), including a half-sister (Hip 20) to Grade 3 winner Leavem In Malibu (Malibu Moon) and Kentucky Derby runner Danzig Moon (Malibu Moon); a half-sister (Hip 96) to Grade 1 winner Salutos Amigos (Salute the Sarge); and a half-sister (Hip 106) to Grade 1 winner Power Broker (Pulpit). Curlin’s yearlings last year averaged $281,982 according to Blood-Horse, nearly two times his current $150,000 stud fee. This is his first crop conceived after moving to Hill ‘n’ Dale in 2016.

This is Empire Maker's first crop since
returning to the U.S.
Empire Maker (Unbridled) is in the unique position of being an established stallion but being absent from the U.S. yearling market for over five years. The stallion moved to Japan in time for the 2011 breeding season then was bought back by U.S. interests and came back in late 2015. The stallion’s sire credentials stand on their own with runners such as Royal Delta and Bodemeister just two of 11 Grade 1 winners. He’s also shown to be a sire-of-sires with Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) and Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) and a good broodmare sire with 22 stakes winners out of his daughters including Grade 1 winners Outwork (Uncle Mo) and Separationofpowers (Candy Ride).

Empire Maker has five hips in the sale including, a half-brother (Lot 86) to Grade 1 Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Battle of Midway (Smart Strike) and a filly (Hip 89) out of multiple champion Roxy Gap (Indian Charlie). He stands at Gainesway for $85,000 this year.

Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday) gets better every year and buyers were reminded of that two days before the sale when Mia Mischief ran a close second in the Test Stakes two weeks after Sombeyay won the Grade 3 Sanford. Into Mischief has 12 stakes winners and 16 stakes placed horses so far this year on crops that have been bred on stud fees no greater than $20,000. The crop of yearlings going through the ring this week were bred on a $45,000 fee. Into Mischief’s fee shot up to $75,000 in 2017 and $100,000 in 2018.

Uncle Mo's first crop conceived after
 Nyquist's champion 2YO
season hits the ring this week
Into Mischief has 13 hips at the sale including a colt (Hip 169) out of a half-sister to champion Tepin (Bernstein) and Vyjack (Into Mischief), a colt (Hip 209) out of a half-sister to the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner By the Moon (Indian Charlie), and a half-sister (Hip 210) to Grade 3 winner Kitten Kaboodle (Kitten’s Joy).

The most successful freshman sire in years, Uncle Mo’s (Indian Charlie) continues to churn out graded stakes winners. This year he has 11 stakes winners and six graded stakes winners led by Grade 1 Apple Blossom winner Unbridled Mo. This is his first crop bred after Nyquist won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with this crop bred on a $75,000 stud fee.

Uncle Mo has 16 offerings in this sale including a filly out of a half-sister (Hip 125) to Grade 1 winner and sire Creative Cause (Giant’s Causeway), a colt (Hip 140) out of Canadian classic winner Unspurned, and a colt (Hip 255) out of a half-sister to multiple champion Songbird (Medaglia d’Oro). Uncle Mo stood for $125,000 at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in 2018.

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