What is everyone's selection for leading first season sire for the upcoming season? Some fairly interesting sires progeny hitting the track this season. Sportswriter, Art Official, Always a Virgin, Changeover, Mister Big, Shadow Play and Tell All just to name a few off my head.
Sportswriter got by far the best and biggest book of mares so would have to be $1.04 to win that award. I have heard only good things about his first crop.
Shadow Play has been an amazing success in his first season in Canada, but he has got about half the numbers of Sportswriter.
I also think Changeover will do a good job
I have seen a couple of Sportswriters that look good and move well. Changeover on the other hand, I have seen three and two looked horrendous. Turned me right off him.
I am looking forward to seeing how Mister Big's youngens go
[VVV] I reckon Shadow Play & Sportswriter will both feature prominently. Both stallions are excellent types & leave similarly classy offspring. Have bred foals by both. Can't miss.
AAV should also get it done. He's a big, strong, great gaited horse & for not a whole lot of money. Grand dam was a star. Here in NSW I reckon he will do an Aces N Sevens style job +++.
Changeover's also a chance I guess. Have only seen one in a pic on the internet. Seemed ok to me?
Art Official & Mister Big...who knows? Quite happy to let someone else use their mares to find out.
Can't have Tell All at any price. He is a terrible sire. If I got given a free service I wouldn't take it. Even if someone paid me to take one I would still say no. Run away!!!!!!!
Always A Virgin is a good option for breeders looking for a moderately priced sire. He was a very good racehorse and his grand dam was a very good filly. He is dominating the Illinois Sires Stakes results with his first two crops. That is a weak state but he is nevertheless displaying well above average siring ability.
As Harvey suggested, Sportswriter has been given a good shot and he will be disappointing if he does not finish well up in the sires earnings list.
Shadow Play's northern hemisphere results to date are impressive so his prospects are real (even though sons of The Panderosa have been pretty awful overall as sires)
Jaimie what has Tell All done to you? Was a super racehorse and he hasn't even had a runner here so he has done nothing wrong just yet. Why no love?? Bad experiences??
As a 2YO world record holder, winner of $1 million Metro Pace and $1.5 million North America Cup, Sportswriter's stands on his own.
If that's not enough, however, his 3/4 sister Precocious Beauty is now also a 2YO world record holder after recording her 7th win from 9 lifetime starts at The Red Mile on Friday.
Precocious Beauty is by Art Major. He just keeps producing good horses and is currently 2nd on the US 2YO sires table behind SBSW, the same position that he held at the end of the 2012 year.