Harnesslink has had such positive feedback on our "forgotten sires series" that we have decided to run a series of reviews on our more prominent sires.
As they say in racing you can criticise someones car, house or wife but never their horse, and that still rings true.
As a disclaimer to our next chapter of analysis we look to provide educated opinion based on years of industry knowledge and the truest form of critique backed by statistical data.
These PREVIEWS are set to strip back any sugar coated publicity often associated with Stallion promotion and give you the cold hard facts as JC sees them. (All statistical data was provided by TrackIt for North American stats and for Down Under the official organisations of New Zealand and Australia) Enjoy the read.
In this series we start with "AMERICAN IDEAL"
BREEDING - By Western Ideal from a good race winning Matts Scooter daughter of the super race mare and world champion Three Diamonds so about as mainstream as you can get in 2013. Western Ideal is fast becoming a sire of sires and American Ideal is one of his best.
American Ideal was sold as a yearling at the Tattersalls Sale at Kentucky in 2003 as lot 142 for $72,000.
RACE RECORD - Won four of seven at two but no star earning just $29,800 and going 1:55.2f. At three he really shone through, winning ten of twenty-two with stakes of $855,928 and taking his lifetime mark and a world record at that time of 1:47:4m at The Red Mile, Lexington Noted for his great gait and for having blinding speed.
AMERICAN STUD RECORD - At the end of the 2013 season he had had four crops to race and he has quickly risen to the upper levels of North American sires. From his first crop came the brilliant Idyllic p1:50f, $1,313,241. From his second crop which has been his best to date has come three millionaires including the brilliant American Jewel p1:48.2s, $1,834,823, Heston Blue Chip $1,563,273 p1:48f (Dover Downs) and Romantic Moment $1,077,352 p1:50.1f (Chester). These horses put American Ideal on the map worldwide. His third crop was his least successful to date with only the Adios and Tattersalls Pace winner Sunfire Blue Chip showing real class in winning $740,374, and taking a time of 1:48.3f at Pocono Downs. His fourth crop this year was headlined by the brilliant two-year-old He's Watching 1:50f (Tioga Downs) who is unbeaten in eight starts to date having recorded five track records and two world records along the way and looks a monty for USTA two year old of the year in 2013.
US statistics
Eligible to race - 401
Winners - 271
$1,000,000+ 4
$100,000+ 55
Sub 1;50 - 6
Average earnings per starter $72,140
Average earning per eligible horse - $57,568
Total earnings to date $23,084,873
AUSTRALIAN STUD RECORD - Only has 96 horses three years and older in Australia but even so his record is slightly disappointing. He has left 39 winners to date headlined by last seasons brilliant two year old in Bling It On $404,713 but only Obahma Joy $132,308 has joined in the $100,000 club which is less than "ideal"
Australian statistics
3yr old and older 96
Winners 39
$100,000+ 2
$1,000,000+ 0
Average earnings per starter - $22,930
Average earning per eligible horse - $13,853
Total earnings to date $1,329,959
NEW ZEALAND STUD RECORD - He has 173 3yr olds or older on the ground in New Zealand and like Australia the record is slightly disappointing. His best performer has been the outstanding Ideal Scott $749,214 who has performed to the highest level on both sides of the Tasman whilst Besotted $175,827 has also performed to a high level.. But they are the only $100,000 winners so far from his three crops to race here and that needs to change with much larger crops set to hit the tracks in the next three years.
New Zealand statistics
3yr old and older - 173
Winners - 48
$100,000+ 2
$1,000,000+ 0
Average earnings per starter - $20,386
Average earning per eligible horse - $7,895
Total earnings to date $1,365,869
POSITIVES - Leaves great gaited and well conformed horses in the main. His stock are noted for having inherited the high speed of their sire. Has shown he can leave top quality two and three year olds in any country where he has stood. A great fillies sire with three of his four millionaires being fillies.
NEGATIVES - His percentages right across the board are way off the pace of his siring competition. Shown he can leave top horses but there is no middle strata to his siring record, especially Down Under. Really needs more competitors on the grand circuit to show he is not just an early speed sire.
OVERVIEW - Great siring record in North America and in high demand up there with his stud fee increased in 2014 to $10,000 and already fully booked. Yet to hit anywhere near the same heights in Australasia with his percentages way off the pace set by his siring competition.He has much larger crops coming on stream in New Zealand in the next three years and those dreaded percentages would need to improve markedly or breeders Down Under will leave him as quick as they have flooded to him.
Overall rating - 6/10
JC
The previous series that Harnesslink recently ran.
This is a series of stallion reviews that Harnesslink are doing with a view to sheading some light on some of the "forgotten"sires in Australasia.
Santanna Blue Chip - On the up and up!
Mr Feelgood - Dual hemisphere champion
Pay Me Christian - Blistering speed
Tinted Cloud - Still going strong
Washington VC - Continuing excellence
Wetern Ideal - A superstar sire
Monarchy - Out of Sundons shadow
Artiscape - Frozen semen blues?
Dream Vacation - Frozen semen superstar
