Eclipse Champion two-year-old and 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist has been retired and will join Darley’s 2017 stallion roster at Jonabell in Lexington, Kentucky. He will join a group that features two of North America’s elite stallions in Medaglia d’Oro and Bernardini. Their fees will remain at $150,000 and $100,000 respectively, while Nyquist’s fee will be $40,000.
Nyquist was voted the 2015 Eclipse Champion two-year-old colt following an unblemished record of five wins from as many starts. He won three G1 races at two – the Del Mar Futurity, Frontrunner and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
In 2016, he was victorious in the G2 San Vicente, won the G1 Florida Derby in wire-to-wire fashion and then captured the G1 Kentucky Derby. In winning the Derby with a perfect record, he became the first juvenile Champion to do so since Seattle Slew in 1977. And in winning both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Kentucky Derby, he became only the second horse to achieve that historic G1 double, an honor he shares with future barn mate Street Sense. Nyquist retires with eight wins from 11 starts and earnings of $5,189,200.
Nyquist will retire as the best of his father’s sons to enter stud. Uncle Mo currently ranks second among the nation’s leading sires, an impressive achievement given that his first runners are only three years of age.
Medaglia d’Oro is now the sire of 15 G1 winners worldwide, including his brilliant daughter Songbird whose next start will be in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Eclipse Champion at two, Songbird has won a remarkable seven G1 races. Not since Serena’s Song in the mid-90s has a filly achieved as much through her sophomore year.
Medaglia d’Oro’s four-year-old turf specialist Sentiero Italia is zeroing in on a million dollars in earnings and will hope to surpass that in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. His two-year-old upstart New Money Honey recently broke her maiden in the G3 Miss Grillo Stakes and is slated to run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
In the sales ring, yearlings sired by Medaglia d’Oro continue to attract the attention of buyers as illustrated by his $1.45 million sales topper at Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga sale. That was the third time in six years that one of his yearlings brought the sale’s highest price.
Bernardini is having another fantastic year in 2016. He has been represented by nine Graded winners on the dirt, second only to Tapit in that category. His talented daughter Cavorting captured both the G1 Personal Ensign and G1 Ogden Phipps Stakes and is one of seven G1 horses on dirt for her sire in 2016, more than any other stallion. Another daughter, Jamyson ‘n Ginger, recently posted the highest Beyer of any juvenile in 2016 when breaking her maiden at Belmont and now heads to the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. A win would bring his total number of G1 two-year-old winners since 2010 to six. His current total of five cannot be topped by any other sire in North America.
Hard Spun and Street Sense will each remain at $45,000. Hard Spun’s G1 winner Hard Aces added yet another Graded event in 2016 to his resume when winning the Cougar Handicap and is one of 11 Stakes winners for his sire this year, a number that places him in the upper echelon of North America’s leaders. Street Sense’s progeny again found success in G1 company in 2016, including G1 Woodbine Mile runner-up Tower of Texas. His lifetime percentage of G1 horses from starters is the best among all stallions currently standing for less than $75,000.
Animal Kingdom’s popularity continued in 2016, with his book of mares surpassing 150 and his first crop of yearlings selling for up to $400,000. Winner of the Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup, his fee will be $30,000.
With the likes of G1 Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia carrying his banner in 2016, Street Boss’s fee will be $17,500. The exceptional filly is one of three G1 three-year-old winners on dirt for her sire since 2013. Only Curlin and Tapit can claim more during that timeframe. His other successful 2016 performers include G3 winner and G1 Del Mar Oaks second Decked Out, G1 Vanderbilt runner-up Holy Boss, and previous G3 winner Metaboss, who has been pre-entered for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Midshipman has become a perennial leading source of quality runners and is behind only War Front and Uncle Mo by percentage of Black type winners to starters in 2016. Top among these is his 11-time Stakes-winning daughter Lady Shipman who is pre-entered in this year’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, a race in which she finished second by a neck last year. The leading third-crop sire by 2016 Black type winners, Midshipman’s fee will remain at $8,500.
Rounding out the roster at Jonabell will be Elusive Quality ($30,000) and Girolamo ($10,000), while Bernardini’s G1-winning son Alpha ($7,500) and fellow G1 winner Emcee ($5,000) will again stand at Sequel New York.
Darren Fox, Sales Manager at Darley in America, said, “This has been such a great year on a number of fronts. We started the year off with arguably our best year ever in the shed with very strong demand across the board. Then Nyquist followed shortly thereafter with his Kentucky Derby win; an Eclipse Champion who was undefeated when winning the Derby hasn’t happened since Seattle Slew so it’s an exceptional accomplishment.”
Fox continued, “We thought Rachel Alexandra was a once-in-a-lifetime filly but Medaglia d’Oro has another great one in Songbird. And Bernardini continues to deliver and has become a consistent source of Graded winners every year. So all in all, we are expecting strong demand again in 2017 across the board for our stallions.”
For further information please call Darren Fox on (859) 255 8537.
