In addition to Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta's supreme sires, Medaglia D'Oro and Street Cry, ever consistent Elusive Quality and Darley's freshman trio Bernardini, Henny Hughes and Rockport Harbor are set to script the record books of the next decade.
Buyers at Saratoga caught a taste of the first available yearlings representing champion Bernardini in August. A dozen of the Preakness and Travers Stakes Winner's offspring have passed the gavel in 2009 with the "Yes" factor. He attained a robust average of $570,833 to head all freshman sires this year. Three of his colts sailed to a golden million with the son of G1 Kentucky Oaks heroine Bird Town fetching a whopping $1.3 million.
Even a modest glance through Keeneland's catalog reveals how deep the bloodlines run through Bernardini's forty plus yearlings on tap; page after page of bolded uppercase fonts represent no less than 13 siblings of G1 winners. These include two Breeders' Cup Sprint winners Silver Train (hip 13) and Sprint Champion Speightstown (hip 235), a Breeders' Cup Juvenile Champion in Action This Day (hip 774), Wood Memorial winner Tapit (hip 41), Pimlico Special handicapper Eddington (Hip 127), and French-bred Amorama (hip 503) from the family of the six-time decorated champion Triptych.
Another family of high-end producers, hip 321 is a filly out of the full-sister to Canadian Horse of the Year Dance Smartly, who in 2001 added another distinction to her dossier - Broodmare of the Year; having foaled champion three-year-old in Canada, Dancethruthedawn.
Champion sprinter Henny Hughes also fulfilled expectations at Saratoga. His first crop brought forth spirited bidding duals - upward of $575,000. The physically imposing chestnut, who took a rare Vosburgh/King's Bishop double at three, achieved a healthy selling average of $223,333. The Keeneland kick-off offers an abundant variety of the fashionable pedigrees from mares Henny Hughes attracted to his first court.
A colt from Stakes Winner Playcaller (hip 412) is a half-brother to G1 Hollywood Starlet S. winner Diplomat Lady, by Saratoga Six. The brilliantly fast filly Madcap Escapade - earner of 1,052,852, is a product of the speed influenced Hennessy/ Saratoga Six nick. Henny Hughes himself was pinhooked to Barretts' premier March Two-Year-Old Sale where he breezed an eighth in 9.9 seconds before embarking on a highly competitive and successful juvenile season. The only juvenile to top Henny Hughes' G2 Saratoga Special Beyer number of 105 that same year was Darley's own Discreet Cat.
Among Henny Hughes' numerous and diverse representatives are gorgeous yearlings from the matriarchal families of Grade One winners Well Chosen (hip 660), Jockey Club Gold Cup dominator Albert the Great (hip 815) and Calumet Farm's homebred Champion Davona Dale (hip 434).
Rockport Harbor held his own throughout the summer averaging $112,455 - 7.5 times his stud fee. Eight sell early at Keeneland including a January half brother (hip 548) to G2 W. L. McKnight H. winner Devil's Preacher and G1-placed Coral Reef out of a half-sister to G1 Santa Anita Derby sensation Personal Hope.
Leslie Lady boasts a precocious three-for-three winners from her starters. Into Mischief scored in the G1 CashCall Futurity. Her colt offered (hip 741) carries the Unbridled's Song/ Clever Trick nick notable in last year's Juvenile champion Midshipman, winner of the BC Juvenile and the Del Mar Futurity.
World record holder and veteran sire Elusive Quality has yet another fine crop at hand. The well heeled sire of the hard-hitting turf specialist Raven's Pass - the colt that stunned the Breeders' Cup when he soared past Curlin to a Pro-Ride track record in last year's Classic - has a filly and a colt out of daughters of Sadler's Wells - half-sisters to G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and G1 Florida Derby victor Unbridled's Song (hip 87) and G1 Meon Valley Stud Fillies' Mile winner Crystal Music (hip 270). Elusive Quality's two-year-old Elusive Pimpernel, out of a Sadler's Wells mare, displayed tremendous possibility for a bright future while capturing the G3 Acomb Stakes at York last month.
One of the most promising three-year-old colts of the year is G1 Florida Derby winner Quality Road. In a triumphant return to racing, the son of Elusive Quality smashed the Saratoga six-and-a-half furlong record in the G2 Amsterdam in a time of 1:13.45 and showed dire courage to place in the G1 Shadwell Travers S. in a roughly run cavalcade.
