With six crops of racing age in the books, Better Than Ready continues to leap from strength to strength.

Since the start of the current racing season, the Lyndhurst Stud-based stallion has sired an impressive stakes winner among a host of promising stakes performers. Commanding a modest fee of $9500 (inc GST) during his first season at stud, Better Than Ready’s early results pointed towards a promising future at stud which he has now all but solidified.

Table: Better Than Ready's stakes-winning progeny

Better Than Ready is represented by at least one stakes winner for every crop of racing age except for his 2021 crop which have only just turned 2 years-old. His first crop is his most successful to date with three stakes winners represented including Telemon Stud’s first-season sire The Odyssey, recently retired gelding Jagged Edge and stakes-winning juvenile Better Reflection.

A winner himself as a juvenile, Better Than Ready has passed on his precocious ability to his progeny with half of his stakes winners earning black-type credentials as juveniles. They include the three previously mentioned first-crop stakes winners along with this year’s R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Skirt The Law and $1.8 million earner Alpine Edge.

Striking at almost 60 per cent winners to runners for 2-year-olds, Better Than Ready is a proven source of early speed having been crowned last year’s Leading Sire by juvenile winners (25).

Since August 1, 2023, Better Than Ready has sired eight individual metropolitan winners including a Sydney stakes winner and a Melbourne stakes placegetter. At the weekend, talented colt Chrysaor (Better Than Ready) notched up an impressive first-stakes victory in the G2 Callander-Presnell S. at Randwick. A promising third in the G2 BRC Sires' Produce S. earlier this year signified the colt had good ability, but it was his win on Saturday that confirmed he is a serious talent.

Raced by Star Thoroughbreds, the Chris Waller-trained galloper was a relatively inexpensive $115,000 buy from the 2022 Bell River Thoroughbreds Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft. Saturday’s victory took the valuable colt’s earnings beyond $850,000 or almost eight times his purchase price.

Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Skirt The Law returned in style having placed twice in stakes company this preparation including a second behind leading filly Charm Stone (I Am Invincible) in the G3 Quezette S. at Caulfield. The Annabel Neasham-trained Port Lockroy was super at his first attempt in top-flight company when fifth in the weekend’s G1 Spring Champion S. at Randwick.

The talented colt was the equal second most-expensive yearling sold by his sire in 2022 with Annabel Neasham and Brian McGuire going to $300,000 to secure him from Yarramalong Park’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling sale draft.

Table: Better Than Ready's yearling sale averages by year

Given his consistent results on the track, it comes as no surprise that his yearling sale average continues on an upwards tick. The Lyndhurst Stud-based stallion’s first crop of yearlings averaged just over $30,000 before doubling the following season thanks to early stakes success with The Odyssey and Better Reflection.

A slight dip in 2021 was followed by a healthy increase the following season after stakes wins from Tiger Legend and Apache Chase with his yearlings averaging a career high $66,000 in 2022. This year, the Queensland-based sire went to yet another level having averaged over $77,000 for his 69 yearlings offered at Australian yearling sales (including online sales).

Given his stock are eligible for the Queensland Thoroughbred Incentive Scheme (QTIS), it is unsurprising that the majority of Better Than Ready’s progeny are either purchased by or end up with trainers based in the Sunshine state. Since his first crop of yearlings offered at auction, over two thirds have either been purchased by or sent to Queensland-based trainers.

While he was initially largely supported by a homestate buying bench, southern state buyers have started paying close attention to the emerging sire. An uptick in demand for his progeny can be noted by the fact that 75 per cent of his Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduates destined for NSW trainers were sourced at the last two editions of the sale. His progeny have ended up in the hands of a host of leading Sydney trainers including Annabel Neasham, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

This year, his most expensive yearling sold to date was purchased by the powerhouse China Horse Club, Newgate Farm, Go Bloodstock and Trilogy Racing outfit for a healthy $530,000. Sold by Yarramalong Farm at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, the well-related half-brother to dual stakes winner Amangiri (All Too Hard) has since been named Whiskey and is in training with Peter and Paul Snowden at Randwick.

The upsurge in demand from high-profile trainers and industry players bodes well for the future of Lyndhurst Stud’s prized sire. With his best books still yet to grace the racetrack, it seems inevitable that we will be hearing Better Than Ready’s name a whole lot more in the not too distant future.