As we descend into 2024, the Thoroughbred Report will reflect back on who led the stallions rank for 2023 in the Northern Hemisphere.
Frankel waltzes to a second sires’ Championship
Champion racehorse turned sire, Frankel (GB) has recaptured the crown he first wore in 2021 and is the Champion Sire in Britain and Ireland for 2023, as well as being the leading sire in Europe, for the second time.
The son of Galileo (Ire) had a further three sons join him in the stallion barn with the G1 2000 Guineas victor Chaldean (GB) standing alongside his sire at Juddmonte. While Mostahdaf (Ire) and Triple Time (Ire) begin their careers with Shadwell and Darley respectively. In France, Onesto (Ire), has arrived at Haras d’Etreham and Frankel’s G1 Irish Derby winner Hurricane Lane (Ire) joined the National Hunt ranks.
Frankel (GB) | Standing at Banstead Manor Stud
In total seven new Group 1-winning sons of Frankel joined the stallion ranks in 2023. Frankel’s Championship was won by a wide margin. His progeny earnings in Britain and Ireland of just over £7 million (AU$13 million) which put him almost £3 million (AU$5.5 million) over Dubawi (Ire), with a margin of £30,000 (AU$55,900) separating the runner-up and third-placed Dark Angel (Ire).
Frankel sired 39 stakes winners worldwide in 2023 (23 in Britain and Ireland), while his daughter Inspiral (GB) recorded her sixth Group/Grade 1 win at Santa Anita at the Breeders’ Cup.
Blue Point blast his way to Champion First-Season Sire Honours
Blue Point (Ire) is living up to his lofty billing by amassing 50 individual winners in Europe including two Group 1 scorers in what can only be described as a dream debut season when he was crowned the Champion First-Season Sire.
Blue Point’s Group 1 winners were Rosallion (Ire), a victor of the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Big Evs (Ire), winner of the Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot before signing off on a brilliant campaign by scoring to glory in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
Blue Point (Ire) | Standing at Darley
In terms of prizemoney amassed, only Havana Grey (GB) has managed to better Blue Points debut season haul of £1,235,165 (AU$2,300,400) in Britain and Ireland. Standing on 41 individual winners in Britain and Ireland, Blue Point has bettered each of the previous five leading first crop sires bar Mehmas (Ire), who ended his respective campaign with 46.
Quality and Quantity together secure Mischief fifth title
Spendthrift Farm’s sire phenomenon Into Mischief (USA) ended 2023 by sealing a fifth consecutive general sires’ title.
Into Mischief didn’t quite match the mark he set in 2022, when his stock exceeded US$28.5 million (AU$19.4 million) in earnings. At US$25,893,748 (AU$17,700,400) this time around, Into Mischief has eclipsed the record he had established the previous year (2022), when narrowly becoming the first sire ever to tip US$25 million (AU$17 million).
Into Mischief (USA) | Standing at Spendthrift Farm
His latest haul is the work of 209 winners overall, 26 Stakes winners and 14 Graded winners, six of those in the top-tier figures unmatched in each category other than by Justify (USA), whose half-dozen elite winners either side of the water appear to identify a young stallion with global potential.
Overall, Into Mischief had 54 black type performers, 31 Graded Stakes horses and 13 Group 1 placegetters in 2023.
