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| Staff Writer |
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Sires in the top ten in North America as per the roster and fees announced on October 26 by Coolmore America's Ashford Stud, Munnings, the sire of multiple grade 1 winner Jack Christopher, will stand for a career-high $100,000 in 2019. Munnings, who has won a grade 2 and placed in a grade 1, has established himself as one of the best stallions in the world. The son of the famous sprinter Speightstown, the sire's standing among the best breeders has progressively risen thanks to a steady stream of durable elite runners. I'm a Chatterbox, El Deal, and Om, all winners of numerous graded stakes, came from his first crop. The 3YO filly Munnyfor Ro, the 2021 Canadian Champion, is one of Munnings' 62 career black-type wins (7% from named foals of racing age).
Jack Christopher has won three grade 1 races and is a five-for-six winner in his career. He is widely considered one of the top contenders for the Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (Gr.1) on November 5 at Keeneland. Several Progenitor Sires as of right now, Uncle Mo's $150,000 salary at Ashford is the highest of any player. The son of Indian Charlie is the third-leading sire in terms of graded/group stakes winners and the fifth-leading sire in terms of progeny earnings in North America right now. Three new stallions join Ashford's stable in the year 2023: Corniche, a two-year-old horse that won the 2021 Triple Crown, Early Voting, a multiple-time Preakness Stakes (Gr.1) winner, and a slew of other grade 1 grass sprinters Goldie Winkle.
At age 2, Corniche, a son of Quality Road, had never lost a race. He made his start at Del Mar, where he won by 4 1/2 lengths, and went on to win the American Pharoah Stakes (Gr.1) and the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (Gr.1). On July 31 at Saratoga Race Course, he suffered a career-ending injury to a hind joint when running in the Amsterdam Stakes (Gr.2). At retirement age, he had accumulated $1,263,500 in wealth. He will cost $30,000 to enter stud.
Rock of Gibraltar, the world champion 3YO and Gr1 sire, passed away on October 23 from heart failure, according to a press release from Coolmore. Joe Crowley, Anne-Marie O'Brien, and Aidan O'Brien's 23-year-old son of Danehill became the first horse in the northern hemisphere to win seven consecutive group 1s, surpassing Mill Reef's 30-year record.
On his second try for O'Brien, he triumphed at The Curragh, and he went on to win the Grand Criterium Lucien Barriere (Gr.1) and the Darley Dewhurst Stakes (Gr.1) before the end of the year. He also took home the Scottish Equitable Gimcrack Stakes (Gr.2) and the Anheuser-Busch Railway Stakes (Gr.3), the latter from stablemate Hawk Wing. After a successful juvenile campaign, he added the Gr1 Sagitta Two Thousand Guineas (Gr.1), Group 1 Entenmanns Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Gr.1), Gr1 St. James's Palace Stakes (Gr.1), Gr1 Sussex Stakes (Gr.1), and Gr1 NetJets Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Gr.1) to his record for owners Mrs. John Magnier and Sir Alex Ferguson. His final race of his career was a second-place finish by three-quarters of a length.