The attraction of a Lasix-free Breeders’ Cup to abroad trainers and house owners was possible a key consider making main European sire Dubawi the top sire by number of Breeders’ Cup World Championship entrants this year.
Godolphin’s homebred son of Dubai Millennium is represented by six heading into the World Championships Nov. 5-6, which is double his previous highest number of starters in a given year that was three in 2017 at Del Mar. The Del Mar Breeders’ Cup additionally produced his lone winner on this occasion thus far with Wuheida , who won the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T).
Dubawi is represented by three in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T): Albahr , Dubawi Legend , and Modern Games . Albahr and Modern Games are Godolphin homebreds both trained by Charlie Appleby. Albahr owns the strongest record with four wins from five starts and coming into the Breeders’ Cup off a 2 1/4-length win the Summer Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine.
The opposite three Dubawi entries are Master of The Seas and Space Blues in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T) and Yibir in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1T).
In April Dubawi became the first British stallion to sire 200 black-type winners. As of Nov. 2, he has 219 stakes winners, which represent 13% of his foals of racing age. Dubawi stands at Godolphin’s Dalham Hall in England for €250,000.
Amongst North American sires WinStar Farm’s stalwart More Than Ready and Lane’s End’s Quality Road are tied with five Breeders’ Cup entrants each.
More Than Ready is the leading sire by number of Breeders’ Cup wins with seven (two of them by Roy H in the 2017-18 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, G1). Though the 24-year-old son of Southern Halo won four graded stakes on the dirt, all his Breeders’ Cup winners except Roy H were successful on the turf, and all his 2021 entrants are turf runners. This year’s contenders include three in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T)—Bubble Rock , Consumer Spending , and Koala Princess ; Slipstream in the Juvenile Turf; and, Hit the Road in the Mile.
More Than Ready at WinStar Farm
Having shuttled to Australia nearly every season at stud, More Than Ready has sired 212 black-type winners to date of which 164 have won on turf and 55 have won on dirt.
The five entrants by Quality Road equal his previous highest number of Breeders’ Cup starters in a given year, which occurred in 2018 when his son City of Light won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1). This year’s entries do include one also-eligible in Friar’s Road in the Turf. His other entries are Dunbar Road in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), 5-2 morning-line contender Corniche in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1), Derrynane in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T), and Astronaut in the Turf.
Quality Road, a 15-year-old son of Elusive Quality, has sired 51 stakes winners to date that have also shown versatility. His stakes winners include 40 that have been successful on dirt and 16 that won on turf. Quality Road has sired a total of three Breeders’ Cup winners so far, which also include Hootenanny , who won the 2014 Juvenile Turf, and Caledonia Road , who won the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).
Quality Road at Lane’s End Farm
Other sires with three or more starters include Coolmore Stud’s late, multiple leading European sire Galileo (4); Spendthrift Farm’s two-time leading sire Into Mischief (4); Claiborne Farm’s War Front (4); and with three each: the late City Zip; Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa’s Curlin and Kitten’s Joy ; Ashford Stud’s Munnings ; Darley Stallions’ Nyquist ; and, WinStar’s Speightstown .
Six North American freshman sires will be represented by their first Breeders’ Cup starters this year.
Three Chimneys Farm’s Gun Runner seems poised to lock down his place at the top of the freshman sire ranking with two entrants. They include morning-line 4-5 favorite Echo Zulu in the NetJets Juvenile Fillies and Pappacap in the Juvenile. Echo Zulu is undefeated in three starts and is one of Gun Runner’s two first-crop grade 1 winners, having captured the Frizette Stakes (G1) by 7 1/4 lengths in her previous start.
Other freshman sires with entrants are Airdrie Stud’s American Freedom with American Sanctuary in the Juvenile; Juddmonte Farms’ late sire Arrogate with Jasper Great in the Juvenile; Darley Stallions’ Astern with Sail By in the Juvenile Fillies Turf; Lane’s End’s Connect with Hidden Connection in the Juvenile Fillies; and, Ashford’s Cupid with Desert Dawn in the Juvenile Fillies.
