We are at the point of the year when the battle for position among top sires is far from determined. Except for the top spot, where if North America’s leading sires were listed by their progeny’s earnings on a newspaper’s agate page, we’d see something that looks like this:
1. Into Mischief —X
(X=clinched division)
In other words, the five-time leading sire has all but officially locked up a sixth consecutive crown.
But after that, it’s anyone’s game.
If the season were a two-turn race, the field would be approaching the second of those turns. There’s some movement but no one is making a move—yet. To that point, we have six sires who moved up one spot from two weeks ago, seven who dropped one spot, and two who entered at the tail end of the top 25.
One of those who wasn’t ranked two weeks ago is Speightstown. Although he died eight months ago, his legacy carries on. And from Aug. 5-8, we saw his offspring represent him very well with seven victories—the fuel to move Speightstown back into the top 25.
A trio of 2-year-old colts flashed their potential as Owen Almighty triumphed in the $175,000 Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes, and Eighty West and Brie’s in Town won maiden special weights.
Meanwhile, his older runners also shined.
Love Appeals , a 4-year-old daughter, won the $100,000 Incredible Revenge Stakes; 5-year-old son Sahalat and 3-year-old filly Lithe Spirit won allowance races at Horseshoe Indianapolis; Peach Cobbler won a starter optional claimer at Woodbine; and Step Forward finished third in the rescheduled Troy Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course.
With other runners such as Monmouth Oaks (G3) victress Scalable , Speightstown’s name may return to the top 25 for the first time since 2022, when he was 10th by progeny earnings. His impact is even being felt abroad as his 4-year-old son Manibhadra has gone 2-1-1 from four starts in Japan this year with earnings of $351,018.
Having stood at WinStar Farm near Versailles, Ky., Speightstown sired a bevy of millionaires and Breeders’ Cup participants, including Munnings , Haynesfield , Reynaldothewizard , Tamarkuz , Matera Sky, Charlatan , Olympiad , Prince of Monaco , and Switzerland .
These successful offspring resulted in Speightstown averaging 11th in progeny earnings in the 15 full years that he’s been represented on the track. While he was never the leading sire for any one year, he came tantalizingly close twice. In 2012, he was third overall and $130,767 behind leader Giant’s Causeway. The next year he was second—his best ranking—and was $73,029 short of Kitten’s Joy.
Last year, he was 30th, his worst ranking since 2008 (32nd)—his first crop. Even then, he was the top freshman sire.
Speightstown didn’t just sire excellent runners; he sired sons who followed him with success in the breeding shed.
Sitting in a similar neighborhood to his father is Munnings, who is currently the 13th-ranked sire. Munnings sired three grade 1-winning millionaires as well as several other seven-figure earners. He’s on the cusp of adding another with Jaxon Traveler . Munnings’ 2-year-old daughter So There She Was broke her maiden at Del Mar Aug. 10 after a pair of seconds.
Another son, Echo Town is 12th among first-crop sires. Standing at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky., he’s led by 2-year-old Three Echoes , who was third in the Sanford Stakes (G3). Meanwhile, Force The Pass , a grade 1-winning millionaire in his own right, is 20th among second-crop sires.
Regionally, Speightstown is leaving his mark on the New York breeding scene with two top-11 sires in the Empire State. Central Banker who stands at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds near Saratoga Springs, N.Y. was tops in the state from 2021-24 and is second overall this year. Redesdale is 11th overall in New York and was second among first-crop sires in 2022. He also stands at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds.
Despite having moved in and out of the top 25 this year, Speightstown’s last crops of runners and sons standing stud are giving him a chance to have his final chapters as a sire come to a successful conclusion.
| TOP SIRES BY PROGENY EARNINGS | |
| Aug. 12 ranking | July 29 ranking |
| 1. Into Mischief | 1 (–) |
| 2. Mineshaft | 2 (–) |
| 3. Gun Runner | 3 (–) |
| 4. Quality Road | 4 (–) |
| 5. Justify | 6 (+1) |
| 6. Goldencents | 5 (-1) |
| 7. Constitution | 7 (–) |
| 8. Uncle Mo | 9 (+1) |
| 9. Curlin | 8 (-1) |
| 10. Practical Joke | 10 (–) |
| 11. Arrogate | 11 (–) |
| 12. Good Magic | 12 (–) |
| 13. Munnings | 13 (–) |
| 14. Twirling Candy | 15 (+1) |
| 15. Not This Time | 14 (-1) |
| 16. American Pharoah | 17 (+1) |
| 17. Mendelssohn | 16 (-1) |
| 18. Nyquist | 19 (+1) |
| 19. Kantharos | 18 (-1) |
| 20. Hard Spun | 21 (+1) |
| 21. Street Sense | 20 (-1) |
| 22. Frosted | 22 (–) |
| 23. Speightstown | NR |
| 24. Tapiture | 23 (-1) |
| 25. Ghostzapper | NR |