For Derby winner Golden Horn, the suspension of racing in Europe could not have come at a worse time, as April and May are such important months for a stallion’s first three-year-olds to gain momentum. However, he has well and truly hit the ground running since racing resumed and is on course to enjoy a superb season.
Golden Horn has already sired six Stakes-performing three-year-olds this year, which when their winning distances of 10 furlongs-plus is factored in, is a figure that can only be beaten by Galileo and is higher than Sea The Stars, Frankel, Teofilo, Mastercraftsman and Australia.
These six are only part of the picture – he is also responsible for impressive maiden and handicap winners abound. Of the 40 three-year-olds with a rating, no less than 31 have achieved a Timeform of 80 or higher, many with the fabled “p”. That is nearly four out of every five runners.
It puts Golden Horn ahead of all other British or Irish stallions including father and son duo Dubawi and Night Of Thunder, plus fellow Derby winners Galileo and Sea The Stars, when judged by percentage of runners to ratings.
It is also worth mentioning that this figure is higher than that achieved by Galileo and Sea The Stars with their first three-year-olds.
The next few months could be very exciting and a few names to watch out for include Grand Prix de Paris-bound Influx, the William Haggas-trained impressive Doncaster winner Al Zaraqaan, his Hascombe-bred filly Domino Darling, Bill and Tim Gredley’s Craylands, French debutant winner Baltic Gold, plus the progressive trio of Galata Bridge, Grand Bazaar and Spectrum Of Light.
