Theatrical, who was produced from the Sassafras mare Tree of Knowledge, stands at Gerald Ford's Diamond A Farms near Versailles, Ky. Nureyev (Northern Dancer--Special, by Forli) holds court at John T.L. Jones Jr.'s Walmac International near Lexington. He has been restricted to shareholder mares for the 2002 breeding season.
A champion and racing star on grass in the mid-1980s, Theatrical enjoyed a stellar weekend at Arlington Park with his lawn runners and took over the top spot on the turf sire list from Dynaformer. Theatrical was represented over the weekend by the winner and runner-up, Startac and Strut the Stage, respectively, in the Secretariat Stakes (gr. IT) for 3-year-olds and by the second-place finisher, Hap, in the Arlington Million XIX Stakes (gr. IT).Startac and Strut the Stage finished within a nose of each other in the Secretariat and added a total of $320,000 to Theatrical's progeny earnings total for the year. Hap, who banked $200,000 for his performance, went into the race off a three-race win streak, with earlier wins coming in the Dixie Stakes (gr. IIT), New Hampshire Sweepstakes Handicap (gr. IIIT), and Bernard Baruch Handicap (gr. IIT).As expected, Theatrical also registered a sizable gain on the general sires list. He advanced from 30th to 15th and has progeny earnings of $2,978,857. His sire, Nureyev, added $600,000 to his coffers with the triumph of his son Skimming in the Pacific Classic Stakes (gr. I). Nureyev moved up from 24th to 11th on the general list.