The year's two top sires on the 2-year-old list, Open Forum and Carson City, have cracked the $100,000 mark. Both share something else in common. An offspring of each deadheated for first in the Three Chimneys Juvenile Stakes on Derby Day at Churchill Downs. Open Forum's daughter, Open Story, and Carson City's son, City Street, stopped the clock in a track record :57.28 for the five furlongs.Open Forum, who also ranks first on the freshman list, has sired the earners of $113,150, and Carson City is represented by the earners of $104,050. Open Forum (Deputy Minister--Agretta, by Graustark) stands at Harry Mangurian Jr.'s Mockingbird Farm near Ocala, Fla. Carson City (Mr. Prospector--Blushing Promise, by Blushing Groom) stands at William T. Young's Overbrook Farm near Lexington.
The $812,000 earned by Monarchos in winning the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) played a big part in his sire, Maria's Mon, moving up on the leading sires list. Maria's Mon advanced from eighth to second, and now is represented by the earners of $2,367,408. That total also ranks first among second-crop stallions. Maria's Mon (Wavering Monarch--Carlotta Maria, by Caro) stands at Josephine Abercrombie's Pin Oak Stud near Versailles, Ky.The Derby runner-up, Invisible Ink, earned $170,000 for his effort, and that amount help boost the total of his sire, Thunder Gulch, to $2,144,694. Another of Thunder Gulch's offspring, grade I winner Point Given, ran fifth in the Run for the Roses, but that effort failed to result in a monetary reward. Thunder Gulch, who is third on the leading sire list, ranks atop the third-crop stallion list. Thunder Gulch (Gulch--Line of Thunder, by Storm Bird) stands at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky.Veteran stallion Seattle Slew came away with a big winner the day before the Derby and made a sizeable move on the leading sires list, advancing from 44th to 16th. His daughter, Flute, captured the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and earned $377,704 in the process. Seattle Slew (Bold Reasoning--My Charmer, by Poker) stands at Robert N. Clay's Three Chimneys Farm near Midway, Ky. Three Chimneys also is home for the year's leading sire, Fly So Free, who has held the lead ever since his son, Captain Steve, took the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) in March. Fly So Free (Time for a Change--Free to Fly, by Stevward) is represented by the earners of $4,303,418.