By Elaine Belval
It’s very rare that full brothers have any type of equal success on the track or at stud. Usually one is significantly better than the other—or others, where there are multiple siblings. Sometimes, however, a brother or brothers to a “big horse” can be more than useful, and that’s the case with New York sire Freud, who’s enjoying yet another fine season.
When Rahy’s multiple Graded stakes winning daughter Mariah’s Storm went to stud, she first visited Storm Cat. Her first foal was multiple champion and leading sire Giant’s Causeway. She returned to Storm Cat six times and produced another five black type performers including GSW You’resothrilling and the stakes-placed brothers Roar of the Tiger and Tumblebrutus.
Freud is the year-younger brother to Giant’s Causeway. Though not as talented as his G1-winning full brother, Freud was graded stakes-placed in England (defeating leading young European sire Invincible Spirit in the Cork and Orrery Stakes). He retired to stud in New York for the moderate fee of $5,000 and he made an immediate impression at stud.
From his first crop of 32 foals, he had 19 winners, nine 2yo winners, and ended with three SWs (including two winners of New York Stallion Stakes races).
His second crop had 56 foals with 12 2yo winners and five SWs including Quick Little Miss, winner of two Hollywood Park 2yo stakes (and a second to Romance is Diane in the G1 Hollywood Starlet).
Last weekend featured two New York-bred stallion stakes for 3yos. In the filly version (the Park Avenue Stakes), his talented daughter Franny Freud—a previous GSW— won for the sixth time in nine starts. She led a Freud trifecta in the race as his daughters So N So and Freud’s Notebook finished second and third.
In the colt version (the Times Square Stakes), Freud’s son General Maximus won his first stakes in four lifetime starts.
Freud now has 18 lifetime SWs (an impressive 7% to foals). And he has an equally impressive $60,000 average earnings per starter (almost 10X his 2010 stud fee of $6,500).
Freud was the leading sire in New York in 2008 and 2009 and is off to a fine start to duplicate that feat in 2010.
He stands at Sequel Stallions in New York and will shuttle to La Leyenda in Argentina for the SH season.
(Elaine Belval is Senior Pedigree Analyst at WTC, Inc.)
Great article on Freud. It is remarkable how this sire has been able to stand out with a reduced number of mares (most of them being not of the best quality).
As you well said Freud is standing at Haras La Leyenda (along with Exchange Rate and Offlee Wild) for the 2010 southern hemisphere season.
Storm Cat line stallions have had great success in Argentina during the last years. Bernstein was the first one to stand in an important farm there(La Biznaga). I am not quite sure, but i think his fee in the US at that time was $5000 or $6500. A real bargain. Since then, he has sired Grade I winners both on turf and dirt and in sprint races as well as long distances (2500 metres).
After Bernstein´s accomplishments other farms decided to put their money on sons of Storm Cat. Pure Prize and Easing Along are the best examples. Both have great pedigrees. The first one had an acceptable to good race record and received 95 mares in his first season and 115 in his second. Most of them good mares. The latter (out of the Alydar mare Cadillacing) had an awful race record and went to a more humble farm where he received 58 mares in his first season and no more than 50 in the following three. He has proven himself as a great source of speed and precocity (nevertheless he has a GI winning champion stayer). He now stands at Haras La Quebrada and his book of mares has improved dramatically (both in quantity and quality). If i recall correctly he stood the 2008 NH season at Claiborne Farm for $10000.
The best son of Storm Cat (i mean the most successful worldwide) to ever stand in Argentina up to 2008 was Hennessy, who stood in 2005 and 2006 at Haras de la Pomme. He has 61 sons from his first crop and 56 from the second one. Paradoxically, his progeny numbers here are terrible. He has not gotten one single good colt or filly from his first crop and the second one is looking even more dissapointing.
Giant´s Causeway (Freud´s full brother) stood for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Also received some of the best mares available. Many of them were imported from the US. Hopefully he will succeed.
Personally i have confidence in Freud. His physique is similar to that of Tumblebrutus and his race record too. Tumblebrutus is doing well in Chile with his first crop i have heard. I also think Freud is going to receive important support from the Argentinian breeders. He has proven himself as a useful sire in the north and for a reseanable price.
Also, this is a time when breeders in Argentina see a sire with the words “Cat” or Storm” in his pedigree and instantly add any mare they have to their books. No wonder there are god knows how many sons of Storm Cat at stud in Buenos Aires (a lot of them have failed, of course)
It is not a good thing that any son of Storm Cat becomes a sire in Argentina, but i think Freud has what it takes to earn a name down there too, instead of just being known as Giant´s Causeways´brother.
We will see.