Ten breeding and siring tidbits for 2018

by Bob Heyden

1. Artsplace is about $27 million behind from equaling Albatross on the all-time earnings list for broodmare credits ($449 million to $422 million).

2. Somebeachsomewhere just completed his second successive $20 million-plus season with a final 2018 tally of $21.6 million.

3. Ontario bred 2,541 mares in 2018, followed by Ohio with 2,510 and Indiana 2,392. New Jersey bred 434 mares.
Somebeachsomewhere and Bettors Delight 1-2 in the standings less than $1 million apart, bred the exact same amount of 2- and 3-year-olds in 2018: 235.
Father and son Somebeachsomewhere and Captaintreacherous had the exact same number of 2-year-old winners in 2018: 37.

4. The two highest-priced priced yearlings of 2018 were both trotting fillies:

• $500,000 Fifty Cent Piece (Muscle Hill)

• $415,000 Krickan (Trixton)

5. Captaintreacherous had 34 $100,000 or better yearlings go under the hammer in 2018, his sire SBSW had 22.

6. McArdle with the HOY credit likely about to be added to his bio (McWicked) sold 24 yearlings in 2018 for a $22,137 average. Ridicule Hanover was his lone six-figure credit — $100,000.

7. More Muscles Yankee (age 23 last year) yearlings sold in 2018 than Muscle Massive (age 11 last year) — 16-14. Muscles Yankee is the only sire in the modern era to have three straight Hambletonian credits (2008-2010) and Muscle Massive sired the $1 million Yonkers International winner in 2018 — Cruzado Del Noches.

8. Sportswriter remains one of the more underrated racehorses of our time. Note the $100,000 average per start for his career. 14 8-2-1 $1,566,460; $111,890 per start.

9. Chapter Seven had three of the four freshmen/sophomore division winners in 2018, with his 2-year-olds both undefeated (Gimpanzee and Woodside Charm), and Hambletonian winner Atlanta on the 3-year-old side.

10. Swan For All — the sire of 2017 Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover — only went to post 11 times in his career: 11 8-2-0 $309,986.