Topping the list is Empire Stallions’ Tall Dark Stranger, which has produced 13 individual winners from 20 starters. He leads a competitive group, closely followed by Captain Midnight with 11 winners from 21 starters.
Alabar’s hometown hero Ride High also impressed with 10 winners from 22 starters, including Group 1 star Ride the highlights. It is striking that each of these three stallions currently has a crop of 60 foals.
Ride High is one of the few stallions with a Full Book sign on his stable door.
A standout player with a much smaller debut book is Bettors Wish – the exciting son of champion sire Bettors Delight. From a modest crop of just 28 he has already produced 9 winners, and he leads the premiership of the stallions in the first season with earnings of $442,856, supported by the brilliant Group 1 winning filly I wish Belle in Western Australia.
Inter Dominion champion Ultimate Sniper has also made a great start, producing 8 winners from just 12 starters from a crop of 36.
It’s no shock to see that Bettors Delight’s influence is strong – Gamblers wishes, Tall dark stranger And Ultimate sniper are all sons of the great father. Meanwhile, Ride High is a son of Art major And Captain Midnight a son of Captain treacherousadding diversity to the top.
Trotters are also gaining momentum
On the trotting side, Alabar’s Elite Stride has made its presence felt with 7 winners from 10 starters (crop 27), while Yabby Dam’s French-bred Classic Connection has produced 4 winners from just 6 starters.
With the Breeders Crown heats and finals plus several junior events still to take place in the final weeks of the season, these numbers are set to rise – and perhaps even more debut stallions will join the winners list.
Looking ahead to 2026, all eyes are on the next wave. The square pacer King Of The North has a strong book on the ground, while the American first-year sire Pebble Beach proved extremely popular with breeders.
The race for next year’s first-year honors is starting to get just as exciting.
Through Gary Newton for Harnesslink
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