Freshman sires: Yaupon, Knicks Go earn Kentucky Downs wins
The 2025 freshman sire crop enters the fall with Yaupon firmly establishing himself as the leader with 18 winners from 63 starts. The son of Uncle Mo has maintained a solid 28.6% win rate, which puts him well ahead of the competition in both total victories and strike rate.
Next in the standings are Knicks Go with 12 wins from 66 starts and Maxfield with 11 wins from 48 starts. Although Knicks Go leads in total opportunities, Maxfield has been more efficient with a 22.9% win rate compared to Knicks Go's 18.2%.
Both Yaupon and Knicks Go got their first Kentucky Downs winners this week. Yaupon's Snappy Comeback shocked the field at 31-1 in a 6 1-2-furlong Sunday allowance with Joel Rosario in the irons for trainer Jose D'Angelo. The Knicks Go colt Honey Dutch took the field gate to wire Thusday in a one-mile maiden special weight for trainer Whit Beckman under Florent Geroux.
Leinster's Lennilu, the filly who shipped to Royal Ascot in June and ran a good third in the Group 3 Queen Mary, picked up right where she left off in the U.S. by winning again. She won the Florida Sire Desert Vixen on Saturday at Gulfstream.
Others of note
Engage had a particularly strong week with three winners, including Vita Mia at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, Share Success at Laurel Park on Friday, and Rockstar Casanova at Finger Lakes on Sept. 1.
Freshman sire standings
| Sire | Starts | Wins | Places | Shows | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yaupon | 63 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 28.6 |
| Knicks Go | 66 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 18.2 |
| Maxfield | 48 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 22.9 |
| Rock Your World | 52 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 13.5 |
| Beau Liam | 47 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 14.9 |
| Modernist | 35 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 17.1 |
| Uncle Chuck | 27 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 22.2 |
| Independence Hall | 47 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 10.6 |
| Code of Honor | 31 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 16.1 |
| Basin | 25 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 20.0 |
| Leinster | 23 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 21.7 |
| Raging Bull | 48 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8.3 |
| Silver State | 41 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 9.8 |
| Essential Quality | 40 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10.0 |
| By My Standards | 33 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 12.1 |
| Charlatan | 33 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 12.1 |
| Engage | 28 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 14.3 |
| Lexitonian | 28 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 10.7 |
| Tap Back | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 20.0 |
| Listing | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 33.3 |