Freshman sires: Yaupon pads lead with 1st Keeneland victory
As the season approaches its final months, Yaupon maintains his position atop the standings with 22 wins from 89 starts. The son of Uncle Mo has established a comfortable lead over his closest competitors, posting a solid 24.7% win rate that reflects quality and consistency from his first crop. He also notched his first Keeneland winner with Local Knowledge. In that victory, Local Knowledge earned a 118 HRN speed fig, the fastest of the week for a maiden.
Behind Yaupon, Knicks Go holds second place with 14 winners from 95 starts, and Rock Your World and Maxfield are tied for third with 12 wins each. Essential Quality rounds out the top five with 10 wins from 76 starts.
Recent winners
Last week saw 10 freshman-sire offspring visit the winner's circle across various tracks. Sombeyay registered his first winner when Winthorn broke through at Horseshoe Indiana on Sept. 30 for trainer Cliff Phelps. The colt won at odds of 9-1 in his debut, giving the freshman stallion his first tally on the board.
Other notable recent winners include Savage Warden, who provided Code of Honor with a winner at Gulfstream Park on Sunday. Raging Bull added to his total when In the Aggregate won at Horseshoe Indiana on Thursday, and Brad Cox sent out My World to a maiden victory for Essential Quality at Belmont at Aqueduct on Saturday.
Freshman sire standings
| Sire | Starts | Wins | Places | Shows | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yaupon | 89 | 22 | 12 | 7 | 24.7 |
| Knicks Go | 95 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 14.7 |
| Rock Your World | 74 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 16.2 |
| Maxfield | 73 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 16.4 |
| Essential Quality | 76 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 13.2 |
| Beau Liam | 66 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 15.2 |
| Independence Hall | 74 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 12.2 |
| Uncle Chuck | 40 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 20.0 |
| Basin | 38 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 21.1 |
| Modernist | 54 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 13.0 |
| Charlatan | 49 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 14.3 |
| Leinster | 32 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 21.9 |
| Raging Bull (FR) | 66 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 9.1 |
| Code of Honor | 47 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 12.8 |
| Silver State | 63 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 7.9 |
| Lexitonian | 42 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 11.9 |
| Known Agenda | 54 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 7.4 |
| Tacitus | 52 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7.7 |
| By My Standards | 51 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 7.8 |
| Engage | 42 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 9.5 |