Sparrow Castle wrote:
It's actually an interesting conversation. Recently discussed this with an owner friend who just claimed a Looking At Lucky colt out of a Summer Squall mare. He didn't do much in his first starts on the dirt but has a win and a 2nd now on turf. We wondered where he got a turf aptitude. It brought me to the Bloodhorse list of Leading Turf Sires. I was surprised at what I saw for some of these guys. For example, the 2012 list (ordered by turf earnings) shows A.P. Indy at #52 as a turf sire with 62 turf runners, 15 winners, 2 stakes winners, earnings $1,087,850, 19% (out of all runners 129, 59, 9) in 2012. Even predominately dirt sires in North America have sired a good number of turf runners/winners.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/ ... /2012/turf
Lookin at Lucky is about even on dirt and turf stakes winners, since he has Southern Hemisphere foals from shuttling. But then his sire, Smart Strike, could sire a top horse on just about anything, surface and distance wise.
Pretty much any stallion, is going to have winners on the dirt and turf, regardless of who they are. Not many make it into the category of being a versatile quality stallion like Medaglia d'Oro, Tapit, Storm Cat, Smart Strike, Giant's Causeway, Street Cry, etc. Who are(were) known for siring G1 quality on both surfaces on a regular basis.
Honestly, if I wouldn't have looked, I wouldn't have been able to come up with a G1SW on the turf by A.P. Indy. Kitten's Joy can get you a stakes winner on the dirt too, it just doesn't happen that often, in 2015 he didn't have any dirt stakes winners but in 2014 he had 2.
Sparrow Castle wrote:I'm no expert on this subject though. I'll Have Another's damsire is Arch, who is #25 (45%) on that 2012 list. His sire Flower Alley is #132 (9%). If he is being bred to predominately turf pedigreed mares, which I assume, wouldn't that increase the turf aptitude of his foals?
No. You can look at other dirt stallions that have been exported and been complete failures to show that doesn't always work. Empire Maker was sold back because he had no success while in Japan or Roses In May who can sire winners, he just doesn't get hardly any stakes winners. I've always believed Forty Niner should have came back because he just didn't have the same success in Japan as the US. Its going to be interesting to see if a Distorted Humor line stallion can prove himself to be a top stallion. None of his sons have proven themselves thus far, and while they have each had a few nice horses, they've been exported to other countries for not enough success.
Maybe being in Japan and bred to turf mares is just what he needs but there is never a sure thing in breeding. Time will give us the answers. I do wish him well and hope he has much success.