Last week marked the anniversary of the death from cancer of one of history’s greatest stallions. Bold Ruler led the US General Sires List on eight occasions and also headed the 2yo sires list on numerous occasions, writes Sarah Whitelaw.
While the son of Nasrullah will forever be remembered as the sire of Triple Crown winner Secretariat, it was his overall record which made him without question one of the greatest thoroughbred stallions of all time.
Secretariat
Bold Ruler’s first crop statistics make (especially in this day where top stallions are expected to cover upwards of 150 mares per season) for astonishing reading. From 17 foals, 14 of his first crop reached the racetrack, and all 14 won.
This tally of winners included no fewer than 8 individual stakes winners, headed by ill-fated champion Lamb Chop.
Coup de Grace
In 1962, Bold Ruler’s foal crop numbered 24 but 10 were black type stakes winners, and this crop included champion 2yo colt and filly in Bold Lad (USA) and Queen Empress respectively, as well as top class older horse Bold Bidder, who would go on to sire two Kentucky Derby winners. (Queen Empress, whose 15 wins included the now Gr1 Frizette Stakes, is also the ancestress of exciting new Cape sire Coup De Grace).
Bold Ruler
Astonishingly, 1962 was not the only Bold Ruler crop to produce both the champion 2yo colt/filly of their respective years. His 1965 foals including a 2yo champion colt in Vitriolic and the latter’s female equivalent in Queen Of The Stage, as well as subsequent two time leading US sire, What A Pleasure.
Bold Ruler’s 1964 crop was equally impressive – his 35 strong crop included 23 winners, and eight stakes winners. This tally included Champion Two-Year-Old colts in both Britain (Bold Lad) and North America (Successor), as well as the ill-fated champion filly Gamely.
Flaming Rock
Bold Lad would go on to become an important stallion himself –his top performers including champion sprinter Never So Bold, 1000 Guineas winner Waterloo and successful sires Persian Bold and Ballad Rock (sire of former South African Horse Of The Year Flaming Rock).
A further 10 stakes winners were produced in the champion’s 1966 foal crop –which included Reviewer (sire of the champion fillies Ruffian and Revidere) and five times South African champion sire Jungle Cove.
While his greatest son Secretariat failed to sire a top class (but is damsire of outstanding sires A P Indy, Gone West and Storm Cat), Bold Ruler left behind a plethora of top class sire sons. His sons Raja Baba and What A Pleasure both became champion sires –Raja Baba topping the US General Sires List in 1980, and his paternal half brother What A Pleasure in 1975 and 1976. Between the years 1963 and 1980, either Bold Ruler or a son headed the US General Sires List on 11 occasions!
Inbreeding
Now days, inbreeding to Secretariat has become commonplace – with top class racehorses/sires bred like this including former champion sprinter and top sire Speightstown (Gone West), former Horse Of The Year Wise Dan (Wiseman’s Ferry) and Kentucky Oaks winner Princess Of Sylmar (Majestic Warrior) just three major examples.
Wise Dan wins the 2014 Shadwell Turf Mile
This once dominant male line also exerted a tremendous influence on the Kentucky Derby –with Bold Ruler line runners capturing the Run For The Roses on ten occasions – California Chrome (2014) being the latest to do so.
Thanks to Seattle Slew and A P Indy, the Bold Ruler male line continues to thrive in North America –where it has historically proved most successful. North America’s hottest, and most expensive, sire Tapit is male line descendant of the champion and that son of Pulpit continues to dominate racing in North America.
Tapit, who had a 2016 stud fee of $300 000, has headed the General Sires List for the past two years running and is once again well clear on the 2016 List. Not only is Tapit well clear (he leads runner up Uncle Mo by over $3 000 000), but there are no fewer than four Bold Ruler line sires on this year’s list –Lucky Pulpit (sire of California Chrome) is in third, Bernardini (A P Indy) is in seventh and Malibu Moon (A P Indy) fills the eighth spot.
Tapit (Pulpit – Tap Your Heels)
Tapit’s Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winning son Tapizar is currently the second leading First Crop Sire, while another Tapit son, Trappe Shot, is currently the third Leading Second Crop sire in the US, by earnings.
While Quality Road, Leading Third Crop Sire by earnings, is NOT a descendant of Bold Ruler, he is inbred to the eight times leading sire, while the third horse on that list Munnings is a son of Speighstown –who is inbred to Secretariat.
Bold Ruler line descendants have also enjoyed success in South Africa –where his sons Jungle Cove and Plum Bold both were champion sires, and his current male line descendants in South Africa include the likes of Jay Peg and Judpot, as well as new sire Coup De Grace.
Bush Telegraph
Notable performers by Bold Ruler line stallions to have raced in South Africa include champion Bush Telegraph and the latter’s Horse Of The Year son London News, as well as the great Bold Tropic. Leading sire Var (Forest Wildcat) is inbred to the former Horse Of The Year, as was the ill-fated, but very successful, Sail From Seattle (Gone West) and former leading first crop sire Visionaire (Grand Slam), and young sire, and former Equus Champion 2YO, Soft Falling Rain (National Assembly).
Fittingly, Bold Ruler (himself a former Horse Of The Year and Champion Sprinter) is commemorated by a Grade 3 race in North America – which is traditionally run at Aqueduct at the end of October.
