Gilded Time’s regional sons

He took a career record of four wins from six starts to stud at Vinery in 1994, and with his first crop racing at two in 1997 he was crowned the champion freshman sire. His best runners include G1 winners Gayego, Elloluv, and Mandy’s Gold, but it wasn’t enough to keep him in Kentucky. He currently stands at Bar None Ranches in Alberta, Canada, and has shuttled to both Australia and Brazil where he’s sired SWs.

Gilded Time was sired by Timeless Moment, a son of champion and leading sire Damascus. But, by the late 1990’s, the Damascus sireline was on the wane, and today there isn’t much representation here. But Gilded Time, through two regional sons, is helping to keep this line alive.

This weekend, the Gilded Time sire Early Flyer was represented by stakes winner Sword Trick (winner of the Groovy S. at Sam Houston in Texas). He is owned and bred by Clarence Scharbauer, Jr. and trained by Bret Calhoun. Gilded Time’s Old Topper was represented by Take Me Away Today (winner of the El Paso Times S. at Sunland). Take Me Away Today is owned and bred by Tommy Town Thoroughbred and trained by Johnnie Nall.

Old Topper is a foal of 1995 and part of the reason Gilded Time was leading freshman sire of 1997. He won two of seven starts at two, including the G3 Best Pal S. at Del Mar, and placed in three additional races, including the G2 Del Mar Futurity. He won three additional stakes at three, including the G3 Pat O’Brien H., defeating older sprinters.

He retired to stud in California and has proven to be an attractive option for California breeders since 2001. Aside from a cross to Nearctic in his fifth generation, Old Topper is free of Northern Dancer, Bold Ruler, and Raise a Native blood.

In his eight crops, Old Topper has sired an impressive 75% starters to foals, 56% winners to foals and 19 SWs. His progeny average almost $40,000 in earnings. His best runners include California champion Sierra Sweetie. Old Topper’s best runners fit California very well, being primarily sprinters and early developers with many winning stakes at two (almost 50% of his SWs are two-year-old SWs). Old Topper finished sixth on the 2011 California leading sire list, with $2.1 million in progeny earnings.

Old Topper stands at Tommy Town Thoroughbred and his 2012 fee is $3,500.

Son Early Flyer wasn’t quite as precocious as Old Topper, winning a maiden and placing in the Golden Bear S. in two starts at two. But, like most Gilded Time progeny, he was a successful sprinter – winning the G2 San Vicente and placing in the G1 Frank De Francis Memorial Dash at three.

He retired to stud in Texas in 2004, and like Old Topper, proved to be an attractive option. Early Flyer is completely free of Nearctic, Bold Ruler and Raise a Native blood.

In five crops, Early Flyer has sired 74% starters, 53% winners and eight SWs, including Texas champion Formal Flyer. His progeny average almost $35,000 in earnings. And like Gilded Time and Old Topper, they run early and prefer shorter distances. Early Flyer finished third on the Texas general sire list in 2011, with $1 million in progeny earnings.

Early Flyer stands at Valor Farm and his 2012 fee is $2,500.

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Jump starting PA sire list

By Elaine Belval

The loss of Overbrook Farm and W. T. Young was a big one for the Thoroughbred industry. And Kentucky lost a promising sire when Jump Start moved to Pennsylvania in 2010.

Over the weekend, San Pablo won the Shots Are Ringing S. at Aqueduct for owner Burning Sands Stable, LLC, breeder Dan Bearden and trainer Todd Pletcher. It was the second consecutive stakes race San Pablo has won at the Aqueduct winter meeting of 2011/12 for his connections. The gelding has now won five of seven starts and been on the board in all seven races. The comment line for the Shots Are Ringing states that San Pablo “…won for fun.” And this same weekend, the Bob Baffert-trained GSW Prayer for Relief finished third in the G2 San Fernando S. at Santa Anita.

Jump Start proved an atypical A.P. Indy. He was out early, in June, and won the G2 Saratoga Special before an injury ended his career in October. He was a son of GSP Steady Cat (by Storm Cat) from the family of leading sire Miswaki. He retired to Overbrook Farm for a very modest $5,000 fee. He proved both popular (with over 70 named foals) and successful (with seven SWs). That first crop included the GSWs Sir Whimsey, Jump On In, Bold Start, and Assessment. His second crop was even larger (almost 100 foals) and included the immensely successful G1 winner Rail Trip. And Jump Start hasn’t slowed down since.

While Jump Start has been much more precocious than the average A.P. Indy, he is siring more like A.P. Indy. Of his 25 SWs, only five have won a stakes at two. And, so far, only a fraction of his earnings has come from turf performers. But his progeny tend to be a bit speedier than A.P. Indy’s – proving most successful at seven-to-nine furlong distances. Overall, Jump Start sires 50% winners and 6% SWs (and 30% of his SWs are GSWs). His progeny average almost $70,000 in earnings.

So, his move was a loss to Kentucky but a major gain for Pennsylvania. Jump Start was the state’s leading sire in 2011 after finishing second in 2010. And with San Pablo and Prayer for Relief continuing their successful ways in 2012, it seems Jump Start will be a major factor in Pennsylvania this year.

Jump Start stands at Northview Pennsylvania for a 2012 fee of $10,000.

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