by Mike Curry

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships always offer plenty of sire power, and this year is no different with 91 sires represented among 123 horses entered for the 11 Breeders’ Cup races at Monmouth Park on Friday and Saturday.

Distorted Humor leads the way with six of his progeny entered followed by Sadler’s Wells with four, but several pensioned or deceased sires could elicit sentimental support from fans who have followed their progeny for years.

Among the influential sires with their finals crops of racing age is a father-son tandem each with his legacy firmly cemented in Thoroughbred history.

The late, great Danzig’s final crop of foals are two-year-olds this year, and his most successful son at stud, Danehill, also will be represented by runners from his final two crops.

Three-time leading sire Danzig has sired ten champions, 116 graded stakes winners, and the winners of five Breeders’ Cup races. Lure won back-to-back editions of the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 1992-93. Chief’s Crown was Danzig’s first Breeders’ Cup winner when he won the Juvenile (G1) at the inaugural Breeders’ Cup in 1984 and went on to earn champion honors in the two-year-old male division.

Dance Smartly won the 1991 Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and War Chant is Danzig’s most recent winner with his triumph in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Mile. Danzig is tied with Kris S. with five Breeders’ Cup winners and trails only Sadler’s Wells, who has sired six winners.

Danzig’s contenders this season are multiple classics-placed Grade 1 winner Hard Spun in the Breeders’ Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (G1) and Prussian, a colt from the final crop of Danzig who is the 3-to-1 morning-line favorite for the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Danehill has sired more stakes winners than any stallion in the history of the breed with 344 through Monday, including a remarkable 221 graded stakes winners and 23 champions. Despite his impressive list of achievements, Danehill has not been quite as productive in the Breeders’ Cup as has Danzig, obviously few sires have been.

His two Breeders’ Cup winners to date are full sisters Banks Hill (GB) and Intercontinental (Ire), winners of the 2001 and ’05 editions of the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, respectively.

Danehill will have three chances to close in on his father at this Breeders’ Cup in two-time champion George Washington (Ire), a four-year-old contender in the Classic; Dylan Thomas (Ire), also four years old and the 7-to-5 morning-line favorite for the John Deere Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1); and Simply Perfect (GB), a three-year-old from Danehill’s final crop who is entered in the Filly & Mare Turf.

Danzig died in July 2006 and Danehill passed away in May ’03.

Sunday Silence, the dual 1989 classic winner who is the leading sire of all time by worldwide purse earnings with more than $684-million, stood his entire career at stud in Japan and has had only two Breeders’ Cup starters. Sundrop (Jpn) finished 14th in the 2005 Filly & Mare Turf and Silent Name (Jpn) set the pace in last year’s Mile and led into the stretch before fading to finish sixth. Silent Name will return to contest the Mile again this year.

Pensioned sire Lear Fan, who has sired 80 stakes winner, 32 graded stakes winners, and seven champions, has a chance to add a Breeders’ Cup victor to his list of accomplishments at stud. Lear’s Princess rolls into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff off a half-length win in the Gazelle Stakes (G1).

Nashoba’s Key will attempt to become the first Breeders’ Cup winner for pensioned sire Silver Hawk, sired of 76 stakes winners, 39 graded stakes winners, and two champions. Undefeated Nashoba’s Key enters the Filly & Mare Turf off a three-quarter-length win in the Yellow Ribbon Stakes (G1) on September 29 at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park. She is from the penultimate crop of Silver Hawk, by Roberto.

Wonder Again, the third-place finisher in the 2004 Filly & Mare Turf, is Silver Hawk’s best previous finisher in the Breeders’ Cup.

Diamond Stripes will attempt to provide Notebook, who died in August 2003, with his first Breeders’ Cup winner as a contender in the Classic. Three Ring finished third in the 1998 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) for Notebook, sire of 49 stakes winners and 15 graded stakes winners.

Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times daily news editor