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Blog: Is 2011 a safe bet for a ‘Darley Double?’

Posted: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 6:52 PM

by John Egan

Welcome one and all to the class of 2011 freshman sires. My name is John Egan, my work is as underwriting manager of the Lexington office of Markel Insurance Company, my passion is horse racing, and my hobby is the Freshman Sire Contest. I was born and raised in London, England, so in addition to opening a dialog to this year’s highly anticipated freshman stallion roster, I also hope to spark an interest in the European sires with their debut runners this year.
When looking at the first season stallions of 2011, I think that Darley find themselves in a strong position to stand the freshman sire champion in both the US and Europe and thereby complete a “Darley Double.”

First, Europe…

I am not sure that there is a better pedigree out there than Galileo (Ire)’s. By Sadler’s Wells out of Urban Sea, Galileo has already been proficient enough at stud to ensure the survival of the most important sire line in the World. He is the sire of 154 stakes performers of which 46 are group/graded stakes winners.
Galileo’s son Teofilo, who stands at Kildangan Stud in Ireland, will be my choice from the European section of Freshman Sire Contest. Teofilo was one of the most impressive two-year-olds I have ever seen. Unbeaten in five starts, he won the Darley Dewhurst Stakes (Eng-G1) at Newmarket. He also won the National Stakes (Ire-G1) and the Galileo EBF Futurity Stakes (Ire-G2), both at The Curragh.
Along with class and pedigree, Teofilo also showed a battling quality that proved a tribute his namesake, Teofilo Stephenson—the Cuban amateur heavyweight boxer who won Olympic gold in 1972, 1976, and 1980. I still envision the 2006 Dewhurst Stakes (G1), where Teofilo was headed by the Aidan O’Brien-trained Holy Roman Emperor, himself an exceptional two-year-old, but on this day the Galileo colt fought back to get his nose in front on the line. Any fan of racing should try and watch a replay of this race.

It’s worth mentioning that Darley are also represented by Manduro. Unbeaten in two starts at the age of two, including a Group 3 victory, he was unbeaten in five starts at five. That five-year-old campaign included three Group 1 wins.

Now, across the pond….

Another from the Northern Dancer sire line, but this time via the magnificent Danzig, it is no surprise that Hard Spun has been well supported upon his arrival to stud. He bred 181 mares in his first season. Unbeaten at the age of two, Hard Spun was a Grade 1 winner over seven furlongs and Grade 2 winner over nine furlongs at the age of three. He will be my selection for Group 1.

For me, the race that I think makes him stand out as a potential producer of quality racehorses is the Kentucky Derby (G1). Hard Spun, always most comfortable at the front, led from the gate and set fractions of :22.90, :46.26, 1:11.13, and 1:37.04. Yes, he was beat, but with questions about whether he would stay the mile and a quarter, he outran every other horse that day apart from Street Sense.
Of course, the U.S. freshman sire stallion roster at Darley is outstanding. Street Sense is the only horse to date to win the Breeders Cup Juvenile (G1) and Kentucky Derby. Discreet Cat was unbeaten at two and at three equaled the one-mile track record at Aqueduct in the Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile Handicap (G1). Finally, there is Any Given Saturday, who won the Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) and the son of Distorted Humor was in the money nine times from 11 starts.

So, when making your Freshman Sire Contest selections, will you be looking to the Darley Double?

About John Egan

A native Londoner, John Egan has been a racing enthusiast from a very young age and even owned interests in Thoroughbred racehorses with his parents. After graduating from University with a business degree in 1997, John spent three years working in the London insurance market before pursuing his desire to work in the racing industry. He began work as an assistant to a trainer and was predominately based at Wolverhampton racecourse in England. After a spell in training, John then went to work for Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber's farms of Watership Down in England and Ireland before relocating to Kentucky and Lane's End Farm in 2002. After two years at Lane's End, John decided to combine his experience in the horse and insurance industries and became an equine insurance agent, which he did for three years, before making the transition to underwriter for a large multi-national insurance company. In 2008, he became underwriting manager of the Lexington office of Markel Insurance Company, which was opened in October of that year with the primarily focus of writing Thoroughbred equine mortality insurance.'

With the launch of the Lexington office, John has become actively involved in Thoroughbred media to help promote Markel. He appeared on the Horse Racing Radio Network's Saturday morning show in 2009 and 2010 to discuss horses on the Kentucky Derby trail. In 2009, John also began a freshman sire competition and created a newsletter with that competition called The Freshman. That contest caught the eye of THOROUGHBRED TIMES and a partnership was formed to present the Freshman Sire Contest together in 2010. The partnership continues with the 2011 competition also being presented by Markel and THOROUGHBRED TIMES. 

John lives in Lexington and is married to Melissa, who is a small animal veterinarian.