The Stallions whose first yearlings make their debuts at Kentucky's summer yearling sales certainly have a tough act to follow. One year ago, Unbridled's Song, Honour and Glory, Hennessy, and Forest Wildcat made a thunderous splash at the early- and late-summer yearling sales, and their allure carried on to this year's two-year-olds in training sales.

The 2000 first-crop sire class may not have the same stylish commercial appeal as their 1999 counterparts, but they certainly have the potential, pedigree, and racetrack performance to be successful as sires.

This year's newcomers include winners of many of the world's major races, including the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), Mile (G1), and Juvenile (G1), Belmont Stakes (G1), Preakness Stakes (G1), Epsom Derby (Eng-G1), Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1), Metropolitan Handicap (G1), Arlington Million (G1), and Florida Derby (G1). In the 2000 group are champions Boston Harbor, Langfuhr, Smoke Glacken, Benny the Dip, and Spinning World, along with talented stakes winners Pulpit, Captain Bodgit, Victory Speech, Sir Cat, and Marlin.

The leaders of the group are difficult to determine, and buyers will get their first crack at yearlings by those and other first-crop sires at the Keeneland July selected sale on July 17-18 and the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July selected sale on July 19-20.

Among the first-crop sires who enjoyed solid returns at last year's weanling markets were Pulpit, Spinning World, Boston Harbor, and Siphon (Brz). Pulpit, who stands for $40,000 at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky, had three weanlings sell last year for an average $355,000. The six-year-old son of A.P. Indy out of the Grade 1-winning Mr. Prospector mare Preach is expected to enjoy the same type of reception this year.

Pulpit has seven yearlings cataloged at Keeneland, second only to Breeders' Cup Mile winner Spinning World among all first-crop sires in the boutique sale. Pulpit's yearlings include a colt out of the Roberto mare Twitchet, who has already produced graded stakes winners Tactical Advantage and Evanescent.

Although he ranked third among first-crop weanling sires by average last year, champion and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Boston Harbor is expected to do extremely well this year with nine yearlings cataloged at the two Kentucky sales. The fashionably bred six-year-old by Capote out of Harbor Springs, by Vice Regent, has proved to be quite popular at the sales. Boston Harbor had 12 weanlings sell for an average $153,917 and a median $150,000 in 1999. Based at William T. Young's Overbrook Farm near Lexington, Boston Harbor stood his initial season for $25,000.

Spinning World was a Group 1 or Grade 1 winner in three countries, including victories in the 1997 Breeders' Cup Mile at Hollywood Park, '96 and '97 Prix du Haras de Fresnay le Buffard Jacques le Marois (Fr-G1) at Deauville, and the '96 Irish Two Thousand Guineas.

The seven-year-old son of Nureyev was the second-leading first-crop sire of weanlings last year with 20 sold for a $228,802 average. His weanlings included a filly out of Bemissed, by Nijinsky II, purchased by Narvick International for $575,000.

Based at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Kentucky, Spinning World stood the 1998 season for $50,000. Not represented at Fasig-Tipton, Spinning World has ten of his first crop of 109 foals cataloged in the Keeneland July sale.

Among the other first-crop sires with several offspring at the summer's first major yearling auctions are Siphon, Editor's Note, Louis Quatorze, and Victory Speech, plus champion sprinters Langfuhr and Smoke Glacken.

Winner of the 1996 Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap (G1) and '97 Santa Anita Handicap (G1), Siphon is represented by four yearlings at Keeneland and nine at Fasig-Tipton. Editor's Note, a seven-year-old son of Forty Niner who won the 1996 Belmont Stakes, is a potential sleeper of the group and has nine of his ten yearlings cataloged at Fasig-Tipton. Smoke Glacken, a six-year-old son of Two Punch, has 13 yearlings at Fasig-Tipton.