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11 Major Sires Were Either Pensioned or Died in 2011-2012

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Starting in April 2011, no fewer than 9 of the top 150 sires either died or were pensioned. It's pretty remarkable when you break it all out in terms of earnings and stakes winners. The breakdown is after the jump.

Sire Date Died/Ret Influential Sires (Rank) SWs Earnings Top Progeny Notes
A.P. Indy Ret APR11 Malibu Moon (9)
Bernardini (12)
Mineshaft (18)
Pulpit (23)
Jump Start (44)
Full Mandate (61)
Flatter (67)
140 $112 Million Rags to Riches Way too many awesome progeny to list
Bernstein Died OCT11 -- 70 $34 Million None Lots of Solid ARG and JPN horses
Bertrando Ret DEC11 Officer (54) 54 $41 Million Karelian California Sire
Dynaformer Died MAY11 -- 129 $104 Million Americain
Perfect Drift
Dynever
Barbaro
Grand Slam Died MAR12 Limehouse (97)
Stronghope (133)
73 $61 Million Cajun Beat
In Excess Ret JUL11 Indian Charlie (63) 50 $35.5 Million Notional
Musical Chimes
Indian Charlie Died DEC11 -- 61 $43 Million Uncle Mo
Indian Blessing
Rahy Died SEP11 -- 91 $96 Million Serena's Song
Fantastic Light
Dreaming of Anna
Broodmare Sire of Giant's Causeway
Broodmare Sire of Life At Ten
Royal Academy Died FEB12 Bel Esprit 160 $120 Million Val Royal
Major International Sire
Grandsire of Black Caviar
Half to dam of Storm Cat

A few interesting notes:

  • AP Indy is awesome. Nothing else needs to be said. It's difficult to put into words how influential he is. But this does a pretty good job.
  • I always find it interesting how California sires have their own niche cut out for them. You very rarely ship anyone in to breed to them, but they really have a great state-internal breeding program out there.
  • Dynaformer is amazing. And I admit he is one of my all time favorite stallions.
  • I always liked Grand Slam. His breeding is clever, with an inbreeding of Bold Ruler through Gone West and through his female tail. Plus he's a direct female descendant of Reine-de-Course Plum Cake, whose offspring include a Broodmare of the Year and Alydar. Plus his dam (Bright Candles) is the best daughter of the best daughter of the daughter of Plum Cake. Kinda stretching a bit there, but no denying its a great bloodline.
  • Crazy that In Excess and his son Indian Charlie were out of the mix the same year.
  • Indian Charlie really didn't have many great progeny hit the track.
  • Rahy was(is) a great broodmare sire.
  • Royal Academy was a half to Pancho Villa, a solid sire, and to Terlingua, the dam of Storm Cat. He's out of a hell of a nice broodmare.
  • And man, did Royal Academy make some really nice sprinters.

This isn't all inclusive, just the big ones that caught my eye and/or I remembered. Not a whole lot of insight here, just a ton of great horses that left the shed in the past 14 months.