Top 50 Stallions

Analyzing the Best Stallions

ATTN BREEDERS: About a year ago, I analyzed the top 50 stallions in North America, comparing their Average Earnings Index (AEI) against the Comparable Index (CI) of the mares they bred. This comparison reveals whether a stallion improves the mares' progeny performance or vice versa. Surprisingly, fewer than 20% of stallions improve their mares. I then ran these top 50 stallions through Pedigrees360’s sex balance report, which tracks breed-shaping sires or dams in a pedigree and their gender balance.

For example, I recently saw a pedigree with 16 instances of Princequillo, perfectly balanced between eight sons and eight daughters. I absolutely approved that mare for Arrogates Hercules even though her race record was not glowing. Studies show that pedigrees heavily reliant on sons for genetic transmission tend to produce slower performers otherwise known as plodders!

Daughters in Pedigrees

The importance of daughters in pedigrees is linked to the X chromosome and mtDNA, which is responsible for traits like heart size, lung capacity, cardiovascular efficiency and overall energy in horses. This section of the Pedigrees360 report highlights when genetics are passed down through daughters more than 33% of the time, marking those instances in blue for a quick analysis.

Among the top 50 stallions, approximately 75% had at least five instances where genetics were passed through daughters at least 33% of the time, with an average of 6.5 instances. Top sires like AP Indy had 10, while Northern Dancer, Danzig, Tiznow and Tapit each had 9. Into Mischief, Gun Runner, and Mineshaft each had 6.

When I examined the bottom 25 stallions, 72% had four or fewer instances of daughters passing on genetics at least 33% of the time, with an average of just 2 instances. Kentucky Derby winners like I'll Have Another and Always Dreaming, both unsuccessful at stud, had only 2 instances, while Classic Empire another recent deportation had only 4. Always Dreaming is now in Oklahoma joining another Stallion new to the Oklahoma roster in 2025; Colonel John who has 7 instances, just like his son who is standing at the same farm as the Colonel, with 7 instances. (Hint - that big grey).

The Exceptions

There are exceptions to this - the other 25% in which the stallions have a low number but have been bred to mares with a very high number. Not This Time is a perfect example of this. His mares have a comparable index of 1.78 meaning their progeny earn much more than the average mare. Even though my stallions have a high number I still review all the matings to ensure the mare is bringing something to the table other than a strong race record.

This supports my belief: while racing gives a stallion a platform, it’s pedigree and genetics that make a stallion successful, not racing alone.

Next, I looked at Arrogate, his sons, and his sire Unbridled's Song. Unbridled's Song leads the family with 9 instances, followed by Arrogate with 8, Dragoon Guard and Arrogate's Hercules with 7 each, and Arcangelo and Seize the Grey with 5 each.

The report for mares is very similar. Look at Littleprincessemma—she only earned about $86 per start, but produced six winners, five Blacktype winners, and American Pharoah, a Triple Crown winner.

Texas Stallions

In reviewing Texas stallions in which I could pull their information from Global Stallions Stud Analysis, only one ranks higher than Arrogate’s Hercules, that particular stallion has 9 instances of genetic balance. Unfortunately, the majority fall below 5 instances. There's also a highly rated grey stallion standing in Oklahoma, which you can discover by visiting www.lonestarstallions.com.

Breeders should seriously consider Arrogate’s Hercules (and the Oklahoma stallion), as they both have top-notch genetics. Arrogates Hercules also has an introductory fee of $1,500. A huge bargain when you consider his genetics. To see how your mare matches with Arrogate’s Hercules, visit our Mating Report Page and submit your mare today! Check out the actual reports for the Arrogate lineage as well as Always Dreaming, I'll Have Another and Classic Empire as comparison reports also posted here.