Picking the freshman sires of 2009

One of my favorite issues of the year has arrived – the Thoroughbred Times freshman sire forum.

This year’s guest selectors were Sobhy Sonbol of Zayat Stables, Eric Guillot of Southern Equine Stables, Florida pinhooker Eddie Woods, and Utah-based pinhooker John Brocklebank.

Bloodstock Editor John P. Sparkman invited them to pick five freshman sires each. To see a pdf of the magazine story, including the complete list of freshman sires for 2009 so you can make your own picks, click here.

The two-year-old sales will tell us much more about the new studs, such as how their progeny move and what kind of speed they have, but here are the five sires I’m most excited about at this time:

1) Ghostzapper
2) Rock Hard Ten
3) Closing Argument
4) Afleet Alex
5) Roman Ruler

Horse of the Year Ghostzapper is the obvious standout from this crop based on his initial $200,000 stud fee. A nine-length winner of his debut as a two-year-old, Ghostzapper is one of the fastest horses of the modern speed figure era. The three things I noted in his babies were balance, bone, and (perceived) class.

Rock Hard Ten is not a horse that will be expected to peak as a juvenile sire, but I saw several yearlings I absolutely loved, led by a $700,000 colt out of Tapstress that the Thoroughbred Legends bought at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga. Word is Bob Baffert will train him. I would love to see this son of Kris. S turn out to be an important sire.

Closing Argument got called up to Kentucky on the strength of his first crop of weanlings, and it was obvious why. The son of Successful Appeal is producing well muscled, athletic foals that simply look fast.

They are not fancy looking horses, but by the end of last year Afleet Alex started to win me over. And when a skilled pinhooker like Eddie Woods says they all move well, I take note. I love the sire’s combination of speed and stamina and his ability to win at six furlongs to 1 ½ miles.

For the fifth spot on my list I figure I better take a stallion who is getting fast, precocious types, which I narrowed to Forest Danger and Roman Ruler. Donato Lanni of Hill ’n’ Dale Farms, where Roman Ruler stands, says I would be a fool to leave Roman Ruler off my list. Lanni won my freshman sire contest in 2008, and he has a sharp eye for talent, so his advice broke the tie.

Who do you like from the freshman sire class of 2009?