Balanced Image, Valley Victory, Garland Lobell lead

The 1998 numbers are in, and the trotting ranks in North America are again led by siring stars Balanced Image, Valley Victory and Garland Lobell.

Balanced Image was the leading money-winning sire of trotters in North America for the fourth straight season, with his get earning more than $7 million, the second year in a row he has topped the $7 million plateau. In 1995 and 1996, Balanced Image, a foal of 1978, also led the money-winning list with totals of $5.8 and $5.4 million, respectively. His total of $7,047,590 makes him the fourth most productive stallion of either gait, behind the successful pacing sires Artsplace, Run The Table and Western Hanover.

Balanced Image’s leading money-winner was the accomplished aged star Glory’s Comet, who added more than $720,000 this season to bring his career bankroll to $1.6 million. His other big-money aged star was the rugged Goodtimes, who added $337,895 in 1998, and became yet another millionaire offspring for his famous sire, with a few dollars shy of $1.3 million. Interestingly enough, these two, rugged campaigners, are the only sons or daughters of Balanced Image that appear on the top 20 list of aged performers. Balanced Image, a fertile horse, had an incredible 271 starters in 1998, compared to only 83 for Valley Victory, who wound up second in the all-age category.

Among three-year-old trotters, Trade Balance carried Balanced Image’s torch high, as he wound up in the historic winner’s enclosure at the end of the Kentucky Futurity last fall at The Red Mile. Trade Balance won $436,682 in 1998 and was the leading sophomore offspring for Balanced Image. Trade Balance is but one of four Balanced Image offspring that appear among the top 20 three-year-old performers. His other big winners were Stormont Tuscany, who earned $326,642, Stormont Bronze, who collected $238,610, and the emerging filly star Image Control, who banked $235,936 after winning less than $5,000 as a two-year-old a year ago.

Balanced Image also produced two of his very best two-year-olds in 1998, with the potential North American stars Armbro Scorpion and Exclusive Lavec. Armbro Scorpion, a colt, won nearly $300,000 in his first season at the races to lead all Canadian-sired colts. Exclusive Lavec also led the filly ranks in Canada, and took her act south on occasion as well to compete successfully in open stakes in the U.S. Exclusive Lavec earned $209,354, and her total was also good for a Top 20 appearance on the North American earning lists.

Balanced Image was so far ahead of his rivals in the all-age category that this money race was virtually over at mid-season and should have been declared no-contest. The next highest stallion on the all-age list is Valley Victory, and his get earned but $4.4 million, giving Balanced Image a total nearly 50 per cent higher than his nearest challenger. Garland Lobell was next in the all-age category, ranking just a few dollars shy of Valley Victory, with $4.1million, but also nearly $3 million behind Balanced Image. Speedy Crown also topped $4 million for what seems like a lifetime, and Sierra Kosmos’ breakout year saw his performers just miss a top four finish at $3.8 million.

VALLEY VICTORY HAD NARROW MARGIN OVER BALANCED IMAGE IN 3-YEAR-OLD RANKS

Valley Victory again led the 3-year-old performers list, but this time by only a scant few dollars from Balanced Image and Sierra Kosmos. Muscles Yankee won the majority of Valley Victory’s 3-year-old total, winning $1.2 million of a total of $2.6 million. Valley Victory’s only other major performer was True Blue Victory, who won $233,896. It is well known, of course, that Valley Victory produces a very low number of foals, but the average earnings of his 3-year-old starters in 1998 was nearly $100,000.

Balanced Image just missed in this category with a total just $100,000 shy of Valley Victory’s sum. Sierra Kosmos had a magnificent season, and had four major stakes stars, including the three-year-old filly champion Fern, who won $644,823; Kick Tail, who won $560,282; Kosmo Girl, who added $282,952 and Silver Pine, who got $263,578. Sierra Kosmos led all sires of three-year-olds with nearly 80 starters.

Speedy Crown continued to amaze us on the 3-year-old lists, although this may be part of the final act in the Speedy Crown saga. His son David Raymond earned $665,729, second only to division leader Muscles Yankee. David Raymond’s total is, however, more than half of Speedy Crown’s total 3-year-old earnings. Garland Lobell made a splash in the big time this season, although one suspects it won’t be the last time he appears at or near the top of the money-winning list. Conway Hall was Garland Lobell's big money-winning sophomore with a few dollars shy of $450,000, not counting the Italian lira he acquired in the Orsi Mangelli.

A couple of weeks ago in Curt’s Corner, we profiled the resurgent career of King Conch, and he also crashed the Top 10 in the 3-year-old ranks. His leading 3-year-old money-winner is the gelded Canadian star King Of Trot, who earned $254,806. A number of outstanding fillies also carried King Conch to new heights in 1998, including Warrawee Kes, whose lifetime total is now over $300,000; Armbro Roseanne, with a few dollars shy of $200,000, and SB Fuschia’s CanCan, who has won $157,154.

GARLAND LOBELL BECAME AN OVERNIGHT SENSATION AFTER NEARLY A DECADE OF SUCCESS

Garland Lobell’s introduction to those of us outside Quebec, where he has annually dominated the sire’s program, saw him lead all North American sires in the two-year-old trotting ranks. Garland’s two-year-olds won more than $1.5 million, and he had an outstanding high number of performers, as he reported in with 52 starters from only 87 foals of 1996. Garland Lobell’s top two-year-old was the multiple Quebec star and Canadian Breeders Championship winner SOS Nitro, who won $237,193. Angus Hall collected just less than $230,000 while trotting in 1:54 4-5, and Garland Lobell's leading filly performer was the good-gaited Canland Hall, who added $183,794.

Valley Victory was just behind Garland Lobell in the two-year-old listing, as his freshmen get collected $1.4 million, led by the filly stars Rum Boogie at $370,684 and Musical Victory at $315,352. Valley Victory’s top two-year-old colt star was the emerging San Pellegrino, who got $222,323 mostly late-season dollars, including a second place finish in CR Commando’s world record mile in the Breeders Crown. Trained by Jimmy Takter, San Pellegrino will be a colt to be reckoned with in 1999.

PINE CHIP WAS THE BEST FIRST-CROP TROTTING SIRE

Pine Chip led all first crop trotting stallions with a total of $1,396,000 won by his two-year-olds. These numbers compare very favorably with the first crops of many of our most important modern stallions, and this is a very impressive showing for the young world champion performer. Pine Chip’s leading money-winner was Starchip Entrprise, the Valley Victory stake champion, who was also second in the Peter Haughton last summer at The Meadowlands. Starchip Entrprise won $374,684 in 1998 and trailed the division leader Rae by less than $4,000. Pine Chip had roughly half his first crop get to the races, and Peter Haughton winner Enjoy Lavec also topped the $300,000 barrier. Pine Chip's top filly was the $100,000 winner Bit O Candy, second in the Goldsmith Maid final to Rum Boogie.

VICTORY DREAM ALSO IMPRESSED

Another impressive initial showing was the $1 million won by the first crop of Victory Dream, the first major son of Valley Victory in the stud. Victory Dream had fewer than 50 foals, but 26 of them raced, with the consistent filly star Softly Dream at the top of Victory Dream’s tabulation with $327,355. The Grand Circuit colt star Self Possessed also added $281,170 to Victory Dream’s first season as a producing sire. Sadly, Victory Dream’s impact is going to be short-lived as his foal production will be drastically reduced in years to come. He still has a nice crop of 1997 foals that will race at two in 1999, but hereafter his crops will be very small, even smaller than those of his sire, Valley Victory.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN RECENT MEMORY, THERE WAS PARITY IN THE RANKS

It is interesting to note that at the very top of the two-year-old trotting division, there were seven different performers by five different sires, who either won, or were right at $300,000 in winnings. Rae, the Speedy Crown filly who won the Merrie Annabelle and New York Sires Stakes finals, led all two-year-old trotters with $378,859, but Starchip Entrprise, Rum Boogie, CR Commando, Softly Dream, Musical Victory and Enjoy Lavec all won in excess of $300,000. Another group of seven colts and fillies won in excess of $200,000. The parity in this division is a healthy sign, as this grouping is normally dominated by one or two colts or fillies. It is good to see the wealth of the division spread to so many corners. For example, Muscles Yankee dominated the 3-year-old division, winning nearly twice as much as his closest competitor David Raymond. Glory’s Comet, the top aged trotter, had nearly a $200,000 bulge on Hanko Angus, the only other aged trotter to earn more than $500,000 in North America. It is important to rememeber that these numbers, as tabulated by the USTA, do not take into account the money won by American-bred horses overseas, including high-profile performers Moni Maker and Viking Kronos. Moni Maker's North American earnings were but $411,750 in 1998 in just four starts this side of the Atlantic. Viking Kronos, who earned the U.S. equivalent of $450,000 this season in Europe, would have been the fourth or fifth leading money-winning 3-year-old trotter.

BALANCED IMAGE SHOULD STAY AT THE TOP OF THE HEAP FOR SOME TIME TO COME

It will take a Herculean effort to dislodge Balanced Image from his lofty perch atop North American trotting for the forseeable future. He is and always has been a very fertile horse, serving big books of mares. The quality of his books has improved dramatically in just the last few seasons, and this should allow him to broaden his hoofprint on the breed. Balanced Image's strong, across-the-board showing is most convincing, and should be sustained for many years to come. Most of his get improve with age, although clearly he is also siring trotters who can compete anywhere in the open stakes, as Trade Balance once again illustrated so dramatically this past season.

Valley Victory continues his amazing story year after year. Many observers have predicted a declining influence for the now 13-year-old sire, but Valley Victory is still delivering the goods from an ever-decreasing pool of foals. Muscles Yankee is but one of only 42 foals of 1995, and he had the identical number in the 1996 crop which produced not only Rum Boogie, but also Musical Victory and San Pellegrino.

SIERRA KOSMOS AND KING CONCH WERE THE BIGGEST SUCCESS STORIES

The biggest surprises on the year-end list were Sierra Kosmos and King Conch, two horses thought to be in serious trouble here in North America just a year ago. Their strong 1998 showings, with a multitude of impressive two and three-year-old winners, are hard to ignore. Sierra Kosmos is proving to be an attractive outcross stallions for the daughters of Speedy Crown and Super Bowl, while King Conch may be the son of Speedy Crown who will finally find great success here in North America.