If there was one thing we learned from the recent Magic Millions Yearling Sale and subsequent race day it was that this stallion is ready for better.
Lyndhurst Stud’s Better Than Ready has always been popular with Queensland breeders covering 646 mares in his first four seasons at a fee of $9,900.
A good looking Listed winner by champion sire More Than Ready (USA) from a fast female family, he struck a chord with broodmare owners and has been playing a winning song ever since.
His first crop produced 23 individual two year-old winners which made him leading first season sire by two year-old winners ahead of Deep Field on 21 and he was equal second overall with Snitzel behind only I Am Invincible.
His second crop produced 17 juvenile winners and his third delivered 15 winners and the fourth crop produced his best result yet with 25 2YO winners.
The current crop of juveniles are the first bred from when his fee was raised to $33,000 and already we are seeing the benefit of that rise in quality of the mares covered.
Better Than Ready leads the Australian 2YO Sires List by earnings and has already sired four juvenile winners this season headed by his undefeated filly Skirt the Law, a brilliant winner of the $2million Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
The Tony Gollan trained filly was a $170,000 Magic Millions purchase and has a top class pedigree being from Outlaw Kate, a placed Exceed and Excel half-sister to Group I winning sprinter Masked Crusader from stakes-winning Invincible Spirit mare She’s Got Gears.
Better Than Ready is completely free of Danehill and if he can produce a filly like Skirt the Law when mated to a mare carrying three of the most prevalent sirelines in the country – Danehill, Invincible Spirit and Encosta de Lago – that’s going to make a lot of breeders think hard about their mating plans for 2023.
In the sale ring at Magic Millions, Better Than Ready also soared to new heights when the powerful stallion syndicate China Horse Club/Newgate/Go/Trilogy paid $530,000 for his colt from Secret Indulgence.
It was a new benchmark for Better Than Ready in the sale ring and holds the promise of better yet to come.
