Central Banker secures fourth leading sire title

Central Banker emerged from a near season-long battle to finish the 2024 season where he left off the last three seasons – on top of the New York general sire list.

Central Banker collected his fourth straight crown as the Empire State’s leading sire with $5,436,573 in progeny earnings, $17,717 more than runner-up Bucchero. Central Banker’s progeny total for 2024 also best each of his individual totals the last three seasons, including the $5,391,160 earned from his runners in 2022.

“He had another very productive year,” said Joe McMahon of McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs, where Central Banker will stand the 2025 season for $7,500. “He’s a pretty viable alternative to not going out of New York state. He’s established that. Just like Freud was years ago. Just a real solid kind of a horse.

“He does a couple nice turf horses. They can run in the mud. If you watch a lot of them you do pick up on things, characteristics. Most of them, when they’re going down the lane and they’re head and head with another horse, they get another gear. They get tougher. Those are the things you just can’t put out there, but if you watch a lot of races, you’ll see it.”

That toughness played out frequently on the New York Racing Association circuit and his six stakes winners and 12 stakes horses led the state, along with his 150 runners. The sire of 431 named foals according to BloodHorse statistics, Central Banker also posted average earnings per runner of $36,244.

Central Banker, the leading sire in the Northeast region, also checked in 58th overall on the North American general sire list and third on New York’s list of leading 2-year-old sires behind Honest Mischief and fellow McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds’ stallion Solomini.

Central Banker did a significant amount of damage at the country’s premier meeting at Saratoga Race Course. He sired Evan Shipman Handicap winner Bank Frenzy and Rick Violette Stakes winner Courtly Banker at Saratoga, among others.

“Saratoga was spectacular for him,” McMahon said. “He’s just a nice horse. Gets runners, gets useful horses. He’s been that way consistently and that’s why he keeps getting the numbers to the breeding shed and that’s why he keeps getting the runners on the racetrack.”

The fight for the leading sire title came down to the final days of 2024, including December 28 when Bank Frenzy picked up $55,000 from winning the Alex M. Robb Stakes at Aqueduct to help pad Central Banker’s narrow advantage. Bank Frenzy was one of six stakes winners in 2024 for Central Banker, along with Light Man, Bold Fortune, Morning Matcha, Courtly Banker and Sunday Girl.

Bank Frenzy led the group with four wins and two seconds in seven starts, along with $293,950 in earnings in 2024. Purchased privately in the summer by LSU Stables, he also won the Evan Shipman Handicap at Saratoga Race Course and finished second in the Empire Classic Stakes on Empire Showcase Day to wrap up the Belmont at the Big A fall meeting. Bank Frenzy was bred by Chester and Mary Broman.

Morning Matcha, Central Banker’s second leading earner with a bankroll of $1,035,820, won the Unique Bella Stakes and Mrs. Penny Stakes at Parx Racing. Bred by Crane Thoroughbred Services LLC and campaigned by LC Racing, Cash is King Racing and Gary Barber, she later sold for $300,000 at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Light Man also won on Showcase Day, taking the Hudson Stakes. He won four of seven starts in 2024 with $268,300 in earnings for owner McRich Stables and breeder Newman Racing.

Richard Nicolai’s homebred Bold Fortune rose toward the top of the New York-bred juvenile ranks with back-to-back victories in the fall, including the New York Breeders’ Futurity. He ended the season with $156,270 in earnings.

McMahon is already looking forward to the 2025 racing and breeding seasons. He’s seen similar strong interest in Central Banker for his 11th season.

“It always remains to be seen but he’s had a pretty good early interest, as he has in other years,” McMahon said. “It seems that the trend in the industry is to book later unless you’re going to a really expensive sire. Central Banker, he probably has 40 already committed to him this year. That’s pretty good. We’ll pick up, between us and the syndicate, another 50 there. That puts him in pretty nice shape going into the breeding season.”

Bucchero, a 13-year-old son of Kantharos, stood his first season in New York in 2024 at McMahon of Saratoga before relocating to Ironhorse Stallions at Questroyal North in Stillwater for the 2025 season. Bucchero, who stood his first five seasons in Florida, also sired six stakes winners and 12 stakes horses in 2024 along with 80 winners and the earners of $5,418,856. He will stand for $10,000 in 2025.

Solomini, a 10-year-old son of Curlin who stands for $7,500 at McMahon of Saratoga, finished third on New York’s general sire list and topped the 2024 second-crop sire list with progeny earnings of $3,387,578.

“He’s doing really well. I’m really proud of him,” McMahon said. “And as things continue, the Solominis will do better with age. He had four stakes winners in 2024; that’s pretty good for a regional stallion or any stallion. We’re very fortunate to have him.

I always thought he was the perfect horse for a program like New York. He was an early 2-year-old, showed real talent as a 2-year-old, ran in top company, he was a dirt horse. New York is still very much a dirt-based racing circuit. And he did have a couple nice turf horses this year. He was the perfect horse for New York, or for any regional program, but for New York especially.”

War Dancer, a 15-year-old son of War Front who stands for $7,500 at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, finished fourth on New York’s general sire list in 2024 with $2,439,496 in progeny earnings. Tourist, who recently relocated out of state, checked in fifth at $2,276,865.

Honest Mischief, a 9-year-old son of Into Mischief who stands for $7,500 at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson, led New York’s first-crop and the juvenile sire lists in 2024 with progeny earnings of $1,621,889.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/01/09/central-banker-secures-fourth-leading-sire-title/

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