He’s only two shy of 200 career stakes winners and only the mighty Galileo (Ire), among active sires, has more. That’s how prolific More Than Ready (USA) has been since he started out at stud at the beginning of this century.
The son of Southern Halo (USA) raced 17 times at 2-years-old and 3-years-old , winning seven times. He was an accomplished 2-year-old, winning the G2 Sanford at Saratoga and the G3 Tremont at Belmont. But easily his most impressive performance came in the G1 King’s Bishop for 3-year-old sprinters at Saratoga a year later, where he circumvented his field from last position to win going away.
Although More Than Ready wound up sprinting, his 3-year-old spring campaign proved that he was more than just a speed horse as his second in the G1 Blue Grass and fourth in Fusaichi Pegasus’s (USA) G1 Kentucky Derby attest to. At the end of the year, Timeform assessed him at 120, which was a fair reflection of his form when compared to the Champion sprinter and Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Kona Gold’s (USA) 125 mark.
More Than Ready (USA) | Standing at Vinery Stud
More Than Ready started out with an excellent first crop in Kentucky, which was bettered by only Giant’s Causeway (USA) and Fusaichi Pegasus among that year’s stallion intake. It would eventually contain 10 stakes winners and he did even better with his first Australian crop, siring 12 stakes winners, including three at the highest level.
So More than Ready was on his way, with equal respect among both American and Australian breeders. And it is fair to say that he’s a stallion that still enjoys that same respect today, which says everything about his achievements in the interim.
The numbers
Like all good sires, More Than Ready makes the most of his opportunities. His 111 stakes winners conceived in Kentucky make up an excellent 8.6% of his runners, compared to the 7.8% when his mares visited other stallions. Even more impressive is his 13.1% stakes winners to runners from elite mares, again well ahead of the 10.6% when these good mares were bred to other sires.
These improvements are also seen in his percentages of winners, stakes horses and Group/Graded winners. Moreover, his list of top runners is impressive in both its class and diversity. Dual Breeders’ Cup Sprint hero Roy H, rated 128 by Timeform, is his best runner from his Kentucky-conceived crops, followed by the 126-rated Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Regally Ready (USA).
| Benicio | 2002 | C | Mannington | Danehill |
| Buster’s Ready | 2008 | F | Beatem Buster | Honour And Glory |
| Carry On Cutie | 2002 | F | Rose Of Latakia | Conquistarose |
| Catholic Boy | 2015 | C | Song of Bernadette | Bernardini |
| Daredevil | 2012 | C | Chasethewildwind | Forty Niner |
| Dreamaway | 2007 | F | Legal Consent | Danehill |
| Eagle Way | 2012 | G | Wedgetail Eagle | Lure |
| Entisaar | 2012 | F | Purrpurrlena | Catbird |
| Funtastic | 2014 | C | Quiet Dance | Quiet American |
| Gimmethegreenlight | 2008 | C | Yes She Can Cancan | Canny Lad |
| More Joyous | 2006 | F | Sunday Joy | Sunday Silence |
| More Than Sacred | 2009 | F | Danalaga | Danehill |
| Perfect Reflection | 2012 | F | Reflected Image | Bluebird |
| Perfectly Ready | 2002 | C | Elle Duccio | Danehill |
| Phelan Ready | 2006 | G | Nancy Eleanor | Blevic |
| Prized Icon | 2013 | C | Tropical Affair | Danehill |
| Regally Ready | 2007 | G | Kivi | King of Kings |
| Room Service | 2011 | F | Dream Lady | Old Trieste |
| Roy H | 2012 | G | Elusive Diva | Elusive Quality |
| Rushing Fall | 2015 | F | Autumnal | Forestry |
| Samaready | 2009 | F | Samar | Secret Savings |
| Sebring | 2005 | C | Purespeed | Flying Spur |
| Uni | 2014 | F | Unaided | Dansili |
| Verrazano | 2010 | C | Enchanted Rock | Giant's Causeway |
Table: More Than Ready's Group 1 winners
But the next two on his roll of honour are completely different types in Catholic Boy (USA) (TF125), who put up his best performances over nine and 10 furlongs, winning the G1 Florida Derby and G1 Travers stakes, and Verrazano (USA) who won the G1 Wood Memorial and G1 Haskell Invitational, both over nine furlongs.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of More Than Ready’s career is his longevity – he’s still producing the goods in 2019 – 17 years after he went to stud – with two Group 1 winning fillies on the turf in Rushing Fall (USA) and Uni (GB).
Australia runners
In Australia, we see the same excellent numbers from More Than Ready: 7.2 per cent stakes winners, which is again in advance of what his mares achieved with other sires. We also see the same versatility among his Australian runners.
The outstanding More Joyous, who won a remarkable 21 of her 33 starts including eight Group 1s, is easily the best runner he produced in Australia. Rated 128 by Timeform, More Joyous won at up to 2000 metres, whilst he also sired the Victoria Derby winners Prized Icon and Benicio, over 2500 metres, but it was his speedier offspring, particularly his 2-year-olds, that established his reputation in Australia. Carry On Cutie set the ball rolling in 2005 with her victory in the G1 Champagne. Then Sebring won the Golden Slipper in 2008, and another son, Phelan Ready, gave their sire back-to-back Slipper wins in 2009.
The late Sebring
In 2012 Samaready took the G1 Blue Diamond and More Than Ready’s reputation was set. One runner-up spot on the sires’ premiership hardly does justice to what he’s achieved in Australia. Nowadays it becomes a question of legacy for More Than Ready.
So far, nine stallion sons have sired at least one stakes winner, but there is no doubt that in Sebring he had a worthy heir. A winner of five of his six juvenile starts, which also featured the G1 Sires' Produce, Sebring has already clocked up 55 stakes winners as a sire. And just like More Than Ready, he’s getting his stakes winners at a rate of just over 7 per cent or 11 per cent from his better mares.
Dissident | Standing at Newgate Farm
Sebring produced 10 crops before his untimely death earlier this year and there’s a good chance we’ll find a successor to the line among them. His five-time Group 1 winning son Dissident is one of the first to be given a great opportunity with over 600 mares bred in his first three years at stud.
Another More Than Ready earning better opportunities is Queensland-based Better Than Ready, who sired three stakes winners in his first crop in the season just past.
Better Than Ready | Standing at Lyndhurst Stud
More Than Ready’s daughters are also firing in the Group 1 winners, leading 3-year-old Bivouac (Exceed And Excel) being the most recent. He’s always has an affinity with Danehill (USA) from whose line he sired 37 of his 87 stakes winners conceived in Australia, including Sebring. There is clearly more to come from this great international sire.
