Stallions on the move: the three biggest rankings climbers of 2016

He sired a Kentucky Derby winner with his first crop, so it’s hardly surprising that Uncle Mo takes the award for the biggest climber of the year in the Sires category in the TRC Global Rankings.

The rankings algorithm has produced an ordered list of individuals in each of the four categories of Jockeys, Owners, Trainers and Sires who made the biggest gains in their total number of rankings points over 2016. We featured the top three jockeys on Thursday, and today it is the turn of the sires. Owners and trainers will be highlighted later in the week.

In some cases, it is an established performer who has made the top three by making fresh progress. In others, as in the case of Uncle Mo, we are looking at a new star.

These are the three stallions who have gained the most rankings points over the past 12 months:

There is no doubt that the now 9-year-old Uncle Mo, who stands at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky, profiles as one of the top six sires on the planet, and he should reach a commensurate position in TRC Global Rankings within two years. Check out his impressive rankings trajectory here since his first runners appeared. 

Remember, the rankings measure achievement over three years, so a second-season stallion is at a big disadvantage. Despite that, Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie - Playa Maya, by Arch) has already risen to world #16. He got a Kentucky Derby winner in Nyquist in 2016 and bolstered his reputation further with 12 Graded wins. He stands fifth among U.S.-based sires.

Not A Single Doubt, who stands at Arrowfield Stud in New South Wales, is further down the road in his stallion career, but continues to bolster his figures.

The 15-year-old (Redoute’s Choice - Single’s Bar, by Rory’s Jester) climbed 111 positions in the TRC rankings this year, thanks to runners like Extreme Choice, who won G1s at Caulfield and Moonee Valley. He is now in the top 30 in the sires’ standings.

And he is #7 among stallions with Australia as their Modal Country (the country where they have the most runners).

Soldier Hollow, who stands at Gestut Auenquelle in Germany, was about as tough as it comes on the track, winning stakes races every year between two and seven, and he is by In The Wings (he is out of the Common Grounds mare Island Race).

Both these facts make the now 17-year-old perfect for the German Thoroughbred industry and he had a solid seven Group winners with six different horses in 2016 (the rankings algorithm prefers wins by multiple horses to multiple wins by the same horse).

It's no surprise, looking at his rankings trajectory here, that he is the German champion for 2016, and #1 in the German list in TRC Global Rankings.

Honourable mentions

More Than Ready (Australia), Zoffany (Great Britain), Lope De Vega (France).