Hailing from one of the best families in the stud book, third crop sire and classic winner KARAKONTIE added to an already illustrious family story in 2020 with statistics any stallion would envy. Standing for a fee of $10,000 in 2021, the Miesque great-grandson led all second crop sires by percentage of stakes winners last year – just one of the impressive statistics he registered.
One of only four stallions to have runners from their first crop contest a 2020 U.S. Triple Crown race, KARAKONTIE was also the only stallion in the world to have runners in both a United States and British classic race in 2020 (Sole Volante in the Kentucky Derby and Kenzai Warrior in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas). The stallion saw his runners register stakes wins on the dirt and the turf during the year with both his first and second crop represented by stakes winners. In all, in the two years Karakontie has had runners on the track, he’s registered graded stakes winners on both surfaces and stakes horses in three different countries.
KARAKONTIE proved he deserved the support given to him by some of the top breeders in the world with the success of his runners in stakes races last year. The stallion’s 6.94% stakes winners from runners in 2020 led all second crop Kentucky-based sires. That percentage also put him above stallions such as Into Mischief, Curlin, War Front, and Medaglia d’Oro – all standing for at least 15 times his 2021 stud fee!
Owners looking to visit the winner’s circle the first time their runner hit the track were in luck with KARAKONTIE foals. The stallion’s runners won 18% of the time they made their debuts, on par with Constitution (19%) and higher than second crop stallions such as American Pharoah (15%), Daredevil (12%), Liam’s Map (9%), and Honor Code (9%). That 18% first-time starter number was also higher than established stallions such as Into Mischief (16%), Speightstown (16%), Candy Ride (13%), Medaglia d’Oro (13%), and our own three-time champion sire TAPIT at 15%.
A grandson of the legendary Storm Cat, KARAKONTIE is following in that stallion’s footsteps with his six stakes winners just two behind Storm Cat with 22 less runners at the same point in their careers. KARAKONTIE also has a higher percentage of stakes winners to runners (7.5%) than Storm Cat’s champion sire son Giant’s Causeway (6.22%) after two years of runners. Looking at stallions a few generations removed from Storm Cat, KARAKONTIE also has more graded stakes winners and stakes performers than Into Mischief at the same point in their careers, and a higher percentage of stakes winners than Shamardal (4.96%).
KARAKONTIE has proven to love inbreeding – with Grade 2 winner Princess Grace bred 3 x 3 to his damsire Sunday Silence, Grade 3 winner and dual classic runner Sole Volante bred 3 x 4 to Miesque, and Group 3 winner and British classic runner Kenzai Warrior 4 x 4 to that same mare. All three of his ungraded stakes winners all have close inbreeding as well, though you don’t have to double up on names to get a good runner. The stallion’s multiple stakes placed Tecate Time is free of all inbreeding in her first five generations, plus stakes-placed In the Present only having one strain of Hail to Reason inbreeding in the first four generations, the same as French Group 2 placed Ketil.
Commercially, KARAKONTIE made a big splash in the Keeneland September ring last year, including a $500,000 session topping colt. Now named Mohawk Sun, the colt was sold to Marsha Naify from the Gainesway consignment. KARAKONTIE also had the second most expensive filly of that same session when his filly out of Spanish Bunny sold for $240,000 to Ballyfair Bloodstock. In all, his nine yearlings sold averaged $86,911 – nearly 8.7 times his 2021 stud fee.
Getting an early start to 2021, KARAKONTIE has already started on the right note with Tecate Time adding a third stakes placing to her resumé as his first stakes runner of the year.