It isn't often that a Champion Freshman Sire heads the General Sires' Table in the very next year. In recent years, the only stallions to have achieved it -- relying only on memory -- are Razeen, Placerville and Multidimensional. This year, Excellent Art has emulated them.

Excellent Art was bred by the Cheveley Park Stud at Newmarket in England. Trained by N.A. Callaghan for Mr. Mathew Green, he won on his debut as a 2YO under Frankie Dettori in April. He had five starts in his first year, winning three of them including the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes, Gr.2 at Newbury and National Stakes, L at Sandown Park. He was then snapped up by the Coolmore operation and raced as a 3YO in the colours of Mrs. Sue Magnier. His six starts under A.P. O'Brien's tutelage were all at a mile. He won the St. James's Palace Stakes, Gr.1 at Royal Ascot, was second in  BGC Sussex Stakes, Gr.1, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Gr.1 and NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile, Gr.1 at Monmouth Park. He was then sent for the Cathay Pacific Hong Mile, Gr.1 and, for the first time in his career,  he finished off the board. Still, he had done enough to be ranked the best 3YO Miler and earn his place on Coolmore's stallion roster.

In 2008, Excellent Art covered his first book of mares at Coolmore, a visit to his court setting back the mare owner by 15,000 euros,  and during the winter shuttled to Australia. At Coolmore, the expectations are always sky high but at end of five years, Excellent Art had not met them. He did sire some good black-type winners abroad -- horses like Under The Louvre, Experience, Hazel Lavery, Sparkling Portrait, Tropaios, Artistic Jewel, Graphic, Absolut Excelencia, Nimohe, Lehaaf and others -- and so found himself on the market. The Poonawalla Group stepped in and acquired him for India where his first Indian-born foals were on ground in 2014.

Many breeders are reluctant to stand a stallion who has stood elsewhere.  Not so the Poonawallas for they have stood stallions like Gombos, Alnasr Alwasheek and Greensmith who had begun their careers elsewhere. Gombos was fairly successful, Alnasr Alwasheek became a 'Wall of Fame' stallion in India while Greensmith was soon discarded. With Excellent Art, the Poonawallas have hit pay dirt.

Excellent Art was launched with massive books. He had 83 foals in his first crop and 66 in his second. From the first crop emerged Ruffina (Poonawalla Breeders' Multi-Million, Gr.1. Sprinters' Cup, Gr.1), Mauritania (Bangalore 2000 Guineas, Gr.2), Apache Sunrise, Chase Your Dreams, Meritocracy and Moondancer while the stars of his second crop are Corfe Castle (Poonawalla Breeders' Multi-Million, Gr.1), Star Superior (Deccan Derby, Gr.1), Isn't She Lovely (K.R.O.A. Mysore 1000 Guineas, Gr.3), Realmsoffantasy (Deccan Fillies' Championship Stakes, Gr.3), Excellent and others. His progeny is blessed with precocity and speed and hold its own up to a distance of a mile or shorter. 

Some of Excellent Art's runners have won good races at 2400 m. abroad though in India such winners are few and far between and the races they have won were ordinary.  In time, Excellent Art will get decent winners over a distance because all stallions have winners at different distances. That does not obscure the fact that each stallion has a range of distance over which his progeny is most comfortable and potent. In India, majority of races are run at a mile or less and that is right up Excellent Art's alley.

Now comes the unfortunate fact which will hamper Excellent Art's chances of holding on to his title. His third crop consists of only five foals. It is the Classic crop and the Juvenile Crop which contribute the most to a stallion's overall earnings. The numbers, which worked in Excellent Art's favour for two years, may be against him come the third.

Multidimensional and Phoenix Tower were both once inmates of Sir Henry Cecil's Warren Place yard in Newmarket. Phoenix Tower was the higher rated horse of the two and could boast of having given Multidimensional a three length beating at level weight in the Weatherbys Earl of Sefton Stakes, Gr.3. Both the horses retired to stud in India in 2010 and in the first five years, the Usha Stud stallion always finished ahead of his Manjri Stud rival. This year, though, Phoenix Tower finished narrowly ahead. Both the stallions have been very consistent, though their attributes are dissimilar, and they will continue to be in contention for the higher spots.

Dashmesh Stud's Win Legend has steadily worked himself up the table and after Sir Cecil's fabulous run, there was never any doubt that that he would be the Top Five. His 2016 crop is the largest that he has ever had and the added numbers will help him to bed down in the elite coterie. Burden of Proof may no longer be  with us but his son, Desert God, the highest all-time earner in India, is still in our midst to remind us of his prowess. There still remain the deceased stallion's  2016 and 2017 crops to race but they are small in numbers.

It is not possible to touch upon all the stallions but two that do deserve an honourable mention are Western Aristocrat -- sire of Kangra -- and Chinese Whisper -- sire of Lady In Lace. It will surprise -- if not shock  -- many readers that Chinese Whisper has only one, solitary foal in his 2017 crop.

PAST THE POST

Records of breeding statistics in India can be found from the year 1975-76 onwards though there are some gaps. Confining oneself to this period, a  mention must be made of another distinction achieved by Excellent Art. He is the first stallion who has stood abroad and become a Champion Sire after re-locating to India.

As far as the earlier period is concerned, one can only make an educated guess. It is known that Hyperion's son Hyder Ali had had a stint as a stallion in England before coming to Manjri Stud. He was immensely successful and it is quite possible he was a Champion Sire at some time.