The Annual Breeding Statistics for the year 2024-25 have been compiled and released by the Stud Book Authority of India. Admittedly, not every racing enthusiast will be interested in them but there is a certain coterie that finds them interesting and relevant.

The Racing Year in India, for the purposes of the statistics, begins on 1st of November and ends on 31 October of the following year. Why does it start on 1 November ? Simply because, barring an odd race at Pune, the new crop of two year-olds start racing from November.

Champion Stud Farm

This award was instituted in 1997 by the Turf Authorities of India in 1997 and is presented every year during the Invitation Cup. It is based on a point system approved by the Turf Authorities. The system has seen some changes over the years but has been more or less the same in recent times.

In the Table below -- as also in all others -- the number in brackets after the stud or stallion's name denotes its position in the previous year.

Champions Stud Farm 2024-25

The Poonawalla Group ran out comfortable winners as they sealed their 16th Championship and the second in a row. They have a habit of getting on a roll once they finish on top as they had stacked up a sequence of five after their first victory in 1999. Then came a winning streak of seven from 2006 to 2012 and a hat-trick in 2017,2018 and 2019. Like last year, Usha/Mehra finished second. Nanoli and Kunigal held on to their Top Five positions but the Dashmesh Group took a giant leap to finish third. The performance of Nanoli Stud was especially eye-catching considering that they had the least number of runners. Their consolation probably comes from the fact that they were the only stud farm to register an AE Index of higher than 2.0.

Champion Sire 2024-25

The former Coolmore stalwart Excellent Art won his second Champion Sire crown -- the first came in 2017-18 -- from his barn-mate Leitir Mor. These two stallions, finishing in the top two spots, were a major reason for The Poonawalla Group finishing as the Champion Stud Farm. Excellent Art had Regal Reality and promising three year-old filly Miracle Star as his Classic winners during the year. On the other hand, Leitir Mor had none which makes his achievement all the more praiseworthy. Gusto, who died in November 2022 at Bishan Stud, had another good year. A pure sprinter, Gusto's progeny often stayed much better than he himself did. His most notable 'get' of the year was the Indian 2000 Guineas winner Santissimo. Veteran Win Legend regained his place in the Top Five while the speedy Dali made that select list for the first time. He is to Mukteshwar Stud what Gusto was to Bishan Stud.

Champion Maternal Grandsire

Multidimensional's last crop had its Classic year in 2024-25. He had only six foals in that crop so it was not possible for him to make a mark in the Sires' Table. He was already the Champion Maternal Grandsire in the previous two years and he duly went on to complete the hat-trick in the current year. In each of those three years, Burden of Proof had to remain content with the runner-up berth with Placerville in the third spot. Win Legend makes his first appearance in the top five.

Champion Freshman Sire

Only four new stallions went to stud in India in 2021 and the order in which they would finish in their first year could have been predicted right then. Usha Stud's Deauville, a son of Galileo, had 47 foals on ground against 27 of French Navy, 11 of Well Done Fox and just one of Kambaku.

Deauville maintained Usha Stud's tradition of producing a Classic winner in his first crop that every one of Usha Stud imported stallions have done when Mountain Jewel won the Deccan Derby. He took a while to get going with his progeny suggesting that it needed not only time but distance and it will be interesting to see how it shapes in its Classic year. The Godolphin horse French Navy, who is from Razeen's family, suggested that he could be more than useful; that is a consolation for Jai-Govind Stud whose subsequent stallion, Frankel's son Mohaafeth, died after just one covering season.

Champion Family

The Stud Book Authority of India is, perhaps, the only one which maintains and publishes the 'Family' statistics. As such, we can appreciate the importance of the family connection and the momentous arrival of the Lorenzaccio mare Charenzaccio[FR], along with her Sanhedrin filly Schiaparelli[HOL] at foot, in the early 1980s. Charenzaccio[FR] traced to Lord Derby's great foundation mare Schiaparelli. At Poonawalla Farms, the family has thrived and finished as the Champion Family an unbelievable 18 times and proved itself as sturdy a pillar as Malvado, Riyahi and Placerville, who between the three of them, have 19 Champion Sire titles.

This year's finishing order was: 

1. SCHIAPARELLI (1)

2. Pretty Polly (3)

3. Mumtaz Mahal (2)

4. Snoot (4)

5. Affection (8)

CHAMPIONS OF OTHER CATEGORIES

Champion Sire (Number of Winners)

1. WIN LEGEND[JPN] - 68

2. Roderic O'Connor[IRE] - 60

3. Excellent Art[GB] - 52

4. Phoenix Tower[USA] - 44

Speaking of Which[IRE] - 44

Champion Sire (Number of Wins)

1. RODERIC O'CONNOR[IRE] - 100

2. Excellent Art[GB] - 97

3. Win Legend[JPN] - 95

4. Dali[USA] - 85

5. Leitir Mor[IRE] - 75

PAST THE POST

Most of the Tables are 'opportunity/quantity' tables. A stallion who has 100 starters has a better chance of finishing above a stallion who has only 40 starters. There is one Table, however, which is more of a 'quality' Table. That is the Average Earning Index Table. If the total stakes on offer are divided by total number of starters during the year, we get the 'Average Earnings Per Starter'. The Average Earnings Per Starter in India in 2024-25 was, approximately, Rs. 5,97,000. A stallion whose average earnings per starter were Rs. 5,97,000 or thereabout, has an AE Index of 1.00.  Hence, statistically, higher the AE Index, better the stallion.

The Top Five in the Table of stallions ranked according to their AE Index in 2024-25 were:-

1.  MULTITUDE  - 2.70

2. Cougar Mountain[IRE]  - 2.69

3. Kingda Ka [AUS] - 1.81

4. Excellent Art[GB] - 1.78

5. Dreamfield[GB] - 1.69

Multitude topped the Table with a short-head victory. The son of Multidimensional, who got his chance because of his sire's problems, belied all expectations by siring two Classic winners -- Psychic Star and Magnetic -- in his first crop. For an Indian-bred stallion, it was a splendid achievement. The arrival of Deauville and Plumatic at Usha Stud curtailed his opportunities but this achievement will surely see him visiting the covering yard more frequently.