Vekoma Making Early Noise Among Leading Sires
It is mostly a guessing game early in the year when trying to predict which stallions will finish the year in the general sires list Top 25 by progeny earnings. It is Thoroughbred racing’s equivalent of March Madness.
Just like the ongoing NCAA basketball tournament, we know who the favorites are. But it’s those bracket-busting upstarts that can turn things on its ear. Look no further than last year when Senor Buscador finished second in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) and then won the Saudi Cup (G1). Those two high-dollar purses positioned his sire, Mineshaft , in the No. 2 spot for most of 2024 before ultimately finishing the year third by progeny earnings.
As we quickly approach the end of the first quarter of 2025, we might be able to safely predict many of the stallions who will regularly appear in these rankings. We can also speculate whether Into Mischief finishes first overall for a seventh consecutive year. Spoiler alert: If you haven’t checked out the accompanying ranking, he’s already seated at the head of the table. But despite having almost 100 more runners this year than Gun Runner , Into Mischief does not have a big lead in overall earnings. At least not yet.
But what about the new faces to the rankings?
If the first quarter of the year is any indication, Vekoma is the sire to keep an eye on. He stands at Spendthrift Farm near Lexington for $35,000. Vekoma is one of eight sires in the current Top 25 who were not in that group at the end of 2024.
As a first-crop sire in 2024, he narrowly edged McKinzie by $13,539 for top honors in their class. Now with the fewest runners (76) among the top 35 sires by progeny earnings, Vekoma is fourth overall in earnings this year and leads all sires in average earnings per start at $41,120.
Being that he will only have two crops on track, the numbers game might eventually catch up to him. But for now, Vekoma has come out of 2025’s starting gate on fire. Much like Mineshaft, Vekoma has beneftted from a pair of early-season international contests. His 3-year-old son Golden Vekoma out of the Stevie Wonderboy mare Sticks Wondergirl broke his maiden on second asking at Meydan Racecourse Jan. 3. Then he was first in the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (G3) and the Saudi Derby (G1). Purchased by Harmash Racing for $90,000 at the 2024 Ocala Breeders’ Sales’ Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training auction, it remains to be seen what kind of big-purse opportunities the colt will have in the Middle East where he calls home.
Another fast-starting 3-year-old for Vekoma is his daughter Vixen . Her rookie season was filled with high marks. After a third in her debut, she won her second time out, and then finished second in the Natalma Stakes (G1T). She then ran in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), where she was sixth. Off until the listed Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream Park Feb. 1, Vixen won that race and then was triumphant a month later in the Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T), her first graded win.
“He made an impression as soon as those babies hit the ground. … One of the first pinhookers at the yearling sale, saying these Vekomas just moved different,” Spendthrift Farms general manager Ned Toffey told BloodHorse in December. “Sometimes you hear those things and they pan out; they have something to do with the way the horse performs on the track. And I think that’s one example where that’s really been the case. The Vekomas have looked the part, and then they’ve performed to the part and it’s made them commercial. Which is really important in today’s in today’s breeding world.”
| TOP SIRES BY PROGENY EARNINGS | |
| March 24 ranking | 2024 ranking |
| 1. Into Mischief | 1 (–) |
| 2. Gun Runner | 2 (–) |
| 3. Practical Joke | 9 (+6) |
| 4. Vekoma | NR |
| 5. Not This Time | 13 (+8) |
| 6. Constitution | 5 (-1) |
| 7. Munnings | 10 (+3) |
| 8. Quality Road | 7 (-1) |
| 9. Speightster | NR |
| 10. Connect | NR |
| 11. Medaglia d’Oro | 23 (+12) |
| 12. Nyquist | 13 (+2) |
| 13. Uncle Mo | 8 (-5) |
| 14. Justify | 4 (-10) |
| 15. Mendelssohn | 19 (+4) |
| 16. American Pharoah | 15 (-1) |
| 17. City of Light | 18 (+1) |
| 18. Curlin | 11 (-7) |
| 19. Bolt d’Oro | NR |
| 20. Speightstown | NR |
| 21. Liam’s Map | 25 (+4) |
| 22. Twirling Candy | 6 (-16) |
| 23. Malibu Moon | NR |
| 24. Frosted | NR |
| 25. Omaha Beach | NR |
