Progeny of the late New York sire Effinex continue to show how much state breeders lost when the grade 1 winner died suddenly Oct. 18, 2017, from a ruptured pulmonary artery. The 6-year-old son of Mineshaft had completed only one season at stud.
Effinex sired his first black-type winner June 19 at Belmont Park where his son Ocala Dream won the seven-furlong Spectacular Bid division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series on the turf by a length. The 3-year-old colt is owned by Thomas Albrecht, Vincent Fusaro, and James Klein. He is trained by Tom Morley.
Ocala Dream went unplaced at 2 but has started putting it all together this year. He was third in his 2021 debut April 23 in a turf maiden special weight at Belmont Park and then got his first win a month later going 1 1/16 miles at Belmont, also on the turf. The colt's first start last year has been his only start on dirt.
Effinex ranks second by progeny earnings on this year's New York leading second-crop sire list with more than $505,000 in earnings. Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions' War Dancer is the leader as of June 21 with $546,375 in earnings. Effinex leads his New York-based sire class year to day by number of winners with 12 and is the first with a black-type winner this year.
By cumulative progeny statistics, Effinex is New York's leading second-crop sire by number of winners (16) and ranks second by progeny earnings ($670,403) to War Dancer, whose earnings exceed $1.02 million. Effinex, War Dancer, and Rockridge Stud's Slumber have each sired a black-type winner.
Effinex raced exclusively on dirt. Raced from 3 to 5 by owner/breeder Russell Cohen, Effinex won or placed in 11 black-type stakes—nine of them graded stakes. He beat Hoppertunity in the Clark Handicap (G1) and won consecutive editions of the Suburban Handicap (G2) in 2015-16. He was also second to American Pharoah in the 2015 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and second to Hoppertunity in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1). Effinex retired with a 9-3-4 record from 28 starts and earned $3,312,950.
Ocala Dream is Effinex's second turf winner. His daughter Byhubbyhellomoney broke her maiden June 20 in a six-furlong maiden claimer on the Belmont turf.
The turf influences in Effinex's pedigree can be found through both his sire and dam but the more prominent ancestors appear on his dam side.
Though Mineshaft certainly did his best running on dirt, the son of A.P. Indy started his racing career in Europe, where he broke his maiden at Newmarket and placed in a group 3 before being relocated to the United States. In the U.S., he won four grade 1 stakes on his way to earning Horse of the Year and champion older horse titles for 2003.
Effinex's dam, What a Pear, also did her best running on the dirt. She won two stakes and was second in a third minor stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. But she has strong turf-oriented ancestors through her sire and dam.
What a Pear is by E Dubai, whose broodmare sire Lord At War sired 31 stakes winners on the turf out of 44 lifetime stakes winners. On her dam side, What a Pear is out of the Pine Bluff daughter Perfect Pear. Pine Bluff won the 1992 Preakness Stakes (G1) and the Arkansas Derby (G2), but he is a son of Danzig whose runners showed a tremendous affinity for turf. Danzig sired 142 turf stakes winners, who represented 13% of his foals of racing age. Overall Danzig sired 198 stakes winners.
Ocala Dream gets additional turf influences through his broodmare sire, Freud, a full brother to Giant's Causeway and six-time leading sire in New York. Bred by Orpendale, Freud was raced in Europe by Coolmore associates Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor. His best finish was a third in the Cork & Orrery Stakes (G2) at Ascot.
Freud retired to stud at Sequel Stallions New York and has become the sire of 69 black-type winners as of June 21. Of these stakes winners, 42 have won on dirt and 33 have won on turf. His average earnings per starter is essentially even between his dirt runners and turf runners at $39,039 for dirt races and $39,726 for races on the grass.
