The success of Munnings ' progeny at the racetrack and subsequently their value in the commercial marketplace has been on a sharp upward trajectory since 2019.
Ashford Stud's 16-year-old son of Speightstown broke into the top 25 leading North American sires in 2019 with 11 black-type winners that included two graded stakes winners and two-time grade 1-placed winner Om . Racing at 7, Om had already distinguished himself in previous years with four graded stakes victories. One of Munnings' brightest stars in 2019 was Kimari, who won two stakes and was runner-up in the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) during the Royal Ascot meet.
Kimari is still an elite runner at 5 this year, having most recently captured the Honorable Miss Handicap (G2) at Saratoga Race Course. The Honorable Miss was her sixth stakes victory, which include the 2021 Madison Stakes (G1) at Keeneland.
Munnings' rose among the top 10 general leading sires in 2020, climbing to sixth-leading sire on the strength of six graded stakes winners that year—Bonny South, Finite, Phat Man, Sharp Starr, Venetian Harbor, and Warrior's Charge .
He's remained a fixture among the top 10, ranking seventh by the end of 2021 and ranked in seventh as of Aug. 8 with his son Jack Christopher capturing grade 1 stakes in both years. This year alone Jack Christopher has earned $611,400 year to date and has wins in the Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun (G1) and Pat Day Mile Stakes Presented by LG&E and KU (G2).
"He's a sire that recently has been getting all types of winners in all types of races," said Adrian Wallace with Ashford Stud. "Jack Christopher was one of the best 2-year-olds last year and continues to be one of the best 3-year-olds this year. Trainers and owners love the Munnings' runners so much because of the longevity they have. They can go early but then go on to be successful in their 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old years."
As Munnings' sires list ranking has climbed, so has his North American yearling average, which was $51,367 in 2017 and $131,888 by 2021. During opening day Aug. 8 at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected yearlings sale, Munnings was represented by four sales that averaged $423,750.
John Stuart with Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services has been a fan of Munnings for years, having sold the first Munnings yearling through The Saratoga Sale that became a stakes winner with Boldor, a $100,000 sales gelding out of Senate Caucus who won four stakes on dirt and turf for Ed and Susie Orr and trainer Steve Asmussen. Boldor is still racing at 6 and earned $460,846 so far.
"The colts they want to buy at Saratoga everyone hopes are future stallion prospects. When you go shopping there, you are not looking for your bread-and-butter racehorse," Stuart said. "They will look at those Munnings for sure because the Speightstowns (Munnings' sire) have been so popular recently. Everyone needs to look at the Munnings as stallion prospects."
This year Bluegrass brought Hip 34 to The Saratoga Sale, a striking colt out of stakes-placed winner Mzima Springs (Harlan's Holiday) bred by John Moores and Charles Noell's Merriebelle Stable.
"He was a bit of a surprise because most first foals tend to be a little smaller than what you see with the second foal. This guy is a big strong, powerful first foal. He's got some leg for a Munnings. We are just really happy with the horse," Stuart said.
Mzima Springs was bred and initially raced by Emory Hamilton, who then sold the filly to a partnership between Stuart, Moores, and Noell, who raced her under the name Miami Shores Racing. The partners got her stakes-placed and then put her through the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, where Merriebelle Stable bought her for $70,000.
"We wanted to start her off with something that would get us an early 2-year-old type speed, so we went to Munnings, and we got a knock-out first foal," Stuart said.
At 2 Munnings was second in the Champagne Stakes (G1) and third in the Three Chimneys Hopeful Stakes (G1). At 3, he won the Woody Stephens Stakes (G2) and Tom Fool Handicap (G2), and at 4 captured the Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship Stakes (G2). He retired with two more placings in grade 1 stakes—third in the Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) and Carter Handicap (G1)—and retired with $742,640 in earnings.
Munnings' yearlings got off to a fast start Aug. 8 on opening day of The Saratoga Sale. Hip 19, a filly out of Malibu Treasure (Malibu Moon) sold for $700,000 to agent Ben McElroy out of Denali Stud's consignment. The filly became Munnings' most expensive yearling, exceeding his previous top price of $550,000, which was paid for a filly named Moody at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The Saratoga filly is out of the immediate family of El Deal, a son of Munnings that won the 2017 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1).
The sire also was represented during the sale's first session by Hip 60, a filly out of the stakes-placed winner Roaming (by Quality Road) who Four Star Sales sold for $425,000 to Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas on behalf of BC Stables; and Hip 46, a $370,000 filly out of the Strong Mandate daughter Pleasant Drive, who agent Deuce Greathouse bought on behalf of Robert Masterson out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.
Hip 34 sold for $200,000, which is 52% more than Munnings' 2021 yearling average, and was purchased by trainer Barclay Tagg as agent for Eric Dattner. Stuart said prior to the sale he wasn't expecting to break the bank with the colt, but believes whoever buys the colt will find success.
"I'm the guy that at one time sold the lowest-priced horse in the whole sale, a $40,000 filly," he said, referring to the 2013 The Saratoga Sale. That filly grew up to be 2015 champion 3-year-old filly and six-time grade 1 winner Stellar Wind. Also in the Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services stalls that year was a $1,225,000 filly by Dynaformer named Lady Zuzu who topped the sale. She went on to become a winner and place in two grade 3 stakes.
"We've sold a lot of stakes winners that are good deals for buyers," he said.
Munnings will be represented by three yearlings on Day Two. They are Hip 116, a filly out of stakes-placed What Time It Is and a full sister to multiple stakes winner Never Enough Time consigned by Paramount Sales, agent; Hip 125, a colt out of the Discreetly Mine winner Above the Crowd and out of the family of grade 1 winner Strategic Maneuver consigned by Indian Creek, agent; and Hip 184, a filly out of the Fastnet Rock daughter Filia, who is the dam of stakes winner Determined Kingdom (Animal Kingdom). She is consigned by Brookdale Sales, agent for Audley Farm Equine.
