Back in October of 2025, when we looked at the leading freshman sires, the most notable absentee from the top 10 was Charlatan . On the face of it, this was something of a surprise, given that the previous year Charlatan—a horse tipped by many to head the list—had led all freshman sires by yearling average, having retired at a stud fee of $50,000, second only to champion Essential Quality of the new intake.
Digging a little deeper, however, there were still reasons for optimism. To begin with, Charlatan himself was unraced at 2, not making his debut until mid-February of his 3-year-old season. It was also worth noting that at the time we reviewed the freshman sires, Charlatan had far more unraced juveniles than any other member of his crop—a situation that still pertained at the end of 2025. Charlatan had risen to seventh on the table, but still had 84 of a first crop of 137 foals yet to start. Sure enough, momentum has been maintained, and following the victory of his daughter Labwah in the Feb. 20 UAE Oaks (G3), Charlatan stands at the top of the current second-crop sire list.
Although Charlatan wasn't seen in action until February of his 3-year-old career, he did enough in his first three starts that when it was announced June 6 that due to a minor ankle injury, he would miss the 2020 Kentucky Derby (G1)—delayed that year to September due to COVID-19—he stood as the 5-1 joint favorite for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). At that point, he had won a maiden special weight by 5 3/4 lengths earning a Beyer of 105; an allowance over 1 mile at Santa Anita Park, where he scored by 10 1/4 lengths over subsequent grade 2 winner Rushie with a Beyer of 106; and a 6-length victory over the previous year's Hopeful Stakes (G1) victor Basin in a division of the Arkansas Derby (G1). The ankle injury kept Charlatan away from the track until the Malibu Stakes (G1) in late December, where he returned in style to score by 4 1/2 lengths, while earning a 107 Beyer. Charlatan remained in training at 4, but ran just once. In the Saudi Cup (G1), he attempted to lead throughout, but after turning back a persistent challenge from Knicks Go —who would end his campaign as the 2021 Horse of the Year in the United States—he was caught close to home by the top-class European runner Mishriff, going down by a length.
Retired to stand at Hill 'n' Dale Farms near Paris, Ky., for the 2022 breeding season, Charlatan now has 25 individual first-crop winners, including other stakes winners Hammond, successful in the 2025 Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and Little Miss Curlin, winner of her first four races, including three Louisiana-bred stakes events.
Rather like her sire, Labwah has gone from maiden to classic prospect—her UAE Oaks triumph earned her 50 points towards Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualification—in short order. A distant fourth on her Nov. 21 debut, Labwah proved the clear best in a 7-furlong maiden just under a month later. The Cocoa Beach Stakes, a conditions race formerly known as the UAE One Thousand Guineas, saw Labwah prevail by a head, but upped in distance to 1 3/16 miles for the UAE Oaks, she delivered a far more impressive performance, leading throughout, and drawing away in the final furlong to score by 7 1/2 lengths.
Labwah is half sister to the talented Lonhro filly War Heroine, successful in the 2018 San Clemente Stakes (G2T) and Sweet Life Stakes. Their dam, the War Chant mare War Tigress, is also a black-type winner, taking the 2008 Caressing Handicap at Churchill Downs at 2. The second dam, Tigresa, won six times and earned black-type with a second in the 1998 A.P. Indy Stakes at Keeneland. Tiff's Decorated, the dam of Tigresa, was unplaced, but was a sister to a veritable "Iron Horse" in Pulverizing. He made 92 starts over seven seasons, winning 13 races and earning places in another 40. Three of those races came in black-type events, including the 1989 Woodlawn Stakes and Hirsch Jacobs Stakes, and Pulverizing also earned places in 15 other stakes contests.
Phenomenal, the dam of Pulverizing and the fourth dam of Labwah, was a minor winner at 2, but was by Explodent out of a daughter of the Rough'n Tumble mare Carrie's Rough, a formula that also produced a true notable in Country Queen. Six times successful in graded stakes competition, including the 1979 Yellow Ribbon Invitational Stakes (G1T), that success also carried over to her second career when Country Queen produced the minor stakes winner River Char. Her most significant contribution to the breed, however, was her stakes-placed Conquistador Cielo daughter Slipstream Queen.
Imported to France by Jean-Luc Lagardere, Slipstream Queen produced three stakes winners there, headed by Slickly, whose eight group victories included the 2001 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (G1) and 1999 Grand Prix de Paris (G1). In addition, through her black-type-winning Danehill daughter, Sichilla, she is also dam of Siyouni, a group 1 scorer who has long been one of the elite European stallions, and third dam of the 2019 Prix Saint-Alary (G1) heroine Siyarafina.
We can also note Country Queen's half sister, With Distinction. Winner of the 1975 Marlboro Nursery Stakes and also group-placed, she produced the Mr. Prospector colt Procida, who took the 1984 Prix de la Foret (G1) and Hollywood Derby (G1T). The family goes back to the American foundation mare Miss Bell, a family designated A15 in the Bruce Lowe system, and Carrie's Rough's third dam, the Matron Handicap victress, Infanta, was heavily linebred to that female line.
Labwah is the second stakes winner by Speightstown and his sons out of War Chant mares, and it is a version of the broader cross of Speightstown and sons with Danzig-line mares that has produced 47 stakes winners, 20 graded, including grade 1 winners I'm a Chatterbox, Firenze Fire, Mozu Superflare, Seek Again, Jersey Town , Puerto Manzano, and Irwin.
