As we move towards Christmas, Lyndhurst Stud’s young sire sensation Better than Ready has again proven himself a superior source of precocious juveniles with six winners on the board this season to make him the leading sire of two year-old winners in the country.
Better Than Ready burst to prominence with his first crop of foals born in 2016 that made him the leading first season sire in Australia by winners.
He sired 23 winners from that debut crop that amassed $2million in prizemoney and also finished equal second with Snitzel on the overall leading two year-old sire list by winners and behind only I Am Invincible.
His 23 winners won 38 races, which was more both Snitzel and I Am Invincible, and came from just 47 runners bred from a $9,900 fee.
That initial success has proven no fluke with his subsequent crop producing 17 two year-old winners last season to place him third on the overall leading two year-old sires by winners list, again behind only Snitzel and I Am Invincible.
The 2019/ 2020 season is delivering more of the same and last weekend we saw a new stakes--winner for Better than Ready when the Trent and Toby Edmonds trained colt Alpine Edge took out the Listed BRC Phelan Ready Stakes (1000m) on debut.
It was the second time in the past three years, that this Magic Millions lead up race has been won by a son of Better than Ready with The Odyssey saluting in 2018.
A $160,000 Magic Millions purchase for Edmonds Racing/Kestral Thoroughbreds/Lucky Clover from the Yarramalong Park draft, Alpine Edge was the most expensive yearling by Better Than Ready sold in 2020.
“He has a stack of improvement. He came here very soft today,” said Trent Edmonds.
“He is a Magic Millions horse; we bought him at the Sunday session. We will follow the now tried and true path, giving him a week off, and he can start a week before (the 2yo Classic) then back up.
“He has got a lovely big, long, lopping action. I think we are not going to see the best of him until a little bit later so whatever he is doing now is on raw ability.”
The current yearlings are the last bred by Better Than Ready from his modest $9,900 starting fee with his foals born this spring conceived from a $33,000 fee.
Magic Millions have catalogued 16 yearlings by Better Than Ready and you can see them here.