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It is beginning to look as if the stallions that were represented by their first runners in 2008 are quite a promising group. Two of them -- Speightstown and Friends Lake -- have been quick to make an impact in 2009.

Speightstown (TrueNicks,SRO) had a great first weekend of the new year. On Saturday, Jan. 3, his son Haynesfield won the Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct, the first step on the New York road to the Triple Crown. Haynesfield is out of Nothing Special, a daughter of the Deputy Minister sire Tejabo, who is closely related to Touch Gold (TrueNicks,SRO) . The following day, his daughter Gemswick Park -- a homebred to for Eugene Melnyk, who also campaigned Speightstown -- won the Old Hat Stakes (gr. III) at Gulfstream Park. She is out of the Relaunch mare Queen's Park. Her second dam, Bright Tiara, is a sister to the Brooklyn Handicap (gr. I) winner Chief Honcho, and is by Chief's Crown, a horse bred on a similar Northern Dancer/Secretariat cross to Speightstown's broodmare sire, Storm Cat. Overall, Speightstown has 17 first-crop winners, and four other stakes horses, including the Mill Reef Stakes (gr. II) winner and Dewhurst Stakes (gr. I) runner-up Lord Shanakill, and the Champagne Stakes (gr. I) second Munnings. (Read more about sophomore sire Speightstown in today's Porter on Pedigrees column)

Friends Lake (TrueNicks,SRO), who sired 16 first crop 2-year-olds winners, including the Bashford Manor Stakes (gr. III) winner Screen Your Friend and black type winner Merus Miami, also already has a 2009 first-crop stakes winner. This is Loch Dubh, who came home two lengths clear in the Turfway Prevue Stakes at Turfway Park Jan. 3.

Filed under: Recent Winners, Sires