North America s Top Stallion for 2011 Distorted Humor

Distorted Humor certainly proved why he commands a $100,000 stud fee in 2011. The Kentucky-based stallion led all North American sires in total progeny earnings of $10.3-million last year, which bested runner-up Smart Strike, a former champion sire in his own right, by nearly $1 million.

To own a racehorse good enough to become a stallion is the ultimate dream of any racehorse owner. While earning purse money at the racetrack can certainly be a lucrative endeavor in its own right, to have a horse that's good enough to become a leading Kentucky stallion is akin to a winning a lottery ticket for a horse owner.

The numbers can be staggering. Take Distorted Humor, for example. The son of Forty Niner, who stands at Winstar Farm in central Kentucky, commands a fee of $100,000 per breeding-shed rendevous and he is generally bred to more than 100 mares a year. Compound that over any number of years and the potential take is huge.

Following Distorted Humor and Smart Strike on the 2011 General Sire List were Tapit ($9.2 million), Giant's Causeway ($8.5 million) and Malibu Moon ($7.6 million).

Leading Distorted Humor in progeny earnings in 2011 was Drosselmeyer, who won the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic to lead all North American runners in earnings last year. Other 2011 Stakes winners sired by Distorted Humor include Alternation (Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes), Boisterous (Grade 2 Red Smith Stakes, Grade 3 Knickerbocker Staks) and Brethren (Sam F. Davis Stakes).

In all, Distorted Humor had 133 winners from 264 runners in 2011 and 19 Stakes winners.

Distorted Humor entered stud in 2000 after a three-year racing career in which he won eight of 23 starts, earned $769,964 and was a multiple Grade 2 winner. Perhaps his biggest claim to fame was setting a new Churchill Downs track record for seven furlongs when winning the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Handicap in a swift 1:21 flat.

Distorted Humor had only 66 named foals in his first crop, but that number—along with his stud fee—skyrocketed quickly. Distorted Humor's increase in popularity among breeders was due in large part to the prowess shown in 2003 by Funny Cide, the immensely popular New York-bred gelding who would win that year's Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and the Preakness Stakes.

Since that time, Distorted Humor has been considered one of the top stallions in all of North America. His progeny have surpassed $10-million in annual earnings on three separate occasions and, to further illuminate Distorted Humor's popularity, his yearlings have sold for an average $325,398 over the last three years, which is higher than any other stallion in the world.