Which freshman sire would you like us to follow for 2021?

Help us select which first-crop sires you prefer us to follow during the second half of 2021!

Our team is already following Gun Runner, Practical Joke, and Classic Empire as freshman sires who are firing with their first crop of 2-year-olds in 2021. We are asking our TwinSpires fans to help select two more stallions to follow, to round out a total of five.

The two most popular picks selected by our users in this poll will join Gun Runner, Practical Joke, and Classic Empire as the freshmen to monitor for the rest of the season. Our series will feature videos of maiden wins and authoritative editorial insights by our industry experts.

This exciting series will hold weekly video elements that will show race replays and demonstrate horses of interest from the juvenile ranks.

Could you be voting for the sire of the 2022 Kentucky Derby (G1) or Oaks (G1) winner? Or possibly the freshman who might send out a champion in the Breeders' Cup?

Now is your chance to have a say, return to TwinSpires Edge on July 12 to see the final results!

Arrogate 

Champion Arrogate had a meteoric career on the racetrack, becoming North America’s all-time leading money earner surpassing the $17 million mark in only several months. With his tragic loss after standing barely three seasons at stud, his record as a sire will also be brief, but hopefully as successful.

Arrogate progressed rapidly in the second half of 2016 to win the Eclipse Award as champion three-year-old colt. After a 13 1/2-length conquest of the Travers S. (G1) in track-record time at Saratoga, the gray ran down two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Arrogate extended his winning streak through two more rich prizes, breaking the Gulfstream Park track record in the 2017 Pegasus World Cup (G1) and overcoming a slow start to capture the Dubai World Cup (G1).

Although he lost form thereafter, the son of Unbridled’s Song retired to Juddmonte as an in-demand stallion for a $75,000 fee. Since Arrogate was unraced at two, his progeny could really come on later in the year.

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Gormley

As a Grade 1 winner at two and three, Gormley is eligible to get off to a quick start as a freshman and sustain his momentum. The son of Malibu Moon captured his first two starts, including a wire-to-wire performance in the 2016 FrontRunner S. (G1). Making a splash on the 2017 Kentucky Derby (G1) trail, Gormley was game to withstand a pace duel in the Sham S. (G3), and he changed tactics to rally in time in the Santa Anita Derby (G1). Ninth in the Kentucky Derby and fourth in the Belmont S. (G1), Gormley never had an opportunity to try the turf that might have suited him. The grass influences on his dam’s side could give him more versatility as a sire. Gormley entered stud at Spendthrift for $10,000, and his 2021 fee was a bargain $5,000.

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Keen Ice

Best known for toppling Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the 2015 Travers S. (G1), Keen Ice figures to sire runners of a similar mold who require distance and maturity. The son of Curlin broke his maiden over a mile as a juvenile, finished third in the 2014 Remsen S. (G2), and proved a hardy if unsuccessful campaigner throughout the Triple Crown trail. Keen Ice got progressively closer to American Pharoah during the summer, progressing from a third in the Belmont S. (G1) and a hard-charging second in the Haskell S. (G1) to his epic upset at the Spa. His other score came as a five-year-old in the 2017 Suburban H. (G2), and he concluded his career with runner-up efforts in the Whitney S. (G1) and Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). After an initial stud fee of $20,000, Keen Ice was standing for $9,500 at Calumet this season.

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Mastery

A leading hopeful for the 2017 Kentucky Derby (G1) when injured in his prime, undefeated Mastery has left a nagging what-if on the racetrack. The son of Candy Ride showed high speed in all four starts, blitzing a six-furlong maiden and taking the 2016 Bob Hope S. (G3) in his stakes debut. Mastery made a seamless transition to routing in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G1), where he shrugged off a torrid pace battle to romp by 7 1/4 lengths. He turned in a similar display in his reappearance in the San Felipe S. (G2), only to pull up on the gallop-out with an ultimately career-ending fracture. Retired to stud at Claiborne Farm, Mastery still commands a $25,000 fee.

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Mohaymen

As a prominent juvenile himself, Mohaymen has a right to make an impact as a freshman sire. The son of leading sire Tapit is also a half-brother to 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) hero New Year’s Day, now best known as the sire of Maximum Security. Mohaymen, a $2.2 million yearling, began his career with a five-race winning streak. The gray turned the 2015 Nashua S. (G2)/Remsen S. (G2) double at Aqueduct and continued his hot hand early the next year at Gulfstream Park, rolling in the Holy Bull S. (G2) and Fountain of Youth S. (G2). Mohaymen lost his perfect mark when fourth to Nyquist in the Florida Derby (G1), a finish he duplicated behind the same rival in the Kentucky Derby (G1). The rest of his career was anticlimactic, and he entered stud at Shadwell Farm. Mohaymen continues to stand for a $7,500 stud fee.

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About the series

Freshman Orientation is a series highlighting five different sires with a first crop of 2-year-old Thoroughbreds. Could the juveniles show up at the Breeders' Cup or even the 2022 Kentucky Derby? Follow along and find out!

Read more!

• First-crop sires: Practical Joke's off to serious start as sire
• First-crop sires: Gun Runner's Red Run, Pappacap fire on debut