It’s typically known well in advance which stallions will be retiring for the upcoming breeding season. The Breeders’ Cup marks the farewell party for many top prospects. That was in strong evidence this time around as it was common knowledge that Cody’s Wish and Elite Power would be making their final starts on Nov. 4. The two scored repeat victories in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Sprint, respectively, and were subsequently voted champions. After the Breeders’ Cup, Cody’s Wish had his debut stud fee set at $75,000 by Darley, the highest-priced incoming stallion in North America; Elite Power, whose fee was announced in October, debuts for $50,000 at Juddmonte. The months of lead time into the breeding season – with many breeding sheds already active or opening for business this week – allows breeders time to inspect stallion prospects and plan matings for their mares – or to acquire mares during the mixed-sale season, including the highest-profile sales in November, for specific stallions. Plenty of lead time also allows stud farms time to assemble the best book of mares possible to help get newcomers off on the right foot in a competitive marketplace. But with Thoroughbreds, circumstances can change in a hurry – and the hurdle of a later or unplanned retirement isn’t insurmountable. For example, Unbridled’s Song’s career-ending injury occurred in Florida on Jan. 31, 1997, and he arrived at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky shortly before the season. He became an influential leading sire. That’s one example for this year’s sizeable group of latecomers to live up to. As of Nov. 20, 35 stallions had been announced as entering stud in North America for the 2024 season. As of Feb. 7, there are now 50. Of the latecomers, five are Grade 1 winners, led by Kentucky Derby winner Mage and turf standout Annapolis in Kentucky. Another six are graded stakes winners. Neither Mage, whose retirement to Airdrie Stud was announced Nov. 27, nor Annapolis, whose retirement to Claiborne Farm was announced Jan. 4, had to hunt for a late stallion deal. Airdrie announced last September that it had acquired the future breeding rights to Mage, whose plans for a 2024 campaign were ultimately scuttled when his connections discovered a small issue that would have caused him to miss his early-season goals. Annapolis raced as a homebred for Ramona Bass, who boards her mares at Claiborne; his return to his birthplace was a natural migration. Both young stallions are well positioned for their first season, with their connections working to bolster their books right up until the end of mixed-sale season. Bloodstock agent Steven Young, shopping with Bass, was among the leading buyers at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale, purchasing four mares for a total of $2,185,000 with “the intention to give Annapolis the best mare support he can possibly get.” Those purchases were led by $750,000 Bridlewood Cat, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Sweet Loretta. Young bought two more broodmare prospects at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale, going to $500,000 for Grade 1-placed Home Cooking. Millionaire Annapolis, standing for $12,500, won five stakes on turf, highlighted by the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile as a 3-year-old against older horses. The prospect, who will stand alongside his versatile sire, War Front, at Claiborne, is out of My Miss Sophia, who was Grade 1-placed on both dirt and turf. This is the immediate family of Grade 1-winning dirt routers Afleet Express, Embellish the Lace, and Materiality. “He’s going to throw a lot of quality 2-year-olds. He’s going to throw dirt,” Young said. “We never got a chance to run him on the dirt, but he always trained tremendously on the dirt.” Mage, debuting for $25,000 at Airdrie, is from perhaps the hottest sire line in the nation. He is from the first crop of Good Magic, whose fee has skyrocketed to $125,000 at Hill ‘n’ Dale; grandsire Curlin, represented by champions Cody’s Wish, Elite Power, and Idiomatic in 2023, stands at the same farm for $250,000, tied as the most expensive stallion in the country. Mage, who won the Kentucky Derby in just his fourth career start and owns three other Grade 1 placings, was campaigned in partnership by Commonwealth, OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, and Sterling Racing. Restrepo was active at the Fasig-Tipton February sale for a new partnership, JR Racing, which purchased three mares for $790,000 as it acquired mares for Mage. The ontrack performances of those mares were led by Grade 3-placed stakes winner R Adios Jersey, for $290,000. “We have a couple of breeding rights and seasons in Mage,” Restrepo said. “We were looking for speed, so we got [this mare] for him. She ran some really impressive figures. . . . We’re over the moon and really happy to get fillies for Mage at this sale. . . . It’s all to support what we think is a really, really nice stallion prospect in Mage.” Other graded stakes winners retired later for this season are Grade 1 winner Doppelganger and graded stakes winners Lightening Larry, Simplification, and Verifying in Florida; Grade 1 winner Gufo in Canada; Grade 1 winner Super Stock in Arkansas; graded stakes winner Endorsed in Maryland; and graded stakes winners Somelikeithotbrown and Warrant in Pennsylvania. Endorsed, a half-brother to Cody’s Wish debuting at Northview Stallion Station, had circumstances put him behind the curve in preparing for his next career. Endorsed, a dual Grade 3 winner at Gulfstream Park last year, amassed earnings just shy of a $1 million before injury ended his career. “Endorsed will begin covering mares March 15, as he is recovering from surgery to his right front fetlock, and we will be selective of the mares to be bred to him,” David Wade, general manager for Northview, said in a press release. “Because of this, we’ll stand him for an introductory fee of $5,000. He’s going to be very popular, and we invite breeders to come inspect him at the farm by appointment. I expect him to arrive mid-February.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.