The big story in Florida’s freshman sire ranks for 2022 was rising star Girvin, who launched his career at Ocala Stud, in partnership with Kentucky’s Airdrie Stud and racing owners Brad and Misty Grady. Grade 1 winner Girvin was the only non-Kentucky resident to break into North America’s top 10 freshman sires, finishing sixth by earnings with fewer starters than any stallion ahead of him. Led by Grade 1 winner Faiza, he had five stakes winners. Three of those – Grade 2 winner Damon’s Mound and stakes winners Devious Dame and Dorth Vader – are Florida-breds who succeeded in open company. Girvin has departed the Sunshine State for the Bluegrass State, shifting to partner Airdrie for the 2023 season to try his luck in the deep waters of Kentucky. Remaining in Florida are two other stallions who checked in among the top 20 freshmen nationally in 2022 – graded stakes winners Awesome Slew and Bucchero, who now get a chance to shine. Florida-bred Awesome Slew, who stands at Ocala Stud, recorded a solid 14 winners from 24 starters in 2022, a 58 percent strike rate. He checked in 12th on the North American freshman sire earnings list, a creditable accomplishment considering that the fewest starters of any stallion above him was Kentucky-based City of Light, with 27, in 10th. Awesome Slew’s totals placed him 11th on the general sire list among living and active Florida sires. Next on Florida’s freshman earnings list was Bucchero, who resides at Pleasant Acres Stallions. He finished 19th nationally, with 14 winners from 29 starters. Awesome Slew, who raced as a homebred for Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak, banked more than $1.2 million during his racing career. He won the Grade 3 Smarty Jones Stakes in 2016 at Parx Racing; the Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes in 2017 at Keeneland; and the Grade 3 Ack Ack Stakes later that year at Churchill Downs. He finished on the board in nine other graded stakes, with his multiple Grade 1 placings including a third in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile behind Battle of Midway and Sharp Azteca. He finished ahead of Practical Joke, Mor Spirit, Accelerate, and Cupid. Awesome Slew, by Awesome Again, is the sire of unbeaten Awesome Strong, who swept the Dr. Fager, Affirmed, and In Reality divisions of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes. He also is the sire of Tigre, who finished second in the In Reality, and stakes-placed Awesome Pic. Indiana-bred Bucchero, by Kantharos, won back-to-back editions of the Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland in 2017 and 2018 in a career in which he won seven stakes. The hard-knocking globe-trotter finished fourth, beaten just a length, in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and was a creditable fifth in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at the 2018 Royal Ascot meeting. Bucchero’s first crop includes Toddchero, who placed in five stakes last year at four different tracks, as well as stakes-placed Takecareofbusiness and Gemma’s Curls. Leading Florida general sires Khozan and Brethren, both royally bred sons of Distorted Humor, continued to lead Florida’s general sire ranks in 2022, rounding out the exacta for the third year in a row. Khozan, who stands at Journeyman Stallions, and Brethren, who stands at Arindel Farm, are not only by the same stallion, they are both out of standout A.P. Indy mares. Khozan, who won his only two starts, is a half-brother to three-time Eclipse Award champion and Hall of Famer Royal Delta and two other Grade 1 winners. Grade 3 winner Brethren is one of three graded winners out of his dam, led by Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver. Both of these well-bred stallions got off to a strong start at stud, as Brethren was third on Florida’s 2017 freshman sire list and Khozan led that list in 2019. They have since climbed to the top of the state’s general sire list. Khozan and Brethren, in that order, have now topped the list in three straight years. Khozan led his foe by a margin of more than $1.2 million in progeny earnings in 2022. Brethren did record more stakes winners on the season, with six to three. However, Khozan had 78 individual winners overall to 68 for Brethren to help him bank more earnings. And crucially, one of his trio of stakes winners was Hot Peppers, a Florida-bred who was successful in open company to power him along. Hot Peppers won the Jersey Girl and Grade 3 Victory Ride at Belmont Park, then was second in the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga.