Predicting the Sire Standings

The Sire Standings are largely a numbers game. Variations in Strike Rate, the ratio of pups to top-grade wins, can overcome numbers to some extent, but overall, the Standings reflect how popular studs are with breeders.

I think the year-end 2009 Sire Standings will look like this:

1. Dodgem By Design
2. Kiowa Sweet Trey
3. Lonesome Cry
4. Flying Penske
5. Maryville Rumble*

Puppies under two are in the process of climbing the grading ladder, and except for some early flyers, don't contribute too many wins to the total. Likewise, 3½ year-olds are starting to retire and/or slow down. The bulk of grade A winners are 2-3½ years of age.

Pups whelped from January 2008 on will have a minimal impact on the Sire Standings. If you look at the "American Stud Dog Trends" thread on Global Greyhounds, you'll see that 2 to 3½ years prior to December 2009, Dodgem By Design was bred the most:

Breedings since June 2006:

Dodgem By Design - 701
Kiowa Sweet Trey - 590
Lonesome Cry - 531
Flying Penske - 359
Maryville Rumble* - 246

Allowing for late reporting of breedings and the inevitable misses, the differences are significant enough that only vastly different strike rates can change things much. There are your year-end 2009 Sire Standings. You saw them here first.