Trained by Tony Sears, promising gelding Raging Pole was placed at his first
three starts and broke through with a tenacious nose win after leading
throughout.A fast Listed stakes-winning son of More Than Ready (USA), Better Than Ready has smashed it right out of the park this season when you consider he's a sire that started at $9,900 at Lyndhurst Stud in Queensland.
He did cover a good number of mares in his first year at stud and has a crop of 106 two year-olds to run for him, but that hardly compares to his peers at the top of the list below.
I Am Invincible has a crop of 153 two year-olds bred from a $55,000 fee, Snitzel has 167 bred from an $88,000 fee and Deep Field has 191 bred from a $22,000 fee.
Whatever happens over the last two months of the racing season, Better Than Ready has covered himself in glory and will no doubt be greeted by a full book this spring at the increased fee of $33,000.
His 19 winners has surpassed the recent benchmark of 18 first crop winners set last year by Spirit of Boom and in 2013 by Northern Meteor, but falls a long way short of Without Fear's record breaking 30 first crop winners set in 1976.
