The world of thoroughbred breeding is often dominated by hyperbole and the exaggerating of a sire's merit. Sunday's Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes drew attention to one of Kentucky's most reliable stallions.

Molto Vita is a daughter of Overbrook Farm's stalwart stallion, Carson City. The son of Mr Prospector has sired 64 stakes winners to date - at nine % stakes winners to foals. The fact that he has covered good Coolmore -numbers of mares and keeps his good strike rate speaks volumes for him as a sire.

Long seen as one of the more reliable sources of speed and precocity in the American thoroughbred, Carson City has, understandably, been overshadowed by stablemate, Storm Cat.

Carson City has not produced a son, who has continued his excellence, and his daughters have yet to produce a standout. One of the problems Carson City faces as a commercial sire is that the majority of his offspring tend to be sprinters and therefore not likely Triple Crown/Breeders Cup Classic horses. Another negative is despite the stream of good horses he has produced over the years, Carson City lacks the "wow" horse.

That said, Carson City's consistent high standing in the leading sires lists, and a good AEI of 2.04, belie
his relatively ordinary sales statistics. Despite being represented by nine stakes winners this year, including the high class three year old Pollard's Vision, his yearlings average just over $120,000.

A very fast horse, Carson City won the Sapling Stakes-then a Grade Two race at two, defeating Dawn Quixote - by over seven lengths. The Sapling has featured several times on Carson City's resume - sons Boone's Mill and Don't Tell the kids both won the race.
He won two graded stakes races at three, beating champion sprinters Sewickley and Safely Kept.

Carson City was duly retired to Overbrook as a four year old. The chesnut began his stud career at $7,500, a fee which has steadily risen to $35,000.

Well supported at stud, he has covered over 100 mares the last three seasons. He has averaged 68 foals a year with 83 born in 2000.

The sire of seven Grade One winners, his State City won the Golden Sheehan last year, whilst Dublin was a high class two year old, running third to Refuse to Bend in the National Stakes. For all that, Carson City' success is very much a North American success story.

Carson City is out of the unraced Blushing Groom mare, Blushing Promise - a half sister to the dam of California's leading sire, General Meeting.