Given time, every breeding program has certain stallions rise to be iconic - part of a brand that will forever be connected with their farm. Sometimes it's the stallion you expect, and sometimes it's the one you never would. That's what makes the game so exciting. It has taken Valkyrie Stud a long time to find those champions, but three stallions have finally made themselves known and proven themselves to be ahead of the rest of the VS pack.

Alucard retired from the track after Y16, and from the breeding shed in Y20. While his breeding career was very short and he's already moved on to a third career, lack of longevity certainly does not mean lack of quality. Of his five foals, four have reached the track and three are HOTY winners. He had two colts in his first crop, Carnal Nature and Devilishly Charming, both of whom performed with distinction at two and have won HOTY races at three. Carnal Nature was exceptional as a juvenile, winning seven HOTY races before finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint**. Now three, Carnal Nature has won the second leg of the Spring Dirt Sprinter Series, the Steel Valley Sprint**. While Carnal Nature found his success on the dirt track, Devilishly Charming is truly a dual runner, winning both dirt and turf HOTY races at two before finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint**. He came in first this year in the Secretariat Stakes*. From his second crop, Alucard has Bone Itch and Divinity on the track. While Divinity has been a little slower to start, Bone Itch has taken both the Stable Faceoff Maiden Dirt Sprint* and the Permian Basin Stakes*. Alucard's last foal to hit the tracks will be Royal Flush, a weanling colt out of Candid Silver bred by Battle Brook Stable.

Amarillo Sky was always special to the farm, being by Augusto and one of our first racehorses on the farm. Amarillo Sky reached two big stallion milestones within a week of each other, getting his first G1 runner and his first classic winner back to back. Amarillo By Morning, his first foal, has been a HOTY competitor in the miler division from the time she was a juvenile. May Week One she became a G1 runner after a win in the Silver Charm Derby*. The only foal out of Bellefire, the filly has been a special one for the farm from the start. On top of this success, Amarillo Sky's second foal, the Valkyrie homebred Amarillo Bandit, took the Kentucky Open** for new owner Grayson Meadows Racing. Amarillo Bandit was a consistent HOTY runner at two before his current success at three, and he looks to be setting himself up for a big year. Amarillo Sky's third foal on the track, Arcane, is a juvenile who has broken his maiden and placed in two HOTY races so far. He has another Valkyrie homebred in the wings, the Whispering Melody colt Amarillo Song, who will race for Firestone Racing come Y22.

The third of the big three is certainly not the least. Bowen Arrow has gone from a racehorse with no pedigree and moderate success on the track to a stallion that may end up lording above the rest of the string. Bowen Arrow has three HOTY winners from three foals, including two classic leg winners. His first foal, Nephilim, is one of only two active foals of the dual Breeders' Cup and classic winner Seraphim. While Nephilim couldn't crack into the HOTY ranks at two, he won three HOTY races at three, including The Royal Heroine Green Mile**. His second foal is statistically the most successful HOTY juvenile of modern times, winning an unprecedented ten HOTY races including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf**. Being the only foal out of a mare from an inactive stable, Atlantic Deluge is a positive gem just on those merits alone - and yet, she's once again pushed the envelope, taking a win in the Debutante Stakes** this year. Regardless of what the rest of her career brings, she's already more than padded her sire's resume. If that wasn't enough, his most recent juvenile is also a HOTY winner. Hooded Hero took home the Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante* in January, giving black type to both her sire and her dam, for whom she is the first foal. With two breedings likely left on his books, Bowen Arrow will turn out to be Valkyrie's first true foundation stallion.