Il Campione, an Unrivaled Force for a Fourth Straight Season atop the Sires’ Standings

The son of Scat Daddy, who stands at Haras El Paraíso, finished on top across virtually every category, delivering a formidable campaign at both the graded and G1 levels

Il Campione, the Unquestioned Leading Sire in Argentina / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

For a fourth consecutive season, Il Campione topped the Argentine stallion standings, cementing a supremacy that shows every sign of extending well into the future and evoking memories of the era of Southern Halo, when he reigned as an undisputed force.

In many ways, the leadership of the Scat Daddy horse mirrors that of the unforgettable champion who stood at Haras La Quebrada, and 2025 made that parallel unmistakably clear. Il Campione finished first in earnings, races won, individual winners, stakes wins, Group 1 victories and on dirt, while ranking second on turf—just a few pesos behind Treasure Beach (Galileo).

Led by standard-bearers such as El Exito, El Fruto, El Epecuén and Doña Vainilla—all winners at the top level—the Haras El Paraíso stallion crowned the season with a wide margin over Fortify, pulling away by more than ARS 500 million late in the year, just when parity briefly seemed possible.

Il Campione’s progeny amassed ARS 1,726,948,194 during the calendar, compared with ARS 1,225,158,788 for Fortify. It was also a banner year for Cosmic Trigger, whose runners earned ARS 1,039,219,619 to rank third overall and first among domestic sires, ahead of Hi Happy (ARS 947,531,814). Rounding out the Top 5, Remote posted ARS 936,969,563.

By races won, Il Campione again stood clearly atop the table with 212 victories, well clear of Fortify (135), Cosmic Trigger (127), Remote (107) and Señor Candy (105). The picture shifted slightly when measured by individual winners—but not at the top.

Il Campione had 117 individual winners, followed by Fortify (87), Cosmic Trigger (85), Angiolo (68) and Manipulator (67), tied with Remote (67).

At stakes level, Il Campione was dominant, compiling an outstanding 32 victories. The contributions of El Exito (5), El Emporio (4), El Mejor Recuerdo (4) and Monsieur Delon (3) stood out, underlining the stallion’s versatility across distances and surfaces.

Remote and Fortify followed with 18 stakes wins apiece, while Hi Happy recorded 14 and Cosmic Trigger 12—one more than Distinctiv Passion.

When it came to Group 1 success, Il Campione tallied six wins through four different offspring. Hat Ninja (Hat Trick) ranked a commendable second with four G1s—courtesy of Need You Tonight, The Gladiator’s Hat and Ceniza Pampa—achieved from just 40 runners, compared to the leader’s 227.

Cosmic Trigger, Strategos (Zensational, from his first crop) and Remote each finished with three G1 victories, ahead of Le Blues, Treasure Beach and Gouverneur Morris (Constitution, also a freshman), all with two.

On dirt by earnings, Il Campione led Fortify, Cosmic Trigger, Señor Candy and Angiolo; on turf—an increasingly marginal category numerically—Treasure Beach edged Il Campione, with Fortify, Hi Happy and Remote next.

Il Campione once again dominates the statistics—and his reign threatens to be as enduring as that once enjoyed by Southern Halo.