3 minute read

Ourasi vs Ready Cash vs Face Time Bourbon.

Face Time Bourbon added a thirty-eighth career success when winning the Prix Saint-Michel at Mikkeli in Finland. But how does the double Prix d'Amerique winner measure up against previous champions? We compare Face Time Bourbon's exploits with his sire Ready Cash and champion Ourasi.    

Foaled in 1980, Ourasi won fifty-eight times in a career spanning eight years. He remains the only horse to have won the G1 Grand Prix d'Amerique four times, achieving back to back victories between 1986 and 1988 and returning after a defeat in 1989 to win again in 1990. Retired to stud after his historic fourth success in the race in 1990, Ourasi struggled with fertility and could only produce thirty eight foals in ten years.   

In comparison, Ready Cash has firmly established himself as Europe's leading sire and his rapidly spreading influence means the majority of bloodlines could be dominated by the stallion in future decades. He won thirty-three Group races over a seven-year racing career, including back-to-back Grand Prix d'Ameriques in 2011 and 2012. Arguably his achievements on the track have been surpassed by his career at stud, with breeders struggling to find bloodlines which are not influenced by Ready Cash.    

At the age of six, Face Time Bourbon is already matching the achievements of Ready Cash and is likely to surpass his sire's Group race tally. At the same age, Ready Cash had recorded his first success in the Grand Prix d'Amerique, but had struggled in subsequent races, unable to return to winning ways until September 2012 in the G2 Prix d'Ete (2850m). Barring injury, it is fair to say that Face Time Bourbon is expected to out-shine his sire's racecourse achievements. But it will take considerably more to exceed Ready Cash's breeding record. Face Time Bourbon's first crop of juveniles (K Generation) will be seen on the track in 2022 and will face intense scrutiny by industry professionals. 

Despite Face Time Bourbon's impressive race record, it is difficult to imagine any horse matching or surpassing Ourasi's achievement of four Grand Prix d'Ameriques. Aged six, Ourasi began an impressive winning streak commencing in the G2 Prix de Belgique in January 1986 spanning until June 1987 with twenty-two victories including the first of the four Grand Prix d'Ameriques. It offers hope to connections of Face Time Bourbon that at the same age, their champion has already recorded two wins in the premier race compared to Ourasi's one. The outstanding career of Ourasi is credited to his longevity – the horse was known as the 'Lazy King', conserving himself in training and only giving his all on the racetrack.    

So how does Face Time Bourbon compare? Although the young champion faces an uphill struggle to match the racecourse achievements of Ourasi, he is arguably the best horse seen on a track since 1990. With an excellent run-to-win ratio, Face Time Bourbon has already achieved more at the age of six than Ourasi and potentially possesses the longevity required to be a four-time Grand Prix d'Amerique winner. He has proven to be the best of his generation on more than one occasion, winning the Criterium des 3 Ans and Criterium des 5 Ans – a feat unmatched by Ourasi and Ready Cash who could only manage one victory each (Ourasi in the Criterium des 5 Ans and Ready Cash in the Criterium des 3 Ans). But can he exceed the stallion success of his sire Ready Cash, who is dominating the bloodstock industry? It's possible…but unlikely.