How good, really, is this stallion? Not just how popular is he, not how effective is the propaganda and advertising surrounding him, but how does he really rate? This is a question that has intrigued Bill Oppenheim for his entire professional career, stretching back over 45 years. A successful journalist, publisher, and analyst, he developed what are known as the APEX ratings of evaluating sire performance; from 2000 to 2020 he was a columnist for the industry’s two leading publications, Thoroughbred Daily News and The Blood-Horse. He has also served on the Breeders’ Cup ‘Big Board’ of Members since 2008, and served a term on the Board of Directors 2013-2017.

In 2011 Oppenheim met Dr. Emily Plant, then an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Montana and a lifelong horsewoman with proper academic credentials and an intense interest in the thoroughbred business. SSR – Stallion Spectator Ratings – is the result of their collaboration. SSR is state-of-the-art analysis: the best information, organized in the most meaningful and practical ways; and the best analysis – including the best bets among up-and-coming young stallions.