MORE Than Ready galloper More Than a Reason celebrated the milestone of 60 career starts with his first Stakes win in Aqueduct’s Grade Three Queens County Stakes on Saturday.

Though he had won 11 races and placed 20 times before, More Than A Reason had hitherto been unable to breakthrough at the highest level despite finishing runner-up twice in Stakes races and third in last years’ running of the Queens County.

The 5yo was last after six furlongs and had only one rival beat when he entered the lane from a five-wide position. He was chasing Stormy’s Majesty, who had stalked the pace set by Seniors Pride and took over in upper stretch.

With Edgar Prado aboard, Stormy’s Majesty held a narrow lead for nearly all of the final furlongs, but by mid-stretch he was being threatened by More Than a Reason and odds-on favorite Arson Squad, who was between horses and trying to force his way through under Ramon Dominguez.

Not much separated those three as they neared the wire, but it was More Than a Reason who got up by a head. Stormy’s Majesty held second by a neck.

The final time was an impressive 1:57.69 over the fast dirt.

More Than Ready has sired 78 individual stakes winners including two Golden Slipper winners and both Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winners in 2011.

The 13-year-old Vinery stallion ranks highly on several of 2010’s U.S leading lists.  He is currently the leading sire of two-year-olds, the second-leading sire of turf runners and More Than Ready’s sixth on the general sires list.    He’s also a top-20 sire in terms of number of graded winners (six) and by number of black-type horses (23).

“More Than Ready is a peerless sire of 2Y0’s, that is well known, but he has a good number of older horses competing in stakes races around the world up to and beyond a mile,” says Vinery’s Adam White.

“Look at a horse like More Than A Reason for example, he is a five-year-old stallion having his 60th start and wins a stakes race, Teasing is another prime example.  The mare is from More Than Ready’s first Australian crop and won her first Stakes Race as a 7yo last year.”