126pLITTLE BIG BEAR (IRE) Aidan O’Brien, Ireland
No Nay Never (USA) - Adventure Seeker (FR) (Bering)
121p AUGUSTE RODIN (IRE) Aidan O’Brien, Ireland
Deep Impact (JPN) - Rhododendron (IRE) (Galileo (IRE))
119p NOBLE STYLE Charlie Appleby
118
Kingman - Eartha Kitt (Pivotal)
BLACKBEARD (IRE) Aidan O’Brien, Ireland
No Nay Never (USA) - Muirin (IRE) (Born To Sea (IRE))
118 CHALDEAN Andrew Balding
Frankel - Suelita (Dutch Art)
118 ROYAL SCOTSMAN (IRE) Paul & Oliver Cole
Gleneagles (IRE) - Enrol (Pivotal)
116P TAHIYRA (IRE) (f) D. K. Weld, Ireland
115p
Siyouni (FR) - Tarana (IRE) (Cape Cross (IRE))
SAKHEER (IRE) Roger Varian
Zoffany (IRE) - Shortmile Lady (IRE) (Arcano (IRE))
115 SILVER KNOTT Charlie Appleby
114p
Lope de Vega (IRE) - God Given (Nathaniel (IRE))
AL RIFFA (FR) Joseph Patrick O’Brien, Ireland
Wootton Bassett - Love On My Mind (IRE) (Galileo (IRE))
114p VICTORIA ROAD (IRE) Aidan O’Brien, Ireland
Saxon Warrior (JPN) - Tickled Pink (IRE) (Invincible Spirit (IRE))
114 BLUE ROSE CEN (IRE) (f) Christopher Head, France
Churchill (IRE) - Queen Blossom (IRE) (Jeremy (USA))
114 MEDITATE (IRE) (f) Aidan O’Brien, Ireland
No Nay Never (USA) - Pembina (IRE) (Dalakhani (IRE))
Al Riffa (WOOTTON BASSETT) defeats subsequent Gr.1 winner Proud And Regal ( GALILEO) in the National Stakes-Gr.1
Little Big Bear (NO NAY NEVER) is a 7-length winner of the Phoenix Stakes-Gr.1
Victoria Road (SAXON WARRIOR)
made it four wins in a row in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf-Gr.1
130 VADENI (FR) Jean-Claude Rouget, France
129 MY PROSPERO (IRE) William Haggas
Churchill (IRE) - Vaderana (FR) (Monsun (GER))
Iffraaj - My Titania (IRE) (Sea The Stars (IRE))
128p DESERT CROWN Sir Michael Stoute
Nathaniel (IRE) - Desert Berry (Green Desert (USA))
128 LUXEMBOURG (IRE) Aidan O’Brien, Ireland
Camelot - Attire (IRE) (Danehill Dancer (IRE))
8th November 2022
Luxembourg ( CAMELOT) goes clear of Onesto, Vadeni, Mishriff etc. in the Irish Champion Stakes-Gr.1
Classic winner Vadeni (CHURCHILL) defeats his elders in the Eclipse Stakes-Gr.1
Contact: Coolmore Stud Tel: +353-52-6131298. Castlehyde Stud Tel: +353-25-31966. E-mail: sales@coolmore.ie Website: www.coolmore.com
Royal Scotsman (GLENEAGLES) winner of the Richmond Stakes-Gr.2 and a head second in the Dewhurst Stakes-Gr.1
Won Gr.1 Prix J.-L. Lagardère by 8L defeating Coventry Stakes winner Nando Parrado! Highest rated French 2yo
16
The Autumn Horses In Training Sale: an international sale where racing dreams are made not broken
23 Stallion fees 2023
Dubawi’s fee is the highest-ever advertised for a European stallion
Melissa Bauer-Herzog talks with Bill Farish of Lane’s End Farm, and hears of the farm’s involvement with the superstar Flightline right from the early days
24
26
Ted really did have an excellent adventure at the Breeders’ Cup
The success at the recent international meetings will once again drive strong demand for European-bred horses, reports Cathy Grassick
74
James Thomas meets Ralph Beckett, the trainer of four Group 1 winners in 2022 – unsurprisingly, Beckett does not want this year to come to an end
30
It was all about Flightline at the Breeders’ Cup, but Curlin had a pretty good time of it too, writes Alan Porter
After this summer’s record-breaking temperatures, breeders need to plan for weather extremes, Chasemore Farm is making use of the new Gro-Trac app, as well as employing digital techniques at home and at the sales
46
It has been a fine year for the Aga Khan Studs with two Group 1 winners, success neatly coinciding with the farm’s 100-year anniversary, writes Daragh Ó Conchúir
This autumn’s select yearling sales were back to the pre-COVID levels and upward trends, writes Jocelyn de Moubray
176 Stallion fee table 2023
56
Martin Stevens has a frank discussion with Ed Harper of Whitsbury Manor about the farm’s top year, as well as the challenges faced by stud owners
178
A comprehensive list of fees for next spring by stud for the leading British and Irish farms
It had to be... the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe won by Alpinista
Leading global stallions 2022 Dubawi: the only European sire to break into the top five leading international sires by global earnings
Jocelyn de Moubray assesses this year’s leading older sires and tries to pinpoint those stallions who will be the fashionable ones at the 2025 yearling sales 114 Weatherbys leading European sires 119 Grey was order of the season
First-season sire Havana Grey made a name for himself, Saxon Warrior and Zoustar got themselves Group 1 winners, and Sioux Nation bagged a lot of winners 123 Churchill took control It was a fine second-season for the son of Galileo with two Group 1 winners 132 Stakes-winning sires
Hyperion Promotions’ list of stakes-winning sires alongside progeny and their broodmare sires 142 Covering sires
Our unique table of Weatherbys covering stats revealing the most popular stallions, as well as the quality of those books 150 European sales averages Yearling averages, medians and aggregates by sire 162
Into Mischief is once again crowned the US champion, while there’s a tight three-way go for the first-season sires’ title
This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in whole or part without permission of the publisher. The views expressed in International Thoroughbred are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. While every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the content herein, or any consequences arising from them.
PEOPLE MOVE IN WAVES; historians have seen throughout history the movement of people across countries and locations for survival, economic, cultural and social reasons.
While life-changing events were not on the line this autumn at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale, the auction has long brought in flows of buyers, and the power and magnetic draw of horseracing was again evident this year, the Newmarket-based sale drawing buyers and customers from all regions of the world.
If the racing industry wants to strengthen its diversity card, it needs only take a visit to these sale days. At times through the week, the paved area around the sale ring must have been the most culturally diverse non-High Street and non-tourist location in Europe.
The sale used to be given the catch phrase that it was a bloodstock auction of “broken dreams”; there is a strong argument now that it is in fact a sale that makes dreams – buyers hailing from those regions that are without their own breeding industries able to stock and restock with proven horses for their own stables.
These influxes of buyers have been created by opportunities that have been developed in racing, and over the past 20 years the HIT sale has been both a great equine benefactor to those developments and also a beneficiary.
Around 10 years ago, the Dubai Carnival was the ultimate purchasing goal, creating buyers both from Europe and Dubai wanting to access horses to run at the various meetings at Meydan, and the best on offer then were frequently bought by Sheikh Mohammed himself.
“He is for the Carnival,” was the frequent response by bloodstock agent Anthony Stroud when asked of
plans after purchasing a likely three-year-old 90+ handicapper, adding (when pushed): “He is for an existing client”.
There was then a brief interlude when British-based owners made a foray into the market to buy horses specifically for the All-Weather Championship, looking again for horses rated over 80 to qualify and then take part in the big races on Good Friday.
There were few of those intrepid British souls at this year’s sale. I am not sure really why, maybe buyers were priced out of the top of the market and unable to get involved at a high-enough level to produce after-sale purchasing quotes and consequently flew under the radar, maybe thy did not turn up anyway because the option no longer holds too much in the way of interest, or maybe just the general state of British racing is just not attractive for owners to buy for that racing sector.
Of course, many of those likely horses have already been sold to go aboard, or the owners were in the process of selling at Tattersalls rather than buying or investing. Possibly a combination of all.
It will be interesting to see the development of the 2023 British All-Weather Championship meeting and the remaining qualifiers – will the races maintain quality and numbers and override the economic “sellthe-good-handicappers” pressure that British owners are facing?
Recently, international buyers have travelled to Newmarket looking to add to strings based in Qatar or Bahrain for the developing big race days and carnivals held in both Emirates, but the dominant purchasing power this year came from Saudi Arabia and Australia; the Australian presence at Tattersalls not in any way a new phenomenon.
The trend for buying “staying” horses in Europe for the Melbourne Cup, a strategy successfully employed
These waves have been created by opportunities that have been developed in racing, and over the past 20 years the HIT sale has been both a great equine benefactor to those developments and also the main beneficiary
once again this year, is not new and now over 100 years old.
In 1910, Comedy King became the first Europeanbred horse to win the Cup, although even by that point a number of winners had been sired by British and European-bred stallions shipped to Australia.
Comedy King was purchased in utero by Sol Green, an Australian-based bookmaker and horse breeder and then one of the richest people in Australia. Originally from the East End, Green livened up a return trip to Europe on relative-visiting duties and bought himself a broodmare – Tragedy Queen in-foal to the 1896 Epsom Derby winner Persimmon, a son of the great St Simon, and he shipped her to Oz.
Green had left the country of his birth as a teenager and by 22 had found employment as a bookmaker’s clerk; with a “nimble” mind he soon became dominant in the bookmaking fraternity and started to make some proper money.
His great innovation was to run a book by post from Perth in Western Australia, so anyone anywhere in the country could wager on the outcome of major races.
The operation was a huge success.
He eventually gave up the bookmaking and turned his concentration to standing stallions, breeding and producing racehorses. He was pretty successful – nine years after Comedy King took the “race that stops a nation” Green’s imported stallion became a Melbourne Cup-winning sire of the 1919 winner Artilleryman. The “we are buying for the Cup” mantra was oft repeated this year at Tattersalls and a variety of horses were targeted by connections ranging from 7f runners to horses already proven over two miles, all purchased with the Melbourne Cup goal in mind.
SUCCESSFUL AGENT Stuart Boman of Blandford Bloodstock bought the sale’s second top-priced lot for 675,000gns, the previous Richard Hannon-trained Fancy Man. Boman was buying for Annabel Neasham, the British-bred, Sydneydomiciled talented trainer who had decided she wanted her “one for the Cup”.
The trend for buying “staying” horses in Europe, successfully employed once again this year, for the Melbourne Cup is not new and now over 100 years old
In Neasham’s “pre-interest” communications, 200 people had expressed a desire to be kept in the loop regarding whatever she and Boman declared was the “one” – the duo’s previous Tattersalls purchase Zaaki continuing to advertise their abilities. The seven-yearold Leroidesanimaux gelding has now won over £5.1 million and added the Group 1 TAB Champions Stakes on November 5 to his winners’ haul.
There is a great spread of Australian buying groups now – with the superb prize-money on offer many are also just looking for good, ready-made horses who can compete in the best races Down Under.
Amazingly, with the greater onset of rain in the nation at this time of year, possibly a reflection of climate change, one buyer even reported that he needs to be looking now for horses who can act on softer going.
Despite the growing expense of air shipping horses, costs increased multi-fold by the pandemic and the energy crisis, the strength of the local prize-money still means it is worth buying and then shipping horses who are considered to be better than the native equine population.
The most populous buyers at all levels at this year’s HIT Sale were from the Saudi Arabia, and the ever-growing popularity of racing in the Middle East generally and in Saudi particularly is seemingly on a never-ending loop.
Qatar has a new track; the main Al Rayyan course was really unable to cope with greater racing demands
Left,
With the new track at Ta’if the opportunities in the country are growing
and Al Uqda, which is found outside the city of Doha, now offers more opportunities for horsemen. The course has been open for a couple of years and offers an extra day at the sports through the season.
At the moment Qatar, however, has other things on its mind with the football World Cup about (as we write this) to get underway.
In Saudi, the Saudi Cup is gathering a strong momentum with the local population, or at least the male population who can afford horses, and this trickles down from the Royal family through associated dignitaries to various rich individuals.
The Saudi-based Najd Stud, which emerged on a buying mission at Tattersalls in 2019, has been very active at the horses-in-training sales over the past couple of years. The team was possibly not as busy as previously, and this year was not working alongside a European-based agent having already had something of a conveyor belt of names at its side.
This year the stud perhaps had decided on a more targeted spend, and sat back on the Autumn Sale top lot as an underbidder when the price hit 850,000gns for I’m A Gambler, the No Nay Never three-year-old gelding bought by Californian owner Tim Cohen of Red Barons Barn.
However, despite a reduced spend compared to 2021, Najd Stud bought seven lots for an outlay of 1,460,000gns, Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz’s farm still leading the way to Saudi.
Others are keen to follow and, with another
King Khalid racecourse is at Ta’if in the mountains and seven hours from Riyadh. Alongside its higher altitude, Ta’if is also closer to the coast and the resulting cooler climate helpfully extends the racing seasonRubio Draco was purchased to go to Saudi Arabia by brothers Nawaf (inset) and Mohammed Almutairi.
an improved racecourse coming on stream, the opportunities for racehorse ownership and involvement amongst local Saudis is growing.
King Khalid racecourse is at Ta’if in the mountains and around seven hours from Riyadh. Alongside its higher altitude, Ta’if is also closer to the coast and the resulting cooler climate helpfully extends the racing season into the warmer summer months.
This year, Ta’if racecourse was allotted an extended fixture list to encompass 48 meetings, double the number of dates from 2021.
Saudi Arabia is a large country (it is the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Arab world, and the largest in western Asia) with lots of space, little development and very little to do – the ultra-religious movement in the 1980s saw cinemas, theatres and social activities closed. That cultural shut down is slowly beginning to be eroded; in 2018 the first public cinema opened after a ban of 35 years, and there are plans to have more than 2,000 screens open by the 2030s.
But there is still very little to do for those who have money to spend on entertaining themselves – there is after all only so much shopping that can be done in the malls, and the trips to the empty desert regions for a picnic can only hold so much interest.
ACCORDING TO STATISTICS from the World Bank, 98 per cent of the population of Saudi Arabia are internet users which puts it as the eighth highest internet-using country in the world; Saudi Arabia already has one of the fastest 5G internet speeds in the world.
Saudi is also the largest economy in the Middle East and the world’s 18th largest economy by GDP. It also has one of the world’s youngest populations with approximately 50 per cent of its 34.3 million population under 25 years old.
It is a nation set to be interested in horseracing, and at Tattersalls many of the buyers who were active through to Day 4 were younger teams and proof of that desire of the generation to become involved.
They were also proof of the enduring and great thrill people still get from the purchase of a racehorse.
A chat with the brothers Nawaf and Mohammed Almutairi, purchaser of the second top lot on the final day of the Autumn Sale, Rubio Draco consigned by Baroda Stud for trainer Joseph O’Brien bought for 60,000gns, revealed that Mohammed is already the owner of seven racehorses in Saudi.
And when the assembled banks of the press (by that stage in proceedings reduced to James Thomas and myself) asked if he thought that the son of Fast
Company would be his one for the Cup, in this case the Saudi version, Almutairi Snr looked a little witheringly at us and said that was probably unlikely.
If all goes well and the horse transitions successfully to the new environment, he thought the horse might be good enough for the Cup’s under card, after all there are 22 other races over the two-day meeting.
Almutairi, full of dreams and ambition, then headed back to take a selfie with his colt, who was happily standing in the autumn sunshine at Park Paddocks with his new connections.
Of all the countries in the Middle East, Saudi it seems offers the most scope for the onward development of horseracing, particularly in light of the reported financial strains that Dubai is facing.
The general governance, human rights and sports washing issues regarding Saudi’s future are there for debate, but horseracing offers its wealthy, and young, population a wonderful mode of entertainment and sporting involvement – and also offers its participants an excuse to visit Europe on equine dream-making buying missions.
That age-old desire of racehorse ownership, that need for sporting equine competition stretching back 200 years to its strongest origin in Newmarket, is making its influence felt in one of the world’s newest racing regions.
Dreams can be made at horses-in-training sales.
And just maybe those dreams, and that driven demand to buy British, Irish and European-bred proven racehorses, can help ensure that the British and the European horseracing industries stick around.
Saudi is also the largest economy in the Middle East and the world’s 18th largest economy by GDP. It also has one of the world’s youngest populations, with approximately 50 per cent of its 34.3 million population under 25 years old
TOP END STALLION MASTERS have clearly taken their cue, when setting fees this year, from the buoyant yearling sales and racecourse results rather than the daily news bulletins.
There are eight stallions standing at six-figure sums for 2023, up one from this year, with Dubawi leading the way at £350,000, and fellow Darley sire Night Of Thunder entering the bracket with his new €100,000 fee, up from 2022’s €75,000.
All told, 16 stallions are standing at fees of £/€50,000 of more, two up from 2022.
Dubawi’s fee of £350,000 is the highest-ever price advertised for a European-based stallion –in their pomp the prices for Sadler’s Wells and Galileo were kept as a private.
Dubawi is the highest-priced stallion in the northern-hemisphere – Into Mischief, the leading US sire, is priced some £100,000 below the Darley flagbearer, who covered 165 mares in 2022 including 104 black-type winners (see page 146).
Night Of Thunder is at his highest fee yet – the son of Dubawi started out at just €30,000 in 2016, a price that dropped to £15,000 for two years when he was based at Dalham Hall in 2018 and 2019.
He has had a good year on the track headed by his flying filly Highfield Princess.
No Nay Never is another sire whose race track results and subsequent sales results, which included his first seven-figure yearling transaction with the filly out of Muirin making €2,600,000 at Goffs Orby, have pushed his price up.
The son of Scat Daddy, clearly a tick for the commercial market, started out at €20,000. He saw a small reduction through year two and three before starting an upward trajectory.
His fee hit the €175,000 mark in 2020, covers which will have produced the two-year-olds of 2023, but was tweaked downwards for 2021 and 2022 on the back of the pandemic.
Lower down the price list Havana Grey has understandably been given the greatest increase for 2023 after his positive first year of runners.
They were produced from his initial fee of
Dubawi: has been given a fee of £350,000 for 2023
£8,000, which was reduced to £6,000 before he had runners.
New Bay has had the next highest price rise on the back of an excellent year which culminated with his top day in October at Ascot.
Coolmore’s young sires Saxon Warrior and Sioux Nation, also heading into their second year with runners on the back of strong openings on the racecourse, have both been given a 75 per cent fee increase.
Interestingly, the Irish farm has not gone mad with Churchill’s new price – the sire of two Group 1 winners in 2023 is not yet back to his initial retirement fee of €35,000 and up just €5,000 on 2022’s price of €25,000.
For a complete list of British and Irish stallion fees for 2023, see pages 176-177.
Our January 2023 edition will feature our in-depth New Sires for 2023 feature.
(with advertised fees on November 16, 2022)
Sire Fee £/€
Dubawi ........................................ 350,000
Frankel ........................................ 275,000
Sea The Stars .............................. 180,000
No Nay Never .............................. 175,000
Wootton Bassett ........................ 150,000
Lope De Vega 125,000
Kingman 125,000
Night Of Thunder 100,000
Baaeed NEW 80,000
New Bay 75,000
St Mark’s Basilica 65,000
Camelot 60,000
Mehmas 60,000
Dark Angel 60,000 Starspangledbanner 50,000 Palace Pier ................................... 50,000
Sire Fee £/€ %
Havana Grey .................... 18,500 ...... 308
New Bay ........................... 75,000 ...... 200
Saxon Warrior 35,000 75
Sioux Nation 17,500 75
Cotai Glory 12,500 47
Starspangledbanner 50,000 42
Dubawi 350,000 40
No Nay Never 175,000 40
Frankel 275,000 37
Night Of Thunder 100,000 33
Sea The Stars 180,000 20
Mehmas 60,000 20
Churchill ........................... 30,000 ........ 20
Zoustar ............................. 30,000 ........ 20
Tasleet ................................ 6,000 ........ 20
Sire Fee £/€ %
Make Believe ................... 10,000 ....... -42
Kodiac ............................... 40,000 ....... -38
Decorated Knight ............. 5,000 ....... -33
A’Ali 5,000 -33
Australia 25,000 -28
Profitable 9,000 -28
Kameko 15,000 -25
Expert Eye 7,500 -25
THE HEART of the bluegrass in horseman’s country is a fitting place to watch the best horses from around the world compete.
The Breeders’ Cup meeting staged at Keeneland has a different feel to the event than when it is staged at Del Mar or Santa Anita –it is not better or worse, but it feels it is for the horseman rather than betting handle.
Of course, the handle is important everywhere but in Kentucky the Breeders’ Cup loans itself to everyone in the horse industry who works with, buys and sells the thoroughbred.
On arrival even at the airport horse images have swamped the
traditional Toyota car adverts.
Since the pandemic there are not many sensible flight connections to Lexington, most flights arriving between 10pm and midnight.
It was refreshing to still be able to call the Hertz desk to say we were delayed by an hour and hear that it would stay open for us!
Jet lag or no jet lag we were wide awake at 4am and ready to get to the quarantine barn located by barn 75, I didn’t know there was a 75!
And there could be even more barns in the future as Keeneland has bought the historic Manchester Farm, which makes such a beautiful back drop to the sales barns.
Adrian Beaumont runs a slick
operation for the International Racing Bureau looking after the many European participants; his professionalism also ensures that there is a real feel of camaraderie about the journey.
Some of the best Europeans were brave enough to take on the Americans on their home soil and an amazing seven individual Group 1 winners were housed in our barn, including Classic winners.
There were no hard luck travel stories as everything is done so well; Luck Greayer Shipping does an outstanding job.
On the second day we were there D. Wayne Lukas came down on his pony to see his old friend
Amazingly, seven individual Group 1 winners were housed in our barn, including Classic winners
“
John Gosden, and I am also sure to take the opportunity to check out the European ammunition!
Each morning, trainers Aidan O’Brien and Charlie Appleby, comrades before the race, use the same areas to warm up and exercise.
The weather throughout was kind to us – no rain, a few misty mornings but warm and mild.
The meeting was incredibly well-organised – a fleet of over 100 Lexus cars on hand at all the hotels to ferry you to Breeders’ Cup events and the racetrack.
Drivers were drafted in from across the US having just finished working at the LIV Golf.
Restaurants had been booked for months in advance with Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse impossible to get into, along with Dudley’s and
Malone’s the industry favourites.
Afternoons were spent in the Mall or at Fasig-Tipton looking at the elite mares due to be presented on the Sunday after the Breeders’ Cup.
The logistics required by the sales companies to run their November sales straight after the Breeders’ Cup is nothing short of incredible.
On Saturday’s race day we amalgamated the tables for Mishriff and Nashwa in the Lexington Room overlooking the finish line.
Cars from the hotels and buses transported the record Keeneland crowds to the races, everyone waiting in anticipation for Flightline.
It was a meeting for the horsemen from across the world
– many of the jockeys had arrived from Australia and from Japan.
Our table enjoyed two fourth places, we took home a little prize-money and it didn’t cost the owners of both Mishriff or Nashwa. It was Mishriff’s last race before stud duties in France at Sumbe Stud, while Nashwa stays in training as a four-year-old.
Flightline delivered on the track and in the sales ring.
He put in a truly awesome performance and goes to stud unbeaten.
He may not be a Triple Crown winner, but he is the best of his generation. The 2.5 per cent sold making $4.6 million does not really value him at $184,000,000 –it was a unique sale.
But mares are making millions also. There is no return on these figures and it’s hard to see a business plan that makes financial sense, but a lot of very wealthy Americans want to own the best they can get their hands on and produce the best racehorses to compete at the top level In America.
I am sure it will carry on at the December Breeding Stock Sales at Tattersalls.
The added advantage to foreign investors is the exchange rate, which is strengthening everyday since the political fiasco in the UK has been somewhat normalised.
The Tattersalls mares’ catalogue is perhaps the strongest it has been for many years – the Sceptre sessions has certainly added to the hype and made it easy for purchasers to view a ready-made short list!
So find a seat in the sales ring and put on your safety belts at 17.00hrs on Tuesday, November 29, 2022. You are in store for a spectacle!
... a lot of very wealthy Americans want to own the best they can get their hands on and produce the best racehorses to compete at the top level “
“The Breeders’ Cup was a last race for Mishriff, but the Frankel three-year-old filly Nashwa stays in training
THE STRONG PRESENCE of both Australian and American buyers again at this year’s European yearling sales is a testament to the high esteem that our Turf-bred horses are held worldwide.
It is very reassuring for the future strength of the European bloodstock industry and for the continuing progression of Turf racing in the US to see major players from the States taking centre stage at the major sales in Europe.
The Australians were not to be outdone with equally as many on the buyers’ sheet.
This is not only due to the very competitive nature of the buoyant Australian market; it is heartening for Irish and UK breeders alike to see such healthy demand for their bloodstock from the international market.
The 2022 Breeders’ Cup in Keeneland will have reinforced this demand for the future with an amazing tally of six Irish-bred winners from a total of seven Turf races at the two-day championship.
Three winners were trained in the UK and Ireland with Charlie Appleby victorious with Mischief Magic, Modern Games and Rebel’s Romance, while Aidan O’Brien landed the spoils with Meditate, Victoria Road and Tuesday.
Congratulations to Coolmore and Godolphin, who were responsible for such an impressive tally of wins. It was especially exciting to see fantastic riding performances from William Buick, James Doyle and Ryan Moore on American soil.
So many congratulations are deserved to the breeders of all these wonderful horses as they planned and nurtured these equine superstars for many years to produce such talent – Mischief Magic by Exceed and Excel, Modern Games and Rebel’s Romance both by Dubawi, the three bred by Godolphin.
Lynch Bages & Rhinestone Bloodstock produced Meditate by No Nay Never, Trevor Stewart bred Victoria Road by Saxon Warrior and Coolmore bred Tuesday by the late superstar Galileo.
Such huge performances from our home grown talent on the Turf in the US must surely continue the demand from US buyers for European-bred horses.
One of the more touching stories to emerge from the 2022 Breeders’ Cup was the incredibly heart-warming story of Cody’s Wish and his incredible bond with teenager Cody Dorman for whom he was named.
Team Godolphin and Bill Mott have made a huge effort to include Cody in the life and race career of Cody’s Wish after the two bonded on a “Make A Wish” visit to the Gainsborough farm where Cody (the horse) was a youngster.
Cody and his family had made the trip to Keeneland for the big race day thanks to the generosity of Godolphin. There wasn’t a dry eye
on the track and amongst many of the TV viewers worldwide when Cody’s Wish surged up the straight and landed the spoils in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile; it is a story made for Hollywood.
The Melbourne Cup result will have also gone a long way to help continue the Australian demand for European-bred horses with fantastic performances from the French-bred winner Gold Trip (Outstrip), from Emissary (Kingman) in second and also by Deauville Legend (Sea The Stars), who finished in fourth and is trained in the UK by James Ferguson.
The horses were not the only “European exports” to land a big result on Melbourne Cup Day with ex-pat David Eustace, the joint-trainer with Ciaron Maher of Gold Trip, the winner of the “race that stops the nation”.
Many congratulations to them and I am sure there were huge celebrations in the Eustace household in the UK with former trainer father James and current trainer brother Harry.
So as the Flat racing season draws to a close and the yearling sales have concluded, we are in the midst of winter foal sales and breeding stock sales.
Kentucky kicked things off, we have had a full week of Flat-bred foals and mares at Goffs before Newmarket and we conclude at Arqana.
A very busy few months ahead for breeders, buyers, sellers, and pinhookers alike and I wish everyone a successful time no matter what side of the auction fence they find themselves on!
Cathy Grassick, chairman of the Irish Breeders’ Association, reviews the international demand for European-bred horses Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip and jockey Mark Zahra; the win by the French-bred will maintain the demand Down Under for European-breds
“COTAI GLORY produces precocious, speedy, talented and tough stock. He has already made an outstanding start from his two crops, firmly putting him at the forefront of our minds when looking for fast horses at the sales.
Tom Palin, Middleham Park Racing
Yearlings in 2022 have made 350,000gns, 240,000gns, €200,000, etc.
Sire of 15 Black-Type horses from only 2 crops, including: THE PLATINUM QUEEN - The first 2yo to win the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp since 1978 TOP CLASS SPRINTER AND GR.1 PLACED MILER
First Crop Yearlings in 2022 have made 175,000gns, €170,000, €135,000, £125,000, etc. and were purchased by some of the industry’s top judges, including: Robson Aguiar, Joe Foley, Peter & Ross Doyle Bloodstock, Charlie Gordon-Watson, Bobby O’Ryan, Dwayne Woods, Karl Burke, J S Bloodstock, Highflyer Bloodstock, Jason Kelly Bloodstock, etc.
KODIAC - a Proven Sire of Group Producing Sires
Yearlings in 2022 have made 155,000gns, €110,000, £85,000gns, etc.
FLIGHTLINE WENT into the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) with a record of five wins in five starts, three of them in Grade 1 races, with a total margin of victory of 30l, no horse finishing closer than 6f to him.
The last of those victories before the Breeders’ Cup – a 19l victory over Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Country Grammer in the Pacific Classic (G1) – had raised the inevitable “best since Secretariat” plaudits, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic did nothing to detract from that label.
The most obvious challenger to Flightline in the Classic, despite concerns over his ability to see out the trip, was last year’s Breeders’ Dirt Cup Mile (G1) hero Life Is Good, who had won nine of ten US starts, three straight, since appearing not to stay when fourth in the Dubai World Cup (G1).
A very fast horse, whose best distance was probably a mile, Life Is Good set out to make his speed tell.
Straight to the front, with Flightline stalking a couple of lengths back, Life Is Good covered the first 6f of the 1m2f trip nearly as fast as the winning time in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), and faster than the same time in the mile, as the pair pulled more than a dozen lengths clear of the field.
Despite continuing to click off a mile in a time in the would have won the Dirt Mile, Life Is Good found Flightline right alongside him as the turned for home.
From that point it was all over: Flightline took command, and by the finish was eased down with his margin at the line being 8l.
Olympiad, a four-year-old who had won seven of his last eight starts, six in graded stakes, the most recent being the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), stayed on to take second, just ahead of the first three-year-old, Taiba.
Life Is Good, whose early fractions would have destroyed any closely pursuing current American runner not named Flightline, paid the price for his bold effort fading to fifth, after covering the last quarter almost two seconds slower than Flightline.
Epicenter, who will vie with Taiba for an Eclipse Award as champion three-yearold, suffered an injury mid-race and was pulled up. Happily, the injury wasn’t lifethreatening, and he will have a place at stud.
Flightline will take up his new career in 2023 and stands at Lane’s End Farm at a fee of $200,000 – on the Monday after the Breeders’ Cup a 1/40th share in the fouryear-old was sold at auction for $4,600,000.
In some minds the brevity of his career, restricted to six starts through accident and injury, undermines his “greatest since..” claims, or at least any right to be mentioned alongside Secretariat.
On the other hand the figure-makers support his elevation with a staggering 126 Beyer Speedfigure, while Timeform rates Flightline 143. He is the highest-rated North American runner since the company started publishing figures for that region, and superior to all but Frankel (147), Sea-Bird II (145), Brigadier Gerard and Tudor Minstrel (both 144) in their year-end ratings, which stretch back to 1948.
At very least we’d say he’d stand with Ghostzapper, American Pharoah and Arrogate as the great North American runners of the 21st century.
Flightline certainly has the look and pedigree to go with his race-record. A $1,000,000 Fasig-Tipton Yearling, he is by veteran three-time leading sire Tapit, a son of Pulpit, and the premier representative of the A.P. Indy/Seattle Slew sire line.
He is the second foal for his dam Feathered, a graded stakes winner who also took second in the American Oaks (G1) and Starlet Stakes (G1) and third in the Frizette Stakes (G1).
She’s a daughter of Indian Charlie, a highclass representative of the Caro line who is best known as the sire of champion twoyear-old and successful sire Uncle Mo.
His second dam is the excellent Storm Cat sprinter/miler Finder’s Fee, who earned victories in five black-type events, including the Acorn Stakes (G1) and Matron Stakes (G1).
Finder’s Fee is out of Fantastic Find, a Grade 1-winning daughter of Mr. Prospector, who was half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) victor Dancing Spree, and Grade 1 winner Furlough. Their dam Blitey was a multiple graded stakes-winning daughter of the champion three-year-old filly Lady Pitt. She has been a major foundation mare for the Phipps family as ancestress of a total of more than 50 stakes winners, and 16 Grade 1 winners.
The female line came to the US with the importation of the Rothschild-bred filly Filante in 1917. She became a notable producer, including as dam of Fenelon, whose successes included the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Travers Stakes, and that horse’s stakes-winning sister Flying Gal, dam of the English St. Leger and Eclipse Stakes scorer, Boswell.
She also appears in the tail female line of War Emblem, who took the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) in 2002.
Flightline is one of three stakes winners from 12 starters by Tapit out of Indian Charlie mares, another being the smart, but currently sidelined, three-year-old colt Charge It.
Flightline’s pedigree is quite an outcross, the sole inbreeding within five generations being Mr. Prospector 4x5x5. We can also note that Tapit’s dam is a Mr. Prospector/ Nijinsky cross, while Flightline’s third dam Finder’s Fee is a Storm Bird (similarly bred to Nijinsky)/Mr. Prospector cross.
If the Classic was a romp, the Breeders’ Cup
Distaff (G1) was a thriller that would feature amongst some of the most nail-biting races the event has seen.
At the wire it was last year’s champion three-year-old filly Malathaat who came out on top and whose late charge gained the day by a nose from the ex-Argentine Blue Stripe, a half-sister to Blue Prize who took this race in 2019. Clairiere only another nose back in third.
The race favourite Nest had a wide trip and wound up fourth, but was still the first three-year-old home, cementing her leadership of that division.
Malathaat, who locked down a second Eclipse Award with this triumph, retires with the extremely impressive record of 14 starts, ten victories, three seconds, and third. She had been beaten by Clairiere twice early in the year, but went into the Breeders’ Cup off back-to-back wins, including one in the Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) where she had Clairiere back in fifth.
Malathaat, Clairiere and Nest are all daughters of Curlin, and the two-time Horse of the Year had a remarkable Breeders’ Cup Saturday with three winners.
A son of the Mr. Prospector horse Smart Strike, Curlin has long been one of North America’s most important sires with 91 individual stakes winners, other Eclipse Award champions Good Magic, Stellar Wind and Vino Rosso, as well as the Classic winners Exaggerator, Palace Malice and Curalina.
Another son Keen Ice was represented by the shock 2022 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner
The son of Tapit shows off the massive stride that has kept him an unbeaten record, four Grade 1 races and comparisons to the legendary Secretariat
Despite continuing to click off a mile in a time in which would have won the Dirt Mile, Life Is Good found Flightline right alongside him
KITCARINA - sold by HSP as 3yo 90.000€ Arqana Dec 18
PEARLY SPIRIT - sold by HSP in foal to Vadamos 52.000€ Arqana Dec 18
VIA LAZIO - sold by HSP as 2yo 30.000€ Arqana Dec 16
WALDJAGD - sold by HSP in foal to Kingman 200.000€ Arqana Dec 20
Rich Strike in his first crop.
Malathaat is the third foal of her dam Dreaming Of Julia. One of the better runners of her crop in both years in training, Dreaming Of Julia won three races in four starts at two taking the Frizette Stakes (G1) and finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).
She made four more appearances the following year adding a win in the Gulfstream Oaks (G3) – which she took by an astonishing 21l – seconds in the Davona Dale Stakes (G2) and the Mother Goose Stakes (G1) and a fourth in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).
Her current two-year-old Julia Shining, a sister to Malathaat, was an impressive winner on her only start to date.
Dreaming Of Julia’s dam Dream Rush, a daughter of Wild Rush, was a sprint star who won eight of 16 starts, including the Test
Stakes (G1) and Prioress Stakes (G1).
In addition to Dreaming Of Julia, she also produced the multiple graded stakeswinning Tapit daughter Dream Pauline, and Atriedes, a Medaglia D’Oro colt who won four of five starts, including a 17l score in the Monarchos Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Dream Rush is out Turbo Dream, an unraced daughter of Unbridled, out of Reve De Fee, who was inbred 3x2 to Reve De Fee’s sire, Mr. Prospector.
Reve De Fee’s dam Reine De Iles was stakes-placed in France and is out of Reine Mathilde, a talented Vaguely Noble daughter who had top-class form on Turf on both sides of the Atlantic.
Malathaat is one of nine stakes winners from 54 starters sired by Curlin out of A.P. Indy mares with Nest, Global Campaign and Idol being the other Grade 1 winners bred on the cross.
Curlin is also represented by ten stakes winners out of mares by sons of A.P. Indy, among them the champion Stellar Wind, Clairiere and Paris Lights, heroine of the 2020 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1).
With Life Is Good, who would have been an overwhelming favourite, skipping a shot at a repeat Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile win for a quixotic tilt at Flightline, the event was an open-looking affair.
In the end the race went to the favourite, the four-year-old Cody’s Wish, who prevailed by a head over the consistent three-year-old Cyberknife, twice a Grade 1 winner this term.
Cody’s Wish has been a slow burn. He was unraced at two, and took four tries before he broke his maiden last October.
That success was the first in a sequence of eight victories in nine starts and, following a narrow defeat in the Challenger Stakes (G3) on his stakes debut in January this year, he’s taken four successive black-type events, including the Westchester Handicap (G1) and Forego Stakes (G1).
Cody’s Wish was another of Curlin’s Breeders’ Cup Saturday trio, and he has the distinction of being the first son of his sire to win a Grade 1 event at a distance of less than a mile, the Forego being run at 7f.
It’s likely that much of his speed comes from his dam Dance Card.
She took the 1m1f Gazelle Stakes (G1) as the fourth of four consecutive victories in five starts at three, but in the second of her only two outings the following year she was a fine third, beaten just a length for the win, to Groupie Doll and Judy The Beauty in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1).
Dance Card, a daughter of Tapit, is the only black-type winner under her first two dams, although her dam, the Editor’s Note mare Tempting Note, was twice second at that level. Dance Card’s second dam Tempt (Devil’s Bag) is a half-sister to the minor stakes winner and stakes producer Habar, and is out of Thinghatab, who was successful in the Post-Deb Stakes (G3) and Poinsettia Stakes (G3).
This is a branch of the La Troienne family, but one doesn’t reach one of the betterknown channels until Cody’s Wish’s eighth
Timeform rate Flightline 143, the highest-rated North American runner since they started publishing figures for that region
dam, La Troienne’s daughter Baby League.
She was only a minor winner, but produced Horse of the Year and Broodmare of the Year, Busher and Striking.
Cody’s Wish descends from Baby League’s daughter Betteefarlee and Dance Card was the first Grade 1 standard winner produced by a member of the direct female line all the way back to Baby League.
This is a more extended version of the Curlin/A.P. Indy cross and, oddly enough, where Malathaat is out of an A.P. Indy mare, with a third dam by Unbridled, Cody’s Wish’s broodmare sire Tapit is by a son of A.P. Indy out of an Unbridled mare.
For much of 2022 last year’s champion sprinter Jackie’s Warrior has been the dominant force in the sprint division going unbeaten through consecutive graded stakes, including the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) and Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1).
He’d looked a little flat when beaten by Cody’s Wish in the Forego Stakes (G1)
last time out, but despite that he started favourite for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).
For the third straight year Jackie’s Warrior was an odds-on favorite for a Breeders’ Cup event, sadly it was also the third time he failed to win, flattening out after tracking the early pace and Elite Power came through to defeat veteran C Z Rocket.
A four-year-old, Elite Power didn’t win until early this June on his fourth start. Since then, he’s won all four of his subsequent starts, including an easy 5l tally in the Vosburgh Stakes (G2), his only outing in a black-type event prior to the Breeders’ Cup.
A $900,000 yearling, Elite Power is another by Curlin, which means that a sire regarded as North America’s reliable stamina influence has two of the best sprinter/milers from a single crop.
Elite Power’s dam Broadway’s Alibi, by Seattle Slew’s champion two-year-old Vindication, won four straight races at two and three, including the Forward Gal Stakes (G2) and Comely Stakes (G3), before ending her career with a second in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) after making most of the running.
Broadway’s Alibi is a half-sister to the graded stakes winner Golden Lad, to the black-type winner R Gypsy Gold, and to the dam of 2022 juvenile stakes winner Light Of Broadway.
Second dam Broadway Gold, a daughter of Seeking The Gold, won the Astoria Stakes at two and is half-sister to Florida Derby (G1) scorer and sire Dialed In.
Goodnight Olive, another late developer, took the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1).
She broke her maiden by 8l on her second start in October 2021. Between then and the Breeders’ Cup, she won four times, including when taking the Ballerina Handicap (G1).
At Keeneland she stalked the pace before powering clear to score from last year’s champion juvenile filly Echo Zulu.
Goodnight Olive is by Ghostzapper, a Horse of the Year who took the Breeders’ Cup Classic on his last start, as did his sire, the Deputy Minister horse, Awesome Again.
He’s been a solid if not spectacular sire with 92 stakes winners from 13 crops of three-year-olds and up, 49 graded level and 14 Grade 1, including an earlier Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) heroine in the shape of Judy The Beauty.
Salty Strike, the dam of Goodnight Olive, is by Smart Strike and won seven black-type events, including the Dogwood Stakes (G3) and Gardenia Stakes (G3).
Her granddam Lake Huron won three times and is a half-sister to the dam of the good Japanese runner Eishin Lombard. The third dam My Rainbow is by Lyphard out of Muriesk, a stakes-winning granddaughter of Cosmah, a stakes-winning racemare who is dam of Tosmah, a champion filly at two and three, and of the outstanding sire, Halo.
Cosmah is also a daughter of Almahmoud, best known as the granddam of Northern Dancer, and since Lyphard is by Northern Dancer, My Rainbow is inbred 4x4 to Almahmoud.
Goodnight Olive’s dam is bred on the Smart Strike/Deputy Minister cross that supplied Curlin, and Goodnight Olive is a reverse of that cross inbred to Deputy Minister, as are several good Curlin offspring.
THE TURF EVENTS were something of European benefit with the principal event, the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), falling to the British-trained Rebel’s Romance, who closed from tenth in the early stages to win by 2l over Ireland’s Stone Age.
Rebel’s Romance won the UAE 2,000 Guineas Trial and the UAE Derby (G2) early last year, but wasn’t seen out again until early in 2022 when he ran poorly in two events at Meydan. Given a break he reappeared at the end of June in the Fred Archer Stakes (G3) at Newmarket for a debut on Turf – and won comfortably. Since then he has gone on to add the Glorious Stakes (G3), the Grosser Preis von Berlin (G1) and the Preis von Europa (G1).
Rebel’s Romance is yet another credit for his sire Dubawi who next spring as a 21-yearold will cover at the highest fee of his storied stud career – £350,000 as announced the week after the Breeders’ Cup.
The son of Dubai Millennium has now sired an astonishing 247 individual stakes winners, 160 of them Group or graded, and 51 Group or Grade 1 winners.
In 2022 alone Dubawi has had what would be a respectable career for many horses with 43 individual stakes winners, 27 Group or graded, including Rebel’s Romance, Modern Games, In Italian, Coroebus, Naval Crown, Eldar Eldarov and Lord North.
He is also beginning to emerge as a sire of sires, notably with Zarak and New Bay, and he’s already broodmare sire of the Classic winners Adayar and Homeless Songs.
Rebel’s Romance is out of the stakesplaced Street Cry mare Minidress, a sister to Volcanic Sky, a graded stakes winner in Dubai.
His second dam Short Skirt won the Musidora Stakes (G3) and St. Simon Stakes (G3) and ran second in the Yorkshire Oaks (G1), and third in the Epsom Oaks (G1).
Short Skirt is a half-sister to Whitewater Affair (by Minidress’s grandsire, Machiavellian), a Group winner in England
Rebel’s Romance by Dubawi.
The stallion is now the sire of 247 individual stakes winners, 160 Group or graded, and 51 Group or Grade 1
and France, and twice Group 1 placed. Whitewater Affair is dam of three Japanese stakes winners, including Victoire Pisa, a champion three-year-old and champion older horse in Japan, and also successful in the Dubai World Cup (G1), and the Yasuda Kinen (G1) scorer Asakusa Den’en.
Short Skirt is also a half-sister to Rich Affair, a stakes-placed sister to Whitewater Affair and herself granddam of the Japanese champion two-year-old filly Robe Tissage, a three-quarters sister to the Group winner Little Rock, and a half-sister to the stakes winner Seductress (by Short Skirt’s grandsire, Known Fact), the dam of the Machiavellian black-type scorer Swiss Law.
Rebel Romance’s third dam Much Too Risky is a half-sister to a pair of Group 1 winners in Arctic Owl, who took the Irish St. Leger, and Marooned, successful in the Sydney Cup (G1).
Although it’s Mr. Prospector over Mr. Prospector, the Dubawi cross with Street Cry
mares has been a successful one with five stakes winners, including another Grade 1 winner Albahr.
He also has a Grade 1 winner out of a mare by Street Cry’s sire Machiavellian. Rebel’s Romance’s pedigree also features a double of the notable mare Slightly Dangerous, who appears as dam of Dubawi’s broodmare sire Deploy, and Deploy’s halfbrother Warning, the grandsire of Rebel Romance’s second dam.
Dubawi also came close to taking the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) courtesy of the front-running In Italian, but she was caught late and beaten a length by the Irish three-year-old Tuesday, who set a new course record for the course and distance.
Tuesday has won just three of her 12 starts, but she picks her spots – apart from
her maiden, her other wins have come in this race and in the Epsom Oaks (G1). She’s also taken second in the Irish 1,000 Guineas (G1) and Yorkshire Oaks (G1), and third in the English 1,000 Guineas (G1).
Tuesday is by Dubawi’s frequent nemesis, as far as the sires’ championship are concerned, the late Galileo.
She’s out Lillie Langtry, a Danehill Dancer mare who included the Coronation Stakes (G1) and Matron Stakes (G1) among her wins.
That makes her a sister to Minding, a high-weight at two, three and four, and successful in eight Group events, seven Group 1s, including the English 1,000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks, as well as to the Irish 1,000 Guineas scorer Empress Josephine, and the Group winner Kissed By Angels.
Lilly Langtry is a half-sister to the black-type winners Count Of Limonade and Danilovna, and to the dam of the Group winner Master Apprentice.
Tuesday’s second dam Hoity Toity is an unraced Darshaan half-sister to the black-type-placed Sweet Emotion, dam of black-type-winning and Group 1-placed Winged Cupid, the granddam of the Group winner Traffic Jam, and third dam of Place Du Carrousel, who was successful in this year’s Group 1 Prix de l’Opera.
Third dam Hiwaayati is a half-sister to Great Commotion and Lead On Time, a high-class pair of sprinter/milers by Nureyev, and she is a granddaughter of Vaguely Noble’s full-sister, Vive La Reine.
Tuesday represents a version of the immensely successful Galileo/Danehill cross – Galileo has sired an amazing 25 stakes winners from 107 starters out of Danehill Dancer mares, also including other Group 1 winners Alice Springs, Circus Maximus, Serpentine, Sovereign and The Gurkha.
Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1)
scorer Modern Games enjoyed victory again this year and took the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), closing powerfully after being pinched back early to score by three-quarters of a length from the longshot Shirl’s Speight, with the fast-finishing Kinross only a nose back.
This was the third Group/Grade 1 win of the year for Modern Games, who took the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (G1) and Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1).
Modern Games’s victories here and at Woodbine make him the only three-year-old to twice defeat elders in Grade 1 competition in North America this year, leading some to promote him as a potential candidate for an Eclipse Award as champion three-year-old colt.
Another by Dubawi, Modern Games is out of the New Approach mare Modern Ideals, who is dam of two other 2022 black-type winners in Modern News, who took the Royal Windsor Stakes, and the good juvenile Mawj, who won the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (G3), finished second in the Albany Stakes (G3) and third in the Cheveley Park Stakes (G1).
Modern Ideals is a half-sister to the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (G1) scorer Ultra, as well as to Synopsis, who took the Prix Minerve (G3).
In 2022 alone Dubawi has had what would be a respectable career for many horsesTuesday, the daughter of Galileo, putting her head down to take the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, setting a course and distance record in the process
Modern Games’s second dam Epitome is by Nashwan out of the Mr. Prospector mare Proskona, a champion three-year-old filly in Italy and a Group winner there and in France.
Proskona is the dam of the Grade 2 winner Calista, and ancestress of more than 20 stakes winners, the most notably Act One, the winner of the Criterium International (G1) and Prix Lupin (G1).
Proskona is out of an even more notable tap-root mare in Konafa from whom descend such horses as the Classic-winning champion siblings Hector Protector and Bosra Sham, the Hong Kong superstar Golden Sixty, Ciro and Shanghai.
The one Saturday Turf race that didn’t fall to the Europeans was the Turf Sprint (G1). With the short-priced favourite, last year’s winner Golden Pal, slow out of the stalls and never a factor, the five-year-old mare Caravel was fastest away and controlled the race from start to finish.
At the wire she had a half length to spare over Emaraaty Ana with the other invaders Creative Force and Highfield Princess close behind.
This was far in advance of Caravel’s previous form, although the progressive
mare had taken the Franklin Stakes (G3) over course and distance last time out, and the Intercontinental Stakes (G3) earlier in the year.
She’s won seven other black-type events, including the Caress Stakes (G3) last year, and also ran third in the Highlander Stakes (G1).
Caravel is by veteran sire Mizzen Mast, whose daughter Mizdirection was a mild upset winner in this race in 2012, and then repeated the following year.
A son of Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner, a champion older horse and leading sire Cozzene, Mizzen Mast started off on Turf in France where he won the Prix de Guiche (G3) and took second in the Grand Prix de Paris (G1).
Mizzen Mast did even better on Dirt in the US where he captured the Strub Stakes (G1) and Malibu Stakes (G1). Although he might not be noted as a particularly commercial stallion, Mizzen Mast has been a solid sire, with 11 Group or Grade 1 winners.
Caravel is a half-sister to the current
three-times black-type winner Witty.
Her dam Zeezee Zoomzoom is by the A.P. Indy stallion Congrats and out of the Exchange Rate mare Zee Zee, winner of the Happy Ticket Stakes and Edgewood Stakes and twice graded stakes placed.
Zee Zee is the only black-type horse under Caravel’s third and fourth dams, although the fourth dam Touch Of Honor, out the minor stakes winner Fairway Style, was closely related to the graded stakes winning sprinter, and sire, Diablo.
Caravel’s sire Mizzen Mast is out of a mare by Graustark, and Caravel is one of eight stakes winners, others include the Grade 1 winners Lighthouse and Lideris, to carry Graustark’s brother in the dam.
On the reverse, the European Group 1 winners Prosperous Voyage and Quadrilateral are by stallions with His Majesty in their pedigree out of Mizzen Mast mares.
In the case of Caravel, her dam is actually already inbred to Graustark/Her Majesty, giving an extra cross.
JUVENILE TURF (G1) went to the Irish-trained Victoria Road, who just held off the late charge of British challenger, Silver Knott.
This was the eighth race of the year for Victoria Road, who didn’t break his maiden until scoring at Gowran on his fifth outing. He followed up with a narrow Listed win over France’s leading two-year-old filly Blue Rose Cen in a Listed race at Deauville, and a
neck victory in the Prix de Conde (G3).
Victoria Road is from the first crop of Saxon Warrior (by Sunday Silence’s great son Deep Impact), winner of the Racing Post Trophy (G1) and Beresford Stakes (G2) at two, and the 2,000 Guineas (G1) at three.
He’s off to bright start as he’s also sire of the Group winners Moon Ray and Lumiere Rock, as well as the Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) runner-up Gan Teorainn.
Victoria Road’s dam Tickled Pink, a daughter of Invincible Spirit, was a short
course specialist winning the Abernant Stakes (G3) and the Coral Charge Sprint (G3).
She is a half-sister to the Irish 1,000 Guineas (G1) heroine Halfway To Heaven, dam of the standouts Magical and Rhododendron, who are both by Saxon Warrior’s broodmare sire Galileo.
Intriguingly, Rhododendron is dam of this year’s Vertem Futurity Trophy (G1) scorer Auguste Rodin, who is by Deep Impact, and therefore closely related to Victoria Road.
Tickled Pink is also half-sister to the Group winner Theann, dam of Photo Call (also by Galileo), twice a Grade 1 winner in the US, and of the Group-winning two-yearold Land Force.
The granddam Cassandra Go was a threetime Group-winning sprinter, who won the King’s Stand Stakes (G2), and she was second in the July Cup (G1).
She is half-sister to the Coventry Stakes (G3) winner and Irish 2,000 Guineas (G1) second Verglas. Her dam Rahaam is ancestress of several good horses, including the Melbourne Cup (G1) winner Cross Counter, who is by Galileo’s son Teofilo.
Meditate coasted to Fillies’ Turf victory Victoria Road’s Juvenile Turf win completed
a double for trainer Aidan O’Brien, who also supplied the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) Meditate.
This was her fifth win in seven starts, victories also including the Albany Stakes (G3), the Debutante Stakes (G3) and the Naas Fillies Sprint (G3). Her only defeats have been seconds in the Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) and in the Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) when just three-quarters of a length behind the Cartier European champion two-year-old filly Lezoo.
Meditate is one of six two-year-old Group winners in No Nay Never’s exceptional current two-year-old crop, the others including the two-time time Group 1 winner, Blackbeard and the Phoenix Stakes (G1) scorer Little Big Bear.
Meditate is out of the winning Dalakhani
mare Pembina, a half-sister to the Group winners Johnny Barnes and Albisola, and granddam of the 2022 Group winner Purpleplay.
Pembina is also half-sister to five mares who have produced stakes winners, the most notable Tonnara, the dam of the Criterium International (G1) and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) victor Ectot, and of the St. James’s Palace Stakes (G1) winner Most Improved.
Meditate’s second dam Mahalia, a daughter of Danehill, won the Prix Imprudence. She is out of Mill Reef’s daughter Maresca, dam of three other blacktype winners, and ancestress of 33.
Fourth dam is the Falmouth Stakes heroine Caprera, dam of the Group 1 winner, Romildo and Group winner Pevero, and a foundation mare for Gerry Oldham.
THE BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE (G1) had an odds-on favorite in Cave Rock, a member of the second crop of the late Arrogate who boasted a record of three wins in three starts, including the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and American Pharoah Stakes (G1).
However, Cave Rock, a confirmed front-runner, found himself pressured on the pace by the long-shot, Hurricane J. He did succeed in shaking that one off, and turned for home with a length and a half lead, but his early efforts began to tell in mid-stretch and he was eventually run down by Forte.
The Juvenile was the fifth start and fourth win for Forte. He’d scored impressively by nearly 8l at Belmont Park over 5f on his debut, but could only finish fourth in the Sanford Stakes (G3) on his second outing.
He rebounded from that defeat to go into the Breeders’ Cup off victories in the Hopeful Stakes (G1) and Breeders Futurity (G1)
Forte is from the sixth northern-hemisphere crop sired by the Medaglia D’Oro stallion Violence – he is the stallion’s 28th stakes winner and fourth Grade 1 winner.
Violence has also sired 10 stakes winners from his southernhemisphere crops in Argentina, two of those Grade 1.
Violence was himself a Grade 1 winner at two when he took the Nashua Stakes (G2) and CashCall Futurity (G1).
At three in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G1) he was beaten by subsequent Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Orb, but fractured his right front medial sesamoid which ended his career.
Forte is out of the Blame mare Queen Caroline, winner of four black-type races on the Turf, including the Indiana Grand Stakes (L).
She is out of Forestry’s daughter Queens Plaza, winner of the Sorority Stakes at two. The third dam is the extremely well-bred Kew Garden. She was by Seattle Slew out of Fappiano’s multiple graded stakes-winning daughter Jeano, which makes her a halfsister to Contrive, the dam of champion two-year-old filly Folklore, herself granddam of the champion two and three-year-old colt Essential Quality and Japan Triple Crown winner Contrail.
Forte has an interesting pedigree as his sire is a great-grandson of Sadler’s Wells, while his broodmare sire Blame is out of a daughter of the mare Bound, a three-quarters sister to Sadler’s Wells.
Prior to her success in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Wonder Wheel had taken Alcibiades Stakes (G1) over the Breeders’ Cup course and distance to narrowly hold off a pair who reapposed in the Juvenile, Chop Chop and Raging Sea.
Given the style of her victory there it gave her connections a major cause for concern to see Wonder Wheel trailing in 11th through the first three-quarters of a mile.
However, a remarkable rail-skimming ride through the turn saw her on the heels of the leaders at the top of the stretch, and she powered clear to score by 3l. This was her fourth win in five starts, and her sole defeat came with a second in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) behind Leave No Trace, who occupied the runner up spot in the Juvenile Fillies.
Wonder Wheel’s sire Into Mischief is the dominant stallion of the era. He is heading for a fourth straight leading sires’ title having
The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) saw a British one-two with Mischief Magic leading home Dramatised.
After finishing third on his debut Mischief Magic won three straight races, including the Sirenia Stakes (G3) before finishing fourth to Blackbeard in the Middle Park Stakes (G1), one place behind Persian Force, who was fourth in the Juvenile Turf Sprint.
Mischief Magic is by Danehill’s veteran son Exceed And Excel. Responsible for over 200 stakes winners, Exceed And Excel has been a particularly prolific sire of two-yearolds in both the northern and southernhemispheres. Among his offspring are Guelph, Bivouac, Earthquake, Microphone, Overreach, Margot Did, Sidestep and Fulbright, who have all attained champion
or high-weight status.
Mischief Magic is a brother to Sound And Silence, who took the Prix Eclipse (G3), the Windsor Castle Stakes and the Roses Stakes in England, and the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar, when it was an appendage to, rather than part of, the full Breeders’ Cup programme.
Their dam Veil Of Silence is an unraced daughter of Elusive Quality, a half-sister to the Racing Post Trophy (G1) winner Ibn Kaldoun, and to the dam of Silk Sari, successful in the Park Hill Stakes (G2).
The second dam Gossamer took the Fillies’ Mile at two, and was leading filly in England and Ireland at three when she added the Irish 1,000 Guineas (G1).
Out of the Prix de la Forêt (G1) winner Brocade, Gossamer was a sister to Barathea,
the European Horse of the Year.
Brocade is ancestress of a total of 26 stakes winners, also including other Group/ Grade 2 winners Coretta, Armure and Saamid.
The cross of Exceed And Excel over Elusive Quality mares has been successful with 11 individual stakes winners, nine Group or graded, from only 58 starters.
It’s notable that Exceed And Excel has Danehill (by Northern Dancer with a second dam by Buckpasser) and Lomond (by Northern Dancer out of a mare inbred to Striking/Busher, a three-quarters sister to Busanda, dam of Buckpasser), where Elusive Quality is out of mare by Hero’s Honor, who is by Northern Dancer, and with a third dam who is three-quarters sister to Striking, Busher and Busanda.
already broken his previous earnings record, and he also looks as Kingston Town, and Ouija Board and her son, Australia.
Daragh Ó Conchúir chats with Pat Downes of the Aga Khan Studs about the amazing year the stud has enjoyed in 2022, neatly coinciding with the farm’s 100-year anniversary
Right, the Aga Khan as a young man, he took over the bloodstock interests after his father Aly Khan died in a car crash in 1960
Below, Princess Zahra on Day 2 of Irish Champions weekend when she saw Tahiyra’s wonderful victory in the Group 1 Moyglare Stakes at The Curragh. The Princess has inherited her father’s love of the horses and breeding
THERE IS A freedom in not being, like Ray Davies and The Kinks, a dedicated follower of fashion.
Owner-breeders can take a broader view of matters than their commercial counterparts.
A commitment to traditional bloodlines that hold a sentimental value is invariably prominent in the model, where the longer-term view is to produce a racehorse who can deliver over a variety of distances and progress with age. Of course, to maintain a sound business and keep numbers in check, they can’t be slaves to sentimentality, while an investment in new lines is always an option to freshen things up. These are all key ingredients as the Aga Khan Studs have developed and flourished, maintaining top-level relevance still as they celebrate a century in existence.
The green and red epaulettes will be carried to distinction into 2023 by a host of exciting horses, the most prominent older horse being Vadeni.
Having gone so close to joining Zarkava, Dalakhani, Sinndar and Akiyda on the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe roll of honour, the Churchill colt will be given a campaign tailored by trainer Jean-Claude Rouget to focus on the venerable Paris contest next season, whereas it was more of an afterthought for the Prix du Jockey-Club victor this term.
There is barely-contained excitement about Tahiyra
following her astounding triumph in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, the juvenile filly such an easy Group 1 victor on just her second start. Given her inexperience and how much improvement there invariably is in Aga Khan-bred stock, as so clearly evidenced by Tahiyra’s half-sister Tarnawa, who was also trained by Dermot Weld, the sky does appear to be the limit.
It isn’t just bloodlines that the Aga Khan and his daughter, Princess Zahra, are loyal to. It is staff too and, once they like what they see, they are all-in.
Pat Downes was given the considerable responsibility of running the Irish arm of Aga Khan Studs – which now comprises Gilltown, Sallymount, Sheshoon and Ballyfair – in June 1998, when just 35.
The drawing room at Gilltown that looks out onto the lake and pristine, idyllic landscape, boasts numerous portraits and photos on the walls; it is clear that the Limerick native has repaid the faith.
Downes is centrally involved in all major decisions on breeding and racing along with his French counterpart Georges Rimaud, Nemone Routh, who runs the Aiglemont training centre, the trainers, Princess Zarah and the Aga Khan. The final call belongs
to the man Downes fondly describes as HH, short of course, for His Highness.
It was in 1922 that his ancestor, the Aga Khan III, established a footing in Europe, having long pursued his racing interests in India. He had been introduced to British racing by Colonel William Hall-Walker (later Lord Wavertree), who established Tully Stud just outside Kildare town before presenting it to “The Nation” upon his return to England.
It is now the Irish National Stud.
The Aga Khan III’s first two-year-olds ran in 1922 the same year that saw Mumtaz Mahal, the legendary foundation mare, purchased at auction.
His grandson was named Aga Khan IV upon his death, while only 21 and still studying history at Harvard University. He remained there and graduated two years later. While very keen on sport – he represented Iran at downhill skiing in the 1964 Winter Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria – he knew nothing about racing.
When his father, Aly Khan, who had inherited his own father’s passion for thoroughbred horses, died as a result of injuries suffered in a car crash in 1960, there were many who thought the stock would be dispersed. But, cognisant of what had gone into building the operation and valuing it as a link with his family’s history, the monarch resolved to learn. Now, he is as knowledgeable as anyone.
It was fitting that a landmark centenary year was marked with three Group 1 triumphs.
“It wasn’t just another year, simply because I think it’s something that His Highness would be very, very proud of, the longevity of the activity,” says Downes.
“And as he calls it, it’s a ‘family hobby’, something that his grandfather started. And now, his daughter… there’s four generations there who are totally invested in making this as good as they can, as just purely breeding horses to race them. It’s very pure.
“HH is very much into nurturing families, it fascinates him. So he has a certain amount of families that his grandfather had invested in back at the very beginning in 1922, but along the way Aly Khan also invested in entire activities of other breeders.
“And it’s something the present Aga Khan did as well with all the Boussac stock, for example, and more recently, the Lagardère stock, and integrated into his own. He’s very much followed the way his grandfather and father rejuvenated the stud book… he did that himself with great success.”
There has to be huge satisfaction in the enduring influence of those decisions and to have a stallion such as Zarak, whose lineage dates back through Zarkava and Petite Etoile all the way to Mumtaz Mahal, must be phenomenally satisfying.
It was touch and go, however. Petite Etoile only produced three foals but one was a filly the Aga Khan named after his daughter. Zahra had just one foal, a filly, and the line, teetering on a precipice, was maintained. Five generations later, Zarkava was winning an Arc and now her son Zarak stands at Haras de Bonneval as a Group 1 winner, a leading European first-crop sire in 2021.
“When Zarkava showed herself to be what she was, HH got a tremendous kick from that because it
Below, stud manager Pat Downes, who admits to having been “very daunted” when he took on the role at the Aga Khan Studs 24 years ago
It wasn’t just another year, simply because I think it’s something that His Highness would be very, very proud of, the longevity of the activity
The stud enjoyed three Group 1 triumphs in 2022, and none were more impressive Tahiyra’s victory in the Group 1 Moyglare Stakes under a jubilant Colin Hayes
“I think ‘freedom’ is the appropriate word to use because I suppose over the years, we’ve produced good horses from pretty unlikely sources.
“And probably no better example than Alamshar, certainly in my time here. You’ve got a son of Key Of Luck out of a Shahrastani mare, who’s won an [Irish] Derby and a King George. You just wonder where is he gonna fit in? Because that’s going back to a time when it was just becoming more challenging to stand that profile of horse, Derby winners. And I think it’s got a bit worse since, but it is what it is.”
This march towards precocity and speed to the exclusion almost of all other traits saddens him.
“I think it is absolutely regrettable. And I understand that if I’m a commercial breeder, I’ve got to try to produce what I believe the market wants. And so there is that pressure for commercial breeders. But you just think it’s maybe out of kilter a little bit and gone off in one direction a little bit too much.
“We all want speed. Every one of us wants a fast horse, but within the context of its other attributes. Is it bred to stay? Whether it’s a jumper or Flat horse, good horses all have speed.”
Tahiyra is the product of another homebred, the
improve with maturity rather than be precocious, one wonders, counter-intuitively perhaps, if there is any fear that Tahiyra was almost too good this year as a two-year-old?
“I don’t think we will ever knock too good!” says a chuckling Downes. “She looks a very exciting filly. And you would think, on everything we know, she should certainly improve some amount. She’s a different sort of model to her sister [Tarnawa]. But she has something that her sister didn’t have, which is an acceleration that is pretty lethal.
“Dermot Weld said to Chris Hayes before he got up on her in the Moyglare, ‘She is an inexperienced filly. When you feel like you want to go, count to five, and then go.’ To be fair to him, that’s exactly what he did.”
Vadeni is likely to be back at Leopardstown next September for the Irish Champion Stakes, but this time as part of a programme that leads to ParisLongchamp. And that is because any doubt about staying a 1m4f was dispelled by a brilliant run as Alpinista’s nearest pursuer in the Arc last October on bottomless ground.
“It was definitely the view of Jean-Claude and Christophe [Soumillon] through the summer that he was a 1m2f horse.
whereby he stands at the historic Kilcullen farm and the Aga Khan mares have access to the superstar with the unique record of winning six Group 1s in five months at a mile, 1m2f and a 1m4f, all from John Oxx’s Currabeg quarters over the road.
He has proven a phenom as a stallion, too, with Baaeed and Emily Upjohn representing him in some style this year, while Stradivarius, Harzand, Taghrooda, Sea Of Class, Crystal Ocean, Sea La Rosa, Hukum and so many more have illustrated his tendency to pass on his ability and even temperament.
“I’ve known about Sea The Stars for such a long time,
seeing him before he was named,” recalls Downes.
“I saw him on The Curragh one morning with John, in late April or May. He had Mick [Kinane] up on Sea The Stars and Fran Berry was riding a horse of ours, a brother to Azamour called Arazan. They were only doing an easy bit but Mick came back with a smile on his face. And I said to him, ‘What is he?’ He said, ‘Actually, he’s a brother to Galileo.’ And I said, ‘Right.’
“So anytime I was out with John, I would see him and I saw how he progressed. And when he had his first run it was a very typical Oxx first run: needing it, green, finished nicely, then wins easily the next time.
“At the same time our colt was doing quite well also. And we went through the winter thinking Arazan was a possible for the Guineas in Newmarket. And, of course, Sea The Stars’ owners were thinking the same.
“John brought the two of them up to Leopardstown to work after racing. Mick actually rode our horse Arazan, and Fran rode Sea The Stars – and I’ve never seen a piece of work like it.
“Myself and John were standing up on the stewards’ tower across the track. And we just turned to each other... Just the speed the two of them were going at. I would like to think that Mick wasn’t sure which he
Mick actually rode our horse Arazan, and Fran rode Sea The Stars – and I’ve never seen a piece of work like it
Gilltown Stud: the Irish Studs are made up of four different properties – Gilltown, Sallymount, Sheshoon and Ballyfair, formerly known as Brownstown. The stallions are based at Gilltown alongside the pre-training yearlings
was going to ride, on the basis they were both having to go to Newmarket. Arazan was potentially a very good horse, but, sadly, he got pleurisy after that and he didn’t run as a three-year-old at all.
“But that’s racing for you and as we know, the rest is history. I don’t think we’ll ever see another horse repeat those six Group 1s. You could argue that he managed to do what he did because I think Mick always kept a little bit. And John would say he was not the type of horse that would win by far anyway.”
The Arc triumph was probably his greatest performance coming from where he did. And it was notable that this middle-distance behemoth had the trait mentioned earlier in this piece that the commercial market maintains can only come from sprinters.
“It looked like it was going all wrong that day. And the horse that he was, that speed was stunning. It is just what separates them from the rest.”
Oxx always referred to how much work he had to put into the Cape Cross son of Urban Sea, his constitution such that he needed very little time off after his races and would become very unruly unless exercised. It is just as well so that now as a €180,000-a-cover stallion he is kept extremely busy.
“He’s flying it. I’ve kind of called him a bit of an ‘alpha male’ and everything is on his terms. He has a very good routine here. And when the season is over,
he’s totally switched off. Come the season, oh you can see it in him. As soon as the first mare is due, he kind of kicks on. But he’s very efficient and gets through a season very, very well. It’s hard to believe when he starts his next season he’ll be a 17-year-old.”
The constant through all this is the willingness of the Aga Khan to delegate and listen, but the strength to make the final call.
It is notable, too, that welfare has always been close to the heart of the Aga Khan operation. Some of the Irish-trained horses have been sent to France after their retirement, where there is an industry-led initiation for retraining racehorses, the Au-Dela Des Pistes, which means “beyond the tracks”. But it goes beyond that, too.
“The numbers have to be kept under control. So between Ireland and France we will sell somewhere between 50 and 65 females every year. And, out of that, there will be decisions that are straightforward enough. But bloody hell there’ll also be some tough decisions to get to the number that we have to get to.
“However, if they’re still with us at 15 they’ll be with us forever. We have practically a separate farm now for our retired mares.”
And there it is in a nutshell. Economic necessity, ruthless decision-making but empathy and allegiance too.
Plus ça change.
It has been some year for Whitsbury Manor Stud with the emergence of Havana Grey, Showcasing renewing his Group 1 class and top-level homebred winners
In a frank discussion with Martin Stevens, Ed Harper talks about booking nominations, working with loyal clients, managing his team and the challenges that running a stud brings along
STUD has just enjoyed a good season is like describing British politics as a bit dysfunctional, or energy prices as a little steep.
It is, in other words, a massive understatement.
To recap the past year for the Hampshire operation, its freshman Havana Grey has become red-hot property by supplying a slew of winners, including 13 black-type horses and counting, while stud stalwart Showcasing has confirmed himself one of the best sires in Britain with his top two-yearolds Belbek, Dramatised and Swingalong.
The stud also happened to breed the Acomb, Champagne and Dewhurst Stakes hero Chaldean by sending its rags-to-riches Dutch Art mare Suelita – bought on a whim by the stud’s former helmsman Chris Harper for a mere 21,500gns – to unbeaten dual world champion Frankel.
Harper Snr handed over the wheel of the stud in the early 2010s to son Ed, who had been involved with the business from a young age and learned the ropes on the National Stud diploma course, but was returning home after a short stint as a surveyor with Savills.
It is therefore Harper Jnr who is reaping the rewards of this annus mirabilis (and a
few associated high-class problems, more of which later), but he insists that much of the credit belongs to his father.
“It’s an overnight success that’s been 40 years in the making, since Dad bought the stud,” says Harper. “It’s difficult to explain just how long the building period of something like this takes; just getting the place together and making little improvements every year.
“He was always of the mind that even when he had no money, he had to try to improve something every season, whether that was personnel or infrastructure, and we’re still the same now: we’ll always try to single out something to do better next year.”
That doesn’t mean that Harper hasn’t put his own stamp on the stud, though.
“When I came home in 2010 we had a bit of a change of personnel in general,” he continues. “I inherited a team who was mostly close to retirement age, and they were starting to do a bit less, so they probably looked at me and thought that was their time to go!
“I had to start from scratch with my own team, and that was hard in those early years, but it was a blessing in disguise as it meant we were building with a new team of people. So, instead of everybody trying to carry on doing things the way they’d always been
done, saying ‘we don’t do it like that, the foals go over there, we don’t fill those boxes’ or whatever, we could do things a little differently.”
Phil Haworth, who has been Harper’s right-hand-man since he joined Whitsbury as stud manager from Barton Stud a decade ago, has also brought some fresh ideas to the operation.
“We’re a duo really, we brainstorm everything together,” explains Harper. “He’s particularly good with managing and developing the team. He helped bring in staff appraisals – which I know sound horrific, and everyone on the stud hated the idea at first.
“But they’re more about seeing how they feel we can make their roles more effective. We’re constantly talking to the staff to see how we can improve how the business is run.
“I get very agitated if we’re approaching the end of a year without having come up with at least one significant improvement of some kind.”
Harper Snr, who turned his attention to running the farm at Whitsbury after stepping aside from the stud, still plays an important role in finding ways to enhance the business.
“Dad’s been a massive help in bringing farming efficiencies into the stud business,” says Harper. “I might explain an issue we’re having in finding ways to grow, and he’ll help me come up with a plan to improve things.
“And yet we’ve gone from standing two or three stallions, who cover 35 mares each, and owning 25 broodmares, to standing four stallions, three of them covering 150 mares each, and owning 100 broodmares. All the old ways in which we did things have had to be ripped up and changed.”
So what efficiencies have been introduced? How can the same number of staff oversee a much enlarged stallion operation?
“A lot more mares are held on-site nowadays, and so we have more control over smoothing out the peaks and troughs of the stallions’ schedules and being more flexible in the timing of coverings – we have a close relationship with our vet that allows that,” says Harper.
“The stallion side might not be the best example, as what goes on in the covering shed hasn’t changed much for 100 years or more, but we’ve found there are lots of
This year’s superstar first-season sire Havana Grey has had a price increase to £18,500 for 2023
general efficiencies that can be made when it comes to labour around the farm.”
The latest upgrade on the stud comes in the shape of Joe Callan, a graduate of the Irish National Stud diploma course and Godolphin Flying Start who spent three years as nominations manager at the National Stud, as head of bloodstock and sales.
He has recently been appointed to help manage a surge in business on the back of the Whitsbury stallions’ banner year, although Harper confesses that relinquishing control isn’t going to be easy.
“It’s a huge change for me, and one that’s been a long time coming, but I’d just never met the right person who gave me the confidence to let go a little,” says Harper.
“I very much like to feel in control of all business aspects, and it’s an odd feeling for me to loosen that grip, so it had to be the right person and I think that’s Joe.
“I used to deal with him at the National
Stud, with our interaction ramping up when we purchased Lope Y Fernandez last year in partnership with Coolmore and Nick Bradley, and I was really impressed by his attitude and attention to detail.
“I thought ‘Crikey, this might finally be someone I can work with in the future!’
“I didn’t think the opportunity would come around so quickly, so I’m very excited about him joining the team.”
At the time of writing, Callan hasn’t joined the stud but is due to do so imminently. Harper is counting down the days until his arrival, as his assistance is much needed, with breeders bombarding the stud with applications for stallion of the moment Havana Grey.
“I’ve nearly been throwing the mobile phone under the sofa in the last few weeks,” says Harper. “It’s a bit embarrassing as I should be able to deal with the situation better than this, but the levels of demand we’re receiving are slightly unprecedented.
business now: hot things have never been hotter and cold things have never been colder. The stallion market has never been so polarised.
“I think the situation is exacerbated by the fact that sometimes there are two or three affordable stallions who pop their heads above the parapet each season, and we saw that last year with Ardad and Time Test, so they shared the load between them, but Havana Grey is on his own in Britain this time.
“Don’t get me wrong, I know there are lots of other good stallions in the country, but they’re at different price points. Among the stallions at an affordable level, he’s standing out from the crowd. That’s fantastic, and we’re very grateful, but we’re now having to find ways to soak up all the demand.”
HARPER REFUSED to draw up a holding list of mares for Havana Grey throughout the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales despite being hounded by breeders, as he didn’t want to make promises he couldn’t fulfil.
But when we speak a few weeks later he has just started to put some names down for nominations.
Most stud owners would kill to have such an oversubscribed sire, but the situation does bring some unenviable consequences: first and foremost, inevitably having to disappoint some loyal customers who helped build the horse into a success.
“I’m drawing up the list now, and some names are very obvious as they’re our good, regular clients who kindly do business with us every year,” says Harper. “But the thing is, we’re a growing business; our stallions covered well over 500 mares this season and we sell 100 horses a year as foals or yearlings, so there are rather a lot of good, regular clients.
“It’s not like there’s a list of five people who make up the regulars, and it sometimes seems as though everyone has a watertight case for me looking after them. That’s great in one way, of course, as it shows we’ve got a lot of people who see themselves as good Whitsbury clients; we’ve been working for 40 years to make that happen. But it does
just make those conversations when you can’t provide them with everything they want that little bit harder.”
Harper’s rivals in the stallion business might be reaching for the world’s tiniest
violin to accompany this sob story of owning a sold-out star in the making, but the man himself is actually endearingly honest about what he feels are his own shortcomings in dealing with the issue, and why the assistance of Callan is so crucial.
“Joe has a way of wording difficult conversations better than I do; I don’t know if I’m missing a certain part of my brain, but I think I can rub people up the wrong way without meaning to,” he says with a rueful smile. “I’m trying to get better at it, but I’ve got a long way to go. Joe just has a softer way of doing things, so I think I’ll learn a lot from him, too, and we’ll work really well together.”
Harper is also keen to stress that although Havana Grey has made launching a young stallion into the stratosphere look easy, it really isn’t, and if he had come crashing down to earth soon after take-off it could have been the end of Whitsbury as we know it.
“I know I bore people to death saying this, but we put so much into our stallions,” says
I’ve nearly been throwing the mobile phone under the sofa in the last few weeks. It’s a bit embarrassing as I should be able to deal with the situation betterSergei Prokofiev: the son of Scat Daddy was popular in his first season and covered 150 mares
Harper. “We might have managed to grow the business but we still have to go to the bank to be able to buy these horses, just as we did ten or 20 years ago.
“We have to put a lot of resources and faith into them, and so when they fail it’s a massive kick in the teeth. We’re still feeling the pain of Sakhee’s Secret. Honestly, an unsuccessful stallion rips the guts out of your business. It affects the broodmare band and leaves you with unsaleable crops of foals and yearlings.
“But you know what the worst thing is? It means your clients have that little bit less faith in you. They listen to you just that little bit less in future.
“I only try to give advice I think is right and I know I’m not going to be right all the time. No one is as that’s the nature of the game, but when I have pointed people in the right direction with Showcasing or Havana Grey, and hopefully Sergei Prokofiev now –that’s the best thing.”
SO WHEN DID Harper first realise he’d pointed people in the right direction with Havana Grey, whose roll of honour is headed by stakes winners Cuban Mistress, Eddie’s Boy, Lady Hollywood, Rumstar and Shouldvebeenaring, many of whom were bred from unpromising mares, and whose second crop of yearlings, conceived at a fee of £6,500, have sold for an average of nearly 60,000gns this autumn?
He recalls: “Trainer Rod Millman, who’s a good friend, rang in February – which is far too early! – about the two Havana Grey fillies that we’d bred and he had in his stables, telling me that he thought one was good and the other one was very good.
“I try not to take stuff like that too seriously, and I was proved right not to when the one he thought was very good, Cuban Mistress, bombed out on her first run at Salisbury. She was stuffed by another Havana Grey filly in Katey Kontent, and Rod had a face like thunder afterwards!
“But next time out at Sandown she just showed this unreal attitude, pinging out the stalls and beating some really well-fancied horses. I’ll be honest, her dam wasn’t at the
top of our ‘proud’ broodmare list, she was sort of skimming round the bottom of it, and so when I saw that I thought ‘we might have something here’.”
Havana Grey’s runners have been noted for being straightforward souls who are tough and genuine. That is one of the chief reasons why Harper is confident that the sire’s freshman exploits will be no flash in the pan and that he will go on to have enduring success and popularity like Showcasing, who sired another sea of stakes horses in 2022. He also hinted that he will be an effective sire of sires with son Tasleet’s modestly bred first-crop yielding Coventry Stakes (G2) hero Bradsell.
“Havana Grey’s own best performances were as a three-year-old, and he saved his best effort for the end of that season when he won the Flying Five,” Harper reasons about the son of Havana Gold, who himself is by Galileo’s champion son Teofilo.
“He’s also from a sire-line that only gets better with age, and the main trait that his stock have been showing is a fantastic attitude, and that’s the biggest factor in training on. I’ve absolutely no worries whatsoever in this department.”
What does give Harper pause for thought,
though, is that owners of Havana Grey’s inexpensively sourced two-year-olds are, quite understandably, accepting big offers from overseas owners, which will deplete his ammunition.
“With sires who start off at his sort of fee, the stock are owned by real people who have to take the big money when they’re offered it,” says Harper. “That puts them at a disadvantage against the uber stallions whose progeny are owned by uber people, who don’t have to take the money, and the sire’s don’t suffer the same drain of talent.
“Look at Eddie’s Boy, who was a massive success for Middleham Park Racing and got sold for 320,000gns to race in Saudi Arabia, or Havana Angel, a good filly in France early doors for Amy Murphy, who was sold for €320,000 mid-season to race in the US.
“Our breeding clients aren’t thumbing through the reports to look at who’s won in Saudi Arabia or America, I can promise you
With sires who start off at his sort of fee, the stock are owned by real people who have to take the big money when they’re offered itThe Whitsbury crew at Salisbury racecourse, it was important to Harper that he created his own team with its own ethos and way of working
st in BBAG Auktionsrennen
2nd in Zukunftsrennen, Gr.3
2nd in Preis des Winterfavoriten, Gr.3 3rd in Gran Criterium, Gr.2
st in LR st in Kososu Istanbul, LR six times 3yo winner
st in Filiberto, LR
that. Those horses might go on to win more races but, rightly or wrongly, that won’t register with our customers.”
Havana Grey’s stallion career is futureproofed to a degree by the fact that Harper has placed all his chips on him, having learned the hard way that a cautious approach can have serious ramifications.
His Whitsbury studmate Due Diligence got off to a similarly bright start with his first two-year-olds in 2019, supplying three black-type winners in Good Vibes, Sir Boris and Streamline. However, he has suffered something of a lull more recently.
“He’s the classic roller-coaster stallion,” observes Harper of the son of War Front.
“He got off to a fantastic start, right up there chasing the tail of Havana Grey in fact, which a lot of people will have forgotten.
“But then, unlike with Havana Grey, we had very, very few mares in his second, third and fourth seasons, so he’s been quiet and had limited runners on the track. There were various reasons, and I don’t think Air Force Blue, also by War Front, helped us by being so good at two and not doing it at three.
“Anyway, the bigger crop bred on the back of his good first season are two-year-olds next year and they sold well as yearlings, with an average of just under 22,000gns for quite a lot sold, with a few selling in the 70,000gns-plus bracket. He’ll be back on people’s radars in 2023, and in terms of a proven value option for next season he should be at the front of people’s thoughts.”
IT WAS THAT slump in demand for Due Diligence’s services early in his career that galvanised Harper into ensuring Havana Grey wouldn’t suffer the same fate.
“The situation with Due Diligence, showing that he’s a more than capable stallion but being completely forgotten, made me very angry. It lit a fire under me to say that’s not happening again: we’re not getting a stallion right and not being rewarded for it.
“If we fail because we get things wrong, then fair dos, but if we fail even after we get things right, I’m sorry but that makes me furious, and that isn’t going to be an option in future.
“So I said if we’re going to stand Havana Grey we’re going to have so much faith in him we’ll go down in flames if we’re wrong.
“So we sent him a large number of our own mares after his first season to make sure he always had the runners.
“It’s a scary thing to do, especially when you’ve had Sakhee’s Secret and you’ve really copped it, probably only Dad and I know just what we put on the line in this business.
“I wouldn’t really recommend that approach for anyone who wants to live past 45 years old, and I don’t know how Dad did it all those years.
“It’s scary, and I can honestly say that if
Havana Grey had done an Araafa then I’d have been looking to regain my surveying licence and go back to work for Savills.”
Sergei Prokofiev, the newest addition to the Whitsbury stallion roster, is also benefiting from home support, although Harper insists that it has been less necessary
If we fail because we get things wrong, then fair dos, but if we fail even after we get things right, I’m sorry but that makes me furiousHarper is looking forward to working with Joe Callan (left) who possibly offers a “softer” approach Right-hand man, stud manager Phil Haworth
in the Group 3-winning son of Scat Daddy’s case as outside breeders have stuck with him since his first covering season in 2021
“I couldn’t be happier with the start that Sergei has had,” he says. “He seems to be building momentum when, usually going into the third season, you’d be losing it.
“When I chat with breeders on the racecourse or on the phone, they normally give me less airtime with second and thirdseason sires but I’m finding conversations about him are actually growing in length.
“That’s thanks to the way the Scat Daddy sire-line is developing, especially with No Nay Never, and because word is getting around about his foals. Scat Daddy was a freak, so every chunk of his legacy is precious, and this is a very good-looking chunk. It doesn’t hurt having Tapit on the other side of his pedigree, either.
“Probably the main growth area in demand for European yearlings has been from America and our clients are beginning to tune into that, so it makes sense for them to have a gorgeous colt by a son of Scat Daddy out of a Tapit mare to put in front of those US buyers. I think his book will be full by Christmas.”
Sergei Prokofiev will also benefit from being the last new face at Whitsbury for at least three years, when he himself arrived only two seasons after Havana Grey.
Allowing him a longer turn in the limelight
was part of the reason for Harper investing in Lope Y Fernandez, a Group 3-winning and Group 1-placed son of Lope De Vega, but allowing him to stand at the National Stud.
“Last year British breeders were lacking access to a new commercially priced stallion, and that prompted me to get involved in Lope Y Fernandez with the other partners, who all really complement each other,” he says.
“I didn’t want a new horse at Whitsbury as I didn’t want him to step on Sergei’s toes, but he’s an important horse to bring to market because if British breeders – the ones our business model depends on for its survival –don’t have an affordable option, they’ll take a step back from the industry.”
The need to maintain that symbiotic
relationship between stallion master and mare owner, each party needing the other to succeed in order to survive, keeps Harper’s feet on the ground in spite of all the success with Havana Grey, Showcasing and Chaldean this year.
“I spend most of my waking hours thinking about how our stallions can be a life raft that helps our clients survive another three or four years,” says Harper. “I’ve seen the ageing demographic of our British breeders, and it’s incredibly concerning.
“A lot of our clients are in their 70s or 80s now, and when you’re elderly and don’t have commercial breeding options, it makes the decision to retire easy. I’m genuinely scared about running out of clients – I go to too many funerals of breeders. I wish I could go to a few less.”
It is for that reason that Havana Grey’s covering fee for 2023 has been increased to a level that shows some restraint, when many forecast that it might have gone higher in comparison with other stallions’ achievements and pay rises in recent years.
In the short term it will cause even more difficult conversations turning down applications, and a loss of optimum income for the stud’s coffers, but in the long term it is hoped that decisions such as this will help keep breeders – and Whitsbury – solvent.
“It’s the biggest thing I’ve learned,” says Harper. “I didn’t know how business worked as I’d been a surveyor, and I thought it was all about making every pound to keep the stud afloat – which is incredibly important, don’t get me wrong.
“But I know now that you can’t squeeze the lemon for every drop when you make a deal, you’ve got to give the client a fair crack so that they can continue in their business, too.
“British breeding is a small world and we need to help each other along. Always at the back of my mind I’m thinking who will I be selling nominations to in ten years time?”
Family photo: at Newmarket with the Whitsbury-bred, Juddmonte-owned Chaldean, the son of Frankel winner of the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes. The colt is out of the Dutch Art mare Suelita, bought by Harper Snr for just 21,500gns
I’m genuinely scared about running out of clients –
I go to too many funerals of breeders. I wish I could go to a few less
In the spotlight: the superstar Flightline at Keeneland on a work morning, inset, Bill Farish of Lane’s End looking on in awe watching a replay of the Breeders’ Cup Classic
Photo courtesy of Breeders’ Cup | Eclipse Sportswire
had two regally-bred Tapit colts born in 2019, but you’d be surprised to know that the subsequently undefeated Grade 1 winner Flightline wasn’t the one getting all the attention during his early life inspections.
But that’s exactly what happened.
Flightline’s breeder Summer Wind Equine has a strong relationship with Lane’s End and consigns most of its horses through the farm.
Throughout the year the crew from Lane’s End head over to inspect the foals and yearlings – not surprisingly the team paid most attention to American Pharoah’s half-brother during those inspections.
But Lane’s End’s David Ingordo always regarded the bay colt out of graded stakes winner Feathered the better horse.
Bill Farish, general manager of Lane’s End, recalls: “Jane [Lyon] had another very attractive colt there named Triple Tap, who is a half-brother to American Pharoah, so he was kind of getting all the attention.
“But David came back and said, ‘I don’t know, there’s another Tapit over there that I like even more than him’, that turned out to be Flightline.”
Ingordo was right on the button.
As a yearling the colt was offered as part of Lane’s End’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale consignment and he impressed buyers enough that he fetched the third-most expensive price – West Point Thoroughbreds going to $1 million to acquire him.
However, Summer Wind and Lane’s
End decided that they did not want their involvement to end in the ring, quickly joining in the ownership group.
By the time Flightline reached the track in April of his three-year-old year, that contingent also included Hronis Racing and Siena Farm.
“We loved his pedigree, but really the main thing was his physical,” explains Farish of Lane’s End’s decision to buy into the colt.
“He is just such an outstanding individual and always was. He was very, very racy as he was growing up; he was a little widerbodied, but you could see that he was going to mature into a lovely horse.
“I don’t think he was actually at his best up at Saratoga and that was how we were able to end up with him.”
While all the connections involved with Flightline guessed he had talent, they were forced to wait for it.
In February of his two-year-old year the colt spooked and gained the infamous scar on his hindquarters after hitting a stall latch. The injury was bad enough to send him to the clinic and it took nearly three months to heal; patience is indeed a virtue with racehorses.
It wasn’t until nearly a year later that he clocked his first work and flashed the brilliance that would define his racing career.
Covering 3f in 36.40sec, he earned the bullet at Santa Anita and soon after Farish received a call from trainer John Sadler.
Bauer-Herzog
It was just the beginning of what was set to be an exciting 2021 for Flightline with the colt winning his first two starts by a combined 26l.
“John called soon after his first work and said, ‘My lord, this horse is really special!’ He and Juan Leyva had been talking about him since before his first work, they were pretty impressed with him even before that bullet time.
“To see him run that first race the way he did then come back in an Allowance race and run there; he has so much natural speed for a horse who is built to go two turns,” says Farish.
Before Flightline could take advantage of that two-turn build, the colt was asked to prove he could do it at shorter distances, as well. It was those races that quickly put him in the spotlight.
Given an outing on Boxing Day in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes, Flightline earned his first stakes win and his first Grade 1 victory with an 11l romp on the front end.d.
“I was in cruise control the whole race, galloping freely,” said his regular jockey Flavien Prat after the win. “He was quite impressive. I wanted to get a good position and get myself into the race. My idea was to get out there running and see what happened. He has been brilliant so far. He really has been quite amazing.”
While people eagerly awaited Flightline’s next start, they had to join his connections on the “patience train” with the colt not returning to the races until June of his fouryear-old season.
The colt wasn’t set to take an easy path for his return, however, travelling from California to New York to face three Grade 1 winners and a multiple graded stakes winner in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap.
The race was widely regarded to be his first real test, and Flightline aced it in spectacular style.
Behind Grade 1 winner Speaker’s Corner early on, Flightline tired of letting another have the lead and took off to a 6l victory. The victory proved Flightline was the real deal and left this trainer in awe.
“We’re just thrilled to have an undefeated horse, who won easy again today,” said Sadler then. “Things didn’t really go well for him early in the race. He suffered from
a slow start because of the one post. Then he got cut off a little bit going down the backside. With a young horse who’s not that well-seasoned, he just overcame the adversity and proved himself best.”
Still a llightly raced horse, Flightline made his second start of the year in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic and that’s when comparisons to some of the sport’s greats started to be mentioned.
He blazed through fractions of 23.42sec and 46.06sec for the first half mile of the 1m2f race. He had the race won and stopped the clock in 1:59.28, eased near the wire for over a 19l victory.
The time was just off the track record set by Candy Ride in 2003.
After the Pacific Classic, Flightline started to be compared to other 2022 superstars such as Baaeed, but also was earning comparisons to Secretariat.
Those comparisons got even stronger with his domination of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November.
The prestigious race became a match race early on when joining up with Life Is Good
Taking it all in his massive stride
Photo
and the pair moved several lengths ahead of the field, Flightline pulled away from the Into Mischief colt to win the Classic by 8l, stopping the clock in 2:00.05, just off another track record.
Unsurprisingly, he lit up the horseracing world with his win, and even Sadler couldn’t help but make comparisons.
“How do you describe greatness? This is a rare horse,” he said. “It happens every 20 or 30 years. One of the best American racehorses we’ve seen in a long, long time. And I’m talking back to Secretariat, Seattle Slew.
“What I’ve tried to be is a good steward to him, be fair with him. And if you’re good with your horses, they’re good with you.”
SADLER CONTINUES to be amazed when hearing the colt mentioned in the same breath as some of the sport’s greatest runners.
“It’s so gratifying to not just think he’s great ourselves, but to hear everyone else saying it and so many people that I have a lot of respect for,” he said.
“You don’t expect that then you watch the performance in the Pacific Classic and obviously it’s awe inspiring, but it’s interesting to see that everyone has to compare him – whether it was Baaeed or Frankel or going back to Secretariat and Spectacular Bid and those great horses we’ve all been fortunate enough to watch run –and leap frogging so many horses who we all thought were very, very good.
“To be putting him above even those is incredible, but it’s deserved because the way he wins with those incredible margins it’s not surprising that he’s drawing such accolades.”
Unsurprisingly, a week after that Pacific Classic win, it was announced that Flightline would join fellow Pacific Classic winner Candy Ride on the roster at the end of his racing career.
“As soon as he ran that first race, I had it in mind,” admits Farish.
“It’s a dream come true at the farm and to get a horse like this... we’ve been fortunate enough to get pretty good ones in the past, but he certainly is at the top of that list.”
He is just such an outstanding individual and always was. He was very, very racy as he was growing up, he was a little wide bodied, but you could see that he was going to mature into a lovely horsecourtesy of Breeders’ Cup | Eclipse Sportswire
Flightline retiring to Lane’s End is a milestone with the colt a great-grandson of longtime farm stalwart A.P. Indy.
A.P. Indy died in 2020 nine years after being pensioned, but Lane’s End currently stands five stallions from his sire line with three others out of mares from the same line.
Lane’s End is known for standing multiple generations of stallions and Farish is excited to continue that tradition.
“It’s amazing to stand another stallion from the A.P. Indy sire line,” he admits.
“As a farm we kind of pride ourselves in, and have been fortunate, to stand multiple generations of certain sire lines.
“Dixieland Band, we’re into the fourth generation of that sire line and obviously A.P. Indy was a very special horse to the farm and to be able to stand a greatgrandson of his is really great.”
One thing is for sure – it’s unlikely another son of Tapit will ever be more highly regarded than this one.
JUST OVER 24 hours after he was officially retired, a 2.5 per cent share of Flightline was offered at the beginning of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale – the sale brought the sales ground and the metaverse to a halt.
The ring was packed and the televisions around the barns drew sizable crowds to watch a bidding war that ensued for what amounted to one breeding share of the undefeated Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner, the bidding coming to a conclusion at $4.7 million.
It was the first offering sold through the metaverse for Keeneland and the idea had been in the works for months according to Farish.
“Our ad agency Cornett Group came to us with this metaverse idea – they wanted to come up with something to sell in the metaverse as a ‘trendy thing’ for the industry, something new and different,” explains Farish. “When you have something like that, obviously it’s important to have something that’s really going to garner attention so it popped into my head ‘Why not sell a share in Flightline?’ They were very excited about that.
“This was before the Pacific Classic so we went to Keeneland and talked to them and I hadn’t even figured out which shareholder would be willing to do this. Keeneland was also working on a metaverse concept, looking for something to do to apply the metaverse to. So, it was kind of a natural fit.”
In the end, it was West Point Thoroughbreds who offered up one of its shares in the horse, a move that paid off in spades after the horse won the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
It also worked out well forthe unnamed buyer who has decided he wants to step up his involvement in the industry.
Brookdale Farm’s Freddy Seitz, who signed as agent, said: “My client has a broodmare band and I think he is going to have a nicer broodmare band now!
“He does have some nice mares – it’s not real big, six or eight mares at any time. I think he will probably be shopping now from what I understand.”
For Farish, the $4.6 million was awe-inspiring, the farm had no idea how to value Flightline for a sale situation as this. He did point out that the $184 million estimation people were making on Flightline’s value likely wasn’t correct when looking at the situation.
“It’s a unique situation because the syndicate is already in place, the syndicate is a racing ownership group,” he says.
“Luckily I don’t have to go out — not that it would be hard with Flightline — and determine what a share value if I had to sell 40 shares! Selling a share like this is completely different than having to sell 40 shares, and we had clue where this would go for that reason.
“I don’t think it [the price of the share sold] has any influence on the stud fee because you’re not trying to sell 40 of these and basing it as a multiple of that. It will have some influence on the stud fee but not a huge amount.”
Flightline has arrived at Lane’s End Farm for his new career and the farm has allotted him a $200,000 fee.
The phone will be busy.
RALPH BECKETT could be forgiven for not wanting 2022 to end.
The latest Turf season has brought the trainer five Group 1 wins from four different horses spread across three countries, another Classic triumph and domestic prize-money earnings in excess of £2.7 million.
That total not only sees him in tenth in the trainers’ championship, but is £800,000 more than his stable won when posting its previous best in 2021.
“If we didn’t enjoy this year there wouldn’t be much point doing it,” he says with some understatement.
Kinross has taken a leading role among the cast of stable stars, with commanding wins in Group 2s at York and Doncaster before readily recording back-to-back Group 1 strikes in the Prix de la Forêt and then the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes.
The son of Kingman ended a fruitful five-year-old campaign with a valiant effort behind Modern Games in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile, running a fast-finishing third, beaten just three-quarters of a length, despite the burden of a car park draw.
In truth, Kinross has been regarded as something out of the ordinary ever since he made a winning debut by 8l in October 2019, but it wasn’t until, somewhat ironically, he was castrated that he started to realise his potential, as Beckett explains: “What really made a man of him was gelding him, that changed everything at the beginning of last year.”
Marc Chan’s charge has plied his trade over everything from 6f to a mile during a season that has seen a spree of improvement. While he ended the year with a hectic racing schedule, his life at Kimpton Down Stables has been rather less intense.
“I think what’s happened this year has been down to a couple of things,” says Beckett. “He’s a clean-winded horse so if I went back through the workbook I’m pretty sure he hasn’t actually had a gallop at home for a long time. He wouldn’t have done much between the Lennox and the City of York and then he ran five times in two months.
“That’s combined with the way he’s been
ridden as well. Frankie saved every ounce at York and Doncaster, and in the Forêt and on Champions Day, because he always had another target down the line.
“Being ridden like that has really made a difference, although you can only ride them like that if you’re on the best horse.”
Beckett has close ties with Kinross’s family having trained the dam, the Listed-winning Ceilidh House, as well as his three siblings. But while he recalls that Ceilidh House was “pretty hardy on the racecourse and off it”, her Group 1-winning son possesses a more delicate disposition than his consistent and
versatile race record would indicate.
“We’ve never had a horse like him, especially in the sense that he’s got a very low pain threshold,” he says. “Every little thing is a disaster to him. He pulled a shoe off on the Thursday after the Forêt and we couldn’t ride him until the following Monday, so three or four of the 13 days between the Forêt and the Champions Sprint he didn’t leave his box.
“Having a low pain threshold and being tough on the racecourse, they’re not symbiotic, though. We’ve all had horses who are tough when push comes to shove but you wouldn’t necessarily pick that up at home.”
While Kinross may not have inherited his dam’s hardiness, he has paid a fine tribute to the skill of his breeder nonetheless, joining Look Here and Scope on Lawn Stud’s illustrious roll of honour.
“Julian Richmond-Watson has never had more than six mares at home and has bred three individual Group 1 winners in the last 14 years,” Beckett notes. “That’s extraordinary by any measure.”
ANOTHER BREEDER whose achievements are extraordinary by any measure is Juddmonte, who provided Beckett with his fourth Classic success when Westover romped away with the Irish Derby to the tune of 7l.
“To win an Irish Derby is a big deal on any level,” he says. “Not too many English horses have done that lately, it gave me a big kick.”
Oaks victories with Look Here and Talent and a St Leger triumph with Simple Verse had seen Beckett typecast as a trainer of middle-distance fillies, but Westover’s triumph not only laid that notion to rest once and for all, but did so for the connections who had already done so much to alter the wider perception.
“I had no problem with being labelled a trainer of middle-distance fillies, I had no problem at all because we made a business out of it,” he says. “But to be able to do it with a colt was hugely satisfying.
“Being sent yearlings by Juddmonte for the first time in the autumn of 2015 was a big deal for us. It changed everything because we were sent equal numbers of colts and fillies from the outset.
Juddmonte didn’t view us as one-dimensional, and up until then we were training nearly two-thirds fillies to colts. That changed that dynamic, so to win an Irish Derby for them, it finally put that theory to bed.”
Things didn’t all go Westover’s way in 2022, most notably with a luckless trip in the Derby before a blowout in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. But he was far from disgraced when sixth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and will look to further his record when he returns at four.
“We look like going to the Sheema Classic with him at the end of March,” says Beckett.
“He’s a big horse and you would think that he’d develop from three to four. I’d be surprised if he wasn’t at least as good next year and I’m hopeful that he might be better.”
Beckett’s flair across the Flat racing spectrum was emphasised by the exploits of champion two-year-old Lezoo, another Chan-owned runner whose four victories culminated with success in the Cheveley Park
If the likes of Kinross and Westover were of obvious ability from the outset, Lezoo’s rapid ascent came as a pleasant surprise.
“She’s been very good at hiding her light under a bushel,” the trainer says. “I told her owners that I thought she was capable of winning a novice before she won on debut, but I never saw her going through the grades as she did.
“She’s not flashy at home, she just does what you ask of her. It wouldn’t surprise me if she kept going next year because she looks after herself. I think there’s a good case to be made that there’s more to come.
“She’ll have a Guineas entry and we’ll try that if it looks the right thing to do, but I think her pedigree suggests she’s more likely to go the Commonwealth Cup route.”
The other Group 1 winner Beckett saddled in 2022 is Chan and Andrew Rosen’s Prosperous Voyage, beaten just a neck behind Cachet in the 1,000 Guineas before an aborted Prix Saint-Alary bid saw her rerouted to the Falmouth Stakes, which she duly won
We’ve never had a horse like him, especially in the sense that he’s got a very low pain thresholdLezoo winning the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes
thank god she didn’t make the ferry for the Prix Saint-Alary. She got stuck in traffic on the way down to the tunnel thanks to the Champions League final being in Paris the same weekend, so we brought her home.
“The form book says she’s not good around a bend and that’s the way she needs to be campaigned so we’ll try again next year.”
There has been plenty to keep Beckett busy this autumn, too, as he looks to consolidate his elevated standing with a fresh generation of talent. Even if his name hasn’t been on the yearling sale docket as much as it once was, he says he has always enjoyed the process of horse trading.
“We’ve got a lot of yearlings from the sales and luckily we’re still training for the same owner-breeders, and a couple of extras as well, so there’s plenty to get on with,” he says. “As a buyer myself I’m probably not buying
When it comes to identifying future talent at the embryonic stage, Beckett can call upon the services of noted judges Alex Elliott and Jamie McCalmont.
“Having been the only racehorse trainer ever to be fired by their bloodstock agent when David Redvers became contracted to Qatar Racing, the partnership with Alex Elliott and Jamie McCalmont that came about as a result of that has been successful and fulfilling,” he says. “In different ways they have become a big part of the operation and I couldn’t do it without either of them.”
“We were able to move forward because we traded other horses at the right time though. We didn’t always get it right, no one does, but being afraid to sell a horse is unsustainable in my opinion. That’s the lesson I learned.”
Beckett’s yard was among the vendors at a red-hot renewal of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sales, and it certainly picked the right moment to sell the progressive two-time winner Gadget Man –Derek and Judith Newell’s homebred son of Jack Hobbs realised 310,000gns to Australian trainer Chris Waller.
Some have decried the “talent drain” of unexposed horses sold abroad, but Beckett takes the pragmatic position that, given prizemoney in Britain, is hard to argue with.
WHILE BUYING well is a crucial part of any training business, so too is knowing when to sell. As well as his
“The reason people have been able to have sustainable businesses is because of the resale market,” he says. “I’ve never been at a sale like the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale this year. From top to bottom we sold well, perhaps there was one we thought might’ve made a bit more. One out of 20-odd. That’s never happened before.
“And that keeps people in the game, there’s no doubt about that. Around the time I started and before prize-money meant that you didn’t have to sell horses and it was sustainable. That’s no longer the case.”
A paucity of prize-money sits front and centre among the myriad challenges facing British racing, many of which Beckett has tackled head on in his role as president of the National Trainers Federation.
However, although he would be more accustomed to sticking his head above the parapet than most in the industry, this year’s results are a testament to his ongoing focus on the pursuit of winners. The racing landscape may have changed dramatically since he saddled his first runner, John Company, on November 27, 1999, but he is adamant that he wouldn’t alter the trajectory of his own career.
“I wouldn’t change anything,” he says. “When I started training I inherited five homebreds from Peter Walwyn and not even my closest friends saw it as sustainable.
“I wanted to train horses more than anything else but my only ambition was to get through to the following year. None of us have forgotten that, so to be still doing it 23 years later, I’ve been very fortunate.”
I spend more time at the sales acting on instruction now, which my wife and the bank manager enjoy a lot more!
Champions, World Champions, Horses of the Year. Find them all on this list: the fastest and the finest, led by the best stallion in Europe.
With extreme weather events becoming more frequent, we need to be aware of changing equine nutritional requirements and manage accordingly, Chasemore Farm makes full use technology available and Gro-Trac has gone up into the cloud and onto mobiles and ipads
THERE ARE DIFFERING
VIEWS on climate change and they veer from a phenomenon that some believe is going to dramatically alter the way we all can live our lives and even where we can live, to deniers who believe that it is all bunkum dreamt up as some form of conspiracy theory.
Wherever your belief lies, there is no denying that the summer of 2022 in Britain was hot and dry – racecourses closed due to the extended dry spell and unsuitable firm ground, hose pipe bans were in place in some regions in the south of England and much of the usual pale British population looked tanned and distinctly post-Brexit European.
The Met Office figures back up the
experience – England recorded its driest July since 1935, and in East Anglia, southeast and southern England, it was the driest July on record.
Figures also show that we had the driest eight-month period in England from November 2021 to June 2022 since that well-documented drought of 1976.
It is not the first time in the last five years that we have experienced record-breaking dry weather – June, July and August 2018 were the warmest on record then for the UK, with June the third warmest and July the second as recorded in the official national records dating from 1910.
While many working in the bloodstock industries may welcome the dry summer days through which to work and walk yearlings, there is more to consider than just getting up earlier to do the chores and get the miles in before the day gets too hot.
For those breeding racehorses, developing yearling sale prospects through the peak summer months or those who wish to ensure that their young foals continue with a good level of constant development, breeders really need to ensure they respond to these influences, whether this is a one-off scenario, or as a longer term repeated measure as part of dealing with global climate change.
Grass growth, the fuel that breeders and producers use as their gold, is the most obviously affected resource and a graph of current and historical grass growth rates (left) tells its own story.
Polly Bonnor of Saracen Horse Feeds urges breeders and bloodstock people to be proactive as regards their equine management through extreme events.
“If the extreme climatic changes we have seen in Europe over the last season and in 2018 are to become regular events, attention
...attention needs to be given to the requirements of horses in a more extreme climateSeasonal grass growth data: average compared with 2020, 2021, 2022
AS WE DISCUSSED IN THE LAST TWO ISSUES
a steady growth pattern is the most suitable way for a foal and yearling to develop rather than in bumps and humps; growth blips can lead to unwanted development problems.
Andrew and Jane Black’s Chasemore Farm has been using Kentucky Equine Research’s (KER) Gro-Trac software since 2018 and the farm finds it an invaluable tool for monitoring the growth and development of its youngstock, as well as for monitoring the condition of its mares.
The farm weighs at birth and then every Tuesday until weaning, then every two weeks and then once a month. It also takes a visual stand-up photo and records height once a month.
“When you look back at weight and height recordings taken from foaling until they leave us, alongside the photos, it is really interesting and useful,” said Jack Conroy, farm manager at Chasemore.
“It takes some organisation, but if you have a system in place it works in fine. The foals get used to it quite quickly and it helps them for the rest of their life really; they are well handled, which is good for them.”
He adds: “We weigh the mares, too, just to make sure they are all tickety-boo, although their weights can obviously fluctuate.
“It is also invaluable to weigh after weaning and to get ready for that cold spell, although this year we’ve got spring grass coming through!”
He adds: “It does mean we can be ahead of the game if something is developing or if we know the mare is not a great provider. I write notes so it is really helpful to look back at each year – for example, you can see trends with a mare and again you know where you are with her.”
The farm has started using the newly developed Gro-Trac app (see over) and Conway appreciates the user-friendly nature of the app that is available on a mobile.
Something that should be as simple as adding photos to the
record used to be a bit of a task, now it is a one-button solution.
“Taking the photos used to involve sending the photos via email and What’s App, now the guys do them on their phones through the app, and send them straight to the cloud, it is so much more efficient,” he says.
At this year’s October Yearling Sale, Chasemore enjoyed its best-ever set of sale returns, and upped its data game.
The farm produced a QL code on door cards for possible purchasers, the link taking users to individual web hubs for each horse that provided such information as the Gro-Trac charts showing the growth patterns of that individual, as well as lunging videos and further pedigree and bloodstock information.
The idea was to give buyers greater background knowledge of the yearling, and so confidence in the horse they might be considering.
Conroy explains how the idea came about.
“We had talking about trying to produce a 360-degree visual of the yearlings, but it involved 28 cameras and was just too expensive and we did not know how the yearlings would take it.
“Whilst we were discussing that we started considering providing more data and information. We started talking about publishing birth weights and some of the growth data, and then the idea just grew and developed through to the QL codes.
“I think a lot of the younger generation appreciated the information and the lunging videos went down well – although you can watch them walk on the sale ground, you are getting a different type of movement in the ring.”
Positively, he adds: “Some did say that it encouraged them to buy a horse they might not have done otherwise!”
With a such a set of great results for the farm at the sales, with a best-ever price of 750,000gns given for its Kingman colt out of Wall Of Sound, as well as three stakes horses in 2022 from its a foal crop of around 25, including the Group 1-winning two-yearold Lezoo, the farm is definitely doing a whole lot right and its harnessing of data is certainly its way forward.
needs to be given to the requirements of horses in a more extreme climate with less reliance on reliable supplies of fresh summer forage,” she states.
“It is time to consider different ways and the best approach to feeding horses out in paddocks during prolonged dry spells.
“There are measures we can take to help the horses, particularly the mares and foals, both before and after weaning, as well as any retained yearlings or NH stores who aren’t being prepared for sales.
Weigh Date Age [days] Horse Count BW [kg] Ref. BW [kg]
“Grazing is usually the most natural way for horses to get nourishment, and most regions found in the summer that the lack of rainfall significantly impacted plant growth with paddocks bare, burnt off and dusty.”
% Diff. from BW Ref.
BW ADG [kg]
Ref. ADG [kg] Ht [cm] Ref. Ht [cm]
Feb 21 5.5 1 63 60 +5.3% 1.89 1.67 105.5 102.8
Mar 21 37.0 1 110 105 +4.9% 1.41 1.37 116.0 113.4
Apr 21 67.0 1 146 140 +4.1% 1.20 1.18 122.0 120.1
In a paper produced by Peter Huntingdon of Kentucky Equine Research advising on feeding through drought in Australia, he wrote that horses need a minimum of one per cent of dry matter of their body weight as forage each day (i.e. 5kg for a 500kg horse) to keep digestive function normal.
May 21 107.0 1 190 184 +3.5% 1.10 1.08 128.0 126.8
Weigh Date Age [days] Horse Count BW [kg] Ref. BW [kg] % Diff. from BW Ref.
Falling below this amount has dangers in the form of hindgut disturbances, colic, diarrhoea, gastric ulcers, and loss of condition. During a drought, he explained, the nutritive value of forage is often less important than the physical bulk, as low quality and energy roughage can be supplemented with concentrate feed to fill the gaps.
BW ADG [kg]
Ref. ADG [kg] Ht [cm] Ref. Ht [cm]
Jun 21 136.0 1 220 207 +6.1% 1.03 0.82 132.0 129.9
Jul 21 163.0 1 250 232 +7.9% 1.11 0.90 134.0 132.5
% Diff. from Ht Ref.
Feb 21 5.5 1 63 60 +5.3% 1.89 1.67 105.5 102.8 +2.6%
Aug 21 197.0 1 255 257 -0.6% 0.15 0.73 136.0 135.4
Mar 21 37.0 1 110 105 +4.9% 1.41 1.37 116.0 113.4 +2.3%
Apr 21 67.0 1 146 140 +4.1% 1.20 1.18 122.0 120.1 +1.6%
1Gro-Trac calculates percentile values based on worldwide reference from Kentucky Research. This provides consistent comparison as growth data research continues.
Sep 21 222.0 1 270 271 -0.4% 0.60 0.58 138.0 136.8
Oct 21 253.0 1 291 290 +0.3% 0.68 0.61 141.0 139.2
May 21 107.0 1 190 184 +3.5% 1.10 1.08 128.0 126.8 +1.0% Jun 21 136.0 1 220 207 +6.1% 1.03 0.82 132.0 129.9 +1.7% Jul 21 163.0 1 250 232 +7.9% 1.11 0.90 134.0 132.5 +1.1% 197.0 1 255 257 -0.6% 0.15 0.73 136.0 135.4 +0.4% 222.0 1 270 271 -0.4% 0.60 0.58 138.0 136.8 +0.9% 253.0 1 291 290 +0.3% 0.68 0.61 141.0 139.2 +1.3% 283.0 1 308 306 +0.6% 0.57 0.53 142.2 141.1 +0.8% 313.0 1 320 319 +0.4% 0.40 0.41 144.0 142.7 +0.9% 343.0 1 335 329 +1.8% 0.50 0.35 145.4 144.3 +0.8% 379.0 1 350 348 +0.7% 0.42 0.52 147.4 146.1 +0.9% 410.0 1 365 366 -0.3% 0.48 0.60 149.0 147.6 +0.9% 434.0 1 386 381 +1.4% 0.87 0.60 149.9 149.0 +0.6%
Nov 21 283.0 1 308 306 +0.6% 0.57 0.53 142.2 141.1
Dec 21 313.0 1 320 319 +0.4% 0.40 0.41 144.0 142.7
Grass in the summer months is never as nutritionally strong as in the spring and the autumn, but with the effect of the extreme dry weather it can get into an even poorer state than usual. Dry summers require extra nutritional aid from breeders.
Jan 22 343.0 1 335 329 +1.8% 0.50 0.35 145.4 144.3
Feb 22 379.0 1 350 348 +0.7% 0.42 0.52 147.4 146.1
Mar 22 410.0 1 365 366 -0.3% 0.48 0.60 149.0 147.6
Apr 22 434.0 1 386 381 +1.4% 0.87 0.60 149.9 149.0
Left, example of a body weight chart, and, below, a graphic representation which can be downloaded by stud farm from the Gro-Trac app
Breeders need to act to support the horses and supplement them with additional fibre sources to maintain their digestive health and to ensure appropriate growth rates in foals and weanlings, in particular.
May 22 466.0 1 420 403 +4.3% 1.06 0.68 153.5 150.7
Jun 22 495.0 1 430 414 +3.8% 0.34 0.41 154.0 150.7
Jul 22 529.0 1 452 431 +4.9% 0.65 0.48 155.0 152.7
466.0 1 420 403 +4.3% 1.06 0.68 153.5 150.7 +1.9% 495.0 1 430 414 +3.8% 0.34 0.41 154.0 150.7 +2.2% 529.0 1 452 431 +4.9% 0.65 0.48 155.0 152.7 +1.5% 563.0 1 482 440 +9.4% 0.88 0.28 156.5 153.9 +1.7% 580.0 1 486 450 +7.9% 0.24 0.58 157.0 154.5 +1.6%
Aug 22 563.0 1 482 440 +9.4% 0.88 0.28 156.5 153.9
Sep 22 580.0 1 486 450 +7.9% 0.24 0.58 157.0 154.5
Bonnor also warns: “Horses might even look fine through those periods, but if breeders wait and horses do lose body condition then and after weaning, they risk the additional issue of strong compensatory growth spurts when rain does come and the paddocks start to recover.”
The dry weather can also create a higher risk of colic as a result of eating sand or very
dry soil when horses graze very close to the ground, or of impactions due to the high temperatures and possible dehydration.
Breeders can obviously feed hay to supplement the reduced grass availability, as well as different types of alfalfa chaff or beet pulp, but Bonnor also recommends the feeding of a light mash in order to provide additional fermentable fibre sources and to help with fluid intake and hydration.
Feeding a soaked feed to help with hydration can be extremely beneficial as it does assist with their overall water intake.
This autumn the UK has seen strong short spells of rain and still above average temperatures, there has not been a hint of frost in most parts of England or Ireland.
It means that grass growth has been rapid and unusual, much as though it were spring.
Bonnor says: “Grass growth figures did not return to the five-year average rates until September and October.
“This has at least given us a chance to catch up and to extend the grazing season, and, while the weather has stayed so mild, we are now ending the season on a high as grass growth has not stopped.
“Rainfall was recorded at average levels in October across most of the UK, but the first week of November is the wettest on record.
“The grass grown over October and November will mean that there will be good grazing available into the winter and early spring, and for the most part, mares and weanlings seem to be in very good order at this point.”
GRO-TRAC, the brainchild of Joe Pagan of Kentucky Equine Research (KER), was developed as a software product that allows breeders, through frequent measurement of their youngstock, to be able to equate where their horses stand as compared to a particular reference population.
The software was initially produced as a windows-based programme, but has now been redeveloped to work in the cloud.
It is a browser and a phone app-based programme that can be opened via google or chrome – the data is synced in the cloud whatever device is used.
The farm’s individual growth data records can be accessed by anyone according to the permission levels they are granted – farm staff, veterinarians, administrators.
“The farm’s and horse data can be viewed in differing ways,” explains Pagan. “For example users can look at the overall growth rate for a foal against the respective reference curve.
“It also gives the percentile data, as well the average daily gain of the foal relative to that reference curve so you can see on a daily basis how that foal is growing relative to the population.
“If you have the mares’ weight then you can also look at a graph of the two, which is also interesting and informative.”
With the app available on user’s phones and ipads, it allows for data to be easily input and viewed while out on the farm.
Pagan continues: “Data is entered by horse on a bespoke screen that will show previous measurements. Immediately as you enter the current weight the app will calculate the daily gain and will flag red if the youngster is outside of a certain range – it means you get this info while you have the foal right in front of you, which is so useful.”
He adds: “A really cool feature is the ability to take a photo within the app and it is tagged to that weight entry – it could be a conformation photo or a photo of a joint.”
All the information is stored in a library, which is set up in a very similar way to equineline, and when accessing the reports users can download an overall summary for that horse showing data and reference graphs (see opposite) as well a photo library.
Pagan’s plans are not finished and there is a next round of development already in mind: “The Phase 2 will let users build individual reference population for farms, as well as produce graphs for multiple foals so they can easily be compared.
“This can be filtered however desired, for instance, for siblings out of the same mare or for foals by the same stallion.”
And, as we started this round of information some two issues ago, it all revolves around the use of and the concept of big data, which technology now permits. As users data is input directly into the cloud-based central database held under secure protocols, information can also be accessed from Pagan’s office without the need for lengthy and bulky downloads or transfer.
Pagan outlines: “Most useful now is that this is information is in one gigantic database.
“At KER we can now go in and do a monthly analysis – users will receive a monthly report that shows data from the region in which you are based.
“This can be historical and current data so that users can compare the two and how the year’s foals are growing compared to previously or as compared to wider regions and locations.”
With KER easily and now pro-actively involved, it means updates and notifications could come through direct from the KER office to farm level.
While these are the very latest digital developments in the provision of nutritional information, the technology is steeped in the efforts made by Kentucky-based horsemen and women, and we will find out more of this in the next month’s issue.
The grass grown over October and November will mean that there will be good grass available into the winter and early spring
THE EUROPEAN YEARLING SALES season ended with overall figures which certainly at first sight appear to be overwhelmingly positive. After the short sharp recession brought on by the COVID year of 2020 the market appears not only to have bounced back to its pre-pandemic levels but also to the pre-COVID upward trend.
In dollar terms the major European yearling sales returned an aggregate of $378 million, up six per cent from 2019, and the $356 million recorded pre-COVID.
The Tattersalls sales of October 1 and October 2, as well as Arqana’s three sales
combined, all managed an increase of 10 per cent in aggregate. Goffs Orby Sale also returned to growth over the period, while the Goffs Doncaster Premier Sale ha had a better year in 2022, it has been in relative decline since 2016.
It seems that neither a European war nor a global pandemic, or even the death of one of its major patrons, can slow the seemingly relentless rise in the value of the best yearlings offered at auction in Europe.
The late Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Estates spent $27 million on yearlings in Europe in 2019 and, although the family returned to the market in 2022 buying nine colts and a filly
The world’s top-priced yearling of the year was by Frankel and out of So Mi Dar (Dubawi), bred and sold by Watership Down Stud for 2,800,000gns, bought by Godolphin
for a total of $4.1 million, this significant reduction didn’t dent the overall demand for the best yearlings.
Godolphin did, of course, spend far more on yearlings in 2022 than it had the year before and the total spent by Godolphin and Stroud Coleman Bloodstock was up from 77 yearlings bought for $28 million in 2021 to 94 for $55 million in 2022.
The other big change was the extraordinary spend of bloodstock agent Richard Knight who in Europe alone bought 35 yearlings for $18.4 million making his client the most important newcomer to the European yearling market since King Power Racing and Phoenix Thoroughbreds.
In dollar terms the major European yearling sales returned an aggregate of $378 million, up six per cent from 2019Photo: courtesy of Tattersalls | Laura Green
Right, the Arqana August top lot, the Siyouni colt out of Starlet’s Sister (Galileo) sold by Ecurie des Monceaux to Yoshito Yahagi for €2,100,000
Below right, the Goffs Premier Sale top lot was a Night Of Thunder colt out of Thiswaycadeaux (Thewayyouare), sold by Tally-Ho Stud and bought by Blandford Bloodstock for £240,000
Below, the Goffs Orby Sale leading price was €2,600,000 given by Richard Knight for the No Nay Never filly out of Muirin (Born To Sea)
It seems that neither a European war nor a global pandemic, or even the death of one of its major patrons, can slow the seemingly relentless rise in the value of the best yearlingsPhoto: courtesy of Goffs | Sarah Farnsworth Photo: courtesy of Goffs UK | Sarah Farnsworth Photo: Laura Green
Richard Knight: had a busy late summer and autumn at the yearling sales
Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm continued to buy in Europe although this year the majority of the spend was done in partnership with Coolmore, and these two combined maintained the same level of investment they had done separately in 2021.
The dollar remains very strong, it has gained some 12 per cent against sterling over the last three years; and American buyers played a big role in the major sales in England, Ireland and France.
Klaravich Stables spent twice as much in 2022 at Tattersalls and Arqana buying a total of 17 yearlings for $4.3 million, while numerous American agents were active at the Goffs Orby Sale, including Jason Taylor, Ben West, Justin Casse and Ben McElroy.
The Arqana October Sale was
able to maintain its upward trend, the aggregate up by almost 50 per cent since 2018, due in no small part to the activity of agents working for American clients.
If the yearling sales circuit ended on a positive note there, as always, some doubts about the future to be kept in mind before all of those concerned start to reinvest
Major European sales 2019-2022 (% change year on year in $)
2019 Nos Sold Aggregate ($m) % change
Tattersalls 1 & 2 1,017 204.0 -1
BBAG Sept 136 8.9 30
Arqana A + O 908 73.0 7
Goffs Orby 362 47.0 -5 Goffs UK Premier 376 23.0 -3
Combined 2,799 356.0 0
2020
Tattersalls 1 & 2 1,006 178.0 -13
BBAG Sept 148 7.2 -19
Arqana S + O 916 67.2 -10
Goffs Orby 308 27.3 -42
Goffs UK Premier 313 14.4 -37
Combined 2,691 294.0 -18
2021
Tattersalls 1 & 2 1,025 202.0 13
BBAG Sept 146 7.9 11
Arqana A + O 962 81.1 21
Goffs Orby 370 47.0 72 Goffs UK Premier 357 18.2 26
Combined 2,860 356.0 21
% change since 2019
Sale % difference
Tattersalls 1 & 2 9
BBAG Sept -11
Arqana S + O 10
Goffs Orby 5
Goffs UK Premier 23 Combined 6
2022
Tattersalls 1 & 2 1,057 222.0 10.0
BBAG Sept 149 7.9 -0.5
Arqana A + S+ O 1,062 80.5 -0.7
Goffs Orby 407 49.4 5.1
Goffs Premier 345 17.7 -2.7
Combined 3,020 378.0 6.0
The other big change was the extraordinary spend of bloodstock agent Richard Knight who in Europe alone bought 35 yearlings for $18.4 million making his client the most important newcomer to the European yearling market since King Power Racing and Phoenix Thoroughbreds
at the breeding stock sales.
The major European yearling sales recorded an aggregate six per cent higher than in the last pre-COVID year of 2019, but all of a sudden we are once again living with inflation and over the same period in Britain cumulative inflation was more than 10 per cent.
For breeders, or those who pay nomination fees with the aim of selling in the select sales, the rise in costs they have
experienced has been a great deal more than 10 per cent as the fees of elite stallions have risen fast in recent years.
To give some idea of this –the 21 stallions represented by yearlings at the 2019 sales who stood at £35,000 or more in 2017 had an average fee of £61,000 and they covered, on average, 128 mares.
Fast forward three years to 2020, when the yearlings of 2022 were conceived, the 21
Major yearling purchasers by spend in $: 2019
Buyer Purchased Spend ($ millons)
Godolphin/Stroud/Coleman 61 40.0
Shadwell 89 27.0
MV Magnier/Westerberg 18 15.0 Ryan/White Birch/Klaravich 47 13.0
Sackville Donald 54 12.0 Varian/Kevin Ryan 21 9.9 David Redvers 18 7.6 Rabbah 49 5.4 Hong Kong Jockey Club 12 3.6
Combined 369 134 (38% of total)
Major yearling purchasers by spend in $: 2020
Purchased Spend ($ millons)
Godolphin/Stroud/Coleman 57 36.0
MV Magnier 26 19.0
Shadwell 47 12.0 Oliver St Lawrence 8 8.3 White Birch 20 6.3 Sackville Donald 28 6.1 Mike Ryan 18 6.1 Rabbah 54 4.1
Al Shaqab 37 4.0
Varian/Ryan 11 3.5 David Redvers 10 3.2 Hong Kong Jockey Club 11 2.9
Combined 327 110 (37% of total)
most expensive stallions with yearlings had an average fee of £80,000 and they covered on average 185 mares.
Between 2017 and 2020 the average price of elite stallions rose by 31 per cent and, as they were covering far more mares, the owners of elite sires saw their income rise by something
in the region of 90 per cent.
The select yearling market may be remarkably strong, but at the moment it is the stallion owners who are making the most from this increased demand.
It is hardly surprising that they are also among the most important buyers of yearlings.
Major yearling purchasers by spend in $: 2021
Purchased Spend ($ millons)
MV Magnier 38 20.0
Godolphin 22 17.0 Stroud/Coleman 55 11.0 Sackville Donald 66 9.1 A.C. Elliott 25 7.9 Oliver St Lawrence 22 7.4 Mike Ryan 15 5.4 Al Shira’aa 7 5.4 White Birch 14 4.0 Hong Kong Jockey Club 11 3.4 Klaravich Stables 9 2.0 Rabbah 32 2.9
Combined 316 96 (27% of total)
Major yearling purchasers by spend in $: 2022
Purchased Spend ($ millons)
Godolphin 43 41.8
MV Magnier/White Birch 46 22.6 Richard Knight 35 18.4
Stroud/Coleman 51 11.0 Blandford 52 9.6 AC Elliott 31 6.1
Sackville Donald 42 5.1 Oliver St Lawrence 25 4.5
Klaravich Stables 17 4.3 Rabbah 40 4.3
Hong Kong Jockey Club 12 4.1 Al Shira’aa 6 3.1
Combined 400 131 (35% of total)
IF THERE IS BOOM in the bloodstock market it is at the major auctions for horses in training.
The Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale and the Arqana Arc Sale both returned exceptional results for the second year in the row. This market has grown by 24 per cent since 2019 and is particularly strong at the top with the number of horses in
training selling at these sales for 175,000gns or more going from 22 in 2019 to 54 this year.
The rise in elite stallion fees is less relevant in this domain as, of course, many of the top lots are not by elite sires, this year they included horses by Neatico, Pride of Dubai, Exceed And Excel and Time Test, as well as No Nay Never, Sea The Stars and Dubawi.
Auction sales are only a
Top-priced horses in training sold in Europe in October 2022
fraction of the overall market for horses in training but the demand from the Middle East, Australia, Hong Kong and the US for European horses in training is such that some of those who sell privately may be enticed into the sales ring.
In a boom market it pays to sell in public where interested parties have to compete directly.
I’m A Gambler g 2019 No Nay Never 110 Kinglsey Park Red Baron’s Barn 1,010,000 Tatts HIT 1400 Schawtzer Peter c 2019 Neartico 112 M Klug ITC 990,000 Arqana Arc 2400
Fancy Man c 2018 Pride of Dubai 109 R Hannon Blandford/A Neasham 801,000 Tatts HIT 2600
Rozgar c 2019 Exceed And Excel 109 Aga Khan ITC 795,000 Arqana Arc 1200
One World g 2020 Sea The Stars 85 Juddmonte Athbah Racing 623000 Tatts HIT 2000
Rocchigiani c 2019 Time Test 110 P Schiergen Sam Wright 570,000 Arqana Arc 1600
Persian Royal g 2019 Al Kazeem 90 Barton Sales Wathnan Racing 535,000 Tatts HIT 1600
Magisterial g 2019 Frankel 99 Castlebridge A Alsaid 504,000 Tatts HIT 2000
Dilawar g 2017 Dubawi 112 Aga Khan O St Lawrence 497,000 Arqana Arc 1600
Waterville c 2019 Camelot 107 Coolmore Waller/Mulcaster 486,000 Tatts HIT 3200
Master Gatsby c 2019 The Grey Gatsby 108 F Chappet ITC 477,000 Arqana Arc 3000
Chairman c 2019 Almanzor 92 Castlebridge C Maher 475,000 Tatts HIT 2400
Inverness c 2019 Highland Reel 94 Faringdon Place Wathnan Racing 451,000 Tatts HIT 2800 Kyeema g 2020 Siyouni 102 Somerville Lodge Domeland 427,000 Tatts HIT 1200 High Definition
The
The Leading UK-based 3rd Crop sire in 2022 (by winners in UK & Ire*) 2022 yearlings fetched up to 110,000gns Fee: £7,000
The
ETERAN sire Dubawi enjoyed a fabulous year in 2022 and ended up topping the global sires’ list by the number of black-type stakes winners.
The table proves that he and Frankel (best-yet position on this chart) can get top class horses who run right across the world. The pair are the only stallions from Europe who can make a way into the US, Japanese and Australian earnings dominance.
Dark Angel is showing his ability to get adaptable and talented types and although mid-division on earnings is the fourth-highest stallions by stakes performers.
Dark Angel
Leading 2022 global sires by earnings (Listed by overall international earnings through to November 6, 2022). Leader in each category in bold)
Deep Impact (JPN) Japan 14 18 34,675,902
Lord Kanaloa (JPN) Japan 11 13 31,354,933
Into Mischief United States 24 54 25,142,014
Dubawi (IRE) England 49 79 23,939,557
Kizuna (JPN) Japan 6 8 22,364,473
Heart’s Cry (JPN) Japan 11 12 22,340,501
Duramente (JPN) Japan 5 6 20,689,046
Maurice (JPN) Japan 4 5 20,548,869
Frankel (GB) England 26 50 20,020,971
Quality Road United States 9 30 19,567,705
King Kamehameha (JPN) Japan 10 12 19,515,900
Curlin United States 11 29 18,049,467
Orfevre (JPN) Japan 5 7 16,819,152
Tonalist United States 5 14 15,836,019
I Am Invincible (AUS) Australia 1 1 15,009,827
Rulership (JPN) Japan 5 6 14,522,792 Uncle Mo United States 11 37 14,500,397
Henny Hughes Japan 2 3 14,271,313 So You Think (NZ) Australia - - 13,669,733
Tapit United States 9 28 13,554,736
American Pharoah United States 9 21 13,252,799
Gun Runner United States 11 25 13,231,270
Epiphaneia (JPN) Japan 3 4 13,125,519
Daiwa Major (JPN) Japan 5 6 13,078,198
Snitzel (AUS) Australia - - 12,842,311
Street Boss United States 5 9 12,650,425
All Too Hard (AUS) Australia 1 1 12,405,903
Speightstown United States 8 18 12,399,079
Galileo (IRE) Ireland 18 33 11,928,368
Munnings United States 16 29 11,684,400
Medaglia d’Oro United States 8 27 11,565,557
Zoustar (AUS) England 2 2 11,465,189
Leading 2022 global sires by earnings cont... (Listed by overall international earnings through to November 6, 2022)
STALLION Country B-T Stakes wnrs B-T Stakes performers Earnings ($)
Not This Time
United States 13 25 11,438,979
Deep Field (AUS) Australia - 1 11,327,182
Savabeel (AUS) New Zealand 1 1 11,036,116
Exceed And Excel (AUS) Ireland 11 24 10,978,544
Dark Angel (IRE) Ireland 20 47 10,881,653
Written Tycoon (AUS) Australia - - 10,794,140
Lope de Vega (IRE) Ireland 21 45 10,760,154
Toronado (IRE) France 4 10 10,588,866
Constitution United States 12 31 10,425,171
Pyro Japan 2 3 10,353,141
Sea The Stars (IRE) Ireland 23 36 10,319,817
Sebring (AUS) Australia 1 1 10,268,197
More Than Ready United States 8 18 10,238,308
Sinister Minister Japan 2 3 10,147,234
Tavistock (NZ) New Zealand - 1 9,686,998
Harbinger (GB) Japan 4 5 9,581,298
The Factor United States 6 9 9,447,891
Violence United States 6 17 9,428,578
Kinshasa no Kiseki (AUS) Japan 1 2 9,424,501
Hard Spun United States 11 19 9,399,732
Screen Hero (JPN) Japan 3 4 9,296,820
Declaration of War Japan 9 18 9,292,953
Pioneerof the Nile United States 10 22 9,259,951
Kingman (GB) England 14 32 9,215,447
Starspangledbanner (AUS) Ireland 6 12 9,165,141
Street Sense United States 10 14 8,953,730
Kitten’s Joy United States 8 16 8,809,970
Twirling Candy United States 4 16 8,760,946
Maclean’s Music United States 3 12 8,673,964
Drefong Japan 2 3 8,639,012
Ghostzapper United States 8 21 8,621,279 Mikki Isle (JPN) Japan 2 3 8,566,569
Nicconi (AUS) Australia 1 1 8,426,521
No Nay Never Ireland 9 24 8,336,445
Midshipman United States 6 23 8,317,671
Espoir City (JPN) Japan 2 3 8,286,118
Cairo Prince United States 7 18 8,005,191
Siyouni (FR) France 13 30 7,976,679
Per Incanto New Zealand - 1 7,829,608
Acclamation (GB) Ireland 7 13 7,764,682
Malibu Moon United States 4 13 7,706,252
Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) Ireland 8 11 7,696,477
Kodiac (GB) Ireland 12 32 7,587,841
Union Rags United States 5 8 7,502,137
Fastnet Rock (AUS) Australia 6 13 7,493,669
Makfi (GB) Japan - 1 7,438,687
Goldencents United States 7 18 7,417,424
Created by racing visionaries in the 80’s, this year-end event has established itself as thoroughbred racing’s greatest achievement. The Breeders’ Cup World Championships brings the best of the best to compete on racing’s biggest stage. Held each fall and hosted by the premier racetracks in North America, this two-day extravaganza crowns Champions in every division and is truly a race fan’s dream come true.
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Pre-entry deadline for all Championship races – Noon, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023.
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This Win and You’re In global stakes program features graded and group stakes in 11 countries. All North American starters stabled outside of California will receive a travel award of $10,000 upon starting in any Breeders’ Cup World Championship race, international starters will receive a $40,000 allowance. Every winner of all Win & You’re In Challenge Races receives free entry fees and an automatic selection to the Championships.
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All stallions around the world are now eligible to participate directly in the Breeders’ Cup program. Stallions standing in the Northern Hemisphere outside of North America contribute 50% of their stud fee and the resulting foals are all automatically eligible to the racing programs of the Breeders’ Cup without any further nomination payments due. These automatically nominated foals are eligible for the Breeders’ Cup Challenge program as well as the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Jocelyn de Moubray looks into his crystal ball to see what the future holds for breeders who are making plans for mares whose progeny will be sold as yearlings in 2025
BY THE AUTUMN OF 2025, when most of the products of next year’s matings will be presented at yearling sales, while the bloodstock and racing worlds will have new enthusiasms and stars, it is safe to assume that the leading stallions in Europe will still be Dubawi and Frankel.
Dubawi will be nearing the end of his stud career – by then he will be a 23-yearold – but the mares he has already covered should ensure that Darley’s star will continue to compete with Juddmonte’s Frankel for the European sires’ championship.
Despite the differences in their physical build and pedigrees, Dubawi and Frankel have several things in common.
Both were exceptional racehorses who competed in Group races at two and Classic races at three (even if Frankel was better than exceptional), both come from outstanding female families, and both sires are capable of producing horses capable of competing with the best at two and three. as older horses in Europe as well as in the US, Australia and further afield.
The progeny of both tend to act on all types of going and artificial surfaces; the fewer exceptions to this amongst a sire’s progeny then the more chance they have of success.
For both sires their “least good” crop was born in 2017, but COVID and the ten weeks without racing in the spring of 2020 make that a year apart for every sire.
Finally, both, are on the whole, sires of middle-distance horses; both also get top
class two-year-olds, but Dubawi does get a slightly higher proportion of milers and fast horses than Frankel.
In the future, Dubawi will cover fewer mares and Frankel is likely to cover more expensive mares, but neither move will stop them from covering Europe’s elite mares.
How the European sires’ table will look in 2025 below the first two is harder predict
A good starting point is to look at those sires whose three-year-olds in 2025 will come from very different parameters than those of 2022.
Few sires undergo more dramatic changes than Coolmore’s Wootton Bassett.
In his first three years at stud at the Haras d’Etreham the son of Iffraaj covered only just over 150 mares in total.
In 2022, the sire had 80 three-year-olds produced from a €20,000 fee of whom 12 or 14 per cent are black-type performers and three (3.5 per cent) are Group 1 performers.
Excellent figures which place him among the best sires in Europe, but in 2021 he covered 244 mares in his first season in Ireland at a fee of €100,000.
Even if Wootton Bassett only maintains his current level of success that would mean 24 black-type performing three-year-olds in 2025 and six Group 1 performers mainly in England and Ireland, and so in all probability a higher profile than today.
Ballylinch Stud’s New Bay’s fee was the same in 2018 as it was three years later, but his early success as a sire meant that he covered twice as many mares and is likely to
have 110 three-year-olds in 2025 compared with 56 this year.
The son of Dubawi had a racing career very much in the mould of horses such as Siyouni or Lope De Vega as he retired to stud after a series of disappointing performances.
If New Bay had gone to stud as a four-year-old at his breeder Juddmonte’s Newmarket farm he would have been a very popular sire from the get-go, however, he stayed in training at four, failed to win a race and retired instead to Ballylinch after being syndicated.
He has had very much an improving profile and recent form counts a great deal for attracting mares, and better mares.
Siyouni failed to win as a three-year-old and so started his stud career at €7,000, while Lope De Vega was unplaced on his final three starts and struggled to attract support in his first years at stud.
They alongside New Bay were, of course, top racehorses at their best and New Bay has been a growing success ever since his progeny started to race.
Mehmas: also good with his three-year-olds Mehmas didn’t have to face the problem of losing his racing form as the son of Acclamation was retired to Tally-Ho Stud at the end of his two-year-old career.
Like the top sire Dark Angel, he is a son of Acclamation and out of a mare by Machiavellian.
He retired to stud at two and he has been a success from the start. For the last two years he has been the leading two-year-old
sire in Europe by percentage of black-type performers to foals just ahead of No Nay Never, Wootton Bassett and Dark Angel.
He is also a successful sire of three-yearolds leading the sires of his generation in terms of percentage of black-type performers, just ahead of New Bay in this case.
In 2025, Mehmas will have a lot of threeyear-olds on the racecourse and, while his fee went from €12,500 in 2018 to €25,000 in 2021, he covered many more mares – in the region of 290 – and so will have close to 200 two and three-year-olds racing in 2025.
There are a few other Irish-based sires whose fee remained broadly unchanged, but who suddenly covered a great deal more mares in 2021 following early success.
Rathbarry Stud’s Kodi Bear covered only around 50 mares in each of his third and fourth years, but in 2021 the son of Kodiac was visited by over 160 mares.
Darley’s son of Lope De Vega, Belardo, who has been transferred to Bearstone Stud for 2023, was a leading first-season sire of 2020 and covered more than 180 mares the following season.
The products of these matings will be three-year-olds in 2025.
Belardo is enjoying something of a revival as Bellabel and Gold Phoenix have both won Grade 2 races in California in 2022.
In France, Haras de Colleville’s Galiway had his first Group 1 winner when Sealiway won the Prix de Jean Luc Lagardère at two in 2020. This, together with several other stakes horses produced off his initial fee of €3,000, meant that in 2021 he covered 170 mares at €12,000, only slightly less than the number he covered in his first three seasons at stud combined.
The son of Galileo’s fourth crop of two-year-olds, and his last from a €3,000 fee, include some promising winners, as well as the stakes performers Showay and Harry Way.
His stud companion Goken, a son of Kendargent, has had a similar transformation as his first crop of two-year -olds to race in 2020 included the Group winners Go Athletico and Axdavali.
His fee correspondingly increased from €5,000 in 2017 to €15,000 in 2021 when he covered 126 mares, far more than he had covered in any of his earlier years at stud.
Goken has only 20 foals in his third crop
Kodi Bear: covered 160 mares last spring, numbers up from the previous 50-odd seen in his third and fourth seasons at stud
Belardo is enjoying something of a revival as Bellabel and Gold Phoenix have both won Grade 2 races in California in 2022
STALLION Fee Foals BTP % of foals BTW % of foals G1 perf % of foals
Frankel 175,000 306 53 17.0 32 10.0 13 4.2
Dubawi 250,000 271 48 18.0 29 11.0 11 4.1
Sea The Stars €135,000 249 30 12.0 18 7.2 5 2.0
Soldier Hollow 30,000 116 14 12.0 8 6.9 2 1.7
Kendargent €22,000 117 9 7.7 2 1.7 2 1.7
Starspangledbanner 15,000 150 8 5.3 4 2.7 2 1.3
Lope de Vega €60,000 243 28 12.0 12 4.9 3 1.2
Wootton Basset €20,000 165 15 9.10 3 1.8 2 1.2
Nathaniel 20,000 155 6 3.9 4 2.6 1 0.6
Oasis Dream 30,000 175 7 4.0 4 2.3 1 0.5
Siyouni €75,000 274 30 11.0 12 4.4 1 0.3
Dark Angel 85,000 333 23 6.9 7 2.1 1 0.3
Showcasing 30,000 199 10 5.0 3 1.5 0 0
To stud 2014 (5th crop of 3yos in 2022)
Camelot €30,000 197 17 8.6 8 4.1 4 2.0
Reliable Man €7,000 124 3 2.4 1 0.8 1 0.8 Intello 20,000 131 10 7.6 5 3.8 1 0.7
To stud 2015 (4th crop of 3yos in 2022)
Kingman 55,000 225 19 8.4 11 4.9 3 1.3
Sea The Moon 15,000 140 9 6.4 4 2.9 1 0.7
No Nay Never €25,000 194 12 6.2 4 2.1 1 0.5
Australia €35,000 222 12 5.4 6 2.7 0 0
To stud 2016 (3rd crop of 3yos in 2022)
Galiway €3,000 94 6 6.4 5 5.3 1 1.1
Gleneagles €40,000 181 16 8.8 8 5.2 1 0.5
Muharaar 30,000 195 11 5.6 7 3.6 1 0.5
Night of Thunder 15,000 143 5 3.5 3 2.1 0 0
Make Believe 15,000 85 4 4.7 1 1.2 0 0
Golden Horn 60,000 155 10 6.5 4 2.6 0 0
To stud 2017 (2nd crop of 3yos in 2022)
Isfahan €4,000 75 5 6.7 1 1.3 2 2.7
New Bay €20,000 128 11 8.6 5 3.9 2 1.6
Mehmas €10,000 242 24 10.0 8 3.3 3 1.2
Territories 12,000 184 6 3.3 2 1.1 2 1.1
Belardo €15,000 148 5 3.4 2 1.4 1 0.6
Goken €5,000 89 4 4.5 2 2.2 0 0
To stud 2018 (1st crop of 3yos in 2022)
Zarak €12,000 72 9 13.0 5 6.9 2 2.8
The Grey Gatsby €7,000 54 5 9.3 3 5.6 1 1.9
Ulysses 30,000 84 4 4.8 2 2.4 1 1.2
Almanzor €35,000 90 5 5.6 2 2.2 1 1.1
Churchill €35,000 132 9 6.8 5 3.8 1 0.7
Zelzal €8,000 51 3 5.9 2 3.9 0 0
Time Test 8,500 71 2 2.8 1 1.4 0 0
Galileo Gold €15,000 95 7 7.4 3 3.2 0 0
Cotai Glory €6,000 115 3 2.6 1 0.8 0 0
of two-year-olds in 2022, but they already include five winners and two Listed winners maintaining his impressive statistics for black-type performers to foals.
Past fee rises will be of influence If some sires will have far more runners to represent them in 2025 than they have had recently, there are others whose future threeyear-olds come after a significant rise in fee.
In Ireland the most notable rises have
been for Ballylinch’s Lope De Vega, whose fee went from €60,000 in 2018 to €125,000 in 2021, while the fee for the Coolmore sires No Nay Never and Camelot increased from €25,000 and €30,000 in 2018 to €125,000 and €60,000 in 2021. The fee for Darley’s Night Of Thunder rose from €25,000 in 2018 to €75,000 three years later.
In England, Juddmonte’s Kingman’s fee went from £55,000 in 2018 to £150,000 in 2021.
Lope De Vega has been a consistently
STALLION Fee Foals BTP % of foals BTW % of foals G1 perf % of foals
Frankel £175,000 306 53 17.0 33 11.0 13 4.20
Dubawi £250,000 271 51 19.0 31 11.0 11 4.10
Zarak €12,000 72 9 13.0 6 8.3 2 2.80
The Grey Gatsby €7,000 54 5 9.3 4 7.4 1 1.90
Sea The Stars €135,000 249 30 12.0 18 7.2 5 2.00
Soldier Hollow £30,000 116 14 12.0 8 6.9 2 1.70
Lope de Vega €60,000 243 28 12.0 13 5.3 3 1.20
Galiway €3,000 94 6 6.4 5 5.3 1 1.10
Gleneagles €40,000 181 16 8.8 8 5.2 1 0.55
Teofilo £30,000 119 11 9.2 6 5.0 2 1.70
Kingman £55,000 225 19 8.4 11 4.9 3 1.30
Siyouni €75,000 274 32 12.0 12 4.4 1 0.36
Camelot €30,000 197 17 8.6 8 4.1 5 2.50
Muharaar £30,000 195 11 5.6 8 4.1 1 0.51
New Bay €20,000 128 11 8.6 5 3.9 3 2.30
Zelzal €8,000 51 4 7.8 2 3.9 0 0
Intello £20,000 131 10 7.6 5 3.8 1 0.76
Churchill €35,000 132 9 6.8 5 3.8 1 0.76
Starspangledbanner £15,000 150 9 6.0 5 3.3 2 1.30
Mehmas €10,000 242 24 10.0 8 3.3 5 2.10
Galileo Gold €15,000 95 7 7.4 3 3.2 0 0
Invincible Spirit €60,000 162 9 5.6 5 3.1 1 0.62
Sea The Moon £15,000 140 9 6.4 4 2.9 1 0.71
Australia €35,000 222 12 5.4 6 2.7 0 0
Protectionist €6,500 74 3 4.1 2 2.7 0 0
Kendargent €22,000 117 10 8.6 3 2.6 2 1.70
Nathaniel £20,000 155 6 3.9 4 2.6 1 0.65
Golden Horn £60,000 155 10 6.5 4 2.6 0 0
Ulysses £30,000 84 5 6.0 2 2.4 1 1.20
Oasis Dream £30,000 175 8 4.6 4 2.3 1 0.57
Almanzor €35,000 90 5 5.6 2 2.2 1 1.10
Leading European sires of 3yos: 2018 and 2019 crops (results by percentage of G1 winners to foals, 3yos of 2021 and 2022, to November 1, 2022) By JdMSTALLION 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Dubawi 24 13 23 22 24 25 21 20 13 16 19
Frankel - - - - - 26 28 22 18 15 18
Gleneagles - - - - - - - 14 6 17
Galileo 23 26 27 22 23 20 25 31 29 20 15
Zarak - - - - - - - - - - 15
Siyouni - - - 14 18 8.30 15 11 15 9 14
Wootton Bassett - - - - - - 8 11 18 9 14
New Bay - - - - - - - - - 13 13
Intello - - - - - - 17 4 6 7 12
Lope de Vega - - 24 21 19 16 11 15 14 12
Sea The Stars - - 18 34 17 14 15 17 15 13 11
Teofilo 15 14 12 11 11 16 16 17 10 8 11
Dark Angel 14 12 11 10 11 10 17 14 8 7 11
Showcasing - - - 13 9 7 9 12 6 8 10 Soldier Hollow 26 - - - 19 13 12 21 16 13 9 Oasis Dream 18 9 25 18 10 6 8 14 5 2 9
Acclamation 17 14 12 5 11 8 8 11 13 8 9
Mehmas - - - - - - - - 17 9
No Nay Never - - - - - - - 28 12 11 9
Muharaar - - - - - - - - 6 10 9
Golden Horn - - - - - - - - 18 8 8
Churchill - - - - - - - - - - 8
Sea The Moon - - - - - - - 16 16 3 8
Starspangledbanner - - - 33 - - 11 14 8
Kodiac 13 - 5 11 12 20 7 15 7 14 7
The Grey Gatsby - - - - - - - - - - 7
Australia - - - - - - - 12 11 7 7
Adlerflug - - - 10 13 - - - 21 24 7
Almanzor - - - - - - - - - - 6
Kingman - - - - - - - 23 19 9 6
Camelot - - - - - - 17 13 11 11 6
Shamardal 11 21 17 20 14 13 16 18 11 11 6
Nathaniel - - - - - 13 10 8 4 3 5
Reliable Man - - - - - - 12 10 6 - 5
New Approach - 18 17 7 9 5 14 14 8 6 4
Le Havre - - 15 5 7 7 8 13 7 6 3
Goken - - - - - 10 3
Invincible Spirit 13 13 19 17 12 15 12 19 4 9 2
Kendargent - 12 - - 14 9 6 4 4 7 2
Territories - - - - - - - - - 8 2
Night of Thunder - - - - - - - - 23 14 1
successful sire since retiring to stud in 2011, but it is easy to forget that he was not a particularly fashionable sire in his early years.
From his 2020 crops onwards the son of Shamardal has covered large numbers of top mares and his results could yet improve over the coming seasons.
His 2022 two-year-olds look particularly promising headed by Silver Knott, runnerup in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), but also include the French Group 1 performer Gamestop, and Germany’s leading juvenile filly Quantanamera, as well as some
promising maiden winners such as Alashar, Alia’s Rose and Autumn Starlight.
No Nay Never’s first crop, born in 2016 from a €20,000 fee, was outstanding and the son of Scat Daddy has proved beyond doubt this year that he is one of the best two-yearold sires in Europe.
Camelot’s progress has not been entirely smooth, however the son of Montjeu has consistently produced a high proportion of Group 1 performers and is clearly one of the best middle-distance sires in Europe.
His 2022 three-year-old crop included two of the best colts of their generation
STALLION 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Dubawi 9 4 4 11 5 4 5 4 1 7 7
Frankel - - - - - 9 6 5 3 4 5
Zarak - - - - - - - - - - 4
Camelot - - - - - - 2 3 4 0 3 New Bay - - - - - - - - - 2 3
Wootton Bassett - - - - - - 4 2 6 2 3
Galileo 5 9 6 8 7 8 8 11 11 7 3
Adlerflug - - 5 3 - - - - 8 4 2
Soldier Hollow 4 - - - 10 0 2 0 1 1 2
Starpangledbanner - - - - 10 - - - 1 5 2
Kingman - - - - - - - 3 2 2 2
The Grey Gatsby - - - - - - - - - 1 Dark Angel 5 0 2 1 3 1 2 1 1 0 1
Mehmas - - - - - - - - - 3 1 Australia - - - - - - 4 3 2 1 Teofilo 4 4 2 1 3 3 1 1 2 3 1
Lope de Vega - 4 4 1 2 3 3 3 1
Sea The Moon - - - - - - 0 2 0 1
Oasis Dream 6 0 1 2 0 0 2 1 1 0 1
Territories - - - - - - - - - 0 1
Reliable Man - - - - - - 1 - - 1
Almanzor - - - - - - - - - - 1
Nathaniel - - - - - 2 0 2 0 0 1
No Nay Never - - - - - - 6 2 1 1 Showcasing - - - 2 1 0 1 3 0 0 1
Sea The Stars - - 5 4 5 4 2 3 4 3 0
Churchill - - - - - - - - - - 0 Kodiac 0 - 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 0
– Luxembourg and the Deutsches Derby winner Sammarco – and his two-yearolds include some promising types for 2023 – Bluestocking, Denmark and Alexandroupolis.
The class of 2016 influenced by Covid Night Of Thunder is another sire whose first crop got him off to a flying start. The market as a whole is a firm believer in the future of the son of Dubawi as his 2022 yearlings averaged around 200,000gns, whereas his first crop had achieved only 50,000gns as an average back in 2018.
His subsequent crops have not been quite of the same standard as the first, and he, like all of the other sires who retired to stud in 2016 – Galiway, Gleneagles, Muhaarar, Golden Horn and Make Believe are some of the other prominent ones – have statistics distorted by the unusual season of 2020 when his first crop were three-year-olds.
When the pattern of racing remains the same it is easier to judge different generations, but in this respect 2020 was an outlier with no racing at all for ten weeks
in the spring and a completely changed programme of top races for three-year-olds.
Most sires go through a quiet period when their third and fourth crops are three-yearolds as few breeders take the risk of using sires at this point of their careers.
Juddmonte’s Kingman is no exception, but the success of his huge fifth crop of
two-year-olds in 2022, headed by top horses Noble Style, Commissioning, Nostrum and Epictetus, suggests that his record is going to improve significantly between now and 2025.
A few names which struck me when looking at these statistics include Haras de Colleville’s Kendargent. He is a veteran and will turn 20 in 2023, but since the number of mares he covers has been reduced, his results have been consistently good.
Intello will stand at the new Haras de Beaumont from 2023 for his fourth season in a row in France.
It seemed like a good idea to divide a stallion’s first few years between two different countries but in the end it rarely works out, breeders learn from their mistakes (and their positive results) and many don’t wish to travel to try again.
In any event Intello has been a consistently successful sire.
The COIVD year of 2020 was difficult for the whole of the racing and bloodstock
2020 was an outlier with no racing at all for ten weeks in the spring and a completely changed programme of top races for three-year-olds
worlds and these statistics suggest that Coolmore’s Gleneagles and Muhaarar, the former Nunnery Stud-based sire who now stands at the Haras des Faunes, whose first crop were three-year-olds in 2020 are far better sires than their early results suggested.
Finally, a thought for Germany where, with only 700 mares covered a year, every stallion is struggling to make mark.
With Adlerflug gone, Soldier Hollow at the end of his career and Torquator Tasso only starting out in 2023, the country badly needs a new proven sire.
One who could yet come through is Protectionist, the son of Monsun standing at Gestüt Rottgen.
His first crop included the genuine Group 1 performer Amazing Grace and his third crop of two-year-olds is headed by spectacular debut winner Aspiranta.
STALLION Fee Foals BTP % of foals BTW % of foals G1 perf % of foals
Dubawi £250,000 227 16 7.00 10 4.40 5 2.20
Wootton Bassett €20,000 145 11 7.60 8 5.50 3 2.10
No Nay Never €25,000 202 18 8.90 10 5.00 4 2.00
Zarak €12,000 132 6 4.50 2 1.50 2 1.50
Dark Angel €85,000 277 19 6.90 9 3.20 4 1.40
Mehmas €10,000 162 14 8.60 5 3.10 2 1.20
Kingman £55,000 254 9 3.50 5 2.00 3 1.20
Frankel £175,000 246 11 4.50 6 2.40 3 1.20
Starspangledbanner €15,000 182 11 6.00 4 2.20 2 1.10
New Bay €20,000 108 4 3.70 2 1.90 1 0.93
Time Test £8,500 109 6 5.50 5 4.60 1 0.92
Australia €35,000 223 8 3.60 2 0.90 2 0.90
Showcasing £35,000 225 13 5.80 7 3.10 2 0.89
Ardad £6,500 120 6 5.00 2 1.70 1 0.83
Lope de Vega €60,000 255 10 3.90 3 1.20 2 0.78
Invincible Spirit €120,000 152 4 2.60 3 2.00 1 0.66
Gleneagles €40,000 157 9 5.70 6 3.80 1 0.64
Kodiac €50,000 328 21 6.40 12 3.70 2 0.61
Cotai Glory €6,000 178 13 7.30 5 2.80 1 0.56
Oasis Dream £30,000 184 6 3.30 3 1.60 1 0.54
Siyouni €75,000 228 12 5.30 6 2.60 1 0.44
Churchill €35,000 245 9 3.70 5 2.00 1 0.41
Leading European sires of 2yos: 2019 and 2020 crops (through to November 1, 2022) By JdMEuropean sires 2022: (by prize-money earned to November 6, 2022)
STALLION Breeding
Frankel Galileo-Kind (Danehill)
To Stud Rnrs Runs Wnrs Wins % Wnrs/Rnrs SWnrs SWs £
2013 215 891 111 167 51.62 23 37 10,488,628
Dubawi Dubai Millennium-Zomaradah (Deploy) 2006 230 867 123 198 53.47 35 45 8,507,390
Sea The Stars Cape Cross-Urban Sea (Miswaki) 2010 212 842 96 142 45.28 19 31 6,171,689
Lope de Vega Shamardal-Lady Vettori (Vettori) 2011 287 1429 137 211 47.73 17 26 5,133,405
Dark Angel Acclamation-Midnight Angel (Machiavellian) 2008 346 1900 163 243 47.10 15 20 5,030,246
Galileo Sadler’s Wells-Urban Sea (Miswaki) 2002 185 684 72 99 38.91 16 24 4,799,443
Kodiac Danehill-Rafha (Kris) 2007 370 2127 155 236 41.89 8 8 4,231,152
Churchill Galileo-Meow (Storm Cat) 2018 155 658 67 104 43.22 7 10 4,026,536
Kingman Invincible Spirit-Zenda (Zamindar) 2015 214 844 98 139 45.79 11 18 3,993,611
Siyouni Pivotal-Sichilla (Danehill) 2011 251 1141 110 167 43.82 11 14 3,730,103
New Bay Dubawi-Cinnamon Bay (Zamindar) 2017 111 495 50 80 45.04 7 10 3,527,898
Camelot Montjeu-Tarfah (Kingmambo) 2014 188 857 65 92 34.57 6 11 3,511,572
No Nay Never Scat Daddy-Cat’s Eye Witness (Elusive Quality) 2015 187 901 68 116 36.36 8 17 3,235,277
Night of Thunder Dubawi-Forest Storm (Galileo) 2016 141 665 64 98 45.39 7 11 2,876,604
Nathaniel Galileo-Magnificient Style (Silver Hawk) 2013 148 633 59 80 39.86 5 8 2,647,328
Invincible Spirit Green Desert-Rafha (Kris) 2003 189 992 85 132 44.97 8 11 2,603,093
Showcasing Oasis Dream-Arabesque (Zafonic) 2011 230 1117 77 117 33.47 8 11 2,571,333 Zoffany Dansili-Tyranny (Machiavellian) 2012 262 1316 95 136 36.25 9 9 2,557,940
Starspangledbanner Choisir-Gold Anthem (Made of Gold) 2011 169 820 63 90 37.27 4 5 2,487,679 Mehmas Acclamation-Lucina (Machiavellian) 2017 182 1130 77 123 42.30 5 7 2,462,732
Oasis Dream Green Desert-Hope (Dancing Brave) 2004 205 1106 89 135 43.41 6 7 2,409,813
Mastercraftsman Danehill Dancer-Starlight Dreams (Black Tie Affair) 2010 200 952 68 94 34.00 5 6 2,356,243 Adlerflug In the Wings-Aiyana (Last Tycoon) 2010 87 411 51 70 58.62 9 14 2,298,914 Dandy Man Mozart-Lady Alexander (Night Shift) 2010 268 1708 107 162 39.92 3 3 2,231,523 Muhaarar Oasis Dream-Tahrir (Linamix) 2016 178 932 78 120 43.82 10 12 2,033,146
Australia Galileo-Ouija Board (Cape Cross) 2015 186 788 58 92 31.18 10 11 2,020,678
Exceed And Excel Danehill-Patrona (Lomond) 2005 166 906 72 133 43.37 8 11 1,994,088 Iffraaj Zafonic-Pastorale (Nureyev) 2007 218 1124 87 123 39.90 4 5 1,990,244
Fast Company Danehill Dancer-Sheezalady (Zafonic) 2011 201 994 70 103 34.82 4 5 1,949,545 Dabirsim Hat Trick-Rumored (Royal Academy) 2014 227 1363 80 122 35.24 1 1 1,918,090
Wootton Bassett Iffraaj-Balladonia (Primo Dominie) 2012 140 672 54 72 38.57 5 6 1,880,255
Gleneagles Galileo-You’resothrilling (Storm Cat) 2016 166 702 66 103 39.75 7 8 1,820,174
Holy Roman Emperor Danehill-L’On Vite (Secretariat) 2007 187 1036 78 126 41.71 6 8 1,756,942
Le Havre Noverre-Marie Rheinberg (Surako) 2010 167 683 70 104 41.91 3 3 1,742,835
Golden Horn Cape Cross-Fleche d’Or (Dubai Destination) 2016 117 489 40 64 34.18 4 5 1,738,415
Camacho Danehill-Arabesque (Zafonic) 2006 183 1107 57 89 31.14 0 0 1,686,177
Acclamation Royal Applause-Princess Athena (Ahonoora) 2004 176 1035 65 100 36.93 5 5 1,681,396
Intello Galileo-Impressionnante (Danehill) 2014 127 649 54 94 42.51 6 7 1,613,903
Teofilo Galileo-Speirbhean (Danehill) 2008 123 570 46 77 37.39 8 12 1,593,045
Bated Breath Dansili-Tantina (Distant View) 2013 166 911 64 111 38.55 4 6 1,589,487
Havana Gold Teofilo-Jessica’s Dream (Desert Style) 2014 153 782 59 91 38.56 3 4 1,523,741
Zarak Dubawi-Zarkava (Zamindar) 2018 69 286 44 60 63.76 7 8 1,502,250
Mayson Invincible Spirit-Mayleaf (Pivotal) 2013 154 1070 79 133 51.29 1 1 1,496,943
Footstepsinthesand Giant’s Causeway-Glatisant (Rainbow Quest) 2006 211 1146 72 106 34.12 1 2 1,483,523
Shalaa Invincible Spirit-Ghurra (War Chant) 2017 154 748 60 88 38.96 3 3 1,457,611
Leading European sires of two-year-olds 2022: (by prize-money earned to November 6, 2022)
STALLION Breeding
To Stud Rnrs Runs Wnrs Wins % Wnrs/Rnrs SWnrs SWs £
No Nay Never Scat Daddy-Cat’s Eye Witness (Elusive Quality) 2015 63 196 29 48 46.03 6 15 1,677,061
Kodiac Danehill-Rafha (Kris) 2007 115 414 44 58 38.26 3 3 1,296,369
Havana Grey Havana Gold-Blanc de Chine (Dark Angel) 2019 80 363 40 60 50.00 5 6 1,245,250
Showcasing Oasis Dream-Arabesque (Zafonic) 2011 66 213 22 30 33.33 5 6 1,086,194
Kingman Invincible Spirit-Zenda (Zamindar) 2015 65 151 23 30 35.38 4 5 1,061,631
Camacho Danehill-Arabesque (Zafonic) 2006 76 351 18 27 23.68 0 0 1,043,426
Dark Angel Acclamation-Midnight Angel (Machiavellian) 2008 80 246 22 32 27.50 5 5 894,868
Cotai Glory Exceed And Excel-Continua (Elusive Quality) 2018 53 224 22 34 41.50 4 4 874,921
Sioux Nation Scat Daddy-Dream The Blues (Oasis Dream) 2019 82 298 41 56 50.00 3 3 823,935
Dandy Man Mozart-Lady Alexander (Night Shift) 2010 86 329 19 24 22.09 3 3 762,246
Frankel Galileo-Kind (Danehill) 2013 36 75 14 20 38.88 1 3 740,460
Dubawi Dubai Millennium-Zomaradah (Deploy) 2006 58 154 28 37 48.27 6 6 731,128
Lope de Vega Shamardal-Lady Vettori (Vettori) 2011 64 141 23 28 35.93 2 3 709,192
Saxon Warrior Deep Impact-Maybe (Galileo) 2019 50 154 20 26 40.00 3 4 622,946
Gleneagles Galileo-You’resothrilling (Storm Cat) 2016 49 120 15 25 30.61 2 3 610,792
Siyouni Pivotal-Sichilla (Danehill) 2011 51 112 13 18 25.49 2 3 595,579
Churchill Galileo-Meow (Storm Cat) 2018 56 160 16 26 28.57 2 3 567,157
Mehmas Acclamation-Lucina (Machiavellian) 2017 36 141 14 20 38.88 2 2 519,703
Harry Angel Dark Angel-Beatrix Potter (Cadeaux Genereux) 2019 52 208 23 32 44.23 1 1 516,922
Galileo Sadler’s Wells-Urban Sea (Miswaki) 2002 44 105 16 18 36.36 1 2 508,229
Havana Gold Teofilo-Jessica’s Dream (Desert Style) 2014 33 134 13 22 39.39 1 1 486,569
Starspangledbanner Choisir-Gold Anthem (Made of Gold) 2011 67 244 19 22 28.35 1 1 463,799
Wootton Bassett Iffraaj-Balladonia (Primo Dominie) 2012 24 71 8 13 33.33 2 2 448,084
Zoustar Northern Meteor-Zouzou (Redoute’s Choice) 2019 51 160 14 21 27.45 1 3 445,500
Invincible Spirit Green Desert-Rafha (Kris) 2003 50 147 19 23 38.00 2 2 429,697
Kessaar Kodiac-Querulous (Raven’s Pass) 2019 51 237 20 24 39.21 0 0 393,718
Shalaa Invincible Spirit-Ghurra (War Chant) 2017 53 182 17 21 32.07 0 0 383,556
Exceed And Excel Danehill-Patrona (Lomond) 2005 43 135 14 18 32.55 2 2 373,137
Oasis Dream Green Desert-Hope (Dancing Brave) 2004 63 199 15 18 23.80 1 1 370,580
Zoffany Dansili-Tyranny (Machiavellian) 2012 67 191 21 26 31.34 1 1 348,033
Sea The Moon Sea The Stars-Sanwa (Monsun) 2015 38 94 10 14 26.31 3 3 345,513
Bungle Inthejungle Exceed And Excel-Licence To Thrill (Wolfhound) 2015 45 203 12 19 26.66 2 2 343,831
Expert Eye Acclamation-Exemplify (Dansili) 2019 53 206 20 24 37.73 0 0 334,500
Brazen Beau I Am Invincible-Sansadee (Snaadee) 2016 42 147 15 24 35.71 3 4 327,728
Muhaarar Oasis Dream-Tahrir (Linamix) 2016 49 168 17 22 34.69 1 1 326,881
Pedro the Great Henrythenavigator-Glatisant (Rainbow Quest) 2014 29 117 14 16 48.27 1 1 325,151
Cracksman Frankel-Rhadegunda (Pivotal) 2019 39 102 11 17 28.20 2 3 320,124
Acclamation Royal Applause-Princess Athena (Ahonoora) 2004 45 166 11 17 24.44 1 1 313,892
Profitable Invincible Spirit-Dani Ridge (Indian Ridge) 2018 61 232 15 21 24.59 1 1 306,843
Bated Breath Dansili-Tantina (Distant View) 2013 24 83 5 11 20.83 1 1 272,642
Sea The Stars Cape Cross-Urban Sea (Miswaki) 2010 41 96 12 18 29.26 1 2 270,276
Tasleet Showcasing-Bird Key (Cadeaux Genereux) 2019 37 138 14 16 37.83 1 1 262,940
Roaring Lion Kitten’s Joy-Vionnet (Street Sense) 2019 40 92 7 12 17.50 1 1 259,570
Almanzor Wootton Bassett-Darkova (Maria’s Mon) 2018 29 69 7 11 24.13 2 2 250,395
New Bay Dubawi-Cinnamon Bay (Zamindar) 2017 31 94 12 17 38.70 0 0 240,899
GIVEN THAT HE WON five black-type races over the minimum distance, including the Molecomb Stakes (G3) at two, and Flying Five Stakes (G1) and Sapphire Stakes (G2) at three, it’s no surprise that Havana Grey (Havana Gold) made a quick start, but the fact that he’s emerged as leading European first-season sire by prize-money earned was probably not generally anticipated.
Not only has he got the numbers this year but he has also got the quality.
He kicked of with 39 individual winners, no less than 13 achieving some degree of
black-type, and five winning black-type events.
That includes a trio of Group winners, Lady Hollywood, who is out of a mare by Cadeaux Genereux and was successful in the Prix d’Arenberg (G3), the Prix Eclipse (G3) scorer Eddie’s Boy, who is out of a mare by Holy Roman Emperor, and Cornwallis Stakes (G3) winner Rumstar. He is out of a mare by Sakhee’s Secret, who is also broodmare sire of Havana Gold’s stakes winner Cuban Mistress, the pair of sires becoming an emerging duo.
Eddie’s Boy was the first to really put the sire on the map with his Weatherbys Super Sprint victory, and the early start he made
on the racecourse was maintained through to the end of the season.
He has had success with colts and with fillies, one of his early winners of a two-yearold “marker” race was the Hilary Needler Trophy winner Star Of Lady M, bred by Whitsbury.
It is certainly interesting to see a sprinting branch of Galileo emerging!
As a juvenile Grade 1 winner of the Phoenix Stakes (G1), and by Scat Daddy, the sire of the growing juvenile influential No Nay Never, Sioux Nation always looked sure to figure prominently on this list.
He has racked up 40 individual winners,
and heads the first-season stallions’ list on that score.
His leading performer Lakota Sioux (out of a Dalakhani mare) won the Sweet Solera Stakes (G3), while Sydneyarms Chelsea (out of a Tamayuz mare, and also inbred 3x3 to Oasis Dream) the Prix Six Perfections (G3).
The sire produced 10 stakes winners or performers with his first crop – Matilda Picotte with thirds in the Lowther Stakes (G2) and the Balanchine Stakes (G3) perhaps unlucky not to have upgraded her Listed Bosra Sham victory to Group success.
Although he earned a rating as Europe’s second best two-year-old after taking the Beresford Stakes (G2) and Racing Post Trophy (G1), the subsequent 2,000 Guineas (G1) winner Saxon Warrior (Deep Impact) wasn’t expected to get a lot of precocious juveniles, however he started to gain some significant momentum towards the end of the year, his offspring appearing to improve for their racing.
Three of his offspring won Group 3 events – Lumiere Rock, who is out of a mare by Gold Away, giving inbreeding to Sadler’s Wells/Nureyev in the centre of the pedigree, won the Staffordstown Stud Stakes (G3), while his well-bred colt Victoria Road
(Invincible Spirit) took the Prix de Conde (G3) and then the upgraded to Grade 1 success in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Juvenile.
Late in the autumn, Moon Ray, who is out of a Giant’s Causeway mare, took the Prix Miesque (G3) in a head-bobbing finish.
Saxon Warrior also had three Groupplaced horses, most notably the Jim Bolgertrained Gan Teorainn (Rainbow Quest), who finished second in the Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) and fourth in the Criterium de SaintCloud (G1).
That French Group 1 was won by Dubai
Mile, who gave his late sire Roaring Lion a posthumous Group 1 winner.
Dark Angel’s son Harry Angel won the Mill Reef Stakes (G2) at two and progressed to earn honours as Europe’s top three-yearold sprinter the following season winning the Haydock Sprint Cup (G1), the July Cup Stakes (G1) and the Sandy Lane Stakes (G2). He also added the Duke Of York Stakes (G2) to his tally at four.
Through this first season Harry Angel had two Listed winners, and three black-typeplaced horses among his 22 winners, two of them Group placed– the Gimcrack Stakes (G2) runner-up Marshman (Galileo), and the Prix d’Arenberg (G3) runner-up Vicious Harry. He is out of a mare by Encosta De Lago, a son of Fairy King, whose brother Sadler’s Wells is the sire of Galileo, so giving a similar cross to Marshman).
Zoustar (Norther Meteor) should really have an asterix attached as although he is a freshman in Europe, he is a proven, and very accomplished sire, in his native Australia.
Zoustar, who perhaps did not get going as quickly as was expected and had produced 14 winners by the time this piece was written, has just one stakes winner from his European crops, but that one is no less than
Saxon Warrior started to gain some significant momentum towards the end of the year, his offspring appearing to improve for their racingSaxon Warrior’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup winner Victoria Road
Lezoo, who won the Empress Fillies’ Stakes (L), the Princess Margaret Stakes (G3) and then stepped up on that promise to take the Cheveley Park Stakes (G1).
Lezoo is out of a Red Clubs mare who is inbred 3x3 to Roberto, and Lezoo has the brothers Fairy King and Tate Gallery 4x4 at the top and bottom of the pedigree.
Zoustar has a number of interesting looking maiden winners toward the back-end, and it will be interesting to watch his progress with this crop as three-year-olds.
Kessaar (Kodiac) only raced at two, winning the Mill Reef Stakes (G2) and Sirenia Stakes (G3). He had 20 individual winners, including the black-type placed duo of Bolt Action (Equiano) and Ipanema Princess (Tagula).
Below these come the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) victor Expert Eye (Acclamation), who had 18 individual winners but no black-type individual.
The champion European two-year-old colt and champion European three-year-old sprinter U S Navy Flag (War Front), was represented by two Listed winners.
Love Reigns, who is out of a Pivotal mare giving Sadler’s Wells/Nureyev in the centre of the pedigree, winner of the Bolton
Landing Stakes at Saratoga, and Ocean Vision (Mr.Greeley), winner of the Prix de la Vallee d’Auge.
The consistent Group 2-winning and Group 1-placed sprinter Tasleet (Showcasing) scored in the Coventry Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot with Bradsell.
He’s out of a mare by Archipenko and has the sisters Hope, the dam of Tasleet’s grandsire Oasis Dream, and Wemyss Bight 4x4.
The two-time European champion and four-time Group 1 winner Cracksman (Frankel) did better with his two-year-olds than had generally been expected and got hmself 11 winners.
His Italy Listed winner Aloa (Lawman) stepped up to Group 2 success in the mile Premio Dormello towards the end of October.
Cracksman’s British Listed winner Dance In The Grass (Sir Percy) took Sandown’s Star Stakes in July for Mark and Charlie Johnston.
The sire’s best days with this crop still surely lay ahead.
The Group 2-winning and Classic placed miler Massaat (Teofilo) and Mill Reef (G2) and Greenham Stakes (G3) winner James Garfield (Exceed and Excel) both gathered six winners apiece.
James Garfield’s star of the year was Maria Branwell, winner of May’s National Stakes (L) at Sandown.
Unfortunately, standing at Oak Lodge Stud, produced eight winners from far less starters than those at the top of this list.
First-season sires’ progeny average winning distance (f) By JdM
Stallion Av winning distance (f)
Roaring Lion 8.0 Recoletos 7.8
Cloth of Stars 7.6
Saxon Warrior 7.4 Cracksman 7.2 Kessaar 6.7 Expert Eye 6.3 Zoustar 6.2 Sioux Nation 6.2 US Navy Flag 6.2 Harry Angel 5.9 Havana Grey 5.7 Tasleet 5.6 James Garfield 5.4
First-season European-based sires (by % of black-type performers to foals, to November 1, 2022) By JdM STALLION Foals Rnrs %
Havana Grey 98 79 81 40 41 13 13.0 5 5.10 7 7.10
Sioux Nation 130 83 64 41 32 10 7.70 3 2.30 7 5.40
Saxon Warrior 93 53 57 19 20 6 6.50 3 3.20 6 6.50
James Garfield 35 24 69 6 17 2 5.70 1 2.90 1 2.90
Harry Angel 81 49 60 21 26 4 4.90 1 1.20 2 2.50
US Navy Flag 62 39 63 9 15 2 3.20 2 3.20 1 1.60
Kessaar 66 49 74 20 30 2 3.00 0 0.00 1 1.50
Cracksman 103 38 37 11 11 3 2.90 2 1.90 1 0.97
Tasleet 57 38 67 15 26 1 1.70 1 1.70 1 1.70
Roaring Lion 90 37 41 7 7.80 1 1.10 1 1.10 1 0
Zoustar 98 52 53 14 14 1 1.00 1 1.00 1 1.00
Expert Eye 86 54 63 19 22 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0
Recoletos 47 17 36 3 6.40 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0
Cloth of Stars 81 25 31 4 4.90 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0
AS A EUROPEAN CHAMPION
two-year-old and dual Classic-winning miler, who was free of the strongest crosses for his sire, Churchill (Galileo) went to stud with all the right credentials.
It is perhaps not surprising he’s emerged at the head of this group and he produced a pair Group 1 of stars in 2022 – the Prix du Jockey-Club (G1) and Eclipse Stakes (G1) victor Vadeni, who is out of mare by Monsun, and the dominating Prix Marcel
Boussac scorer Blue Rose Cen, from a mare by the Danehill line stallion, Jeremy.
Overall, he has now had eight black-type winners, also including the Group 2 winners, Ladies Church (Rio De La Plata) and the the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes victor, The Foxes, who is one of Churchill’s two stakes winners out Darshaan mares, and the Group 3 winner Queroyal.
Cotai Glory (Exceed And Excel) was a Group 3-winning sprinter at two and four and a Listed scorer at three, but was also good enough to finish second in the
King’s Stand Stakes (G1) and third in the Nunthorpe Stakes (G1).
He was quickest out of the blocks of this cohort and ended 2021 as the leading firstseason sire with 35 individual winners.
Rather oddly, since he is a grandson of Danehill, his best two so far are closely inbred to Danehill.
His speedy Prix de l’Abbaye(G1) heroine The Platinum Queen is out of a mare by Danehill’s son Kodiac, and the Group 2 winner Atomic Force is out of a mare by another son of Danehill, Dansili.
He has four other stakes winners to date, including the Italian Group 3 winner Bottle Of Bubbles (Equiano), while two of his stakes winners are out of mares by Invincible Spirit and his son, Dubawi’s reputation as a sire of sires has received another serious boost this year through his third-season sire New Bay and second-season horse, Zarak. Zarak has come through well this term and now has eight stakes winners, all bar one from his first crop, including the Group 2
Stallion Av winning distance (f)
The Grey Gatsby 9.4
Almanzor 9.3
Albert Dock 9.1 Zarak 9.0
Counterattack 8.8 Churchill 8.6 Al Wukair 8.2 Zelzal 7.9
Time Test 7.7
Galileo Gold 7.6 El Kabeir 7.4 Ribchester 7.3 Cotai Glory 6.3 Aclaim 6.8 Profitable 6.1 Ardad 5.8 Ulysses 9.3
Albert Dock 16 12 75 10 63 3 19.0 1 6.30 1 6.30
Zarak 72 56 78 43 60 11 15.0 8 11 7 9.70
Counterattack 26 17 65 11 42 4 15.0 3 12 1 3.80
Zelzal 51 44 86 20 39 5 9.8 3 5.90 3 5.90
The Grey Gatsby 55 40 73 20 36 5 9.1 4 7.30 3 5.50
Cotai Glory 116 101 87 60 52 10 8.6 3 2.60 4 3.40
Galileo Gold 95 80 84 43 45 8 8.4 5 5.30 4 4.20 Churchill 132 114 86 68 52 11 8.3 6 4.50 8 6.10
Time Test 72 58 81 26 36 6 8.3 4 5.60 4 5.60
Ribchester 110 89 81 37 34 8 7.3 4 3.60 3 2.70
Al Wukair 57 48 84 27 47 4 7.0 2 3.50 0 0.00
Profitable 118 111 94 49 42 8 6.8 5 4.20 3 2.50
Almanzor 91 81 89 33 36 6 6.6 2 2.20 2 2.20
Aclaim 96 85 89 50 52 6 6.3 2 2.10 3 3.10
Ardad 82 73 89 34 41 5 6.1 2 2.40 4 4.90
El Kabeir 99 78 79 30 30 6 6.1 4 4.00 4 4.00 Ulysses 84 66 79 36 43 5 6.0 2 2.40 3 3.60
Dubawi’s reputation as a sire of sires has received another boost this year through New Bay and second-crop horse, Zaraksires’ progeny average winning distance (f): 2019 crop By JdM
Second-season sires’ progeny average winning distance (f): 2020 crop By JdM
Stallion Av winning distance (f)
The Grey Gatsby 7.9
Almanzor 7.9
Albert Dock 7.8
Zarak 7.8
Ulysses 7.6 Churchill 7.5
Galileo Gold 7.3
Al Wukair 7.2
Time Test 7.1
Zelzal 7.0
Ribchester 6.7
Counterattack 6.5
Aclaim 6.5
El Kabeir 6.4 Profitable 6.2
Cotai Glory 5.7 Ardad 5.6
Aclaim
by
winner Purplepay (Lawman), and the Group stakes winners Lavello and Baiykara. Both are out of mares by Montjeu, who is also the sire of the second dam of Purpleplay
At the end of October he enjoyed a European stakes race double, with the twoyear-old Sirjan taking the Premio Guido E Alessandro Berardelli (G3), who a first stakes race victory
Zarak also has Prix de Diane (G1) runnerup La Parisienne, who is out of a mare by Montjeu’s son Hurricane Run, and the Prix
European-based sires: 2020 crop (by percentage of black-type performers to foals, to November 1, 2022)
The 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet (Aclaim)
Ribchester 89 45 51 8 9.00 1 1.10 1 1.10 0 0
Galileo Gold 53 27 51 3 5.70 0 0 0 0 0 0 Aclaim 45 24 53 7 16.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Zelzal 43 11 26 3 7.00 0 0 0 0 0 0
is
Acclamation who is a stallion firmly established as a sire of sires, with Dark Angel and Mehmas already to his credit
Marcel Boussac (G1) second, Times Square (Siyouni).
Aclaim is by Acclamation who is a stallion firmly established as a sire of sires, with Dark Angel and Mehmas already to his credit.
He was a 7f specialist, winning the Prix de la Foret (G1), the Park Stakes (G2) and the Challenge Stakes (G2).
He has two stakes winners so far, but one of those is Cachet who is no less than a Classic winner with her determined victory in the 1,000 Guineas (G1).
She is out of a Teofilo mare and inbred 4x4 to Ahonoora and Danehill.
Aclaim’s other stakes winner, the juvenile Listed winner Royal Aclaim is out of a mare by Soviet Star, but is also inbred to Danehill.
A Group winner at two, Ribchester (Iffraaj) was European champion miler at three and four, netting four Group 1 events.
He had four stakes winners in his first crop, and has another in his second, though nohe have yet upgraded to a Group victory, although Flaming Rib (out of an Excelebration mare) did take second in the Commonwealth Cup (G1) a length and a quarter to Perfect Power.
Ribchester also has black-tye winners out of mares by Sharmardal, Titus Livius, Noverre and Selkirk.
Profitable (Invincible Spirit) is a King’s Stand Stakes (G1) winner by another proven sire of sires. He kicked off with a very good first crop, which included 29 juvenile scorers, headed by Queen Mary Stakes (G2) heroine Quick Suzy (her dam is by Marju), and also including four other stakes winners, including Mitbaahy (Invasor), successful in the World Trophy (G3) and Miramar (Teofilo), who took the Prix Sigy (G3).
He has another Group winner in his second crop – the Prix du Calvados (G2) hero Wed (Discreet Cat).
Profitable appears to be working over a wide range of broodmare sire lines, but of interest he has had a stakes winner out of a mare by Street Cry, while that horse’s sister, River Street, is grand-dam of Wed.
The sire’s Group 3 sprinter Mitbaahy also has an interesting pedigree as his granddam is bred on the same Green Desert/Kris cross as Invincible Spirit.
The European champion three-yearold Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) has three stakes winners from his northernhemisphere crops from mares by Lawman, Sinndar and Fastnet Rock, and another out of mare by Volksraad (Green Desert) from a New Zealand shuttle crop. All four of these broodmare sires stem from the Danzig line.
Ulysses (Galileo) was always going to be a slower burn than most of these, but does have thw Group winer and Irish Derby (G1) second Piz Badile (Elusive Quality), stakes winners Holloway Boy (Pivotal) and Might Ulysses (Cape Cross).
Ardad (Kodiac) was subject of quite a bit of buzz before his runners ever hit the track, and came up with a real first crop star in three-time Group 1 winner Perfect Power, whose dam is by the Oasis Dream horse Frozen Power, and also has the Group winner Eve Lodge (Footstepsinthesand). He will have recevied a lot of breeding support on the back of that first season.
The champion European three-year-old The Grey Gatsby (Mastercraftsman) has been grafting away and has four stakes winners, including the Group scorers Atomic Blonde (Areion), Mister Gatsby (Aqlaam) and Mylady (Dabirsim)
The 2,000 Guineas (G1) winner Galileo Gold (Paco Boy), has four stakes winners, including the juvenile Group 1 winner Ebro River (Balmont) and three-time Group winner and Group 1-placed Oscula (Big Bad Bob)
Zelzal (Sea The Stars) has three stakes winners, including the US graded winners Dolce Zel (Dr. Fong) and Ouraika (Dansili). In Europe, he has had the French Listed scorer Zelda, who is out of a mare by Orpen, a close relative to Dansili’s sire, Danehill.
The US-raced El Kabeir (Scat Daddy) has had four stakes winners, including two out of mares by Oasis Dream headed by the Premio Gran Criterium (G2) winner Don Chicco.
His daughter Bright Diamond, who is out of the Elusive Pimpernel mare Starlite Sienna, finished third in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile.
The tough filly Oscula (Galileo Gold) ran 13 times in 2022, was only out of the first four three times and was a dual Group 3 winner
Leading European first-season sires 2022: (by prize-money earned to November 7, 2022)
STALLION
Breeding
Courtesy of Weatherbys
To Stud Rnrs Runs Wnrs Wins Wnrs/Rnrs % SWnrs SWs £
Havana Grey Havana Gold-Blanc de Chine (Dark Angel) 2019 80 363 40 60 50.00 5 6 1,245,250
Sioux Nation Scat Daddy-Dream The Blues (Oasis Dream) 2019 82 298 41 56 50.00 3 3 823,935
Saxon Warrior Deep Impact-Maybe (Galileo) 2019 50 154 20 26 40.00 3 4 622,946
Harry Angel Dark Angel-Beatrix Potter (Cadeaux Genereux) 2019 52 208 23 32 44.23 1 1 516,922
Zoustar Northern Meteor-Zouzou (Redoute’s Choice) 2019 51 160 14 21 27.45 1 3 445,500
Kessaar Kodiac-Querulous (Raven’s Pass) 2019 51 237 20 24 39.21 0 0 393,718
Expert Eye Acclamation-Exemplify (Dansili) 2019 53 206 20 24 37.73 0 0 334,500
Cracksman Frankel-Rhadegunda (Pivotal) 2019 39 102 11 17 28.20 2 3 320,124
Tasleet Showcasing-Bird Key (Cadeaux Genereux) 2019 37 138 14 16 37.83 1 1 262,940
Roaring Lion Kitten’s Joy-Vionnet (Street Sense) 2019 40 92 7 12 17.50 1 1 259,570
U S Navy Flag War Front-Misty For Me (Galileo) 2019 38 130 8 10 21.05 1 1 181,652
Justify Scat Daddy-Stage Magic (Ghostzapper) 2019 8 18 4 5 50.00 2 2 134,069
Recoletos Whipper-Highphar (Highest Honor) 2019 17 54 3 6 17.64 0 0 131,275
Massaat Teofilo-Madany (Acclamation) 2019 26 97 6 7 23.07 0 0 123,650
James Garfield Exceed And Excel-Whazzat (Daylami) 2019 24 106 6 8 25.00 1 1 121,189
Seabhac Scat Daddy-Curlin Hawk (Curlin) 2019 23 58 4 4 17.39 0 0 117,467
Washington DC Zoffany-How’s She Cuttin’ (Shinko Forest) 2019 22 76 4 4 18.18 0 0 114,171
Unfortunately Society Rock-Unfortunate (Komaite) 2019 18 62 8 10 44.44 0 0 97,777
Rajasinghe Choisir-Bunditten (Soviet Star) 2019 9 48 6 9 66.66 0 0 90,170
Seahenge Scat Daddy-Fools in Love (Not For Love) 2019 28 83 4 4 14.28 0 0 83,538
Cloth of Stars Sea The Stars-Strawberry Fledge (Kingmambo) 2019 25 73 4 5 16.00 0 0 80,427
Gustav Klimt Galileo-Massarra (Danehill) 2019 27 96 8 8 29.62 0 0 69,096
Jungle Cat Iffraaj-Mike’s Wildcat (Forest Wildcat) 2019 7 22 2 3 28.57 0 0 61,190
Lightning Spear Pivotal-Atlantic Destiny (Royal Academy) 2019 8 33 5 7 62.50 0 0 58,804
Poet’s Word Poet’s Voice-Whirly Bird (Nashwan) 2019 5 18 1 1 20.00 0 0 42,401
Taareef Kitten’s Joy-Sacred Feather (Carson City) 2019 11 21 2 3 18.18 0 0 42,063
Mendelssohn Scat Daddy-Leslie’s Lady (Tricky Creek) 2019 3 13 2 2 66.66 0 0 41,626
Mr. Owen Invincible Spirit-Mrs. Lindsay (Theatrical) 2019 9 27 2 2 22.22 0 0 34,687
Dschingis Secret Soldier Hollow-Divya (Platini) 2019 5 18 2 2 40.00 0 0 28,145
Holy Ballet Shamardal-Holy Moon (Hernando 2019 4 14 2 4 50.00 0 0 17,712
Hawkbill Kitten’s Joy-Trensa (Giant’s Causeway 2019 9 26 1 1 11.11 0 0 16,094
Leading European second-season sires 2021: (by prize-money earned to November 7, 2022)
STALLION
Churchill Galileo-Meow (Storm Cat) 2018 155 658 67 104 43.22 7 10 4,026,536
Zarak Dubawi-Zarkava (Zamindar) 2018 69 286 44 60 63.76 7 8 1,502,250
Cotai Glory Exceed And Exce -Continua (Elusive Quality) 2018 131 644 58 86 44.27 4 4 1,380,628
Caravaggio Scat Daddy-Mekko Hokte (Holy Bull) 2018 115 495 43 59 37.39 6 6 1,345,847
Aclaim Acclamation-Aris (Danroad) 2018 84 452 39 57 46.42 2 3 1,086,184
Ribchester Iffraaj-Mujarah (Marju) 2018 114 508 34 55 29.82 3 4 £992,228
Profitable Invincible Spirit-Dani Ridge (Indian Ridge) 2018 145 707 43 63 29.65 3 4 967,097
Almanzor Wootton Bassett-Darkova (Maria’s Mon) 2018 99 383 31 44 31.31 3 3 956,307
Courtesy of Weatherbys www.internationalthoroughbred
Beauty Crescent (Noverre) L Benefit (Pivotal) L Bouttemont (Fastnet Rock) 3 Garrus (Medicean) 3
Mutaraffa (Shamardal) L Pretreville (Fusaichi Pegasus) 3
Acclamation (USA)
Appreciated (Belong To Me) L
Aclaim
Cachet (Teofilo) 1 3 Royal Aclaim (Soviet Star) L
Adaay
Calajunco (Roderic O’connor) L Harry Three (Compton Place) L
Adlerflug
Alenquer (Areion) 1 3 Alter Adler (Peintre Celebre) 2 India (Peintre Celebre) 3 3 3 L L Loft (Dubawi) 2
Mendocino (Pivotal) 1 Mythico (Monsun) 3
Niagaro (Dubai Destination) L
Torquator Tasso (Toylsome) 2 Wagnis (Mount Nelson) 3
Al Kazeem
Harper (Averti) L
Al Rifai
El Habeeb (Mr Greeley) L
Al Wukair
Khamma (Harbour Watch) L
Horses are listed under their sire with the respective broodmare sire in brackets. Includes Group (1,2,3) and Listed (L) wins in Europe and UAE up to and including October 26, 2022
Data from Hyperion Promotions
La Mehana (Dansili) L
Albert Dock Tempesti (Bachelor Duke) L L
Almanzor Around Midnight (Lawman) L Lassaut (Sinndar) L Rajapour (Rock Of Gibraltar) L
Amaron
Aggenstein (Alkalde) L Sienna (Uncle Mo) L
American Pharoah Above The Curve (Galileo) 1 2
American Post Hipop De Loire (Muhtathir) L
Animal Kingdom Big Call (Scat Daddy) 3
Anodin Goya Senora (My Risk) 2
Appel Au Maitre Suspicious Mind (Hernando) 3 L
Ardad Perfect Power (Frozen Power) 1 3
Areion Fire Of The Sun (Echo Of Light) 3
Australia Abhayaa (Danehill) L Broome (Acclamation) 2
Earl Of Tyrone (Pivotal) L Galashiels (Duke Of Marmalade) L Mare Australis (Rainbow Quest) 2 Moomba (Danehill Dancer) L Mooney Love (Indian Ridge) L Nachtrose (Peintre Celebre) 2 Order Of Australia (Danehill) 2 Tranquil Lady (Quiet American) 3 3
Authorized Marianachic (Anabaa) L L Awtaad Al Qareem (Teofilo) 2 Anmaat (Halling) 2 3
Agiato (Dubai Destination) 3 Could Be King (Oasis Dream) L L L Juliet Sierra (King’s Best) 3 Sacred Bridge (Beat Hollow) L
Buddy Bob (Giant’s Causeway) L
Bobby’s Kitten
Sandrine (Pivotal) 2
Bold Fact
Django (Oratorio) L
Brazen Beau New Collection (Erhaab) L L The Ridler (Lope De Vega) 2
Funny Money Honey (Dandy Man) L Manhattan Jungle (Acclamation) L
Cable Bay
King’s Lynn (Kyllachy) 2 Laneqash (Shamardal) L
Camelot
Any Time Soon (Danehill) L Cairde Go Deo (Elusive City) L L Living Legend (Johar) 2 L Luxembourg (Danehill Dancer) 1 3 Panjari (Anabaa) L Sammarco (Soldier Hollow) 1 1 2
Cape Cross
Desert Fire (Golden Voyager) 2 Passion And Glory (Street Cry) L
Captain Marvelous Feel Your Power (Shakespearean) L
Agartha (Dylan Thomas) 3 Galleria Borghese (Galileo) L Maljoom (Teofilo) 2 Tenebrism (Pivotal) 1 Tiber Flow (Raven’s Pass) L Viareggio (Pour Moi) 3
Charterhouse (Royal Applause) L
Churchill Blue Rose Cen (Jeremy) 1 3 Il Grande Gatsby (Miswaki Tern) L Ladies Church (Rio De La Plata) 2 Perotan (Darshaan) L Queroyal (Areion) 3 The Foxes (Darshaan) 2 Vadeni (Monsun) 1 1 3
Duca Di Como (Elusive Quality) L L
Alpha Capture (Vale Of York) L
Bottle Of Bubbles (Equiano) 3
Just Do It (Sir Prancealot) L The Platinum Queen (Kodiac) 1
Peshmerga (Lemon Drop Kid) L Pirouz (Singspiel) L
See Hector (New Approach) 3
Aloa (Lawman) 2 L
Dance In The Grass (Sir Percy) L
Hellsing (Le Havre) L
Rocket Rodney (Royal Applause) L
Royal Lea (One Cool Cat) L
Quality Boone (Crafty Prospector) L
Mister Saint Paul (Elusive City) 3
Alfareeq (Cape Cross) 1
Alflaila (Oasis Dream) 3 3 L
Art Power (Keltos) 3
Barefoot Angel (Lemon Drop Kid) 3
Charyn (Kodiac) 2
Dr Zempf (Siyouni) 3 L
Golden Goal (Exceed And Excel) 2 Happy Power (Selkirk) L Juncture (Frankel) L Khaadem (Footstepsinthesand) 2 3
Love Child (Hurricane Run) L
Mangoustine (Zamindar) 1
Mutasarref (Mawatheeq) L
Mysterious Night (Shamardal) 3 Real World (Dubawi) 2 Rose Premium (Showcasing) L Secret Angel (Choisir) L The Antarctic (Lawman) 3
Majestic Dawn (Mount Nelson) L
Gregarina (Galileo) L
Auguste Rodin (Galileo) 1 2 Sentimental Mambo (Monsun) L Shahryar (Essence Of Dubai) 1
Ebaiyra (Rock Of Gibraltar) L Volatile Analyst (Street Sense) L
Agave (Champs Elysees) 3 L
Concert Hall (Galileo) L Coroebus (Teofilo) 1 1
Creative Flair (Shamardal) 2 3 Desert Wisdom (Pivotal) 3 Dubai Future (Street Cry) L L Dubawi Legend (Raven’s Pass) 3 Eastern World (Dubai Destination) 3 Eldar Eldarov (Sea The Stars) 1 2 Emily Dickinson (Montjeu) 3
Erevann (Siyouni) 2 3
Eternal Dance (Dalakhani) L Everest Rose (Dubai Destination) L Fairy Cross (Fast Company) 3
Goldistyle (Anabaa) L In Crowd (Inchinor) L Kubrick (Mr Greeley) 3
Lazuli (Fasliyev) 2
Local Dynasty (Shamardal) L
Lord North (Giant’s Causeway) 1
Master Of The Seas (Danehill) 3 Mimikyu (Montjeu) 2
Modern Games (New Approach) 1
My Oberon (Sea The Stars) L
National Dance (New Approach) L
Naval Crown (Dansili) 1 2
Never Ending Story (Camelot) 3
New London (Manduro) 3
Rebel’s Romance (Street Cry) 1 1 3 L
Rogue Millennium (Nayef) L
Royal Fleet (Dansili) 3 L Siskany (Dansili) L L
Soft Whisper (Sea The Stars) L L Sovereign Prince (Bernardini) L The Revenant (Excellent Art) 3 L Valiant Prince (Footstepsinthesand) L Victory Dance (Street Cry) L Well Disposed (Sternkoenig) 3 3 Yibir (Monsun) 2
Brad The Brief (Kendargent) 2 Donna Anna (Rock Of Gibraltar) L
Norge (High Chaparral) 3 L
Eishin Dunkirk
Good Eye (Red Ransom) L
El Kabeir
Azure Blue (Oasis Dream) L
Elusive City
King David (Montjeu) 3 3 L L
Exceed And Excel
Danelo (Authorized) 3
Double Or Bubble (Dalakhani) 3 3 Manaccan (Acclamation) 3 L L Mawj (New Approach) 2 Mischief Magic (Elusive Quality) 3
Pirate Jenny (Oasis Dream) L Rozgar (Sea The Stars) L Sacred (Blame) L
Bounce The Blues (Cadeaux Genereux) 2 3 Moss Tucker (Pastoral Pursuits) L
Fonteyn (Cape Cross) 1 L Tribalist (Nathaniel) L
Checkandchallenge (Dalakhani) 3 L
Hard One To Please (New Approach) 3 Rising Star (Duke Of Marmalade) L
Atzeco (Monsun) 3 L Buckaroo (Galileo) L Joie De Soir (Galileo) L
Lust (Galileo) L Stay Alert (Galileo) 3 L
Petit Marin (Ransom O’war) 3
Footstepsinthesand
Brostaigh (Danehill) 2 L Pevensey Bay (Anabaa) 2
Alpinista (Hernando) 1 1 1 Baratti (Woodman) L Chaldean (Dutch Art) 1 2 3
Dreamflight (Dansili) L Emotion (Lomitas) L Eternal Pearl (Oasis Dream) 3 3 L
Hidden Dimples (Clodovil) L Homeless Songs (Dubawi) 1 3
Inspiral (Selkirk) 1 1
L’astronome (Giant’s Causeway) 2 Martel (Scat Daddy) L Mostahdaf (Dubawi) 3 3 Nahanni (Street Cry) L Nashwa (Pivotal) 1 1 L Onesto (Sea The Stars) 1 2 Perfect News (Kodiac) 3 Raclette (Empire Maker) 2 L Sibila Spain (Darshaan) 2 Triple Time (Mark Of Esteem) 3 Westover (Lear Fan) 1 3 Wild Beauty (Pivotal) 3 With The Moonlight (Dubawi) L
French Fifteen
Mutabahi (Halling) 3 L
French Navy
Layfayette (Holy Roman Emperor) 2 3 L
Gale Force Ten
Gale Force Maya (Galileo) L L
Galileo
Aikhal (Fastnet Rock) 3
Changingoftheguard (Excellent Art) 2 3
Elegant Verse (Hennessy) L Free Wind (Duke Of Marmalade) 2 History (Showcasing) 3
Kyprios (Danehill) 1 1 1 1 3 L
Lily Pond (Fastnet Rock) 2
Magical Lagoon (Lagunas) 1 2 Noon Star (Oasis Dream) L
Proud And Regal (Danehill) 1 3
Star Of India (Desert Style) L Stone Age (Anabaa) 3 Thoughts Of June (Discreet Cat) L Toy (Storm Cat) L Tuesday (Danehill Dancer) 1 United Nations (Lemon Drop Kid) L
Ebro River (Balmont) L Goldana (Pivotal) L Oscula (Big Bad Bob) 3 3 L
Snow Bird (Discreet Cat) 3
Cime Tempestose (King’s Best) L Jumbly (Selkirk) 3 Royal Scotsman (Pivotal) 2 Some Respect (Oratorio) L Vero Atleta (Danehill Dancer) 2 L Wintry Flower (Fastnet Rock) L
Goken
Fang (Muhtathir) 3 Lova (Three Valleys) L Sivana (Diamond Green) L
Golden Horn
Bartzella (Singspiel) L Botanik (Street Cry) 2 3 Diamantis (Fantastic Light) L Haskoy (Nathaniel) L
Havana Grey
Cuban Mistress (Sakhee’s Secret) L Eddie’s Boy (Holy Roman Emperor) 3 Lady Hollywood (Cadeaux Genereux) 3 L Rumstar (Sakhee’s Secret) 3 Shouldvebeenaring (Equiano) L
Heart’s Cry
Continuous (Galileo) 3 Heeraat White Lavender (Rip Van Winkle) L Helmet
Cantocorale (Street Cry) 2 2 Couples (Almutawakel) L Win The Best (Almutawakel) L
Holy Roman Emperor
Aemilianus (Galileo) 3 Jadoomi (Sakhee) 2 2 L Lord Sakay (Red Ransom) L Ottilien (Bering) L Roman Mist (Muhtathir) L Swipe Up (Iffraaj) 3
Hot Streak
A Case Of You (Key Of Luck) 1
Iffraaj
Copie (Shamardal) L My Prospero (Sea The Stars) 2 L Nirliit (Rock Of Gibraltar) L Reshabar (Tamayuz) L
Intello
Princess Shabnam (Green Desert) L
Gris De Gris
Or Gris (Kotky Bleu) L
Guiliani
Mountaha (Sadler’s Wells) 3 Tunnes (Toylsome) 3
Harbour Watch
Pyledriver (Le Havre) 1 Tis Marvellous (Oasis Dream) L
Havana Gold Chateau (Dansili) L El Caballo (Showcasing) 2 L Tippy Toes (Oasis Dream) L
Dawn Intello (Giant’s Causeway) 3 Djo Francais (Polish Precedent) 3 L Junko (Dynaformer) 3 Noble Heidi (Orpen) L Regal Reality (Medicean) 3
Into Mischief
Man Of Promise (Speightstown) 3 L
Egot (Street Cry) 3 L Kindred Spirit (Green Tune) L Mutasaabeq (Giant’s Causeway) 2 New York City (Diktat) L Pearls Galore (Pivotal) 1 2 L Potapova (Pivotal) 3 Shartash (Dubawi) 2 Spirit Gal (Galileo) L
Isfahan
Sisfahan (Kendargent) 2
James Garfield
Maria Branwell (Teofilo) L
Johnny Barnes
Hayejohn (Hold That Tiger) L
Nania (Monsun) L Princess Zoe (Tiger Hill) 3
Juniper Tree
Ascot Brass (Definite Article) L L
Justify
Aspen Grove (More Than Ready) 3 Statuette (Pivotal) 2
Kamsin
Sioux (Sternkoenig) L Karakontie
Cigamia (Lemon Drop Kid) L
Kendargent
Alula Borealis (Dansili) L Are We Dreaming (Dream Ahead) L Kennella (Heliostatic) L Skalleti (Muhaymin) 2 Skazino (Muhaymin) 2 Strako (Motivator) L Surrey Mist (Excellent Art) L
Kheleyf
Loubeisien (Loup Breton) L
Kingman
Commissioning (Galileo) 1 2 Habana (Speightstown) 3 Kingentleman (Kendargent) 3 Kinross (Selkirk) 1 1 2 2 Like A King (Kitten’s Joy) L Marbling (Dansili) 3 Megallan (Champs Elysees) 3 Mrs Fitzherbert (Dynaformer) 3 L Noble Style (Pivotal) 2 Noble Truth (Frankel) 3 L Nostrum (Dubai Destination) 3 Tempus (Dansili) 3 3
Kitten’s Joy
Khuzaam (Hard Spun) L
Bathrat Leon (New Approach) 2
Ever Given (Lilbourne Lad) L Go Bears Go (Giant’s Causeway) 3 3
Kodiac
Bear Story (Galileo) L By All Means (Marju) L
Geocentric (Indian Ridge) L Magical Sunset (Medicean) L Pennine Hills (Mark Of Esteem) L Pillow Talk (Kheleyf) L Umm Kulthum (Shamardal) L Zarinsk (Arch) L
Lawman
Jeri (Galileo) L Statement (Lope De Vega) 3 L
Le Havre
Glenartney (Oasis Dream) L Perfect Alibi (Duke Of Marmalade) L Winema (Giant’s Causeway) L
Lilbourne Lad Surrounding (Doubletour) L
Lope De Vega
Berneuil (Dansili) 3 L Cadillac (Dansili) L Dreamloper (Teofilo) 1 1 2 Duke De Sessa (Cape Cross) 3 Epic Poet (Lawman) L Grande Dame (Oasis Dream) L Haqeeqy (Lawman) L Hypothetical (Whipper) 1 3 Lionel (Galileo) L Manisha (Montjeu) L Max Vega (Dalakhani) 3 3 My Astra (Sea The Stars) L New Science (Galileo) L Place Du Carrousel (Duke Of Marmalade) 1 3 Quantanamera (Duke Of Marmalade) 3 Raise You (Galileo) 3 L Silver Knott (Nathaniel) 3 3 Sweet Lady (Dansili) 1 2
Lord Kanaloa
Panthalassa (Montjeu) 1
Luxor
Egregious Rock (Sadler’s Wells) 3
Believe In Love (Kahyasi) 3 Self Belief (Lope De Vega) L
Iresine (Oasis Dream) 1 2 L The Good Man (Galileo) 3
Markaz Paname (Vale Of York) 3
Mastercraftsman
Coltrane (Montjeu) 2 L Guilded (Equiano) L Lilac Road (Shamardal) 2 Speirling Beag (Cape Cross) 3
Maximus Dream
Maximus Boy (Thunder Bolt) 2
Maxios
Yaxeni (Sadler’s Wells) L L L
Mayson
Rohaan (Acclamation) 3
Medaglia D’Oro Shafaaf (Rahy) L
Mehmas
Knight (New Approach) 3 Malavath (New Approach) 3 Minzaal (Clodovil) 1 3 Persian Force (Lope De Vega) 2 Power Under Me (Arakan) L L
Morpheus
Navratilova (High Chaparral) L
Motivator
Hamish (Sakhee) 3 3 Monty (Anabaa) 3 3 L
Mount Nelson
Dato (Grand Slam) 2
Ataared (Dansili) L Neptune Rock (Galileo) L Paris Peacock (Forest Wildcat) 3 L Polly Pott (Trade Fair) 2 Pusjkin (Sadler’s Wells) L Rousay (Kirkwall) L Run To Freedom (Bin Ajwaad) L
Sicilian Defense (More Than Ready) L Trevaunance (Azamour) 2 3
Mujahid
Tiaspettofuori (Dashing Blade) L Vis A Vis (Intense Focus) L
Mukhadram
Lady Ewelina (Polish Precedent) L Wiesentau (Tiger Hill) L
Shahama (Belong To Me) 3 L
Lastotchka (Muhtathir) 3 L Machete (Galileo) L
Nathaniel
Desert Crown (Green Desert) 1 2 Nate The Great (Dubawi) L Poptronic (Dream Ahead) 3 Quickthorn (Oasis Dream) 2 2 3 Zechariah (Pivotal) 3
Neatico Stella (Green Tune) L L New Approach Ankunft (Kallisto) L
Bay Bridge (Multiplex) 1 3 Bayside Boy (Anabaa) 1 L Claymore (High Chaparral) 3 Cresta (Dark Angel) L Jumby (Acclamation) 2 New Mandate (Authorized) L Saffron Beach (Raven’s Pass) 1 2
Nicconi Nature Strip (Desert Sun) 1
Aesop’s Fables (Shinko Forest) 2 Alcohol Free (Hard Spun) 1 Blackbeard (Born To Sea) 1 1 2 3 L I’m A Gambler (Thewayyouare) L Little Big Bear (Bering) 1 3 L Meditate (Dalakhani) 2 3 3 Midnight Mile (Galileo) 3 Trillium (Invincible Spirit) 2 3
Al Tariq (Harlan’s Holiday) 3 Grocer Jack (Doyen) L Last Crusader (Iffraaj) L Marbaan (Nayef) 2 Meraas (Authorized) 3 Native Trail (Observatory) 1 3 Techno Music (Manduro) L Zanbaq (Shamardal) L
Eydon (Frankel) L
Olympic Glory
Grand Glory (Daylami) 3 L Jannah Flower (Motivator) L Waldersee (Chineur) L L Wild Gloria (Motivator) L
Kolossal (Samum) L Nadette (Pivotal) L Nastaria (Monsun) L Tigrais (Iffraaj) 3
Oxbow
Hot Rod Charlie (Indian Charlie) 2
Ipompieridiviggiu (Sakhee) L L
Pastorius
Highfield Princess (Danehill) 1 1 1 2 Isaac Shelby (Heliostatic) 2 Lola Showgirl (Exceed And Excel) 3 Mauiewowie (Holy Roman Emperor) L Media Storm (Dansili) L Rumbles Of Thunder (Halling) 3 L Storm Damage (Sunday Silence) L Thunder Beauty (Dansili) L Thunder Kiss (Teofilo) L
Lord Leoso (Lomitas) L Parol (Big Shuffle) 3 Riocorvo (Silvano) 3
Breizh Sky (Anabaa) L
Pivotal
Addeybb (Kingmambo) 2 Bashkirova (Dansili) 3 Fancy Me (Dutch Art) 3 Gualana (Black Sam Bellamy) L
Planteur
Trueshan (General Holme) 2 L
Plusquemavie
Dalek (Diesis) L
Poet’s Voice
Lyrical (Mizzen Mast) L
Polish Vulcano
Sir Polski (Lando) 3
Power
El Guanche (Selkirk) L
Ponntos (Bahamian Bounty) 3
Pride Of Dubai
Fancy Man (Galileo) L Telepatic Glances (Hurricane Run) L
Prince Of Lir
Prince Of Pillo (Majestic Missile) L
Profitable
Miramar (Teofilo) 3 Mitbaahy (Invasor) 3 L Wed (Discreet Cat) 2
Protectionist
Amazing Grace (Danehill Dancer) 2 L
Quality Road
Cairo (Galileo) 3
Raven’s Pass
Amalaura (Sakhee’s Secret) L L Romantic Proposal (Diktat) L
Reach The Crown
Crown Pride (King Kamehameha) 2
Recorder
Enola (Barathea) L Hot Queen (Lomitas) L
Reliable Man
Ardakan (Sternkoenig) 2
Ribchester
Championofmyheart (Titus Livius) L Facteur Cheval (Shamardal) 3 L Snooze N You Lose (Noverre) L
Rio De La Plata
Lord Achilles (Sulamani) L
Roaring Lion
Dubai Mile (High Chaparral) 1
Rock Of Gibraltar Rock Boy (Iffraaj) 3
Ruler Of The World La Petite Coco (Konigstiger) 1 Nerik (High Chaparral) L
Russian Cross
Russipant Fal (Forest Wildcat) L
Samysilver
Talentuosa (Azamour) L
Saxon Warrior
Lumiere Rock (Gold Away) 3 Victoria Road (Invincible Spirit) 3 L
Sea The Moon
Assistent (Kallisto) L De La Soul (Mount Nelson) L Fantastic Moon (Jukebox Jury) 3 Pretty Tiger (Zamindar) 3 L Quebello (Rainbow Quest) L
Quest The Moon (Rock Of Gibraltar) L Samahram (Aussie Rules) L
Sea The Lady (Soldier Hollow) L
Al Aasy (Shamardal) L Baaeed (Kingmambo) 1 1 1 1 Babala (Know Heights) L Burgarita (Alzao) L Deauville Legend (Hernando) 2 3
Emily Upjohn (Barathea) 1 3
Flying Honours (Dubawi) 3 L Hukum (Kingmambo) 1 2
Life In Motion (Refuse To Bend) L L Lost Eden (Dansili) L Manobo (Nayef) 3
Ottoman Fleet (Motivator) L
River Of Stars (Adlerflug) L Rosscarbery (Authorized) 3 3
Sea La Rosa (Hernando) 1 2 2 3
Sea Silk Road (Doyen) L
Sea The Sky (Monsun) L
Star Safari (Muhtathir) L Stradivarius (Bering) 2
Sundoro (Dalakhani) L Tariyana (High Chaparral) 3
Third Realm (Mark Of Esteem) L
Night Endeavor (Golan) L
Siam Paragon (Smart Strike) L Welwal (Arch) 3
Toskana Belle (Teofilo) 1 L
Algiers (Platini) 3
Law Of Peace (Elusive Quality) L Modern News (New Approach) L
Royal Champion (Street Cry) L Shaara (Sea The Stars) L Solid Stone (Arch) 2
Belbek (Makfi) 1 3
Cold Case (Dream Ahead) L
Dramatised (Turtle Bowl) 2
Raasel (Dubawi) 3 L
Sam Maximus (Acclamation) L
Sense Of Duty (Shamardal) 3 L Swingalong (Shamardal) 2 Wodao (Intello) L
Best Lightning (Big Shuffle) 2
Silver Frost
Palus Argenteus (American Post) L L
Sioux Nation
Lakota Sioux (Dalakhani) 3 Sydneyarms Chelsea (Tamayuz) 3
Prince Lancelot (Moss Vale) L
Sir Busker (Tiger Hill) 2
Sixties Icon
Legend Of Xanadu (Thousand Words) L
Siyouni
Al Hakeem (Galileo) 2 L
Coeur Macen (Kentucky Dynamite) L
God Blessing (High Chaparral) L
Lights On (Inchinor) 2
Mqse De Sevigne (Sevres Rose) 3
Shine For You (Sir Percy) L
Tahiyra (Cape Cross) 1
Treasure Trove (Distorted Humor) 3 L Txope (Acclamation) 2
Villefranche (Silver Frost) L Wally (Motivator) 3 3
Soldier Hollow
Alaskasonne (Sternkoenig) 3
Arina (Oasis Dream) 3
Dapango (Areion) 2 Rosacea (Zamindar) 3
Sahib’s Joy (Monsun) 3
Sirona (Kallisto) L
Winning Spirit (Shirocco) L
Tudo Bem (Dark Angel) L
Switzerland (Indian Charlie) 1 L
Aristia (Kalanisi) 1
Basil Martini (Bated Breath) 3 Flotus (Invincible Spirit) 3 State Of Rest (Quiet American) 1 1
Stay Foolish (King Kamehameha) 2
Azure Coast (Empire Maker) 3
Ad Merajj (Cape Cross) L
Iron Butterfly (Orientate) L
One Night Stand (Haafhd) L Tees Spirit (Pivotal) L
Tai Chi
Mansour (Tillerman) L L
Tamayuz
Simca Mille (Pivotal) 2 3 Torpedo Blu (Sea The Stars) L
Tasleet
Bradsell (Archipenko) 2
Teofilo
Beamish (Lomitas) L Boundless Ocean (New Approach) 3 3 Gear Up (Toccet) 3 Nations Pride (Oasis Dream) L Naval Power (Dubawi) L L West Wind Blows (Machiavellian) 3 L Wexford Native (Gone West) L Without A Fight (Dubawi) 3 L
Aldaary (Pivotal) L Hoo Ya Mal (Montjeu) 3 Teresa Mendoza (Mr Greeley) L
Atomic Blonde (Areion) 3 Indian Wish (One Cool Cat) L Master Gatsby (Aqlaam) 3 Mylady (Dabirsim) 3
Time Test Crypto Force (Galileo) 2 Rocchigiani (El Corredor) 3
Tonalist
Country Grammer (Forestry) 1 Toronado Jouza (Galileo) L Legionario (Dansili) L
Twilight Son
Aria Importante (Orpen) 3 L Toimy Son (Clodovil) L Twilight Jet (Exceed And Excel) 3 Twilight Spinner (Diktat) 3
U S Navy Flag
Ocean Vision (Mr Greeley) L
Ulysses
Holloway Boy (Pivotal) L Mighty Ulysses (Cape Cross) L Piz Badile (Elusive Quality) 3
Spycatcher (Red Clubs) L
Flag’s Up (High Chaparral) L
Random Harvest (Pivotal) 3 Sippinsoda (Montjeu) L Tinker Toy (Distorted Humor) L
Lord Glitters (Homme De Loi) 2
Blue Wings (Invincible Spirit) L
Al Riffa (Galileo) 1 Amilcar (King’s Best) 3 Chindit (Oasis Dream) 2 L Ilaraab (Soviet Star) 3 Wootton City (Elusive City) L
Zanzibari
Coeur De Pierre (Rock Of Gibraltar) L
Zarak
Baiykara (Montjeu) 3 Haya Zark (Elusive City) L Lavello (Montjeu) 3 Purplepay (Lawman) 2 Times Square (Siyouni) L Zagrey (Slickly) L
Zebedee
Pogo (Diktat) 2 3 3
Achelois (Sadler’s Wells) L Brigante Sabino (Galileo) L Camorra (Muhtathir) 2 Hannibal Barca (Galileo) 3 Irish Action (Kingmambo) L Mother Earth (Green Desert) 3 Point King (Galileo) L Prosperous Voyage (Mizzen Mast) 1 Sakheer (Arcano) 2
Zoustar
Lezoo (Red Clubs) 1 3 L
Drive Stakes, Santa Anita, Gr.1, Orchid Stakes, Gulfstream Park, Gr.3, Violet Stakes, Monmouth, Gr.3 and placed 7 times including second in Beaugay Stakes, Belmont, Gr.3, Robert G Dick Memorial Stakes, Delaware Park, Gr.3 third in La Prevoyante Handicap, Gulfstream Park, Gr.3, Perfect Sting Stakes, Belmont, fourth in Glens Falls Stakes, Saratoga, Gr.3, Endeavour Stakes, Tampa Bay Downs, Gr.3 LAND FORCE (IRE) (2016 c. by No Nay Never (USA)), see above.
2nd Dam CASSANDRA GO (IRE), won 6 races at 3 to 5 years including King’s Stand Stakes, Royal Ascot, Gr.2 Temple Stakes, Sandown, Gr.2, King George Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.3, Lansdown Fillies’ Stakes, Bath, L and placed 7 times including second in July Cup, Newmarket, Gr.1, Ballyogan Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.3, Palace House Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.3, Summer Stakes, York, L, third in Swinley Stakes, Ascot, L; Own sister to Grey Eminence (FR); dam of eight winners from 11 runners and 13 foals of racing age includingHALFWAY TO HEAVEN (IRE) (f. by Pivotal (GB)), won 4 races at 2 and 3 years and £475,211 including Irish One Thousand Guineas, Curragh, Gr.1, Nassau Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.1, Sun Chariot Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.1 and placed 4 times including second in One Thousand Guineas Trial, Leopardstown, Gr.3, third in Matron Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.1, Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, Longchamp, Gr.1, from only 9 starts; Broodmare of the Year in Ireland in 2018; dam of winners.
MAGICAL (IRE), Jt Champion 3yr old in Europe in 2018 (11-13f), 12 races at 2 to 5 years, 2020 and £4,681,782 including British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, Champion Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1 Pretty Polly Stakes, Curragh, Gr.1, Tattersalls Gold Cup, Curragh, Gr.1 (twice) and placed 10 times including second in Coral Eclipse, Sandown Park, Gr.1, Moyglare Stud Stakes, Curragh, Gr.1, Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, Darley Yorkshire Oaks, York, Gr.1 and Breeders’ Cup Turf, Churchill Downs, Gr.1 RHODODENDRON (IRE), Champion older mare in Ireland in 2018, Jt top rated 2yr old filly in Ireland in 2016, 5 races at 2 to 4 years, 2018 at home and in France and £1,363,928 including Dubai Fillies’ Mile, Newmarket, Gr.1, Lockinge Stakes, Newbury, Gr.1 and Prix de l’Opera, Chantilly, Gr.1, second in Investec Oaks Stakes, Epsom Downs, Gr.1, 1000 Guineas Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.1, Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, Del Mar, Gr.1 and third in Moyglare Stud Stakes, Curragh, Gr.1 AUGUSTE RODIN (IRE) (c. by Deep Impact (JPN)), won 3 races at 2 years and £203,337 including Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes, Doncaster, Gr.1 and KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes Gr.2
FLYING THE FLAG (IRE), 3 races at 2, 3 and 5 years at home and in U.A.E. and £125,188 including eFlow
The covering sire table includes sires who have covered 20+ mares in England or Ireland in 2022. Some dual-purpose sires are included and the figures will include their NH mares. From Weatherbys
STALLION
Year of birth First year at stud Mares covered 2021 Winners BT mares BT-winning mares
A’Ali (IRE) 2017 2022 114 65 13 8
Acclamation (GB) 1999 2004 97 54 19 8
Aclaim (IRE) 2013 2018 84 48 6 2
Advertise (GB) 2016 2020 97 55 20 12
Alkumait (GB) 2018 2022 105 44 7 2
Ardad (IRE) 2014 2018 205 127 38 19
Australia (GB) 2011 2015 173 117 55 31
Awtaad (IRE) 2013 2017 38 20 6 3
Bated Breath (GB) 2007 2013 115 68 20 9
Blue Point (IRE) 2014 2020 142 89 51 24
Bungle Inthejungle (GB) 2010 2015 115 59 16 8
Calyx (GB) 2016 2020 83 38 9 4
Camelot (GB) 2009 2014 159 118 69 47
Churchill (IRE) 2014 2018 108 70 28 13
Circus Maximus (IRE) 2016 2021 68 34 8 4
Cotai Glory (GB) 2012 2018 176 70 7 1
Coulsty (IRE) 2011 2017 158 74 13 4
Cracksman (GB) 2014 2019 69 53 13 7
Dandy Man (IRE) 2003 2010 137 70 12 4
Dark Angel (IRE) 2005 2008 193 130 62 37
Dawn Approach (IRE) 2010 2014 51 21 4 1
Dream Ahead (USA) 2008 2012 82 57 9 4
Dubawi (IRE) 2002 2006 165 142 123 104
Earthlight (IRE) 2017 2021 92 50 16 12
El Kabeir (USA) 2012 2018 44 22 6 2
Elzaam (AUS) 2008 2013 153 65 4 1
Expert Eye (GB) 2015 2019 57 38 9 4
Far Above (IRE) 2016 2021 117 50 9 3
Farhh (GB) 2008 2014 32 14 4 2
Footstepsinthesand (GB) 2002 2005 65 34 7 5
Frankel (GB) 2008 2013 188 165 145 124
Galileo Chrome (IRE) 2017 2021 79 18 5 3
Galileo Gold (GB) 2013 2018 162 73 11 4
Ghaiyyath (IRE) 2015 2021 161 91 48 27
Gleneagles (IRE) 2012 2016 155 97 36 19
Golden Horn (GB) 2012 2016 156 52 8 3
St Mark’s Basilica: the son of Siyouni saw 176 mares in 2022, of which 87 were black-type mares and 63 black-type winners
Gregorian (IRE) 2009 2015 28 13 4 1
Harry Angel (IRE) 2014 2019 75 46 9 4
Havana Grey (GB) 2015 2019 166 101 15 9
Highland Reel (IRE) 2012 2018 31 16 11 7
Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) 2004 2007 39 19 7 4
Iffraaj (GB) 2001 2007 83 51 17 11
In Swoop (IRE) 2017 2022 217 26 7 3
Inns of Court (IRE) 2014 2020 141 65 9 5
Invincible Army (IRE) 2015 2020 138 63 17 7
Invincible Spirit (IRE) 1997 2003 106 70 24 16
Kameko (USA) 2017 2021 102 80 34 22
King of Change (GB) 2016 2021 48 18 4 -
Kingman (GB) 2011 2015 150 118 88 66
Kodi Bear (IRE) 2012 2017 194 101 30 11
Kodiac (GB) 2001 2007 63 27 10 6
Kuroshio (AUS) 2010 2014 92 39 5 4
Land Force (IRE) 2016 2020 74 34 4 1
Lightning Spear (GB) 2011 2019 32 18 4 -
Logician (GB) 2016 2022 183 30 5 2
Half-brother to 6 Stakes horses including 2022 Gr.2 winning 2yo The Foxes, descending from the legendary Fall Aspen.
“He had a heart like a lion, and was a beautiful athlete with a wonderful pedigree, all great qualities for him to be a successful stallion.” Alastair Donald, King Power
HIGHEST
Plus a half-brother to 4 Group horses including German Derby winner Wiener Walzer, sire of Grade 1 winner Adagio. Bred on the same cross as Camelot. FIRST
Tally-Ho Stud’s Starman covered 255 mares in his first year at stud last year
Lope de Vega (IRE) 2007 2011 168 126 94 57
Lope Y Fernandez (IRE) 2017 2022 133 84 13 3
Lucky Vega (IRE) 2018 2022 152 80 21 7
Magna Grecia (IRE) 2016 2020 120 60 17 11
Make Believe (GB) 2012 2016 93 48 15 9
Masar (IRE) 2015 2020 82 57 15 8
Mehmas (IRE) 2014 2017 250 157 70 41
Mohaather (GB) 2016 2021 121 67 16 8
Nando Parrado (GB) 2018 2022 130 60 15 4
Nathaniel (IRE) 2008 2013 140 62 18 9
New Bay (GB) 2012 2017 193 138 72 43
Night of Thunder (IRE) 2011 2016 180 140 107 69
No Nay Never (USA) 2011 2015 178 127 79 40
Oasis Dream (GB) 2000 2004 125 72 26 14
Palace Pier (GB) 2017 2022 154 112 69 48
Phoenix of Spain (IRE) 2016 2020 68 34 12 7
Pinatubo (IRE) 2017 2021 159 122 66 44
Profitable (IRE) 2012 2018 118 50 11 4
Raven’s Pass (USA) 2005 2009 35 22 5 1
Ribchester (IRE) 2013 2018 43 24 5 -
River Boyne (IRE) 2015 2021 40 21 5 2
Sands of Mali (FR) 2015 2021 74 42 9 4
Saxon Warrior (JPN) 2015 2019 200 112 31 13
Sea The Moon (GER) 2011 2015 152 101 52 29
Sea The Stars (IRE) 2006 2010 161 122 82 65
Sergei Prokofiev (CAN) 2016 2021 150 91 9 4
Showcasing (GB) 2007 2011 150 97 38 23
Sioux Nation (USA) 2015 2019 255 125 21 4
Soldier’s Call (GB) 2016 2020 112 68 18 8
Sottsass (FR) 2016 2021 126 84 35 28
Space Blues (IRE) 2016 2022 160 97 40 13
St Mark’s Basilica (FR) 2018 2022 176 131 87 63
Starman (GB) 2017 2022 255 136 47 17
Starspangledbanner (AUS) 2006 2011 202 127 43 24
Study of Man (IRE) 2015 2020 81 60 21 18
Supremacy (IRE) 2018 2022 186 106 31 18
Tasleet (GB) 2013 2019 111 56 8 3
Ten Sovereigns (IRE) 2016 2020 173 95 32 16
Teofilo (IRE) 2004 2008 78 42 22 18
Territories (IRE) 2012 2017 84 53 8 2
Time Test (GB) 2012 2018 181 119 56 35
Too Darn Hot (GB) 2016 2020 164 119 74 43
Twilight Son (GB) 2012 2017 68 40 11 7
U S Navy Flag (USA) 2015 2019 144 72 21 10
Ubettabelieveit (IRE) 2018 2022 98 57 10 4
Ulysses (IRE) 2013 2018 143 93 33 16
Waldgeist (GB) 2014 2020 115 63 24 13
Without Parole (GB) 2015 2021 75 37 7 3
Wootton Bassett (GB) 2008 2012 249 190 130 92 Zoustar (AUS) 2010 2014 96 67 34 23
Busiest Flat stallions in spring 2022
Sioux Nation (USA) 255
Starman (GB) 255
Mehmas (IRE) 250
Wootton Bassett (GB) 249
In Swoop (IRE) 217
Ardad (IRE) 205
Starspangledbanner (AUS) 202
Saxon Warrior (JPN) 200
Kodi Bear (IRE) 194
Dark Angel (IRE) 193 New Bay (GB) 193
Frankel (GB) 188
Supremacy (IRE) 186 Logician (GB) 183
Stallions who saw most winning mares in 2022
Wootton Bassett (GB) 190
Frankel (GB) 165
Mehmas (IRE) 157
Dubawi (IRE) 142
Night of Thunder (IRE) 140 New Bay (GB) 138
Starman (GB) 136
St Mark’s Basilica (FR) 131
Dark Angel (IRE) 130
Ardad (IRE) 127
Starspangledbanner (AUS) 127 No Nay Never (USA) 127
Lope de Vega (IRE) 126
Sioux Nation (USA) 125
Stallions who saw most b-type winners 2022
Frankel (GB) 124
Dubawi (IRE) 104
Wootton Bassett (GB) 92
Night of Thunder (IRE) 69
Kingman (GB) 66
Sea The Stars (IRE) 65
St Mark’s Basilica (FR) 63 Lope de Vega (IRE) 57 Palace Pier (GB) 48 Camelot (GB) 47 Pinatubo (IRE) 44 New Bay (GB) 43 Too Darn Hot (GB) 43 Mehmas (IRE) 41
12 stallions based in Britain for the upcoming breeding season have sired 27 individual winners of 38 Gr.1 races across 8 countries in 2022.
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*correct as of 15th November 2022
*correct as of 17th October 2022
Dubawi topped the list by yearling averages in 2021 with an average yearling price of 480,753gns. After the shopping exploits of Sheikh Mohammed at this year’s October Sale the sire has nearly doubled his figure for 2022 to 753,244gns.
Frankel’s average has also seen increased results and his average has risen from 317,738gns to 537,285gns, Night Of Thunder has also had a significant increase from an average price of 97, 084gns in 2021 to 179,894gns
Top sires in Europe by yearling averages in 2022 (gns)
Sire Average
Dubawi 753,244
Frankel 537,285
Galileo 300,153 Kingman 288,269 Siyouni 245,967
Lope De Vega 214,384
Sea The Stars 213,799 No Nay Never 207,161
Night Of Thunder 179,894 War Front 160,064
Wootton Bassett 138,383 Invincible Spirit 116,075
Too Darn Hot 110,195 Camelot 105,509
Justify 104,028 Starspangledbanner 100,442 Farhh 96,768 American Pharoah 93,019 Adlerflug 88,835
Stallions with two or more lots sold, listed alphabetically and showing aggregate, average and colt and fillies’ figures from sales in Europe. Vendor buy-backs included. In guineas, compiled by Weatherbys. Some dual-purpose stallions included.
STALLION
Acclamation 46 2,312,470 50,271 190,476 26 55,655 20 43,271
Aclaim 26 670,029 25,770 200,000 19 26,264 7 24,428
Adaay 16 189,719 11,857 40,000 11 9,669 5 16,671
Adlerflug 7 621,850 88,835 288,115 6 55,622 1 288,115
Advertise 67 3,909,212 58,346 500,000 40 57,940 27 58,947
Affaire Solitaire 12 60,826 5,068 12,805 6 4,001 6 6,136
Affinisea 5 46,099 9,219 16,006 3 11,871 2 5,242
Al Kazeem 3 80,576 26,858 40,000 2 34,285 1 12,005
Al Wukair 24 222,684 9,278 29,612 15 9,403 9 9,070
Almanzor 64 2,514,049 39,282 124,050 36 36,589 28 42,743
Amaron 7 87,235 12,462 36,815 3 16,806 4 9,203
American Pharoah 2 186,038 93,019 96,038 1 90,000 1 96,038
Anodin 6 120,848 20,141 44,018 3 12,538 3 27,744
Arcano 5 22,409 4,481 8,003 2 4,802 3 4,268
Ardad 14 881,542 62,967 200,000 6 100,220 8 35,027
STALLION
Sold Total Average
Highest Colt Average Filly Average
Areion 15 376,151 25,076 64,026 9 25,165 6 24,943
Attendu 8 68,027 8,503 28,011 4 8,203 4 8,803
Australia 29 1,369,470 47,223 280,000 16 66,692 13 23,260
Austrian School 2 5,603 2,801 4,002 2 2,801 0 0
Awtaad 32 980,036 30,626 120,000 17 32,199 15 28,843
Axxos 3 4,802 1,600 2,401 2 1,600 1 1,601
Bated Breath 47 2,666,240 56,728 600,000 23 39,302 24 73,428
Bathyrhon 5 46,511 9,302 14,406 4 9,604 1 8,095
Battle Of Marengo 4 17,207 4,301 8,003 2 3,801 2 4,802
Beaumec De Houelle 2 31,612 15,806 25,610 2 15,806 0 0
Belardo 42 488,028 11,619 125,000 21 17,711 21 5,528
Best Solution 10 166,868 16,686 32,013 3 20,275 7 15,149
Birchwood 17 107,643 6,331 14,406 3 5,602 14 6,488
Blu Air Force 3 20,008 6,669 8,003 3 6,669 0 0
Blu Constellation 3 10,404 3,468 4,802 2 4,001 1 2,401
Blue Bresil 16 285,810 17,863 38,415 9 22,046 7 12,485
Blue Point 93 8,072,144 86,797 336,134 51 86,037 42 87,720
Bobby’s Kitten 11 104,073 9,461 35,000 5 14,622 6 5,159
Born To Sea 14 158,462 11,318 29,612 6 11,137 8 11,454
Bow Creek 2 15,206 7,603 12,005 2 7,603 0 0
Bungle Inthejungle 49 707,493 14,438 65,000 31 17,815 18 8,623
Buratino 18 93,265 5,181 18,000 16 5,228 2 4,802
Cable Bay 33 808,747 24,507 130,000 15 26,270 18 23,038
Calyx 67 2,983,193 44,525 170,000 29 46,905 38 42,708
Camacho 30 525,062 17,502 105,000 17 14,362 13 21,607
Camelot 49 5,169,985 105,509 450,000 23 137,434 26 77,268
Cappella Sansevero 5 156,810 31,362 125,000 4 37,452 1 7,000
Capri 6 59,224 9,870 15,206 4 10,004 2 9,604
Caravaggio 26 1,116,164 42,929 125,000 13 51,435 13 34,422
Charm Spirit 2 28,000 14,000 26,000 2 14,000 0 0
Charming Thought 4 16,000 4,000 7,000 2 1,750 2 6,250
Chemical Charge 2 4,706 2,353 2,801 0 0 2 2,353
Churchill 116 6,735,791 58,067 400,000 51 58,493 65 57,732
City Light 47 842,327 17,921 68,027 22 20,444 25 15,702
Cityscape 4 11,309 2,827 4,500 2 2,726 2 2,928
Cloth Of Stars 49 1,288,495 26,295 100,040 31 28,204 18 23,009
Coach House 5 19,601 3,920 5,000 5 3,920 0 0
Cotai Glory 49 1,854,231 37,841 350,000 30 25,243 19 57,733
Coulsty 6 77,631 12,938 31,212 3 13,072 3 12,805
Counterattack 4 185,676 46,419 84,034 0 0 4 46,419
Court Cave 4 15,766 3,941 10,004 4 3,941 0 0
Cracksman 38 2,415,981 63,578 280,000 23 53,854 15 78,489
Crystal Ocean 27 738,524 27,352 135,000 17 33,950 10 16,136
Dabirsim 55 890,355 16,188 176,070 29 10,831 26 22,162
Dandy Man 97 2,696,037 27,794 170,000 51 29,162 46 26,276
Dariyan 15 163,663 10,910 40,016 9 8,536 6 14,472
Dark Angel 89 7,786,304 87,486 500,000 46 106,714 43 66,917
Dartmouth 3 17,144 5,714 9,524 2 6,667 1 3,810
Dawn Approach 5 140,857 28,171 64,026 3 37,348 2 14,406
Decorated Knight 33 538,156 16,307 208,083 20 11,732 13 23,347
Desert Prince 5 24,010 4,802 6,403 3 4,268 2 5,602
STALLION
Sold Total Average
Highest Colt Average Filly Average
Destino 2 28,011 14,005 20,808 2 14,005 0 0
Diamond Boy 2 39,047 19,523 33,333 1 33,333 1 5,714
Donjuan Triumphant 3 15,606 5,202 6,403 2 4,802 1 6,002
Doyen 2 24,313 12,156 20,952 1 3,361 1 20,952
Dragon Pulse 19 113,645 5,981 37,615 14 6,974 5 3,201
Dream Ahead 27 367,936 13,627 40,016 10 13,705 17 13,581
Dschingis Secret 6 66,827 11,137 24,010 3 15,473 3 6,802
Dubawi 30 22,597,342 753,244 1,600,640 24 807,957 6 534,394
Due Diligence 33 629,210 19,066 70,000 27 18,836 6 20,103
Dutch Art 7 513,058 73,294 144,058 4 66,000 3 83,019
Earnshaw 3 29,212 9,737 14,406 2 9,804 1 9,604
Ectot 10 118,446 11,844 38,415 3 10,137 7 12,576
El Kabeir 37 353,972 9,566 42,857 12 13,074 25 7,882
Elm Park 4 22,809 5,702 8,003 2 5,002 2 6,402
Elusive Pimpernel 5 16,806 3,361 12,805 1 800 4 4,001
Elzaam (Aus) 23 278,494 12,108 40,000 15 15,791 8 5,202
Eqtidaar 37 516,617 13,962 60,000 14 12,713 23 14,722
Equiano 12 140,103 11,675 52,000 4 20,250 8 7,387
Estidhkaar 19 69,822 3,674 13,000 11 3,801 8 3,501
Exceed And Exce 38 2,284,898 60,128 350,000 30 62,673 8 50,585
Expert Eye 50 1,409,562 28,191 120,000 27 25,199 23 31,703
Falco 5 9,999 1,999 4,762 4 1,309 1 4,762
Fantastic Moon 2 8,004 4,002 6,403 0 0 2 4,002
Farhh 12 1,161,219 96,768 400,000 10 108,920 2 36,005
Fas 8 111,244 13,905 50,420 1 8,003 7 14,748
Fascinating Rock 9 35,614 3,957 12,005 3 3,201 6 4,335
Fast Company 6 126,706 21,117 48,019 2 24,638 4 19,357
Fastnet Rock (Aus) 11 535,462 48,678 120,000 4 58,752 7 42,922
Feel Like Dancing 3 30,012 10,004 12,805 3 10,004 0 0
Flag Of Honour 6 27,089 4,514 12,805 3 3,491 3 5,538
Footstepsinthesand 54 1,311,088 24,279 90,000 32 25,693 22 22,221
Frammassone 2 3,810 1,905 2,381 1 2,381 1 1,429
Frankel 45 24,177,851 537,285 2,800,000 28 635,256 17 375,921
Free Eagle 26 181,867 6,994 40,015 9 10,114 17 5,343
French Fifteen 2 20,008 10,004 13,605 0 0 2 10,004
Frontiersman 4 13,810 3,452 7,619 3 3,809 1 2,381
Full Drago (Ity) 2 4,002 2,001 2,401 0 0 2 2,001
Galileo 33 9,905,064 300,153 725,000 20 250,317 13 376,824
Galileo Gold 17 481,299 28,311 161,904 8 48,164 9 10,665
Galiway 29 1,120,546 38,639 240,096 14 38,386 15 38,875
Garswood 4 22,409 5,602 7,203 3 5,869 1 4,802
Gentlewave 7 124,760 17,822 33,333 2 20,952 5 16,571
George Vancouver 5 16,407 3,281 4,802 3 3,735 2 2,601
Getaway 7 147,395 21,056 40,952 5 16,486 2 32,481
Gleneagles 63 3,295,479 52,309 650,000 30 31,093 33 71,596
Goken 23 500,602 21,765 72,029 14 19,693 9 24,987
Golden Horn 36 1,481,537 41,153 290,000 21 40,412 15 42,191
Goliath Du Berlais 2 15,622 7,811 8,003 1 7,619 1 8,003
Gregorian 19 319,840 16,833 104,042 9 13,314 10 20,001
Guignol 2 20,808 10,404 11,204 2 10,404 0 0
Gustav Klimt 13 92,676 7,128 39,216 8 8,533 5 4,881
STALLION
Sold Total Average Highest Colt Average Filly Average
Gutaifan 2 8,403 4,201 5,602 2 4,201 0 0
Harry Angel 54 911,275 16,875 120,048 28 14,473 26 19,462
Harzand 15 161,477 10,765 30,000 5 12,562 10 9,866
Havana Gold 32 928,008 29,000 100,000 12 32,237 20 27,057
Havana Grey 85 4,533,232 53,332 325,000 49 54,164 36 52,198
Highland Reel 36 543,840 15,106 52,021 20 15,477 16 14,642
Hillstar 2 26,409 13,204 25,609 1 25,609 1 800
Holy Roman Emperor 55 1,320,879 24,015 76,030 24 26,318 31 22,233
Hunter’s Light 7 38,816 5,545 8,804 4 4,301 3 7,203
Idaho 3 11,445 3,815 7,043 2 4,722 1 2,001
Iffraaj 38 1,517,950 39,946 170,000 22 32,423 16 50,289
Inns Of Court 133 3,478,833 26,156 175,000 66 30,770 67 21,612
Intello 27 925,926 34,293 208,083 15 44,883 12 21,056
Invincible Army 77 3,032,047 39,377 140,000 45 44,867 32 31,656
Invincible Spirit 48 5,571,604 116,075 600,000 25 109,808 23 122,886
Isfahan 5 173,269 34,653 96,038 2 16,006 3 47,085
Ivawood 6 24,409 4,068 16,806 2 1,600 4 5,302
Jack Hobbs 18 243,810 13,545 47,619 10 13,476 8 13,631
James Garfield 17 288,782 16,987 55,000 14 18,969 3 7,735
Jet Away 8 51,364 6,420 12,005 6 7,776 2 2,353
Jimmy Two Times 2 15,206 7,603 14,406 1 14,406 1 800
Johnny Barnes 13 103,243 7,941 17,607 4 4,802 9 9,337
Joshua Tree 3 19,892 6,630 12,005 3 6,630 0 0
Jukebox Jury 4 36,013 9,003 21,608 3 11,737 1 800
Justify 5 520,143 104,028 160,000 2 92,036 3 112,023
Kendargent 18 426,759 23,708 80,032 9 26,164 9 21,253
Kessaar 25 680,361 27,214 155,000 12 22,095 13 31,939
Kheleyf 6 33,613 5,602 16,006 3 6,402 3 4,801
Kingman 41 11,819,035 288,269 1,050,000 28 302,876 13 256,807
Kingston Hill 5 14,566 2,913 5,202 3 3,334 2 2,281
Kitten’s Joy 5 290,048 58,009 88,035 3 86,011 2 16,006
Kodi Bear 32 1,272,420 39,763 210,000 22 40,164 10 38,879
Kodiac 94 7,380,214 78,512 475,000 53 78,575 41 78,432
Kuroshio 45 570,306 12,673 114,286 24 16,583 21 8,205
Land Force 81 2,370,094 29,260 180,000 39 36,910 42 22,156
Lawman 8 68,426 8,553 17,607 4 4,701 4 12,404
Le Brivido 23 407,263 17,707 61,625 13 20,253 10 14,396
Le Havre 64 5,225,413 81,647 480,192 34 45,333 30 122,802
Le Vie Infinite 6 32,813 5,468 8,804 3 6,135 3 4,802
Lethal Force 9 72,830 8,092 20,008 5 9,443 4 6,402
Libertarian 3 6,402 2,134 4,402 1 4,402 2 1,000
Lightning Spear 12 150,997 12,583 38,415 8 12,702 4 12,344
Linda’s Lad 4 24,286 6,071 15,238 1 15,238 3 3,016
Lope De Vega 65 13,934,985 214,384 1,800,000 33 178,591 32 251,295
Lord Of England 7 298,520 42,645 144,058 5 46,098 2 34,014
Luck Of The Kitten 4 14,406 3,601 4,002 0 0 4 3,601
Lucky Speed 3 15,206 5,068 6,803 2 4,602 1 6,002
Magician 2 32,413 16,206 28,812 1 28,812 1 3,601
Magna Grecia 77 3,859,243 50,120 300,000 41 56,464 36 42,894
Mahler 5 45,419 9,083 14,406 3 9,804 2 8,003
Make Believe 53 1,268,262 23,929 220,000 32 23,494 21 24,592
Sold Total Average Highest Colt Average Filly Average
Malinas 4 19,207 4,801 12,005 3 6,002 1 1,200
Manduro 3 45,619 15,206 19,208 3 15,206 0 0
Marcel 5 26,011 5,202 13,605 5 5,202 0 0
Markaz 2 7,603 3,801 6,403 2 3,801 0 0
Masar 60 2,764,874 46,081 350,000 28 64,418 32 30,036
Masked Marvel 4 48,095 12,023 20,952 2 19,047 2 5,000
Massaat 22 230,984 10,499 33,333 14 10,228 8 10,973
Mastercraftsman 28 733,049 26,180 120,047 16 30,610 12 20,272
Maxios 16 216,537 13,533 60,024 11 16,009 5 8,086
Mayson 10 185,119 18,511 42,857 5 26,533 5 10,490
Mehmas 71 5,070,661 71,417 450,000 36 80,552 35 62,022
Mekhtaal 3 45,618 15,206 17,607 2 14,005 1 17,607
Mendelssohn 3 90,815 30,271 36,815 0 0 3 30,271
Millowitsch 3 75,230 25,076 32,013 3 25,076 0 0
Mobsta 2 2,801 1,400 1,601 0 0 2 1,400
Morandi 5 19,608 3,921 8,003 2 3,601 3 4,135
More Than Ready 4 192,821 48,205 88,000 4 48,205 0 0
Motivator 7 62,026 8,860 26,411 3 5,602 4 11,304
Mr Owen 3 34,414 11,471 15,206 2 14,806 1 4,802
Muhaarar 19 459,267 24,171 62,000 13 24,652 6 23,131
Mukhadram 4 27,709 6,927 12,005 2 7,002 2 6,852
Nathaniel 35 2,117,577 60,502 208,083 16 71,595 19 51,160
National Defense 14 164,641 11,760 37,000 12 9,936 2 22,701
New Approach 7 246,216 35,173 85,000 3 65,000 4 12,804
New Bay 58 4,132,698 71,253 475,000 31 103,478 27 34,254
Night Of Thunder 96 17,269,909 179,894 800,000 54 160,139 42 205,294
No Nay Never 76 15,744,275 207,161 2,080,832 45 175,262 31 253,466 No Risk At All 3 122,961 40,987 53,333 1 49,620 2 36,670
Noble Mission 3 174,000 58,000 135,000 2 82,500 1 9,000
Oasis Dream 33 1,596,296 48,372 135,000 20 52,041 13 42,728
Ocovango 4 11,124 2,781 6,803 3 3,388 1 960
Olympic Glory 5 60,826 12,165 26,411 3 9,337 2 16,407
Order Of St George 7 42,176 6,025 10,404 4 7,102 3 4,588
Outstrip 12 88,148 7,345 20,000 9 7,355 3 7,317
Panis 6 68,026 11,337 16,006 4 12,604 2 8,803
Parish Hall 3 4,002 1,334 1,601 0 0 3 1,334
Passing Glance 6 61,429 10,238 19,048 5 10,571 1 8,571
Peace Envoy 5 14,406 2,881 4,002 3 2,401 2 3,601
Pearl Secret 4 35,617 8,904 19,000 2 12,357 2 5,451
Penny’s Picnic 8 67,227 8,403 24,010 3 8,270 5 8,483
Pether’s Moon 4 37,142 9,285 17,143 4 9,285 0 0
Phoenix Of Spain 73 2,100,841 28,778 160,064 25 35,915 48 25,061
Pillar Coral 2 8,963 4,481 8,003 1 8,003 1 960
Pivotal 2 155,000 77,500 95,000 2 77,500 0 0
Poet’s Word 19 159,351 8,386 19,208 16 9,146 3 4,337
Policy Maker 2 14,566 7,283 8,003 2 7,283 0 0
Postponed 27 263,236 9,749 33,000 16 12,114 11 6,309
Prince Gibraltar 3 16,407 5,469 7,603 1 2,401 2 7,003
Prince Of Lir 15 352,575 23,505 240,096 11 31,310 4 2,040
Profitable 87 2,234,969 25,689 150,000 60 29,285 27 17,696
Protectionist 7 142,280 20,325 76,030 3 33,613 4 10,360
Left, Phoenix Of Spain, whose first yearlings were well received at the autumn yearling sales
Right, New Bay, the majority of yearling sales were concluded before the Ballylinch Stud’s stallion had such a superb day at Ascot on British Champions Day
STALLION
Sold Total Average Highest Colt Average Filly Average
Quest For Peace 2 5,762 2,881 4,962 1 4,962 1 800
Rajasinghe 2 34,607 17,303 17,607 1 17,607 1 17,000
Raven’s Pass 21 341,514 16,262 75,000 15 17,602 6 12,911
Recoletos 25 321,316 12,852 32,813 13 15,697 12 9,770
Recorder 9 53,220 5,913 14,406 5 7,203 4 4,301
Reliable Man 8 169,259 21,157 76,030 4 28,211 4 14,103
Requinto 8 25,611 3,201 7,203 4 4,001 4 2,401
Ribchester 61 1,099,068 18,017 85,000 40 17,899 21 18,241
Rio De La Plata 3 14,005 4,668 8,003 0 0 3 4,668
Rock Of Gibraltar 2 6,243 3,121 4,802 0 0 2 3,121
Roman Candle 2 23,209 11,604 18,407 1 4,802 1 18,407
Ruler Of The World 8 83,632 10,454 17,607 4 8,803 4 12,104
Saint Des Saints 2 76,022 38,011 56,022 0 0 2 38,011
Sakhee’s Secret 8 44,818 5,602 13,605 6 6,135 2 4,001
Saxon Warrior 57 3,621,276 63,531 450,000 31 60,509 26 67,134
Scalo 3 12,381 4,127 7,619 1 3,810 2 4,285
Sea The Moon 61 3,958,222 64,888 410,000 27 74,804 34 57,014
Sea The Stars 86 18,386,772 213,799 800,000 50 236,308 36 182,537
Seabhac 15 98,838 6,589 20,808 9 7,425 6 5,335
Seahenge 29 273,709 9,438 38,415 15 8,723 14 10,204
Shalaa 53 1,231,634 23,238 120,000 32 23,282 21 23,171
Shamalgan 8 38,415 4,801 17,607 3 6,936 5 3,521
Shirocco 4 33,870 8,467 20,008 3 10,809 1 1,441
Sholokhov 7 111,404 15,914 40,016 5 20,328 2 4,882
Showcasing 89 5,862,166 65,867 300,000 58 71,644 31 55,057
Silverwave 5 28,011 5,602 13,605 3 7,203 2 3,201
Sioux Nation 64 2,690,882 42,045 250,000 40 45,777 24 35,823
Sir Percy 5 35,260 7,052 16,190 3 7,531 2 6,333
Sixties Icon 2 38,000 19,000 35,000 2 19,000 0 0
Siyouni 76 18,693,539 245,967 1,680,672 41 210,166 35 287,905
Smooth Daddy 12 89,714 7,476 28,812 7 9,832 5 4,177
Snow Sky 2 3,201 1,600 2,001 1 1,200 1 2,001
Soldier Hollow 14 701,080 50,077 128,051 6 42,150 8 56,022
Soldier Of Fortune 7 78,432 11,204 19,208 6 12,471 1 3,601
STALLION
Sold Total Average Highest Colt Average Filly Average
Soldier’s Call 88 2,408,719 27,371 100,000 43 32,220 45 22,738
Sommerabend 14 102,841 7,345 20,808 6 9,270 8 5,902
Spanish Moon 2 8,803 4,401 8,003 2 4,401 0 0
Starspangledbanner (Aus) 69 6,930,556 100,442 600,000 36 119,852 33 79,268
Study Of Man 22 826,587 37,572 148,059 14 49,582 8 16,553
Success Days 4 74,213 18,553 41,617 2 14,897 2 22,209
Sumbal 3 10,804 3,601 7,603 3 3,601 0 0
Supplicant 2 20,808 10,404 12,805 2 10,404 0 0
Taareef 2 20,809 10,404 12,005 1 8,804 1 12,005
Tagula 2 13,205 6,602 12,005 2 6,602 0 0
Tai Chi 2 10,004 5,002 6,803 2 5,002 0 0
Taj Mahal 14 113,644 8,117 33,613 6 11,071 8 5,902
Tamayuz 26 434,325 16,704 16,000 17 17,653 9 14,913
Tasleet 24 697,540 29,064 88,035 15 33,765 9 21,228
Telescope 8 53,809 6,726 15,238 4 8,452 4 5,000
Ten Sovereigns 98 5,169,807 52,753 400,160 45 57,119 53 49,045
Teofilo 18 1,523,738 84,652 300,000 9 92,670 9 76,633
Territories 56 1,889,818 33,746 180,000 35 35,998 21 29,993
The Grey Gatsby 22 599,637 27,256 110,000 9 28,833 13 26,164
The Gurkha 5 29,452 5,890 12,805 2 5,322 3 6,269
The Irish Rover 2 6,803 3,401 4,402 2 3,401 0 0
The Last Lion 9 36,805 4,089 22,000 2 11,400 7 2,000
Time Test 47 1,369,693 29,142 130,000 30 37,244 17 14,845
Tirwanako 2 32,013 16,006 28,011 1 4,002 1 28,011
Too Darn Hot 53 5,840,386 110,195 600,000 28 106,839 25 113,955
Tornibush 4 30,812 7,703 20,008 2 4,201 2 11,204
Toronado 34 653,051 19,207 96,038 12 24,809 22 16,151
Trade Storm 5 11,205 2,241 3,201 4 2,001 1 3,201
Twilight Son 31 1,015,979 32,773 110,000 22 37,500 9 21,219
U S Navy Flag 78 2,063,727 26,458 130,000 45 24,317 33 29,377
Ultra 11 54,422 4,947 16,006 5 6,562 6 3,601
Ulysses 38 1,615,525 42,513 170,000 25 52,418 13 23,466
Unfortunately 16 151,438 9,464 40,000 11 11,293 5 5,442
Vadamos 17 184,872 10,874 30,412 13 12,220 4 6,502
Valirann 2 7,601 3,800 5,601 2 3,800 0 0
Vocalised 5 29,210 5,842 25,610 1 800 4 7,102
Waldgeist 58 3,014,866 51,980 160,064 29 46,338 29 57,622
Walk In The Park 10 220,787 22,078 48,019 4 31,612 6 15,722
War Front 2 320,128 160,064 192,077 1 192,077 1 128,051
Washington Dc 11 82,894 7,535 24,762 6 9,553 5 5,114
Westerner 5 39,614 7,922 11,203 4 9,203 1 2,801
Wings Of Eagles 5 18,407 3,681 6,803 4 4,401 1 800
Wootton Bassett 89 12,316,169 138,383 600,240 50 127,758 39 152,006
Yeats (Ire) 3 49,004 16,334 32,813 1 32,813 2 8,095
Youmzain (Ire) 3 3,601 1,200 2,001 3 1,200 0 0
Zarak (Fr) 39 1,995,928 51,177 160,064 20 44,915 19 57,769
Zelzal (Fr) 27 374,148 13,857 41,617 17 15,253 10 11,484
Zoffany (Ire) 70 3,356,427 47,948 256,102 34 51,875 36 44,240
Zoustar (Aus) 67 4,599,675 68,651 325,000 34 51,307 33 86,521
Into Mischief dominates the US sires’ table for the fourth year in succession, writes Melissa Bauer-Herzog
THE BULK OF THE US racing season is behind us and it was full of twists and turns for stallions and racehorses alike.
The biggest consistent of the season was Into Mischief, who again dominated the North American general sires’ list for the fourth year running.
As of November 8, he not only had a $5.5 million by earnings lead, but also had produced the most stakes winners, stakes performers, graded stakes winners, and graded stakes horses – only coming up short in the Grade 1 categories.
He also had a final flourish on the regular season with a likely champion two-year-old filly when Wonder Wheel ran away with the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to follow up her October Alcibiades (G1) victory.
The Keeneland meet was a strong one for the stallion, the track not only registering Wonder Wheel’s two Grade 1s but also saw his daughter Gina Romantica win the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1). Those fillies made up two-thirds of his Grade 1 winners, alongside multiple Grade 1 winner Life Is Good.
Gun Runner looked as though he’d take home the champion sires’ title by Grade 1 winners going into the first weekend of November, but Curlin quickly put those hopes to rest.
It was announced before the Breeders’ Cup that he would stand for $225,000, and Curlin showed why he deserves that fee when siring three Breeders’ Cup winners in the span of just a few races to take his 2022 count to six.
Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner Cody’s Wish and the Distaff winner Malathaat were securing their second and third Grade 1s of the year, while Elite Power registered a first Grade 1 victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Malathaat’s Distaff (G1) victory probably secured her a second straight championship, but also led home a Curlin first, third and fourth with Clairiere finishing third in the photo finish, and Nest a few lengths back in fourth.
Curlin’s affinity for the A.P. Indy line is quickly entering legendary status with all three Distaff runners bred on the cross.
It should be noted that Cody’s Wish is out of a Tapit mare – Tapit himself a grandson of A.P. Indy.
Elite Power doesn’t hail directly from the A.P. Indy line, but his dam is a granddaughter of A.P. Indy’s sire, Seattle Slew.
The second-crop sire Gun Runner continued the success he had as a freshman with his 10 Grade 1 horses this season, the best of any North American stallion of any age.
With just two crops of racing age, as of November 8, Gun Runner was in the top five in nearly every stakes category and easily earned the second crop sires’ championship.
While Gun Runner didn’t see a runner visit the Breeders’ Cup winner’s circle, he was well represented at the meet.
His champion two-year-old filly daughter Echo Zulu returned to the Breeders’ Cup after her Juvenile Fillies win last year for a second place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1), joined by Cyberknife
in the runner-up club after that he finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) with Gunite two spots back in fourth.
While Into Mischief and Gun Runner almost certainly have their respective championships locked up, the freshman title race is incredibly close with, at writing, just $67,139 separating the top three stallions.
Those three stallions represent some of the biggest farms in North America with Spendthrift Farm’s Bolt D’Oro leading the charge by earnings in addition to stakes horses.
The undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify is just over $11,000 behind, but leads nearly every stakes category with five stakes winners, four graded stakes winners, and seven graded stakes performers – the best of any freshman.
Curlin leads all sires by Grade 1 winners and his champion juvenile son Good Magic is the only freshman with a Grade 1 winner after Blazing Sevens’ Champagne Stakes (G1) win. Sitting in the third spot by earnings, Good Magic has three graded stakes winners overall and Hill ‘N’ Dale has upped his fee to $50,000 for 2023 off his first crop’s performance on the track.
Three Chimneys looks to have another promising young stallion on their hands alongside Gun Runner.
Sharp Azteca (Freud) stood his first season at $10,000 but that looks a value price now. He leads all freshmen by winners and is the sire of six stakes performers and three stakes winners.
The stallion’s introduction fee was at least $20,000 cheaper than any other stallion in the top four. Sharp Azteca stands for $15,000 in 2023, while stablemate Gun Runner is listed with a private fee next season.
If ever there was a missed young stallion, Arrogate would likely fit the bill with the late second-crop sire’s runners taking off this year.
His three Grade 1 winners is second to only Gun Runner and he sits second by earnings on the table as well. The stallion’s has had 10 stakes performers and six stakes winner in 2022s, led by the Kentucky Oaks
Justify: his leading performer so far is Statuette, winner of the Group 2 Balanchine Stakes
(G1) winner Secret Oath and two juvenile Grade 1 winners.
His son Cave Rock entered the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) as the race favourite but was upset by Forte (Violence) near the line.
As he is currently trained by Bob Baffert, he can’t accrue Road to the Kentucky Derby points due to Baffert’s Churchill suspension; it won’t be surprising to see the colt in a different barn come the final round of prep races next year.
New names for 2023 Cave Rock likely has at least another year before he can represent Arrogate in the breeding shed but there is no such wait for Gun Runner, who already has two stallion sons already announced.
The aforementioned Cyberknife is set to race at least once more this season before retiring to Spendthrift Farm for the 2023 breeding season, while Gun Runner’s Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Early Voting is already settled in at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud.
A stud fee has not yet been announced for Cyberknife but Early Voting is set to stand for $25,000.
It looks to be a competitive class of freshmen in the breeding shed next season with 28 new stallions currently advertised on the Bloodhorse’s Stallion Register, including
some of the biggest names from this year.
Not surprisingly, the undefeated Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Flightline leads the class at $200,000, while Life Is Good’s (Into Mischief), also a four-time Grade 1 winner, tucks in at $100,000 by WinStar Farm.
That is $50,000 higher than the $50,000 fee that the champion sprinter Jackie’s Warrior (Maclean’s Music) has been set at by Spendthrift Farm.
The bulk of next year’s new stallions are standing for $25,000 or less.
A few years after losing Arrogate, Juddmonte Farms is back in the stallion business in Kentucky with Mandaloun (Into Mischief) taking up residence as one of three Into Mischief sons to retire to Kentucky breeding sheds next year.
Mandaloun is the official 2021 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner as well as the winner of last year’s Haskell Stakes (G1).
The four-year-old raced four times this year with a win in the Louisiana Stakes (G1).
Those who like watching the older Dirt male division can rejoice in what looks like it may be a deep one in 2023.
There is a chance that Epicenter (Not This Time) may join the stallion ranks for the 2023 breeding season. He recently underwent a successful surgery due to a career-ending injury sustained in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic yet a decision on if he’ll stand in 2023 has yet to be made.
Leading US sires 2022: (by prize-money earned by northern-hemisphere runners to November 6, 2022) ($)
STALLION Foals Rnrs Wnrs BTWnrs % Rnrs % BTH GSWnrs G1Wnrs Progeny Earnings
Into Mischief 1312 445 209 24 5.4 12.1 14 3 24,559,830
Quality Road 838 234 130 10 4.3 13.2 4 2 19,449,343
Curlin 1077 245 118 11 4.5 12.2 9 6 17,810,701
Tonalist 301 157 90 5 3.2 8.3 2 1 15,816,480
Gun Runner 214 125 48 11 8.8 20.0 8 4 13,093,690
Tapit 1531 215 92 9 4.2 13.0 4 2 13,010,788
Uncle Mo 1136 278 133 1 4.0 13.3 7 1 13,004,492
Speightstown 1304 218 109 8 3.7 9.2 5 3 11,914,376
Munnings 859 291 147 15 5.2 9.6 6 1 11,683,544
Not This Time 254 151 91 13 8.6 17.2 6 2 11,438,979
American Pharoah 541 275 123 9 3.3 7.6 7 4 9,850,330
Constitution 346 198 113 12 6.1 15.2 4 0 9,570,592
Pioneerof the Nile 812 166 84 10 6.0 13.3 7 1 8,985,614
Violence 642 241 117 6 2.5 7.5 2 1 8,971,187
Twirling Candy 722 238 125 5 2.1 6.7 4 0 8,762,801
Hard Spun 1274 299 136 11 3.7 6.4 2 0 8,646,986
Street Sense 1103 255 127 11 4.3 6.3 3 1 8,609,337
Ghostzapper 1156 203 97 8 3.9 10.3 2 1 8,604,101
Maclean’s Music 577 224 118 3 1.3 5.4 1 1 8,532,671
Cairo Prince 565 276 133 8 2.9 7.2 1 0 8,000,222
Kitten’s Joy 1763 302 117 8 2.6 5.3 4 1 7,896,228
Midshipman 651 225 130 6 2.7 10.2 2 0 7,604,785
Union Rags 752 261 108 5 1.9 3.1 3 1 7,430,408
Malibu Moon 2003 242 118 4 1.7 5.4 0 0 7,399,135
More Than Ready 1819 266 115 8 3.0 6.8 5 0 7,333,902
Goldencents 622 286 134 7 2.4 6.3 3 1 7,100,581 Kantharos 684 245 128 6 2.4 6.5 0 0 7,038,151
Medaglia d’Oro 1628 210 84 8 3.8 12.9 4 1 6,928,391
English Channel 866 187 85 7 3.7 8.6 4 2 6,852,817
Tapiture 425 252 138 5 2.0 6.3 0 0 6,826,765 Candy Ride 1660 216 101 7 3.2 6.9 1 0 6,688,993
Dialed In 624 234 111 6 2.6 6.0 1 1 6,660,605
Oxbow 430 138 87 5 3.6 5.8 2 0 6,591,758
Arrogate 208 99 45 6 6.1 10.1 3 3 6,541,129
Nyquist 310 175 72 7 4.0 10.3 3 0 6,510,328 Flatter 1083 16 83 5 3.1 8.7 3 0 6,299,791
Distorted Humor 1743 182 87 4 2.2 6.0 1 1 6,278,615
Liam’s Map 373 178 93 3 1.7 7.9 1 1 6,223,258
Temple City 783 211 111 8 3.8 7.1 3 0 6,123,956
Practical Joke 245 161 79 5 3.1 8.1 3 1 6,031,627
The Factor 641 265 143 6 2.3 3.8 1 0 5,933,027
Keen Ice 177 120 68 3 2.5 8.3 1 1 5,888,904
War Front 934 149 68 11 7.4 13.4 5 1 5,883,763
Upstart 173 12 76 5 4.0 9.6 2 1 5,845,344 Tiznow 1700 176 73 1 0.6 2.8 0 0 5,827,687
internationalthoroughbred.net
By KODIAC - World Record Holder for 2-y-o winners, Champion European Sire of 2-y-os 2020, Sire of emerging young sires Ardad, Prince of Lir, Coulsty and Kodi Bear, all Gr.1 producers UBETTABELIEVEIT – winner of three races and £116,503 all over 5f including: EBF Novice Stakes Doncaster, LR National S. Sandown, Gr.2 Flying Childers S. Doncaster. Also 3rd Gr.2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, all at 2.
By Teofilo, sire of 6 Gr.1 winners in 2020 Brother to Gr.1 Commonwealth Cup winner EQTIDAAR Gr.1 placed at 2, 3 and 4 Gr.2 winner over 7f 2YO winners inc. Mascapone (also Stakes placed), Coco Jamboo, Hectic, etc. Yearlings in 2022 sold for £45,000, £44,000, £43,000, etc.
Leading US sires of two-year-olds 2022: (by prize-money earned by northern-hemisphere runners to November 6, 2022) ($)
STALLION
Foals Rnrs Wnrs BTWnrs % Rnrs % BTH GSWnrs G1Wnrs Progeny Earnings
Into Mischief 1312 56 17 3 5.4 7.1 2 1 3,192,524
Violence 642 21 9 2 9.5 14.3 1 1 2,167,131
Good Magic 123 44 14 3 6.8 6.8 3 1 1,734,325
Arrogate 208 26 6 2 7.7 7.7 2 2 1,565,430 Justify 143 39 14 3 7.7 20.5 2 0 1,556,638
Practical Joke 245 44 19 1 2.3 9.1 1 1 1,450,668
Girvin 80 36 14 4 11.1 13.9 1 0 1,307,408
Bolt d’Oro 146 60 14 1 1.7 8.3 0 0 1,220,010
Cross Traffic 357 61 19 2 3.3 9.8 0 0 1,208,942
Frosted 324 40 12 1 2.5 5 0 0 1,113,844
Sharp Azteca 124 58 19 2 3.4 8.6 0 0 1,081,904
Uncle Mo 1136 35 10 2 5.7 11.4 1 0 1,054,035 Army Mule 92 43 17 1 2.3 2.3 0 0 1,024,432
Outwork 258 22 9 1 4.5 4.5 1 1 985,290
Midshipman 651 30 9 3 10 16.7 1 0 981,189
Curlin 1078 29 7 0 0 6.9 0 0 877,342
Mo Town 87 38 11 1 2.6 7.9 0 0 864,464 Goldencents 622 59 11 1 1.7 1.7 0 0 797,634
Awesome Slew 35 15 7 1 6.7 13,3 0 0 754,271
Nyquist 310 34 9 1 2.9 11.8 0 0 747,046
Lord Nelson 149 33 9 1 3 9.1 0 0 735,241 Brethren 250 23 9 2 8.7 13 0 0 735,016
Speightster 297 29 13 0 0 0 0 0 700,101
Tapit 1531 20 7 1 5 5 0 0 679,291
Munnings 860 37 9 2 5.4 8.1 0 0 662,672
Connect 179 38 9 0 0 5.3 0 0 662,328 Gun Runner 214 37 5 0 0 8.1 0 0 647,093 Street Sense 1103 25 9 1 4 4 0 0 641,154 Ghostzapper 1156 21 9 1 4.8 19 0 0 639,335
Union Rags 752 41 11 1 2.4 2.4 0 0 617,592 Mendelssohn 151 45 9 0 0 2.2 0 0 603,161 Marking 80 15 7 3 20.0 33.3 0 0 597,633
Quality Road 838 15 5 0 0 13.3 0 0 588,947 Hard Spun 1274 26 6 2 7.7 7.7 1 0 586,636 Kantharos 684 32 6 1 3.1 9.4 0 0 581,832 Khozan 232 35 10 0 0 11.4 0 0 573,141 American Pharoah 541 38 8 0 0 2.6 0 0 522,541 Good Samaritan 92 36 8 1 2.8 5.6 0 0 519,700 Candy Ride (ARG) 1660 27 6 0 0 3.7 0 0 515,597 Speightstown 1304 22 4 1 4.5 9.1 0 0 493,866 Maclean’s Music 577 21 5 1 4.8 9.5 0 0 489,411 Malibu Moon 2003 36 9 0 0 2.8 0 0 485,056 Honor Code 407 31 6 0 0 6.5 0 0 481,700 West Coast 105 43 7 1 2.3 2.3 0 0 478,972 Always Dreaming 107 43 8 1 2.3 2.3 0 0 477,787
Leading first-season US sires 2022: (by prize-money earned by northern-hemisphere runners to November 6, 2022) ($)
STALLION Foals Rnrs Wnrs BTWnrs % Rnrs % BTH GSWnrs G1Wnrs Progeny Earnings
Justify 143 57 23 5 8.8 17.5 4 1 1,953,076
Bolt D’Oro 146 67 20 4 6.0 17.9 2 0 1,922,710
Good Magic 124 51 16 3 5.9 5.9 3 1 1.916,908
Sharp Azteca 124 69 29 3 4.3 8.7 0 0 1,606,146
Army Mule 92 53 20 2 3.8 3.8 0 0 1,579,252
Mendelssohn 152 71 18 1 1.4 7.0 1 0 1,395,521
Girvin 82 40 15 4 10.0 12.5 1 0 1.374,811
Mo Town 87 49 14 1 2.0 8.2 0 0 1,281,991
Oscar Performance 71 35 14 1 2.9 11.4 1 0 1,231,924
City Of Light 89 30 9 3 10.0 20.00 0 0 1,211,150
Awesome Slew 35 18 9 1 5.6 11.1 0 0 839,1891
Good Samaritan 92 47 11 1 2.1 4.3 0 0 836,884
Mor Spirit 99 49 13 1 2.0 6.1 0 0 762,065
West Coast 106 50 9 1 2.0 6.0 0 0 657.219
Cloud Computing 99 38 10 0 0 5.3 0 0 645,102 Collected 109 43 8 1 2.3 2.3 0 0 610,992
Accelerate 110 53 12 1 1.9 5.7 0 0 579,161
Always Dreaming 107 47 8 1 2.1 21 0 0 562,117
Hoppertunity 75 23 6 1 4.3 8.7 0 0 443,459 McCracken 38 22 8 0 0 13.6 0 0 421,780 Leading
STUD / STALLION 2022 Fee 2023 Fee % + /-
Dandy Man €15,000 €15,000 0
Elzaam €5,000 €4,000 -20
Prince Of Lir €3,500 €3,000 -14
Sands Of Mali €5,000 €5,000 0
Soldier’s Call €7,500 €7,500 0
Space Traveller NEW - €6,500 -
Bayside Boy NEW - €15,000 -
Lope De Vega €125,000 €125,000 0
Make Believe €17,500 €10,000 -42
New Bay €37,500 €75,000 200 Waldgeist €15,000 €12,500 -16
Banstead Manor Stud
Bated Breath £15,000 £15,000 0
Expert Eye £10,000 £7,500 -25
Frankel £200,000 £275,000 37
Kingman £150,000 £125,000 -16 Oasis Dream £20,000 £20,000 0
Belardo £9,000 £6,500 -20
Dream Ahead £7,500 £7,500 0 Mattmu £2,500 £2,000 -20 Washington DC £3,500 £3,000 -14
Bangkok £3,000 £3,000 0
Planteur £4,000 £4,000 0 Walzertakt £2,500 £2,500 0
Cheveley Park Stud
Mayson £6,000 £6,000 0
Twilight Son £7,000 £7,000 0
Ulysses £10,000 £10,000 0
Coolmore Stud
Arizona
€6,000 €5,000 -16
Australia €35,000 €25,000 -28
Blackbeard NEW - €25,000 -
Calyx €12,500 €10,000 -20
Camelot €75,000 €60,000 -20
Churchill €25,000 €30,000 20
Circus Maximus €12,500 €10,000 -20
Footstepsinthesand €12,500 €10,000 -20
Gleneagles €15,000 €17,500 17
Gustav Klimt €4,000 €4,000 0
Holy Roman Emperor €10,000 €10,000 0
Magna Grecia €17,500 €15,000 -14
No Nay Never €125,000 €175,000 40
Saxon Warrior €20,000 €35,000 75
Sioux Nation €10,000 €17,500 75
% change 2022 to 2023)
STUD / STALLION 2022 Fee 2023 Fee % + /-
Sottsass €25,000 €25,000 0
Starspangledbanner €35,000 €50,000 42
St Mark’s Basilica €65,000 €65,000 0
Ten Sovereigns €17,500 €17,500 0
US Navy Flag €12,500 €10,000 -20 Wootton Bassett €150,000 €150,000 0
Dalham Hall Stud
Cracksman
£17,500 £17,500 0
Dubawi £250,000 £350,000 40 Farhh Private PrivateHarry Angel £12,500 £10,000 -20
Iffraaj £17,500 £15,000 -14 Masar £14,000 £14,000 0 Palace Pier £55,000 £50,000 -9 Perfect Power NEW - £15,000Pinatubo £35,000 £35,000 0
Postponed £6,000 £5,000 -16 Territories £10,000 £10,000 0 Too Darn Hot £45,000 £40,000 -11
Derrinstown Stud
Awtaad €5,000 €5,000 0 Minzaal NEW - €15,000 -
Gilltown Stud Sea The Stars €150,000 €180,000 20
Hedgeholme Stud Buratino £3,000 £3,000 0
Highclere Stud Land Force £5,000 £5,000
Irish National Stud
Decorated Knight €7,500 €5,000 -33 Dragon Pulse €2,000 €2,000 0 Elusive Pimpernel €2,000 €2,000 0 Equiano €2,000 €2,000 0
Free Eagle €5,000 €5,000 0
Invincible Spirit €60,000 PrivateLucky Vega €15,000 €15,000 0 Nando Parrado €6,000 €6,000 0
Phoenix Of Spain €12,000 €12,000 0
Kildangan Stud
Blue Point €40,000 €35,000 -12 Earthlight1 €8,000 €15,000 -16 Ghaiyyath €25,000 €25,000 0
Naval Crown NEW - €15,000Night Of Thunder €75,000 €100,000 33 Profitable €12,500 €9,000 -28
Raven’s Pass €7,500 €7,500 0 Space Blues €17,500 €16,000 -8
STUD / STALLION 2022 Fee 2023 Fee % + /-
Teofilo €30,000 €30,000 0
Lanwades Stud
Bobby’s Kitten £7,000 £6,000 -14
Sea The Moon £25,000 £25,000 0
Sir Percy £7,000 PrivateStudy Of Man £12,500 £12,500 0
Manton Park Stallions
Aclaim £6,000 £10,000 66 Advertise £25,000 £20,000 -20
Mickley Stud
Almanaara £1,500 £1,500 0 Massaat £4,000 £4,000 0 Ubettabelieveit £5,000 £5,000 0
National Stud
Lope Y Fernandez £8,500 £8,500 0
Rajasinghe £3,000 £3,000 0 Stradivarius NEW - £10,000Time Test £15,000 £15,000 0
Newsells Park Stud
A’Ali £7,500 £5,000 -33 Nathaniel £15,000 £15,000 0 Without Parole £8,000 £7,000 -12
Norman Court Stud
Rumble Inthejungle £3,500 £3,500 0 Sixties Icon £3,000 £3,000 0
Nunnery Stud
Baaeed NEW - £80,000Eqtidaar £5,000 £5,000 0 Mohaather £15,000 £15,000 0 Tasleet £5,000 £6,000 20
Oakgrove Stud
Al Kazeem Private Private -
Overbury Stud
Ardad £12,500 £12,500 0
Golden Horn £10,000 £8,000 -20
Jack Hobbs £3,000 tbc -
Rathasker Stud
Bungle Inthejungle €8,000 €6,500 -18
Coulsty €4,000 €4,500 12
Gregorian €4,500 €4,500 0
Rathbarry Stud
Acclamation
€27,500 €27,500 0
James Garfield €4,000 €4,000 0
Kodi Bear €15,000 €15,000 0
State Of Rest NEW - €25,000 -
STUD / STALLION 2022 Fee 2023 Fee % + /-
Springfield House Stud
Unfortunately €3,500 €3,500 0
Starfield Stud
Far Above €5,000 €5,000 0
King Of Change €6,000 €6,000 0
Kuroshio €5,000 €5,000 0
Smooth Daddy €4,000 €4,000 0
Cotai Glory €8,500 €12,500 47
Inns Of Court €5,000 €5,000 0
Kessaar €5,000 €5,000 0
Kodiac €65,000 €40,000 -38
Mehmas €50,000 €60,000 20 Starman €17,500 €15,000 -14
Tara Stud
River Boyne €5,000 €5,000 0
Tweenhills Farm & Stud
Havana Gold £12,500 £10,000 -20 Kameko £20,000 £15,000 -25
Lightning Spear £5,000 £5,000 0 Zoustar £25,000 £30,000 20
Whitsbury Manor Stud
Due Diligence £5,000 £5,000 0 Havana Grey £6,000 £18,500 308
Sergei Prokofiev £6,000 £6,000 0 Showcasing £45,000 £45,000 0
Yeomanstown Stud
Dark Angel €60,000 €60,000 0
Invincible Army €7,500 €7,500 0
Shaman €5,000 €5,000 0 Supremacy €12,500 €10,000 -20
INTERNATIONAL THOROUGHBRED would like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a safe, healthy, successful New Year and 2023
: Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, ParisLongchamp | Winner: Alpinista
THERE COULD not be any other, could there? There was just an overwhelming feeling of delight amongst the whole racing community for the gutsy mare’s victory for owner-breeder Kirsten Rausing, trainer Sir Mark Prescott, assistant trainer William Butler, jockey Luke Morris and groom Annabel Willis.
The superb never-in-doubt victory on the Sunday before the start of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 led to a massive cheer in the Tattersalls Green Room. Through the week at Tattersalls, Prescott’s assistant trainer Butler jokingly complained that they had not managed to see nearly enough of the horses on their short list – they were waylaid everyday with congratulations given by horsemen and women on the sale ground.
It has been a year for feel-good stories and if Alpinista had not enjoyed her glorious Arc victory, this prize would have gone to the Epsom Derby – the Nathaniel colt Desert Crown the impressive winner for trainer Sir Michael Stoute, owner Saeed Suhail, jockey Richard Kingscote and breeder Strawberry Fields Stud. The mare Desert Berry heads to the Tattersalls Breeding Stock Sale (Lot 1891).
Enjoy the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe again, using this link: issuu.com/internationalthoroughbred/docs/ITB_December2022
