Passing Glance

Take more than a Passing Glance

Batsford Stud's son of Polar Falcon is enjoying a fine NH season

PASSING GLANCE stands at Batsford Stud in the UK having started out at the National Stud before transferring to David and Kathleen Holmes's Pitchall Stud, the home of the late sire Midnight Legend.

On the “Legend’s” death after the 2015 covering season, the Holmes decided to call time on their stallion operation and Passing glance moved across the Cotswold Hills to Batsford.

His NH progeny have been enjoying a fine winter. His leading performer of 2020- 21 is Dachel Drasher, an eight-year-old bred and trained by Jeremy Scott and winner of the Ascot Chase (G1) in February. He has run four times this season, winning three on the bounce and taking his BHA rating from 148 to 162. He was a Festival withdrawal after the ground quickened.

However, Latenightpass still managed to put his sire on the Festival scoreboard after a running a well in the Hunters’ Chase to finish fourth – Passing Glance one of the handful of British-based stallions over the Festival to get a result in the four.

Ahead of Cheltenham the first weekend’s racing in March saw Passing Glance enjoy a three-timer; the most exciting winner of the trio being the 5l Newbury bumper winner Charlie’s Glance, who is out of the Midnight Legend mare Call Me A Legend and bred by Pitchall Stud.

Midnight Legend is certainly doing his bit to help his former stud mate – all nine runners by Passing Glance out of mares by the former Grade 2-winning hurdler are winners.

The Varey family at Batsford Stud in the Cotswolds is a busy team through the spring – finding a 20-minute slot to chat with Alan, father to Tim who works on the stud alongside mother Anna, was a challenge.

With 20 resident broodmares and 30 mares booked for foaling, and probably more to come, as well as three active stallions in the covering barn the spring season has certainly been springing for the team.

“Some of the mares come to foal and be covered by some of our stallions, the others we will walk-in elsewhere,” explains Varey.

The first stallion stood at Batsford by the Vareys was the rare jumping entire Kadastrof and it was always the plan to stand stallions at the stud, which has a rich history as a stallion farm.

Passing Glance now stands alongside Haafhd, and the St Leger winner Harbour Law.

“Passing Glance is a rare stallion who has had a Group 1 winner on the Flat [Side Glance] and a Grade 1 winner jumping.

“Last year he saw just under 50 mares, the year previous it was just under the 90.

“At the moment for this year he is above 40 now, but without a doubt we will exceed last year’s number as he always gets a number of late mares – a lot of ownerbreeders support him and they are not too worried about a late foal, they just want a Passing Glance!

“The ones that are racing now are out of the better mares that he covered when he moved to Pitchall. His early numbers were low, but they have slowly increased and he really has had to do it the hard way,” outlines Varey.

A good reflection of a well-regarded sire is repeat business and Varey says it is “amazing the number of people who come back to him year after year and support him, for instance The Scotts have been using him on their mares for quite a number of years.”

The “Scotts” are Jeremy and wife Camilla, breeders of the sire’s Dachel Drasher. According to Varey the Grade 1 winner is a good indication of the type of NH horse that Passing Glance gets.

“They are athletic types, and they have stamina and gutsiness. When you watch Dashel Drasher and he comes to the last sometimes you think he is going to be done with, but a horse takes him on and you can see him thinking ‘No, no, no!' They are just very tough.”

For Passing Glance, as for all NH sires, it is a battle against time and the 22-yearold sire is hitting his heights now he is the wrong side of 20.

The NH stallions they click and suddenly people start to take notice, it is a numbers’ game.

“The better quality mares start coming through, it pushes the sire to the fore and then suddenly everybody wants one,” comments Varey.

He is a big supporter of the Great British Bonus Scheme saying: “We have got some really nice NH stallions in this country now, and now we have got the GBB Scheme it is encouraging more breeders to keep the mares here and breed rather than sending them to Ireland. It is a damm good bonus.

“For those breeders who don’t particularly go to market with their horse, if they could win a GBB race that pays the training for a full year.”

Passing Glance’s youngest NH stud mate is the eight-year-old St Leger winner Harbour Law (Lawman) and of him Varey says: “His first book was reasonable, last year it was in the 20s, this year will be harder for him; that is just the way it goes until runners hit the track.”

PASSING GLANCE: NH statistics

Statistics courtesy of Weatherbys www.nhstallions.co.uk