PREVIEW Wednesday, January 30, 2019
NEW SIRES Your unmissable guide to 2019’s exciting intake of British and Irish stallions, including superstars Cracksman and Roaring Lion
New Sires
2
High-class new boys aplenty
A
VERY warm welcome to our 2019 new sires supplement and to an outstanding crop of newcomers to the stallion ranks of Britain and Ireland. A bumper 30 names have been added to studs across our islands for 2019 and among their number are some of the biggest names to have set foot on the racecourse in recent times. Cracksman is a hugely exciting recruit to Darley, not only thanks to his outstanding performances but to his being a son of the mighty Frankel, while Saxon Warrior, a Classic-winning son of Deep Impact, is Coolmore’s latest heavy-hitter heading to the breeding shed. Roaring Lion was a superstar for Qatar Racing and will head up a Tweenhills Stud roster also given a massive injection of star power by the arrival of Australia’s reigning champion first-season sire Zoustar, whose yearlings were among the most sought after at the recent Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. There is something for breeders at every price level. Fans of the ill-fated Poet’s Voice will be intrigued by the arrival of his best son Poet’s Word at Nunnery Stud, while Rathbarry’s James Garfield could prove to be the heir to his brilliant sire Exceed And Excel. I would like to wish you all the best with your matings and also take the opportunity to thank everybody I have met and been supported by in this wonderful industry during my tenure as the Racing Post’s group bloodstock editor, which will come to an end this month. MARK SCULLY
CONTENTS 2-11 Guide to the new sires in Britain and Ireland 12 Interview with Ed Harper of Whitsbury Manor Stud, home to new recruit Havana Grey 14 Notable sire relocations in Britain and Ireland 14 Guide to the major new additions to the stallion ranks in mainland Europe
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 racingpost.com
From Cracksman to Zoustar – fresh talent joining the rosters in Britain and Ireland Cracksman
Age: 5; colour: bay; pedigree: FrankelRhadegunda (Pivotal) Standing at Dalham Hall Stud; price: £25,000 Racing Post Rating high: 131 In a year loaded with exciting recruits to stud, Cracksman takes high rank following a thrilling and intriguing racing career. Asked to remember the horse, the image most fans will conjure is that of him pulverising a 2017 Champion Stakes field that included Poet’s Word, Highland Reel, Recoletos, Cliffs Of Moher and Barney Roy. That seven-length Ascot demolition job saw him leap from the realms of being merely a very good horse to a generational talent. He would repeat the trick 12 months later, smashing another high-class rival in Crystal Ocean by six lengths, but, unfairly for the horse, it is perhaps the races he did not win that made his career so remarkable. At Epsom he finished third in Wings Of Eagles’ Derby before Capri held him at bay at the Curragh in Ireland’s equivalent. Denied Classic honours, he would also sidestep a meeting with stablemate Enable in the Arc in favour of his two Ascot triumphs. Could he have lowered her colours in France? He also suffered a shock reverse at Royal Ascot in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes in 2018, admittedly defeated by no slouch in Poet’s Word, but one he appeared to have the measure of. Cracksman was not straightforward. At four his mind, at times, appeared on anything but racing and he appeared unable to transfer his talents to all venues, Epsom seemingly blunting his brilliance. Make no mistake, though, he was a supremely talented racehorse, as his 130 rating attests, while his pedigree is to die for. By the world’s pre-eminent emerging sire in Frankel, he is out of a mare by Pivotal, whose
Expert Eye: an outstanding juvenile who proved equally adept in challenging conditions overseas as an older horse
influence as a broodmare sire of considerable note was emphasised last year. It is this that breeders should focus on, along with how thrilling he was at his exhilarating best.
Dylan Mouth
8 b Dylan ThomasCottonmouth (Noverre) Worsall Grange; £2,000 RPR 116 British breeders have been granted two seasons by which to judge the racecourse merits of Dylan Mouth with their own eyes following his switch from Stefano to Marco Botti in the spring of 2016, but the son of Dylan Thomas achieved his best form – at least by Racing
Post Ratings – during a prolific spell in Italy throughout the earlier years of his career, the highlight of three top-level victories in the then Group 1 Gran Premio Del Jockey Club at Milan earning him a career-best RPR of 116. Dylan Mouth won twice on these shores, producing a commendable weight-carrying performance when landing the highly-competitive Old Newton Cup at Haydock in 2017, while he proved himself Pattern class outside of Italy with a game success in the Group 3 Silver Cup at York last summer. A son of Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and six-time Group 1 winner Dylan Thomas, who is also responsible for Yorton Farm Stud resident Pether’s Moon, whose first yearlings are set to grace the track this season, Dylan Mouth is a half-brother to a brace of Italian Listed winners. His dam – the Noverre mare Cottonmouth – was a Group 3
Cracksman: a supremely talented racehorse with a pedigree to die for
winner over ten furlongs in Italy, while she is a half-sister to smart dual-purpose performer Jumbo Rio.
Expert Eye
4 b Acclamation-Exemplify (Dansili) Banstead Manor Stud; £20,000 RPR 120 It is impossible to forget the impression made by Expert Eye at Goodwood in August 2017. A Vintage Stakes that included the likes of Mildenberger, Seahenge and James Garfield was turned into a procession by Expert Eye on the second start of his career. He moved so powerfully to the front before pulling away to win by four and a half lengths that there was little doubt he was a Group 1 winner in waiting if ever we had seen one. The Classic period of his career may subsequently have failed to deliver on expectations but it would be unfair for that to tarnish what was a fine overall record. The Jersey Stakes was won by the widest margin this century as he bounced back to form, but the best was saved for last as he posted a historical victory in America. No British-trained horse had
Bloodstock Pocket Post Wednesday, January 30, 2019
won the Breeders’ Cup Mile since 1994 but Expert Eye put an end to that run, handling the rain-softened Churchill Downs track well and settling better than he had been earlier in the year. Being such an outstanding juvenile by Acclamation alone makes him a fascinating prospect, given the exploits of Dark Angel and the warm reception granted to Aclaim last year. The fact he also proved himself adept in challenging conditions overseas as an older horse only adds to the allure. A fourth-generation Juddmonte homebred, Expert Eye is out of Dansili’s daughter Exemplify, a half-sister to the 1,000 Guineas winner and top two-year-old Special Duty.
Frontiersman
6 br Dubawi-Ouija Board (Cape Cross) Overbury Stud; private RPR 119 While he did not light up the track in the way his half-brother Australia, or mother, the seven-time Group/Grade 1-winning Ouija Board, or father Dubawi did, Frontiersman was a Listed
winner and Group 1 runner-up behind Highland Reel in a Coronation Cup at four. Among the most eyecatching pedigrees heading to stud in 2019 is that boasted by Frontiersman, who is a Dubawi half-brother to dual Derby hero and Coolmore stallion Australia. Plenty of breeders will be keen to make inquiries to Overbury Stud, where he will stand for a private fee, to discover the affordability of Frontiersman given that Australia is a €35,000 option. Overbury Stud manager Simon Sweeting said: “He’s an intriguing stallion prospect, plenty talented enough and with that amazing pedigree. “The history books say that a stallion this well bred doesn’t have to be a Group 1 winner to excel at stud. Kodiac and Fairy King spring to mind, and Dubawi himself is out of a mare by Deploy; like Frontiersman, he was a
Harbour Law: the St Leger-winning son of Lawman is another fine advert for Pivotal as a damsire
New Sires Group 1 runner-up who was a half-brother to a Derby winner out of a great racemare.”
Gustav Klimt
4 b Galileo-Massarra (Danehill) Coolmore Stud; €7,500 RPR 119 If a signature performance at two is what breeders are looking for then Gustav Klimt will have no problem attracting business. As the field hit the rising ground in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket in 2017, Gustav Klimt was desperately short of room but, switched half the width of the track to the far side by Ryan Moore with a furlong to go, he somehow pulled it out of the fire to score in that way we love so much – when defeat seemed all but certain. Classic glory did not follow but he was far from disgraced as a three-year-old. Beaten half a length by
3 Without Parole in the St James’s Palace Stakes, he was placed in four Group 1s, including over six furlongs in the Sprint Cup at Haydock. The performances are excellent and the pedigree lives up to them. Any son of Galileo heading to stud is bound to turn heads and this one does so with good reason. Out of Danehill’s daughter Massarra, Gustav Klimt boasts an illustrious array of siblings. His brother Mars also placed in a St James’s Palace, while his sisters Wonderfully and Cuff achieved RPRs in excess of 100, as did his half-sister Nayarra, by Cape Cross. Gustav Klimt is not only the latest son of Galileo to head to stud but one of a number of high-quality performers out of Danehill mares. Highland Reel, Intello and, of course, Frankel are bred on the same cross.
Harbour Law
6 b Lawman-Abunai (Pivotal) Batsford Stud; £4,000 RPR 116 With an attitude to commend in spades and a staying prowess that would make even the cliched mother-in-law comparison look too subtle,
Harbour Law perhaps assumes the guise of a more traditional thoroughbred than we have become accustomed to taking up stallion duties in recent years. However, his victory in the 2016 St Leger – a late-on-the-scene success under a masterful ride by George Baker – proved him to be a rapidly-progressive performer who was certainly not short of class. A dual winner before his success at Doncaster, Harbour Law would subsequently finish third in the Gold Cup as a four-year-old, staying on in the closing stages when plenty more had cried enough, finishing six lengths adrift of Big Orange and Order Of St George – two of the best stayers of recent times. The son of Lawman retires to stud boasting a number of attributes beside his attitude to the job in hand and ability to keep galloping, Harbour Law being another fine advert for Pivotal as a damsire. He is also a half-brother to the Group 3-placed Moheet, who won a maiden by seven lengths on his sole outing at two. Continues page 4
Whatdid Cracksman
have that Frankel had? That amazing engine room and that extraordinary stride. If you watch that slo-mo of him up the straight at Ascot, that is some stride. And that’s what Frankel had.
The best
LIKE Frankel
John Gosden
See our film about him online
NEW WORLD CHAMPION CRACKSMAN £25,000 Oct 1, SLF
Frankel – Rhadegunda (Pivotal) Stands at Dalham Hall Stud, UK +44 (0)1638 730070 +353 (0)45 527600 darleystallions.com
Darley
New Sires
4
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 racingpost.com
From page 3
Harry Angel
5 b Dark Angel-Beatrix Potter (Cadeaux Genereux) Dalham Hall Stud; £20,000 RPR 128 Breeders would be hard pushed to name a better sprinter to have retired to Britain’s stallion ranks in recent decades than Harry Angel. Having achieved a best official rating of 125, Harry Angel is Dark Angel’s best entire runner, with only the gelded Battaash posting a higher mark. His 12 races yielded two Group 1 successes and a further three Group 2s, as well as honourable defeats at the hands of some of the best of his generation. The first of the top-level victories came in the July Cup of 2017 when he got the better of the previous year’s winner Limato by a length and a quarter. In a field that also included Brando, Caravaggio and The Tin Man, Harry Angel put on a display of raw pace and had the race won from some way out. Given a midsummer break, he would return at Haydock to add the Sprint Cup in September in circumstances that were far from ideal. Wet conditions put his participation in jeopardy, but he produced an outstanding display that confirmed not only his brilliance but his versatility. Even in defeat he lost little. At three he took part in a brilliant running of the Commonwealth Cup, finishing second to Caravaggio, over whom he would gain his revenge. All of this makes him a mouthwatering prospect, given what Dark Angel has already achieved and given that stallion’s rapid ascent through the price ranks. Plenty will be hoping some of that stardust has rubbed off on his son when it comes to his stud career.
Havana Grey
4 gr Havana Gold-Blanc De Chine (Dark Angel) Whitsbury Manor Stud; £8,000 RPR 115 If the overarching demands of the current bloodstock market could be condensed into the attributes displayed in just one horse then look no further than Havana Grey, who was quick, hardy and performed to a high level at both two and three. A no-nonsense type who was at his best racing off the front end, Havana Grey achieved his
Harry Angel: a dual Group 1 sprint-winning son of rising stallion star Dark Angel
James Garfield ‘sure to prove a very commercial stallion for breeders’ peak form as a juvenile when finishing runner-up in the Prix Morny, succumbing to stable companion Unfortunately by a length and a quarter having previously posted an all-the-way win in the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood. A low-key start to his three-year-old campaign preceded a much more profitable second half of the summer, victory in the Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh in July paving the way for a successful return to the same course and distance in September, Havana Grey plundering the Flying Five Stakes by half a length – the first time the race had been run as a Group 1 contest. That success was a landmark victory for his sire Havana Gold, himself a high-class two-year-old who would make his breakthrough in top-tier company at three. Havana Grey’s speed was no surprise given his pedigree is stacked with five-furlong performers, including his quick and prolific dam Blanc De Chine.
James Garfield: can he step up and cement his place as Exceed And Excel’s great stallion son? On paper, he has a chance
Hawkbill
6 ch Kitten’s Joy-Trensa (Giant’s Causeway) Dalham Hall Stud; £7,500 RPR 121 There can hardly have been a better time for Hawkbill to retire to stud. As well performed on the track as he undoubtedly is, the exploits of another son of Kitten’s Joy, Roaring Lion, will likely make breeders take extra notice given their respective fees. Having the same sire is not the only similarity between the two rookie stallions either, with Hawkbill also a winner of the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, a performance in 2016 that earned him an RPR of 121, not far off Roaring Lion’s 123 in the same race last summer. If it is versatility and toughness breeders are looking for in their stallion, they ought to look no further than Hawkbill, who finished in the first three 16 times from 24 starts, winning ten, including twice at the highest level. As well as that Sandown success, he took last year’s Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan, defeating
Poet’s Word, to add to victories at Group 2 and 3 level. He also won three times as a two-year-old, carrying a run of six races undefeated into his first three starts at three. A half-brother to the Grade 1 winner Free Drop Billy, Hawkbill is bettered in the El Prado line by earnings by only Medaglia D’Oro, while only Roaring Lion boasts a better rating as a son of Kitten’s Joy. On his retirement, trainer Charlie Appleby said: “He was a wonderful racehorse who will be remembered for bringing Moulton Paddocks to the international stage. “He was an ambassador for Godolphin who gave everybody connected with him immense pleasure.”
James Garfield
4 c Exceed And Excel-Whazzat (Daylami) Rathbarry Stud; €7,000 RPR 119 It is possible Exceed And Excel remains a touch underrated given his achievements in both hemispheres. A particularly brilliant source of outstanding juvenile talent, he features among an exclusive list of stallions to have sired 150 stakes winners, one which naturally includes some of the greats of the turf. However, in respect to leaving his legacy through sons at stud, the baton remains up for grabs both in Europe and Australia. Bungle
Inthejungle has done little wrong but the jury is yet to return verdicts on most others at this stage. Is James Garfield the one to step up and cement his place as Exceed And Excel’s great stallion son? On paper, he certainly has a chance. He made his debut in May as a two-year-old and raced seven times in total, including taking his chance at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar, with his best performance coming in the Mill Reef Stakes, for which he earned a mark of 106, higher than those attained by the two previous winners of the race, Ribchester and Harry Angel. James Garfield built on that at three, defeating Expert Eye in the Greenham Stakes, and on his retirement Rathbarry Stud’s Paul Cashman said: “He was a very tough and genuine racehorse; a Group-winning two-year-old who carried it on to be a Group winner at three. “I loved James Garfield’s hardiness and his ability to cope with different ground conditions. I’m sure he’ll prove to be a very commercial stallion for breeders.” His female line stands up to scrutiny too, his mother Whazzat being a winner of the 2004 Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot as a two-year-old, which also bodes well for the precocity of James Garfield’s sons and daughters to come.
Jungle Cat
7 b Iffraaj-Mike’s Wildcat (Forest Wildcat) Kildangan Stud; €8,000 RPR 120 Toughness. Longevity. Class. All words it is hard to argue ought not to be associated with the brilliantly likeable Jungle Cat. In a career that began under the stewardship of Mark Johnson and ended with Charlie Appleby, Jungle Cat raced 33 times between the ages of two and six, winning at least once every year except for a curtailed three-year-old campaign. Only seven of his starts came outside of stakes company and he finished in the first three on 21 occasions, keeping company among future stallions such as Ivawood, Muhaarar and Profitable. His long-overdue breakthrough at the highest level arrived in 2018 and, fittingly for a horse of his nature, came on two different continents. He struck first in the Al Quoz Sprint before heading to Australia to join the club of successful Appleby
Bloodstock Pocket Post Wednesday, January 30, 2019
raiders in Melbourne, landing the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes over seven furlongs. On the horse’s retirement last year Sam Bullard, Darley’s director of stallions, said: “Jungle Cat is every inch his father’s son. Like him, he was tremendously fast, and with Group 1 form from five to seven furlongs. “To be a nose behind Muhaarar at two and yet be at his very best in his 31st start as a six-year-old just goes to show what an utterly admirable racehorse he was.” Jungle Cat is the second son of Iffraaj to join the Kildangan Stud roster in as many years following Ribchester’s arrival 12 months ago and, given both the success of Iffraaj in the southern hemisphere and the fact Jungle Cat made himself known to breeders in that part of the world, it would be no surprise to see him join his studmate in shuttling come the winter.
Kessaar
3 b Kodiac-Querulous (Raven’s Pass) Tally-Ho Stud; €8,000 RPR 114 The rise of Kodiac as one of the go-to commercial stallions has underwritten the exploits of Tally-Ho Stud in recent years and the O’Callaghan family responsible for the County Westmeath nursery will try to ensure his stock continues to grow through Kessaar, the seventh son of Kodiac to retire to stud but the first to stand alongside his sire. A rock-and-roll juvenile who was unfortunate to not make a successful debut over six furlongs at York having suffered significant interference in the closing stages, Kessaar improved under the watchful eye of John Gosden as the season progressed, winning the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes at Kempton with a taking burst of acceleration in the closing stages. Equipped with a hood for his final five racecourse starts, Kessaar produced a wide-margin career-best performance when landing the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury later in the month, making all under Frankie Dettori and powering clear in testing conditions.
Jungle Cat: a tough performer, he ran 33 times between the ages of two and six, with his first Group 1 triumphs coming on two continents last year
Kessaar would make his final outing in Group 1 company, contesting the Criterium International at Chantilly, and he was far from disgraced in finishing fourth, looming like a potent threat approaching the two-furlong marker before fading late on, his stamina seemingly stretched on his sole outing over seven furlongs. A brother to three-time winner Breaking Records, Kessaar was purchased by Hugo Merry Bloodstock for 100,000gns at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. He hails from the family of US Graded winner Gone Astray and American champion Inside Information, while he becomes the fifth Group 2-winning son of Kodiac to retire to stud, joining Adaay, Ardad, Kodi Bear and Prince Of Lir.
New Sires
5
JAMES GARFIELD EXCEED AND EXCEL x WHAZZAT
NEW FOR 2019
Lancaster Bomber
5 b War Front-Sun Shower (Indian Ridge) National Stud; £8,500 RPR 119 A career record of two victories from 18 starts does not to do justice to the Lancaster Bomber story. Often tasked with setting the early fractions for more strongly-fancied stable companions, the son of War Front developed into a high-class performer in his own right, securing a richly-deserved Group 1 success in the Tattersalls Gold Cup on his final outing at the Curragh in May. The trailblazing nature of that victory, and his willingness in the closing stages on his first start over the extended ten furlongs, was testament to the qualities embodied by the horse: a tough and uncomplicated character with tactical speed over any trip. Runner-up in the Dewhurst Stakes as a juvenile, Lancaster Bomber improved on that form at three, finishing fourth in the 2,000 Guineas and runner-up in the St James’ Continues page 6
Record Breaking Gr.2 Winning 2-Y-O and Gr.3 Winning 3-Y-O Out of a Stakes winning Royal Ascot 2-Y-O, from the immediate family of INVINCIBLE SPIRIT & KODIAC “I think it was obvious to everyone his will to win. He was a very precocious 2 year old blessed with a tremendous amount of speed.” Frankie De ori, jockey
Rathbarry Stud, Fermoy, Co Cork, Ireland • P61 TX22 +353 (0)25 36362 • info@rathbarrystud.com • www.rathbarrystud.com
New Sires
6 From page 5 Palace Stakes, briefly looking like he had all seven of his rivals in trouble turning into the Ascot home straight. Lancaster Bomber retires to stud having finished second on five occasions in top-flight company – he would post gallant efforts in the Woodbine Mile and Breeders’ Cup Mile in the autumn of his three-year-old campaign – while he was beaten only two lengths by Thunder Snow on his sole outing on dirt. Another fine advert for the qualities stamped by War Front, Lancaster Bomber amassed an overall record not too dissimilar to his high-class half-brother Excelebration, a triple Group 1 winner who also played the bridesmaid to Frankel on four occasions, while his fellow half-brother Mull Of Killough was a three-time Group 3 winner who twice finished second at Group 2 level.
Lightning Spear
8 ch Pivotal-Atlantic Destiny (Royal Academy) Tweenhills Stud; £8,500 RPR 122 Good things come to those who wait. And while the wait might have lasted six seasons, the moment was certainly sweet when it was finally over. Before his victory in the Sussex Stakes last August, Lightning Spear had finished placed in Group 1 company on six previous occasions, including an agonising short-head reverse to Rhododendron in the Lockinge Stakes a little over ten weeks earlier. While that defeat might have been seen by some as a last-chance saloon for the son of Pivotal, he was not to be denied his moment in the sun at Goodwood, quickening up readily under Oisin Murphy to beat subsequent Breeders’ Cup Mile hero Expert Eye by a length and a half and breaking his top-tier hoodoo on his 24th career start. Lightning Spear proved a model of consistency throughout his prolonged career, winning his first four outings over a 22-month period but returning to the track much more frequently thereafter, supplementing his Sussex Stakes victory with back-to-back wins in the Celebration Mile Stakes over the same course and distance in 2016 and 2017. A half-brother to Listed winner Ocean War, Lightning Spear is out of Sirenia Stakes
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 racingpost.com
Lightning Spear: the Tweenhills Stud newcomer finished placed six times in Group 1 company before his breakthrough in 2018
Lightning Spear proved a model of consistency throughout his career winner Atlantic Destiny and he looks set to prove another high-class son of Pivotal to join the stallion ranks.
Massaat
6 b Teofilo-Madany (Acclamation) Mickley Stud; £5,000 RPR 118 Massaat might not have won at Group 1 level but he was undoubtedly one of the best performers of his generation, finishing runner-up in the Dewhurst Stakes on only his third start as a juvenile before getting within a length and a half of Galileo Gold in the 2,000 Guineas on his seasonal reappearance at three. The latter performance, in which Massaat also finished two lengths ahead of subsequent European champion miler Ribchester, was awarded an RPR of 117, 1lb below his peak effort by those metrics, which came on the back of a 373-day absence in the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury in 2017. A strong-travelling son of Teofilo who was versatile between seven furlongs and a mile on ground ranging from good to firm to soft, Massaat posted four
Order Of St George: in the frame in two attempts at the Arc, the top-class stayer has a pedigree page replete with stakes performers
individual RPRs of 116 or greater, including when finishing runner-up to Limato – conceding him 3lb – on his final outing in the Challenge Stakes at Newmarket. A Shadwell homebred, Massaat is out of the speedy juvenile Madany, making him a half-brother to the 2018 Commonwealth Cup winner Eqtidaar. Furthermore, he hails from a family that combines both precocity (all six of his dam’s half-sisters won at two) with staying prowess further down the line (his second dam Belle De Cadix won over 13
furlongs as a three-year-old), making him a versatile choice for a variety of breeders’ outlooks.
Master Carpenter
8 ch Mastercraftsman-Fringe (In The Wings) GG Bloodstock and Racing, Kirtling; £2,000 RPR 114 A thoroughly likeable performer who kept coming back for more across five seasons of racing, Master Carpenter finished his career with seven wins from 53 outings, including victory in the highly competitive John Smith’s Cup at York in 2015. For that success, achieved under the hefty burden of 9st 4lb, he was awarded a career-high RPR of 114, although his class at stakes level was evident throughout his extended period on the track having been placed seven times in Group or Listed company, while he also posted an RPR of 111 or higher on five individual occasions. A strong-travelling type, Master Carpenter finished within a length of Canadian International winner and now Worsall Grange resident Cannock Chase in the Huxley Stakes at Chester in 2016, while he was not beaten far when fourth behind subsequent Prince of Wales’s Stakes hero My Dream Boat in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown in the same season,
with the winner set to stand for a fee of €4,000 at Clongiffen Stud this year. A son of Mastercraftsman, who is set to have his credentials as a sire of sires tested for the first time this season when the maiden crop of two-year-olds by Kingston Hill hit the track, Master Carpenter hails from the exceptional family of Prix de Diane winner Rafha, herself the dam of high-class sires Invincible Spirit and Kodiac, alongside prolific broodmare Massarra, whose roll of honour includes St James’s Palace Stakes third Mars and fellow newcomer to the stallion ranks Gustav Klimt.
Order Of St George
7 b Galileo-Another Storm (Gone West) Castlehyde Stud; €6,500 RPR 125 The Aidan O’Brien-trained Order Of St George quickly announced himself as an exciting prospect in the Michael Tabor colours, winning a Leopardstown maiden at two by an emphatic eight and a half lengths, the year after Free Eagle won the same contest. He earned his first black type when a close second in the Listed Eyrefield Stakes at the same course on his fifth and final juvenile start. His three-year-old campaign culminated in success in the Irish St Leger, when he put clear daylight between himself and Agent Murphy, although his most memorable victory came in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot at four when he downed Mizzou by three lengths. Sent off the hot odds-on favourite,
Bloodstock Pocket Post Wednesday, January 30, 2019
he found only Wicklow Brave too good when trying to defend his Irish St Leger crown that September, but made amends with another runaway victory in the same contest as a five-year-old. He also finished third and fourth in two Arc attempts. Order Of St George boasts a page replete with stakes performers – four of his siblings having also attained black type, including Grade 3 scorer Angel Terrace and Group 3-winning miler Asperity. Only two sires have been crowned champion sire in Britain and Ireland more times than Order Of St George’s father Galileo – his own progenitor Sadler’s Wells and, from an earlier era, the mighty Highflyer. Galileo is also carving out a reputation as a sire of jumps stallions, with Beeches Stud in County Waterford home to Soldier Of Fortune, the busiest covering sire in Europe over the past three years, as well as Imperial Monarch, Mahler and Sans Frontieres. Meanwhile Vendangeur, the sire of Grade 1 novice chase winner Arzal, holds court at Anngrove Stud in County Laois. Order Of St George – who earned an RPR of 125 for each of his wins in the Irish St Leger – is available immediately to jumps breeders at a €6,500 fee.
Poet’s Word
6 b Poet’s Voice-Whirly Bird (Nashwan) Nunnery Stud; £7,000 RPR 128 Having finished fourth to Muhaarar’s Dubawi half-brother Mootaharer on his sole start at two in an October maiden at Newmarket, Poet’s Word’s RPR rose to 111 the following year, his progressing through the ranks to win a valuable handicap at Goodwood. As a four-year-old he stamped his Group 1 credentials by finishing second to Decorated Knight in the Irish Champion Stakes and
to Cracksman in the Ascot equivalent, having won the Group 3 Glorious Stakes at Goodwood that August. Poet’s Word was second to Hawkbill in the Dubai Sheema Classic the following spring and hit top gear last summer, stringing together wins in the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes, Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the latter two performances earning him an RPR of 128. His swansong came when finishing second to Horse of the Year Roaring Lion in the Juddmonte International at York. Poet’s Word, a six-year-old son of Poet’s Voice, joins Makfi stallion Make Believe as another paternal grandson of Dubawi at stud. His sire, Darley’s homebred QEII winner Poet’s Voice, died in March last year after suffering a heart attack at the age of 11, with Poet’s Word his highest-rated progeny with an RPR of 128. Poet’s Voice will be sorely missed among breeders in both hemispheres after his son Trap For Fools also made his Group 1 breakthrough in the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington last November. Just like Dubawi’s many sons at stud, Poet’s Word represents a cheaper alternative for breeders hoping to access the same sire line that provided last year’s top juveniles Quorto and Too Darn Hot. Bred by Woodcote Stud, Poet’s Word is a half-brother to the dual Group 3 winner Malabar out of the Listed-placed Whirly Bird, who won five of her seven starts. Whirly Bird is also the granddam of Group 2 juvenile scorer Beckford through her daughter Whirly Dancer. Poet’s Word was a 300,000gns yearling purchase for Charlie Gordon-Watson, which is testament to his good looks.
Rajasinghe
4 b Choisir-Bunditten (Soviet Star) National Stud; £5,000 RPR 108 Rajasinghe broke the six-furlong juvenile track record at Ascot in 2017 when fending off 17 rivals to win the Group 2 Coventry Stakes on only his second start. He came into the race off the back of a Continues page 8 Rajasinghe: a son of Choisir from a fast family who was a Royal Ascot-winning juvenile on only his second start
New Sires
The only 2yo Group 1 winner retiring to stud in Britain in 2019
Unfortunately A Champion 2yo Colt and winner of the Group 1 Prix Morny in the 2nd fastest time for 50 years, faster than No Nay Never, Shalaa, Lady Aurelia, Dabirsim, Machiavellian, Zafonic, etc.
He is the highest rated son of the dual Group 1 winning sprinter and Champion First Crop Sire SOCIETY ROCK First season fee: £7,500 (1st Oct. SLF)
Cheveley Park Stud
Tel: +44 (0)1638 730316 • www.cheveleypark.co.uk
7
New Sires
8
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 racingpost.com
Even in a stable full of stars Roaring Lion has been one of the most talked-about horses From page 7 four-length victory in a Newcastle all-weather novice stakes. Following the Coventry, Rajasinghe had three more starts as a juvenile, including a third-place finish to Cardsharp in the Group 2 July Stakes, and did not disgrace himself when chasing home US Navy Flag in the Middle Park Stakes and Mendelssohn in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. His final start came when running down the field in last year’s 2,000 Guineas, although he will be remembered first and foremost for his Royal Ascot triumph. Rajasinghe is one of seven winners out of the Queen Mary Stakes fourth Bunditten, who produced another juvenile sprinter of her ability in Kurland. Bunditten is a daughter of Soviet Star and Felicita, a dual Listed-winning sprinter as a juvenile in France and granddaughter of the 1968 1,000 Guineas heroine Caergwrle. Choisir – winner of both the King’s Stand and Golden Jubilee Stakes in a memorable raid on Royal Ascot in 2003 – has a number of sons excelling at stud, including Olympic Glory, a multiple Group 1-winning sprinter-miler who sired 21 first-crop winners last year, and Starspangledbanner, the resurgent sire who has benefited from careful management since siring two
first-crop Royal Ascot winners in 2014 in The Wow Signal and Anthem Alexander. We also have the first yearlings by Middle Park Stakes scorer The Last Lion to look forward to this season.
Roaring Lion
4 ro/gr Kitten’s Joy-Vionnet (Street Sense) Tweenhills Stud; £40,000 RPR 127 Even in a stable full of stars like Cracksman, Enable, Stradivarius and Too Darn Hot, Roaring Lion has been one of the most talked-about horses in recent years. Following his success in the Royal Lodge Stakes, he almost emerged as an unbeaten juvenile – his only defeat in four starts at two when headed by Saxon Warrior in the dying strides of the Racing Post Trophy (now Vertem Futurity). Roaring Lion proved even better as a three-year-old, and after finishing fifth to Saxon Warrior in the Guineas and third to Masar in the Derby, he started winning Group 1s for fun, recording successes in the Eclipse, Juddmonte International, Irish Champion and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. Even the dirt kickback could not stop him from giving his all before he faded from contention in the Breeders’ Cup Classic won by Accelerate. Last year marked the sixth year in a row in which Kitten’s
Roaring Lion: the top-class son of Kitten’s Joy settles in to his new surroundings at Tweenhills Stud
Joy, an 18-year-old El Prado stallion, emerged on top of the leading turf sires’ table in North America, with names like Bobby’s Kitten, Sadler’s Joy and Stephanie’s Kitten among the sire’s 12 top-flight winners. He accumulated $8.2 million in progeny earnings on turf, pushing him more than $2m clear of his nearest rival, while his son Oscar Performance will take his place at Mill Ridge Stud after adding a fourth Grade 1 win in the Woodbine Mile last season. Kitten’s Joy has also made his mark on this side of the Atlantic, with Hawkbill landing the Dubai Sheema Classic last year to add to his win in the 2016 Eclipse Stakes, and Roaring Lion stringing together four wins at the highest level. Roaring Lion has an impressive pedigree as a son of the Grade 1-placed mare Vionnet, who is one of five
black-type performers, along with US-bred Grade 2-winning miler Schiaparelli, out of Grade 3-winning sprinter Cambiocorsa.
Saxon Warrior
4 b Deep Impact-Maybe (Galileo) Coolmore Stud; €30,000 RPR 122 Saxon Warrior had a flawless two-year-old season, winning an August maiden at the Curragh by more than three lengths before seeing off the likes of Delano Roosevelt and Kew Gardens in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes at Naas. After surrendering the lead to Roaring Lion in the Racing Post Trophy, he fought valiantly to claw back that rival and win the mile contest by a neck. He annexed a second Group 1 in the 2,000 Guineas last spring, with Tip Two Win and subsequent Derby winner Masar filling the placings.
That performance was enough to see him sent off favourite for the Derby, and despite meeting with trouble in running he stayed on to grab fourth inside the final furlong. He was third, beaten less than a length, to Latrobe on his next start in the Irish Derby before his rivalry with Roaring Lion reached new heights when chasing him home, a neck separating them, in two epic tussles in the Eclipse and Irish Champion Stakes, as well as finishing fourth to the son of Kitten’s Joy in the Juddmonte International in the interim. Saxon Warrior boasts a true Classic pedigree, being out of the 1,000 Guineas third and Oaks fifth Maybe, a daughter of Galileo who also landed the Moyglare Stud Stakes as a juvenile. Maybe is out of Sumora, a Listed-winning three-parts sister to Oaks heroine Dancing Rain, who
The fastest horse from the Galileo sire line View him at the TBA stallion parade
HAVANA GREY By HAVANA GOLD x BLANC DE CHINE by DARK ANGEL
Group One Winning Sprinter
Contact: Phil Haworth or Ed Harper 01725 518254 www.whitsburymanorstud.co.uk
Bloodstock Pocket Post Wednesday, January 30, 2019
also won the German equivalent, while their dam Rain Flower is an unraced three-parts sister to Derby winner Dr Devious. Deep Impact is himself a Classic hero with wins in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger). His list of Group 1 winners outside of Japan includes French Classic scorers Beauty Parlour and Study Of Man.
Sioux Nation
4 b Scat Daddy-Dream The Blues (Oasis Dream) Coolmore Stud; €12,500 RPR 115 Sioux Nation, a four-year-old son of Scat Daddy, joined his paternal half-brother No Nay Never on the Norfolk Stakes roll of honour in 2017 before making his Group 1 breakthrough in the Phoenix Stakes on his next start, seeing off Beckford by half a length. He returned as a three-year-old last season, winning the Group 3 Lacken Stakes at Naas and almost recording a second top-flight win when getting to within a length of Havana Grey in the Flying Five Stakes. Sioux Nation’s best performance by RPR was his Lacken Stakes triumph, for which he received a mark of 115. He is one of two winners out of the Oasis Dream mare Dream The Blues along with his former stablemate and juvenile scorer Isle Of Innisfree. Dream The Blues is a half-sister to Sovereign Path Handicap scorer Colour Blue and Catch The Sea, dam of four black-type performers including French Group 3 winner My Catch. Dream The Blues is a granddaughter of Dear Lorraine, the dam of Ballyogan Stakes scorer Catch The Blues, whose half-sister Sharp Catch was third in the same contest. Dear Lorraine is out of the Listed-placed Native Loraine, who is also the ancestress of the next stallion in this list, Smooth Daddy. Scat Daddy’s sons No Nay Never and Daddy Long Legs have already supplied their first Group 1 winners at stud in Ten Sovereigns and Chilean champion two-year-old colt Fallen From
Saxon Warrior: had a flawless two-year-old season and lived up to his Classic pedigree with victory in the 2,000 Guineas
New Sires
Heaven respectively, with Caravaggio, Justify, Mendelssohn and Seahenge other sons of Scat Daddy recently recruited to stud.
Smooth Daddy
8 b Scat Daddy-Prairie Maiden (Badger Land) Clongiffen Stud; €5,000 RPR 102 Smooth Daddy was a classy turf runner who placed six times in stakes company and rallied to deny Time Test in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy Stakes at Belmont Park in 2017. As a €5,000 option for breeders, Compas Stallions’ new recruit represents a cheaper alternative to other Scat Daddy stallions standing in Ireland, with No Nay Never’s fee quadrupling to €100,000, Caravaggio staying put at €35,000 and Sioux Nation being introduced at €12,500, while Yeomanstown Stud’s El Kabeir is set to stand a second season at €8,000. Hailing from the same Native Loraine clan as Sioux Nation, Smooth Daddy is one of six winners out of minor stakes winner Prairie Maiden, also the producer of US stakes scorer Prairie Charm and the US Listed-placed Virgin Voyage. Prairie Maiden is a granddaughter of Native Loraine – the fourth dam of Sioux Nation and half-sister to the 1974 Prix du Jockey Club hero Caracolero.
Tasleet
6 b Showcasing-Bird Key (Cadeaux Genereux) Nunnery Stud; £6,000 RPR 119 Tasleet was a stakes winner at two, three and four, with his six-start juvenile campaign including wins in the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury Continues page 10
TASLEET Showcasing - Bird Key (Cadeaux Genereux)
Group 1 sprinter from the immediate family of BATTAASH RATED HIGHER than his red-hot sire SHOWCASING, who is standing at £55,000 in 2019 A stakes winner at 2, 3 and 4
£6,000 (Jan 1st, SLF) - NOMINATIONS STILL AVAILABLE
POET’S WORD Poet’s Voice - Whirly Bird (Nashwan)
The ONLY horse to DEFEAT Cracksman in 2018 129 Timeform rating - following victories in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Closely related to Group-winning juveniles Beckford and Malabar from the family of Group 1sire Inchinor
£7,000 (Jan 1st, SLF) Discover more about the Shadwell Stallions at www.shadwellstud.com Or call Richard Lancaster, James O’Donnell or Tom Pennington on 01842 755913 Email us at: nominations@shadwellstud.co.uk
9
New Sires
10
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 racingpost.com
It is rare a stallion of such high esteem as Zoustar shuttles from Australia to Europe From page 105 and the Premier Yearling Stakes at York. He raced twice at three, although that included victory in a three-runner Group 3 Greenham Stakes at Chelmsford. He improved further as a four-year-old, winning the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes, with runner-up efforts in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, Haydock Sprint Cup and British Champions Sprint Stakes. As a five-year-old he was third to Merchant Navy in the Group 2 Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh before rounding off his career with two creditable runs in the Sprint Cup and British Champions Sprint. He boasts a career-best RPR of 119 – four points higher than his own sire Showcasing, who last year produced such talents as Advertise, Devant, Mohaather and Soldier’s Call. While Showcasing is still only 12, he is represented at stud by his first-crop son Cappella Sansevero, whose first
Tasleet: a stakes winner at two, three and four, his career-high RPR of 119 is four points higher than his own sire Showcasing
two-year-olds are set to run this year. Meanwhile, Advertise, Mohaather and Soldier’s Call all look like potential stallion prospects once their racing days are over. Tasleet has an attractive pedigree being out of the Cadeaux Genereux mare Bird Key, a half-sister to four black-type performers including Champagne Stakes scorer Etlaala, as well as Anna Law, the dam of crack sprinter Battaash. There is also stamina on the page as Tasleet’s fourth dam Krakow is the dam of Braashee, the champion older stayer in Europe in 1990.
Unfortunately
4 b Society RockUnfortunate (Komaite) Cheveley Park Stud; £7,500 RPR 115 A three-length winner of a May novice stakes at Hamilton at two, Unfortunately always looked a promising sort and after finishing runner-up to Ardenode in the Listed Prix La Fleche at Maisons-Laffitte, further trips across the English Channel beckoned. On his first start in Group company, Unfortunately ran out a
Unfortunately: Group 1 juvenile winner by the late Society Rock
convincing winner of the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin at Maisons-Laffitte, before following up in the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville when fending off subsequent Group 1-winning sprinter Havana Grey by a length and a quarter. Connections were rewarded for keeping Unfortunately in training as a three-year-old when he defeated American Pharoah’s brother St Patrick’s Day in the Group 3 Renaissance Stakes at Naas on his final start last year. Unfortunately hails from the first crop of Golden Jubilee Stakes and Haydock Sprint Cup scorer Society Rock and is one of three Group winners by the sire along with Corinthia Knight and Shumookhi, while the sire’s daughter The Mackem Bullet, second to Fairyland in the Cheveley Park Stakes last year, has been sold to continue her career with Wesley Ward in the US. Unfortunately was foaled
ten years after his dam, the Komaite mare Unfortunate, produced Temple Stakes scorer Look Busy. Unfortunate is herself out of the unraced Honour And Glory, a half-sister to the Cornwallis and King George Stakes scorer Singing Steven.
US Navy Flag
4 b/br War Front-Misty For Me (Galileo) Coolmore Stud; €25,000 RPR 122 US Navy Flag marked his dam out as an exceptional producer, becoming the only horse since Diesis in 1982 to win the Middle Park and Dewhurst Stakes, having previously routed the field to win the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes at the Curragh by six lengths. His Dewhurst triumph set a seven-furlong two-year-old track record at Newmarket and formed part of an 11-start juvenile campaign. US Navy Flag’s three-year-old campaign saw him join
influential sires Anabaa, Oasis Dream and Starspangledbanner on the July Cup roll of honour, while also finishing a good second to Romanised in the Irish 2,000 Guineas on just his third start over a mile. He is one of three Pattern winners out of the champion two-year-old filly and Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Misty For Me along with his year-older sister, the three-time Group 1 winner Roly Poly. Misty For Me is herself a Galileo sister to French champion two-year-old filly Ballydoyle and Group 3 Musidora Stakes runner-up Twirl, while that trio’s unraced dam Butterfly Cove is a half-sister to champion two-year-old colt Fasliyev. US Navy Flag joins his paternal half-brother and National Stud recruit Lancaster Bomber as sons of War Front at stud, joining this year’s first-season sire and Whitsbury Manor Stud resident Due Diligence and War Command, an €8,000 option for breeders at Coolmore Stud after supplying 25 first-crop winners last year.
Washington DC
6 b Zoffany-How’s She Cuttin’ (Shinko Forest) Bearstone Stud; £6,000 RPR 115 Washington DC formed one leg of an astonishing first-crop treble for Zoffany at Royal Ascot when hitting the bullseye in the 2015 Windsor Castle Stakes, adding to his win in a four-runner April two-year-old maiden at Tipperary. The grandson of Dansili rounded off his juvenile campaign with a second to Air Force Blue in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh. Running 11 times as a three-year-old, Washington DC
TF Rated 121
Champion 3yo sprinter with a sire’s pedigree In a star-studded career, he defeated 20 individual Gr.1 winners of 35 Gr.1 races VIEW HIM AT THE TBA STALLION PARADE AT TATTERSALLS Fee: £6,000 Oct 1st Special Live Foal Limited Breeding Rights Available Tel: 01630 647197 view our 2019 Brochure at www.bearstonestud.co.uk
NEW FOR 2019 Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot
New Sires
Bloodstock Pocket Post Wednesday, January 30, 2019
won two Listed contests early in the year and was third to Quiet Reflection in the inaugural Commonwealth Cup on his return to Royal Ascot, before runner-up efforts in the King George Stakes, Flying Five Stakes and to Marsha in the Prix de l’Abbaye – a performance that rewarded him a joint-career-best RPR of 115. Following a four-year-old campaign in which he defeated Cougar Mountain in the Group 3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes at the Curragh, Washington DC returned at five and again earned a mark of 115 for his second-place finish to Battaash in the Group 2 Temple Stakes. His pedigree is likely to help him stand out to breeders who are looking for speed as a son of Listed-winning sprinter How’s She Cuttin’, whose seven wins were all over the minimum distance. Adding further to his appeal is the fact his fourth dam, the Cheveley Park Stakes scorer and 1,000 Guineas fourth Magic Flute, is the dam of champion European two- and three-year-old Grand Lodge, winner of the Dewhurst and St James’s Palace Stakes. An influential sire, Grand
11
Zoustar: champion first-season sire in Australia in the 2017-18 season and a huge hit at the sales
Lodge’s best progeny include champion two-year-old filly Queen’s Logic, top-class sprinter-miler Indian Lodge and the dual Derby winner and Arc hero Sinndar, who was crowned champion three-year-old colt in Europe.
Zoustar
8 b Northern Meteor-Zouzou (Redoute’s Choice) Tweenhills Stud; £25,000 RPR 117 Zoustar won the Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes and was
RECRUITING
BUILDING ON
TALENT
EXPERIENCE
Applications 2019 Wednesday, 2 January to Monday, 11 February, 2019
Contact: ckavanagh@godolphinflyingstart.com mlarkin@godolphinflyingstart.com www.godolphinflyingstart.com
Includes the Graduate Certificate in Management (Thoroughbred Industry)
second in the Group 1 JJ Atkins Stakes at two before showing his versatility at three by winning the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, an increasingly influential race when it comes to making stallions, over six furlongs and the Group 1
LEADING TO
SUCCESS
Golden Rose Stakes over seven. Since then he has marked himself as a top-class sire in the making, having earned the title of champion first-season sire in Australia for the 2017-18 season and having supplied the first three home in the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington in November. As well as Sunlight, who spearheaded the 1-2-3, his other four Group winners are Lean Mean Machine and Zousain, who completed that top-flight trifecta, plus Charge and Sun City. Those performances fuelled demand for his offspring at the recent Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where he supplied his first seven-figure yearling while averaging A$310,000. Arguably the most talked-about stallion in this list, Zoustar is one of six top-flight performers for Northern Meteor, who succumbed to colic 24 hours before being crowned champion first-season sire in Australia. It is rare that a sire of such high esteem shuttles from Australia to Europe, and breeders cannot say they were not warned.
New Sires
12
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 racingpost.com
‘The reception for Havana Grey has been great – we’ve never been so quick to reach 100 mares booked’ Nancy Sexton talks to Ed Harper of Whitsbury Manor Stud about his latest recruit
B
ACK in 1994 the British stallion industry could boast a network of at least 70 stallion studs. Today the situation is very different, with the demise of the likes of Benson, Lavington, Woodditton and Egerton Studs – among many others – as stallion farms contributing to a much-reduced group of approximately 40. Amid this worrying development, however, the Harper family’s Whitsbury Manor Stud in Hampshire has remained unwavering in its ambition to offer British breeders an attractive roster. Once home to the likes of Ballymoss and Young Generation, it also developed the latter’s son Cadeaux Genereux into a leading sire of his era before becoming home to Showcasing, one of the biggest success stories for British breeding of modern times. Showcasing will command a career-high fee of £55,000 this season off the back of a year highlighted by the achievements of Advertise, Soldier’s Call and Mohaather. However, the farm is not one to rest on its laurels; next in line to come under scrutiny on its roster is Due Diligence, whose first crop are two-year-olds, followed by the Hungerford and Sandy Lane Stakes winner Adaay, whose first crop of foals were so well received at auction last winter. It is a competitive roster that offers breeders access to speed, and one that has been
Havana Grey: “Blends the toughness of Galileo with the speed of Dark Angel”
complemented to great effect this season with the addition of Havana Grey, who enjoyed his finest moment when successful in last year’s Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh. A real speedster, Havana Grey was saddled by Karl Burke to win six of his 16 starts. In addition to the Flying Five, in which he made all the running to defeat Son Of Rest and Sioux Nation, he also landed the Molecomb, Dragon and National Stakes as a juvenile – the same year that he also finished second in the Prix Morny – and won the Sapphire Stakes against older horses at three. “We knew there were at least four or five studs trying to buy Havana Grey, but that’s the reality these days,” says stud director Ed Harper. “The modern market will only accept top-class racecourse performers, so naturally we’re going to compete for the same ones. “We were offered at
Ed Harper: “We’re very lucky that Showcasing now allows us to support our new stallions like never before from start to finish”
least half a dozen lesser performers in the year but I was determined not to spend the next four years pushing a stallion I didn’t believe in 100 per cent.” By Havana Gold out of the winning Blanc De Chine, Havana Grey is also the product of a commercial combination – indeed, the stud’s marketing notes the horse as blending “the toughness of Galileo with the speed of Dark Angel”. Thus, at an opening fee of £8,000, it is not surprising to hear he has been quick to find favour with breeders, among them outfits of the ilk of Lanwades, Tweenhills and Rathasker Studs. “The reception has been great,” says Harper. “We’ve never been so quick to reach 100 mares booked, which we hit just before the new year. “Being a grey and having run so many times as a two- and three-year-old made him a very well-known horse, so that’s made it much easier. He fits our ‘Whitsbury profile’ perfectly, and I think when that happens the stallion naturally fills a logical space in breeders’ minds. “We also chose to sell a
select number of breeding rights in the same way as we did for Showcasing. We’ve sold 20 so far to studs we regularly work with, such as Hesmonds Stud, Barton Stud and Llety Farms. “I’m also delighted that Rathasker, Lanwades and Tweenhills have come on board as I think it’s important for us so-called independent stallion studs to support each other – we ourselves have breeding rights in Gregorian, Bobby’s Kitten and Lightning Spear.”
I
N KEEPING with the stud’s limited book policy, Havana Grey will cover around 135 mares, 24 of whom are owned by Whitsbury Manor. “I feel it’s particularly important for us to limit our first-season sires as most of the breeders using them will be purely commercial,” says Harper. “This allows us to hit our sweet spot of foal numbers going to the sales as evidenced by the success of Adaay’s foals last year. “Limiting a stallion’s first book also keeps the physical pressure of the covering season under control for an
immature horse, helping to aid fertility.” He adds: “Other than the dam of Heartache, who is going to Kingman, we’re genuinely sending him our best mares. He’ll receive 24 Whitsbury mares including Damdam Freeze, the dam of Group 1 performer Kendam, Suelita, out of whom we sold a 425,000gns yearling in October, and a half-sister to Showcasing. “We’re also sending him a filly we purchased at Tattersalls named My Lea, who won a pair of Group 3s and was extremely fast. “A good number of outside breeders are also sending him smart mares, including half-sisters to Pearl Secret, Salouen and Sands Of Mali. Mickley Stud, who bred Havana Grey with Lady Lonsdale, have also taken a breeding right – we also appreciate that they’re sending the dam of Havana Grey to Showcasing this season, which is exciting. “Karl Burke is also sending two fillies whom he trained.” Just a mere snapshot of that support would be enough for any onlooker to appreciate the opportunities already coming the way of Havana Grey. Of course it is ultimately up to the horse to produce the goods, firstly in the sales ring and then on the track, but with a full book of mares along with the support from some of Britain’s most successful breeders, not to mention Whitsbury Manor itself, he has been gifted a foundation rarely afforded to young stallions in his price bracket. “We’re very lucky that Showcasing now allows us to support our new stallions like never before from start to finish; in the quality of mares we send, new clients we have and foals we can purchase at the sales,” says Harper. “We’re able to do so much more than previously. Showcasing had to make much of his success off his own back but Havana Grey will get every advantage we can muster.”
Bloodstock Pocket Post Wednesday, January 30, 2019
New Sires
13
T H E 2 0 1 9 S TA L L I O N B O O K The No.1 global stallion guide 1/2018 12:1 5 Page 2
WE THE 2019
THE 2019 WEATHER BYS
NATIONA L HUNT
ATHERBYS
STALLION
stallion book
BOOK
New Coolm ore N.H. Sire ORDER OF ST GEORGE
I DUBAW
FREE TO DOWNLOAD FROM THE APP STORE
AVA I L A B L E N O W To order please contact Lauren Beetson +44 (0) 1933 440077 lbeetson@weatherbys.co.uk or visit www.bettrendsshop.co.uk to order online
New Sires
14
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 racingpost.com
Derby hero Eagles a tonic for Irish jumps breeders On the move to or within Britain/Ireland
FRANCE has been swamped by new stallions in recent years, but several have left the country’s ranks to join studs in Britain and Ireland in 2019 – not just exciting young sire Charm Spirit, who returns to Tweenhills as part of the sharing arrangement with the Aga Khan’s Haras de Bonneval in Normandy, writes Martin Stevens. Wings Of Eagles is one of the most notable arrivals from across the Channel. The surprise Derby winner of 2017 was retired to his birthplace of Haras de Montaigu just last year, but now joins the Coolmore National Hunt roster at Beeches Stud. He should prove popular with jumps breeders. A notable good-looker, he hails from the Montjeu sire-line, as do the likes of Authorized, Davidoff, Jukebox Jury, Montmartre, Scorpion and Walk In The Park, each and every one the father of Grade 1 winners over obstacles. Wings Of Eagles is also from a good family – a half-brother to stakes performers Gyrella and Torentosa out of Poule d’Essai des Pouliches third Ysoldina, a half-sister to Pattern winners Appel Au Maitre, Belle Et Celebre, Valentino and Whortleberry. Jumps breeders usually have to wait to use Derby winners much further along their covering careers than they are in this case. Also moving from France to Ireland is Axxos, a son of Monsun who is sire of classy handicap chaser Calett Mad and recent impressive Leicester novice hurdle scorer Dame Du Soir, who has been recruited to Coolagown Stud. Going from France to Britain, meanwhile, are Cockney Rebel and Falco. Brilliant dual 2,000 Guineas hero Cockney Rebel formerly stood at the National Stud in Newmarket but had been based in France since 2014. The sire of Flat stakes winners Monette and Redstart, as well as last year’s smart two-year-old Junius Brutus, is now available at Batsford Stud – also the new home of former Whitsbury Manor Stud stallion Swiss Spirit. Falco holds the distinction of supplying top-flight winners on the Flat and over jumps – Odeliz and Peace And Co – and is a priceless son of the
ON THE MOVE TO OR WITHIN BRITAIN OR IRELAND IN 2019 Stallion
Sire
Moving from
Moving to
Ask
16
Sadler’s Wells
Beeches, Ire
Dunraven, UK
Axxos
15
Monsun
Haras de la Haye Pesnel, Fr
Coolagown, Ire
€2,500
Casamento
11
Shamardal
Ljungstorps Stud, Swe
Sunnyhill, Ire
€3,000
Invincible Spirit
Haras de Bonneval, Fr
Tweenhills, UK
Val Royal
Haras du Thenney, Fr
Batsford, UK
£2,500
8
Kodiac
Rathasker, Ire
Norman Court, UK
£4,000
Charm Spirit Cockney Rebel Coulsty Falco
Age
8 15
Fee
£2,000
£17,500
14
Pivotal
Haras du Grand Chesnaie, Fr
Elusive Bloodstock, UK
£3,000
Koropick
5
Kodiac
Annshoon, Ire
Hedgeholme, UK
£2,250
Pillar Coral
5
Zamindar
Annshoon, Ire
Kilbarry Lodge, Ire
€1,500
Proconsul
6
Galileo
Mickley, UK
Annshoon, Ire
€1,250
Invincible Spirit
Whitsbury Manor, UK
Batsford, UK
£3,000
Pour Moi
Haras de Montaigu, Fr
Beeches, Ire
€6,500
Swiss Spirit Wings Of Eagles
10 5
increasingly influential Pivotal from a wonderful family cultivated by the Wertheimer brothers.
He is standing under the Elusive Bloodstock banner. Another important name who has just become available to
breeders in Britain and Ireland hails from further afield. Casamento (right), a Racing Post Trophy winner by
Shamardal, started out at Darley’s Kildangan and Dalham Hall studs but spent 2018 at Ljungstorps Stud in Sweden. Having subsequently suggested he might be an effective jumps sire, through exciting bumper winners such as Alright Sunshine, Bournville and Cascova, he has been snapped up by leading National Hunt operation Sunnyhill Stud.
French stallion ranks witnessing a Sea surge
Mainland Europe
THE French stallion ranks welcome three newly retired sons of Sea The Stars in 2019. The best of those according to Racing Post Ratings – and, indeed, the second highest-rated stallion in France in the last 40 years, according to his new custodians at Haras du Logis – is Cloth Of Stars. A 400,000gns Book 1 yearling purchase, he showed high-class form over four consecutive seasons, including as a juvenile. His most notable efforts came when winning the Prix des Chenes and finishing runner-up in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud at two, landing two notable French Classic trials at three, winning the Prix Ganay and taking second in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at four, and placing in the Dubai Sheema Classic, Ganay and Arc at five. As well as physique and performance, Cloth Of Stars ticks the box of pedigree as he is out of a Kingmambo sister to Oaks heroine Light Shift, dam of top-notcher Ulysses, and half-sister to high-class pair Limnos and Shiva. This is also the family of US turf champion Main Sequence. Mekhtaal is the second Group 1-winning son of Sea The Stars new to Normandy, taking up residence on the Al Shaqab roster at Haras de Bouquetot. The €300,000 Arqana August yearling won the Prix d’Ispahan at four and ran
second in the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes at five. His introductory stud fee of €5,000 could be a snip. Chemical Charge is the third Sea The Stars stallion recruited to stud in France, having been signed up by Haras de Grandcamp. His finest hour came in the Group 3 September Stakes, although he also ran a close fourth to Highland Reel in the Hong Kong Vase. For those who prefer speed to stamina, Normandy can also offer two sons of the sensational Scat Daddy from 2019 – Champagne Stakes winner
and Dewhurst third Seahenge at Haras de la Haie Neuve and Seabhac, a Grade 3 winner at two in the US who is closely related to Afleet Alex. He will stand at Haras de Saint-Arnoult. Speaking of fashionable American sire-lines, Haras du Mezeray has gained a talented son of Kitten’s Joy – sire of 2018 world champion three-year-old
Chemical Charge: one of three sons of Sea The Stars recruited to French studs for 2019
Roaring Lion – in Taareef, a multiple Group winner beaten less than a length by Ribchester when second in the Prix du Moulin. Haras d’Annebault has its own new Kitten’s Joy stallion in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Luck Of The Kitten. Last but not least, Recoletos retires to Haras du Quesnay after winning the Prix d’Ispahan and Prix du Moulin, and finishing placed in the Prix Jacques le Marois and Prix du Jockey Club. The admirable son of Whipper hails from an active family, as his half-sister Castellar triumphed in the Prix de la Nonette last year. MARTIN STEVENS
PRINCIPAL NEW MAINLAND EUROPE-BASED STALLIONS FOR 2019 Stallion
Chandlery
Age
10
Sire
Stud, country
Choisir
Barelière, Fr
Highest RPR achieved
Fee
110
€2,800 €4,000
Chemical Charge
7
Sea The Stars
Grandcamp, Fr
116
Cloth Of Stars
6
Sea The Stars
Logis, Fr
126
€7,500
Doha Dream
6
Shamardal
Hoguenet, Fr
116
€2,500 €4,000
Dschingis Secret
6
Soldier Hollow
Saint-Arnoult, Fr
120
Guignol
7
Cape Cross
Annebault, Fr
117
€4,500
Iquitos
7
Adlerflug
Ammerland, Ger
118
€6,000
Jimmy Two Times
6
Kendargent
Hofgut Heymann, Ger
116
€5,000
Luck Of The Kitten
7
Kitten’s Joy
Annebault, Fr
109
€3,500
Mekhtaal
6
Sea The Stars
Bouquetot, Fr
116
€5,000
Mr Owen
7
Invincible Spirit
Petit Tellier, Fr
111
€3,000 €8,000
Recoletos
5
Whipper
Quesnay, Fr
122
Savoir Vivre
6
Adlerflug
Abbaye, Fr
114
€1,500
Seabhac
4
Scat Daddy
Saint-Arnoult, Fr
104
€5,000
Seahenge
4
Scat Daddy
Haie Neuve, Fr
110
€5,000
Sumbal
7
Danehill Dancer
Grandcamp, Fr
116
€3,000
Taareef
6
Kitten’s Joy
Mezeray, Fr
Tunis
5
Estejo
Cercy, Fr
Wild Chief
8
Doyen
Hofgut Heymann, Ger
121
€6,000
146 (NH)
€3,000
116
€1,800
New Sires
Bloodstock Pocket Post Wednesday, January 30, 2019
15
NE W
DYLAN MOUTH Dylan Thomas (IRE) / Cottonmouth (IRE)
FO R2 01 9
• Winner of Premio Roma GBI Racing (Gr. 1) • Gran Premio Del Jockey Club (Gr. 1) • Gran Premio di Milano (Gr. 2) • Premio Federico Tesio (Gr. 2) • John Smith’s Silver Cup Stakes (Gr. 3) • Won over 1m1/4f - 1m6f “Dylan Mouth has proved to be very tough horse throughout his career, he has always been sound and has had a great temperament throughout. He is versatile, handles any ground and has been an extremely professional horse to deal with.” Marco Botti
CANNOCK CHASE Lemon Drop Kid (USA) / Lynnwood Chase (USA)
• Winner of the Pattison Canadian International Stakes (Gr. 1) • Tercentenary Stakes, Royal Ascot (Gr. 3) • Huxley Stakes (for the "He’s a very progressive horse that we have always Tradesman’s Cup) (Gr. 3) liked... he’s got a turn of foot and a bit of class." • Won over 10-12f Sir Michael Stoute, Racing Post
PEACE ENVOY
Power (GB) ex Hoh My Darling (GB)
“He was a very smart juvenile.”
“He reminds me very much of Rock of Gibraltar.”
Ryan Moore
Aidan O’Brien
• Winner of Jebel Ali Racecourse & Stables Anglesey Stakes (Gr.3) • Winner of Coolmore War Command Rochestown (C & G) Stakes (LR) • Placed 3rd in the Darley Prix Morny (Gr.1) (2yo Colts & Fillies) (Turf) to Lady Aurelia • 2nd in the GAIN Railway Stakes (Gr.2)
WORSALL GRANGE FARM Low Worsall, North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom Tel: 01642 789800 www.worsallgrange.com NOMINATIONS LUCY HORNER - Main Office: 01642 789800 Mobile: 07581107071 Email: Lucy@worsallgrange.com
16
New Sires
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 racingpost.com
On his first start back at 6 furlongs he blitzed his 12 rivals in the Gr.1 July Cup
Became the first horse since Diesis in 1982 to land the Gr.1 Middle Park/Dewhurst Stakes double winning the latter in record time and 1.9 seconds faster than 2018 Champion 2YO Too Darn Hot
RECENT DEWHURST WINNERS
❝ a tremendous
performance, the flagship performance for a 2YO in 2017❞
Graeme Smith, BHA Handicapper, Jan 2018
YEAR 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
WINNER Too Darn Hot U S NAVY FLAG Churchill Air Force Blue Belardo War Command Dawn Approach Parish Hall Frankel
TIME 01:24.3 01:22.4 01:23.8 01:25.3 01:27.3 01:25.1 01:24.0 01:23.8 01:25.7
By WAR FRONT out of 4-time Gr.1 winning Champion 2YO MISTY FOR ME Full-brother to 3-time Gr.1 winner ROLY POLY
Ne 20 w for 19
Christy Grassick, David O’Loughlin, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Tim Corballis, Maurice Moloney, Gerry Aherne, Jason Walsh, Tom Miller, Neil Magee or Hermine Bastide Tel: 353-52 6131298. David Magnier, Tom Gaffney, Joe Hernon, John Kennedy or Cathal Murphy Tel: 353-25 31966. Kevin Buckley (UK Rep.) 44-7827-795156. E-mail: sales@coolmore.ie Website: www.coolmore.com All stallions nominated to EBF.