Thursday,January 23, 2025
NEW SIRES
Your indispensable guide to this year’sfresh crop of stallions in Britain and Ireland
Bloodstock special New sires for 2025
THERE are certainly some big names on the verge of standing their first season at stud in Britain and Ireland.
The biggest is last year’s Derby winner City Of Troy, who begins off what is a hefty level for a newcomer, €75,000.
Dual Classic hero and five-time Group 1 winner St Mark’s Basilica, whose first two-year-olds will be out this spring, began off €65,000 for Coolmore, while Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Paddington, who like City Of Troy amassed four Group 1 wins and will have his first foals selling later this year, started from €55,000.
City Of Troy’s opening mark is a step up again, and it’s conceivable it might even have been six figures had he won the Breeders’ Cup Classic Going back a couple of years, Baaeed was in a similar boat – he may have started off at least £100,000 had he gone out in a blaze of glory in the Champion Stakes As it was, Shadwell settled on £80,000.
The contrast for City Of Troy with that particular fee casts his in a more positive light, but for breeders who like to take a chance on a debut sire, there are plenty of cheaper alternatives in Ireland and Britain, including within Coolmore’s own ranks, namely City Of Troy’s predecessor on Epsom’s honour roll, Auguste Rodin (€30,000), and unbeaten Group 1-winning two-year-old Henry Longfellow (€15,000).
Breeders who feel the need for speed are spoiled for choice, with Big Evs, Bradsell, Bucanero Fuerte, Go Bears Go, Mill Stream, Sakheer, Shouldvebeenaring and Vandeek among those joining the ranks
While like City Of Troy, neither Big Evs or Bradsell managed to sign off on a high at Del Mar in November, both should attract plenty of support at Tally-Ho and the National Stud respectively, while it would be great to see Vandeek do well for Cheveley Park Stud
Look De Vega, meanwhile, gives Ballylinch a second father-son combination after New Bay and Bayside Boy, with last year’s Prix du Jockey Club winner joining his sire Lope De Vega ANDREW SCUTTS, BLOODSTOCK
MANAGING EDITOR
CONTENTS
2-11 A-Z of Britain and Ireland’s new sires 12 Cheveley Park Stud feature
14-15 New sires in France and those on the move domestically
From Aesop’s Fables To Vandeek
Kitty Trice with this year’s names on the roster
Aesop’s Fables
Age 5; Colour bay; Pedigree No Nay Never - How’s She Cuttin’ (Shinko Forest); Standing at Starfield Stud; Price €6,500; Racing Post Rating high of 115 Winner of his first two starts as a juvenile for Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore, including when impressing in the Group 2 Futurity Stakes at the Curragh, Aesop’s Fables graduated to become a Group 1 performer at three and Listed winner the following season
As well as being a dual winner as a two-year-old, he was fourth in both the National Stakes and Dewhurst, both Group 1, and runner-up in the Listed Doncaster Stakes on Town Moor
The son of No Nay Never put up some valiant efforts the following year, particularly when a length third to Highfield Princess in the Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp and an even closer third behind Nobals in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita. He had a lighter campaign as a four-year-old in 2024 but still managed to add the Listed Sole Power Sprint Stakes at Naas to his CV, keeping on well to beat Twilight Jet.
A half-brother to two blacktype horses, including Group 3 Phoenix Sprint and Listed Windsor Castle Stakes winner Washington DC – also a Group 1 performer when placed in the Phoenix Stakes, Commonwealth Cup and Abbaye – the smart five-yearold boasts the speedy pedigree and race record which the modern-day market finds so appealing. He will hopefully have a smooth first season at Starfield Stud, where he starts out at €6,500.
Washington DC was responsible for the high-class sprinter Washington Heights in 2024, winner of the Group 3 Abernant Stakes at Newmarket and subsequently not disgraced in Group 1 company.
Arrest
5 b Frankel - Nisriyna (Intikhab), Boardsmill Stud, price on application, 117 A dual Group 3 winner when landing the Chester Vase (by six lengths and up from subsequent Irish Derby second Adelaide River) and Geoffrey Freer Stakes, Frankel’s son Arrest has found a new home at Boardsmill Stud. A €440,000 Goffs foal
purchase by Juddmonte in 2020, he was a gritty winner on his second start at Sandown as a two-year-old for the John and Thady Gosden yard
He followed up by a much more comfortable five and a half lengths at Ffos Las the following month, before being beaten just a head by Dubai Mile in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud.
He further demonstrated his talent on his reappearance at three, romping to success at Chester He then started favourite under Frankie Dettori in the Derby, but it didn’t work out at Epsom, losing a shoe not helping matters.
He was to regain the winning thread at Newbury, after which he put in a jointcareer best effort according to Racing Post Ratings when runner-up to Continuous in the St Leger, finishing in front of the likes of Desert Hero, Tower Of London, Gregory and Middle Earth Arrest was also, rather frustratingly, second on three of his four starts last year, the best of those performances coming behind emerging force Giavellotto in the Group 2
Lockinge Stakes for Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore, while she is also a granddaughter of the influential Cassandra Go, winner of the King’s Stand and Temple Stakes, both then Group 2 contests.
Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket.
He starts his stallion career in possession of not just a decent race record but a good page too.
A half-brother to Hong Kong Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Dinozzo, he is out of an Intikhab half-sister to Group 3 Prix de Flore winner Narniyn, a Dubawi mare who also placed in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and Nassau Stakes
Auguste Rodin
5 br Deep ImpactRhododendron (Galileo), Coolmore Stud, €30,000, 125
A huge talent when on song, as two Derby triumphs amid six top-level wins attest, Auguste Rodin begins at Coolmore as one of the most exciting new recruits for 2025.
The son of the late Japanese sensation Deep Impact is highly prized due to his outstanding lineage as well as race record, being out of one of Galileo’s best daughters in Rhododendron.
That mare, herself a sister to champion Magical and out of triple Group 1 heroine Halfway To Heaven, won the Fillies’ Mile, Prix de l’Opera and
Auguste Rodin was bred to be good and he certainly was. His three victories from four runs at two included a threeand-a-half-length strike in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy at Doncaster and cosy win in the Group 2 Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown, Auguste Rodin started a warm favourite for the 2,000 Guineas on his reappearance, but he was never travelling well after suffering interference early on. It would be the last time he raced over a mile He proved his true worth on his next run in the Derby, holding off fellow 2025 new sire King Of Steel by half a length, and then joined the illustrious club of dual Derby winners with an easier triumph in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh.
After a below-par performance in the King George, Auguste Rodin was to end his Classic campaign on a high as he defeated Aidan O’Brien stablemate Luxembourg in the Irish Champion Stakes and topped it off by beating an international field of rivals in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita Auguste Rodin showed what he could do again last year, most notably by winning the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, and he so nearly
Pictures: EDWARD WHITAKER (RACINGPOST.COM/PHOTOS)
Aesop’sFables(yellowcap): standing at Starfield Studfor €6,500; below: AugusteRodin is ahugelyexcitingnew recruitatCoolmore
Won4 racesat2,including: Gr.1 Prix Morny(6f), (above) beating Gr.1 winner Ramatuelle
Gr.1 Middle Park Stakes (6f), (below) beating6 Groupwinners
Placedtwiceat3,including: Gr.1 JulyCup,6f, beating4 Gr.1 winners.
“For me, only greatChampions have the acceleration thathe showedinthe Middle Park and that’swhatseparatesthe really topChampions from very,verygood horses. He wasa serious Champion.” –Simon Crisford Co-Trainer
Thehighest ratedson of HAVANA GREY from thestallion-producing familyof ANABAA
Fee: £15,000 (1st Oct.SLF)
Bloodstock special Newsires for2025
made it asuper seventopflightstrikes when goingdown by anecktoEconomics in defence of the Irish Champion Stakes crown.
BigEvs
4b Blue Point-HanaLina (Oasis Dream), Tally-HoStud, €17,500, 120
Abrilliantly quickand precocious juvenile who went on to proveevenbetter at three,Big Evswill surely be on the radarfor stacksof breeders
From the firstcropof champion sprinter and 2023 champion first-season sire Blue Point, the colt ranahalflength second on his debutat Redcar beforegetting off the mark with victoryinthe Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot,beating22rivals by three lengths and up
He then showed plenty of grit to winasoft-ground Group3MolecombStakes at a far from glorious Goodwood and bouncedbackfroman ambitious tilt againstolder runners in the Nunthorpewith victories in the Group2Flying Childer Stakes at Doncaster and Grade 1Breeders’Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita,the last-named contest showcasinghis brilliantturn of foot
TheTattersalls Book 2 graduate continuedhis winningrun by openinghis three-year-old accountatthe firsttime of askinginthe Listed WestowStakes at York, after which he wasavaliant thirdinthe Group1King CharlesIII Stakes at the royal meeting.
He turned the tables with his conqueror there, Australian mare Asfoora, at Goodwood, comingout the rightsideofa thrillingfinish to theGroup 2 King George Stakes York andthe Nunthorpe once again didn’t playtohis strengths subsequently, while he kept on and wasn’tbeaten faronhis swansongatDel Mar in avaliantdefence of the Breeders’Cup Turf Sprint crown.
BigEvs,who wastrainedby Mick Appleby, is in poss of atop-notch pedigree, outofanOasisDream ha sister to Group2Lowth Stakes winner and Grou CheveleyParkthirdLad TheDesert, herself the dam of another Lowther winner in Queen Kindly.
That makesBig Evs agrandsonofthe brilliantQueen’s Logic,aseven-length winner of the CheveleyParkand alsowinner of the Lowther,Queen Mary and Fred Darling Stakes in an unbeaten career. With his sire’sfee bein increased once again, this time to €100,000, those wishingtoget in on the Pointact have an intrigu and moreaffordableoption BigEvs
EDWARD WHITAKER (RACINGPOST.COM/PHOTOS)
BigEvs sure to be on theradar forsomanybreeders
5 b (Arch £10,00 Aconsis sprinter Bradsell Stud as at ahig £10,000. Thes based Ta by Debo through second-t Blandfor £47,00
Up Sa mo
adsell eet- RussianPunch enko), National Stud, 124 tentand top-class from twotofour, retires to the National anappealingprospect hly competitiveprice of onofthe nowIndiaasleet, who wasbred rahO’Brien, went the sales ring twice, time-up sellingto rdBloodstock for at the Goffs UK Breeze,aprice that only a ater looked likeasteal because he blew his away at York on his ursebow,winningby gths.Heproved that lukebygoingonto
takethe Group2 Coventry Stakes at RoyalAscot,beating the likes of PersianForce, Blackbeard andRoyal Scotsman.
He sufferedaninjurywhen fourth to Little BigBear in the Group1Phoenix Stakes on his nextstart, butthe following year bouncedbackafter two placedefforts to land the Group1King’sStand Stakes, defeatingthe brilliant Highfield Princess. Bradsell then placedagain at the top level when aclosethirdinthe Nunthorpe Stakes at York
He missed some early targetsin2024, butthe Archie Watson team did asplendid job in gettinghim to return to his peak
First time outinAugustlast year he made his firsttripto
France worthwhile by winning aListedcontestatDeauville, butbetter wastocome as he completedahat-trickwith Group1 wins in the Nunthorpe and FlyingFiveStakes,defeating Believingonboth occasions. He alsodeservedplentyof credit when second in the Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp, wherehewas unsuitedbythe soft ground and wasalso hampered,but kept on to chasehome Makarova He washandedstall 11 of 11 for his final startinthe Breeders’ CupTurfSprintatDel Mar, and Hollie Doylelookedafter him after his chancehad gone Despite that, his race record reads really well, with six wins and four placings from just 13 starts
2025 Stallion Book
Bloodstock special New sires for 2025
City of dreams
Troy ranks at the top of the new recruits for 2025
Bucanero Fuerte
4 b Wootton Bassett - Frida La Blonde (Elusive City), Tally-Ho Stud, €12,500, 115
A quality juvenile by sire-ofthe-moment Wootton Bassett, Bucanero Fuerte is another new stallion being launched by top-notch operator Tally-Ho Stud.
The brother to Abbaye hero and fellow young sire Wooded was a €165,000 purchase by Robson Aguiar at the bluechip Arqana August Yearling Sale and placed in training with Adrian Murray by Amo Racing.
2023, after which he was a close third behind River Tiber in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes Next came a first Patternrace victory in the Group 2 Railway Stakes back at the Curragh, where he denied subsequent Breeders’ Cup winner Unquestionable by a short head.
Bucanero Fuerte’s career highlight followed, namely the putting to the sword of a strong set of rivals in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, in which he beat no less a rival than Porta Fortuna by a decisive four lengths
Happily, Bucanero Fuerte was a winner again last year, defying a penalty in the Group
3 Lacken Stakes at Naas, after which his best effort came when not beaten far in the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes He retires to the Irish stallion ranks as a highly attractive proposition given his pedigree and race record at two.
City Of Troy
4 b Justify - Together Forever (Galileo), Coolmore Stud, €75,000, 129
He was labelled “our Frankel” by Coolmore’s Michael Tabor after his dominant victory in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, which cemented his European champion two-year-old status, and while ultimately he didn’t quite rise to that stratospheric level, he still went on to prove one of the finest horses to have raced in Europe in recent times
three-quarter-length score over Ambiente Friendly, and he was firmly back on track.
A soft-ground Coral-Eclipse at Sandown was hard work, but the colt still got the job done to win for the third time at the highest level.
Next up came arguably the best performance of his career as City Of Troy faced a really deep field in the Juddmonte International at York Ryan Moore grabbed the race by the scruff of the neck, making all and seemingly determined to show what his partner could do when given his head.
6 b Dubawi All At Sea (Sea The Stars), Chapel Stud, £5,000, 117 Chapel Stud welcomes a Classic-winning son of Dubawi from a wonderful Lanwades family to its ranks for 2025. Eldar Eldarov possesses all the credentials to become a successful stallion, being an impressive winner on his only start as a two-year-old and a St Leger hero at both three and four
From page 4 Continues page 8
He was an impressive winner on his two-year-old bow at the Curragh in May
Things didn’t pan out in the Group 1 National Stakes, in which he was third behind Henry Longfellow, taking a keen hold.
While high-profile defeats bookended his three-year-old campaign in 2024, there is no doubting City Of Troy’s overall profile as a top-notch racehorse
One comparison with Frankel that can be made is that he was likewise unbeaten at two. The son of Justify started off on the right note for Aidan O’Brien, justifying favouritism on his first start at the Curragh by two and a half lengths
An even more emphatic
The tactics worked a treat and he ran out a length winner over Caladangan, with subsequent Arc heroine Bluestocking back in fourth City Of Troy was then
A £480,000 purchase from the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale in 2021, when it was held in Doncaster, he won the first three races of his career, beginning his Classic year with victories at Newcastle and Royal Ascot, where he won the Group 2 Queen’s
City Of Troy beats Calandagan and Ghostwriter in the Juddmonte International at York
Helookedrightoutofthetopdrawerwhenrunningaway
‘KingOfSteel completes an all-star line-up of fresh youngtalentatTally-Ho’
Vase for RogerVarian and KHK Racing.
He later kept on well and went cleartowin theStLeger at Doncaster by twolengths,a margin of victoryhetrumped when winningthe Irish version at the Curraghthe following year,when he beat no lessa rivalthanKyprios by three and ahalf lengths
He wasunlucky notto further enrich his CV after a seriousneckinjurysustained in the stalls at Meydanlast year putpaidtohis racing career
In addition to an excellent recordonthe track, the sixyear-old is in possession of an outstandingpedigree.
He is outofthe triple ListedwinningSea TheStarsmareAll At Sea, ahalf-sister to four black-type winnersor performers,includingAlwilda, the dam of KirstenRausing’s masterpiece,the 2022 Arc queen Alpinista All At Seaisout of triple German Group1winner Albanova,asister to dual Champion Stakes heroine Alborada and outofthe highly influential Alouette EldarEldarov is ahalfbrother to Australian Group3 winner Kingswood andthe Listed-placedA La Voile.
Go BearsGo 6brKodiBear -InDubai (Giant’sCauseway), OakLodge Stud,€8,000, 116
Another to carrythe familiar silksofAmo Racing, Go Bears Go wasretired to OakLodge Stud as the firststallion sonof the popular Kodi Bear.
Comingfromahigh-class family, beingout of awinning Giant’sCausewayhalf-sister to dual Group/Grade 1winner Nahrain –the dam of last year’s 1,000 Guineas heroine Elmalkaand prolific globetrotter Benbatl –the sixyear-old holds plenty of appeal
at his opening feeof€8,000.
Go BearsGogot off the mark at the firsttime of askingfor the David Loughnane yard as a two-year-old, winningbya length and ahalf at Ascot
He followed that by finishing anecksecond to PerfectPower in the Group2Norfolk Stakes backatthe royalracecourse, beforegoingone better in the Group2Railway Stakes at the Curragh.
He spentthe rest of his juvenile campaign diningat the top table,beingbeaten just alength in both the Phoenix Stakes,inwhich he wasthird, and Middle Park Stakes (fourth), and he came even closer to afamous triumph at the Breeders’Cup,goingdown by half alength at DelMar to TwilightGleaminginthe Juvenile Turf Sprint, then a Grade 2.
At three,hewon the Pavillion Stakes at Ascot and Phoenix Sprint Stakes at the Curragh, both Group3 contests,while he was switchedtoWesleyWardat four,with his best effort comingwhen thirdinthe Grade 2TwinSpiresTurf Sprint Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Henry Longfellow 4b Dubawi -Minding (Galileo),CoolmoreStud, €15,000, 123
To sayHenryLongfellowis blue-blooded would be a significantunderstatement. He is ason of £350,000 Darley dynamo Dubawi andout of Galileo’sgreat daughter Minding, aseven-time Group 1winner whosevictories includedthe 1,000 Guineas, Oaks,NassauStakes and QueenElizabeth II Stakes Mindingisasistertotwo other Classic winners in Tuesdayand Empress Josephine,while the trio’s dam Lillie Langtrystruckinthe Matron and Coronation Stakes.
ELDARELDAROV
BY CHAMPION SIRE DUBAWI
All in all, this new sirehails fromquite some family.
HenryLongfellowemulated both his sireand dam with a Group1scoreattwo in the National Stakes at the Curragh, whereheput afield that includedBucaneroFuerte to the swordbyfivelengths and up
He wasunbeaten as a juvenile in three startsfor Coolmoreand AidanO’Brien, all at the Curraghand also includingthe Group2 Futurity Stakes
HenryLongfellowstarted favourite for thePoule d’Essai des Poulains the following year,but he did not getthe run of the race at Longchampand hadtosettle for anever-nearer mid-division finish
Connections suffered further frustration on his nextstart, for although he once again ran really well, this time in the Group1StJames’s Palace Stakes at RoyalAscot, Rosallion deniedhim by a neck.
HenryLongfellowwas placedagain at the top level lastautumn, finishingthirdin the Prix du Moulin at Longchampbehind Tribalist and Charyn
Isaac Shelby 5chNight Of ThunderKentucky Belle (Heliostatic), NewsellsParkStud, £7,000, 117 IsaacShelbyisthe firstson of the high-flyingNight Of Thunder to head to studand he ratesanintriguing prospect for Newsells Park Stud, already home to Nathaniel, Without Parole and A’Ali.
TheBrian Meehan-trained chestnut wonhis firsttwo starts as ajuvenile,headlined by the Group2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket, wherehe gotthe better of subsequent Listed winner VictoryDance in athrillingfinish.
He wasslowlyintostride and could never landablowin
the DewhurstStakes,but was straight backontrack on his firstoutingasathree-year-old, beatingCharynbythree lengths in the Group3 Greenham Stakes at Newbury. He wassnappedupby Wathnan Racingsubsequently, havingraceduntil that pointin the famous Sangster silks, havingbeenboughtbySam Sangster for £92,000 as aGoffs UK yearling, andpointed towards the Poule d’Essaides Poulains
He ranatremendousrace at Longchamp, failingbyashort neck to hold MarhabaYa Sanafi at bay.
He continuedtoprovea highly consistentperformer, being beatenjusta neck into second by Kinrossinthe Group2LennoxStakes at Goodwoodand closinghis career with another runner-up effort, this time behind Poker Face in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein backat Longchamp.
Outofa Heliostatic halfsister to Gulfstream Park Grade 2winnerRamazutti, IsaacShelbylooks an appealingoption for those wishingtoboardthe NightOf Thunder successtrain, and at averyreasonable price of £7,000.
KingOfSteel
5r/grWootton BassettEldacar (Verglas), Tally-Ho Stud,€20,000, 125 Oneofthe best sons of Wootton Bassett, second only to European champion Almanzor on official and RacingPostRatings,KingOf Steelcompletes an all-star line-up of fresh young talentat Tally-HoStud.
Acharismatic sort,hewas an impressivedebutwinner at the backend of his juvenile season, winningbyfourand three-quarter lengths at Nottingham for the David Loughnane team and earning
a crack at the Group1 Futurity Trophy.
It did work ou Doncas heavy gr AugusteRodin, butKingOf Steelshowed histruecolours on what turnedout to be his firstrun as athree-year-old –he waswithdrawn after becomingupset in the stalls beforethe Dante–ashebelied his 66-1 SP with a barnstormingrun in the Derby, gettingtowithin half a length of AugusteRodin By that pointhehad moved to RogerVarian, and that was asignofthings to come.He wonhis nextstart, the Group2 King Edward VII Stakes at RoyalAscot, by three anda half lengths over Continuous, who would go on to Classic gloryinthe St Leger.
Look De Vega 4 bLopeDeVega- Lucelle (HighChaparral), Ballylinch Stud,€20,000, 120
TheoutstandingLope De Vega enjoyedabanner year in 2024, with six individual top-flight winnersheadedbyClassic scorers Rouhiyaand Look De Vega.The latter joins his sire on theBallylinch roster for 2025 and looks aworthy addition to the already powerful squad.
King Of Steelwas then not disgracedwhen thirdbehind morebattle-hardenedolder horses Hukumand Westover inthe King George at Ascot, and he kept on well to be beaten just alength in fourth in acrackingrenewal of the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown,whereAuguste Rodin returnedtoformto prevail.
He then gainedadeserved firstGroup 1success when seeingoff brilliantmareVia Sistinainthe Champion Stakes at Ascot.
Avaliantfifth in the Breeders’Cup Turf at Santa Anita behind AugusteRodin concludedanexcellent campaign and, as it turned out, his career.KingOfSteel wasdue to runatfourbut suffered asetbackbeforehis intendedseasonal reappearance in Maylastyear and wasnot seeninpublic again.
AprivatesalefromArqana as ayearling, Look De Vega wasaseven-length winner at Fontainebleau on his sole start at twofor Carlos and Yann Lerner
He returnedtoaction in a conditions race at Longchamp last Mayand wonagain by a convincingmargin. Then came the Prix du JockeyClubatChantilly, for which he startedsecond favourite.The hat-trickwas duly completed, the colt pullingtwo lengths clear of First Look,with subsequent Grand Prix de Pariswinner and ArcfourthSosie back in third.Others who went on to frank the formincluded Alcantor, Sunway,Diego Velazquezand Ramadan Look De Vega then hada little break,and while he ran well enough in the Group2 Prix Niel at Longchamp, he hadtosettle for thirdbehind Sosie
He wasstill sent off one of the leadingfancies for the Prix de l’ArcdeTriomphe at the same trackthe following
EDWARD WHITAKER & PATRICK McCANN (RACINGPOST.COM/PHOTOS)
month, but he was unable to land a blow behind Bluestocking.
Nothing will ever take away his Classic-winning status, however, and he has the pedigree to back that up His winning High Chaparral dam Lucelle is out of Larceny, a Cape Cross close relation to another Jockey Club hero in Lawman. Lucelle is in turn a half-sister to Group 2 Lancashire Oaks winner The Black Princess.
Luxembourg
6 b Camelot - Attire (Danehill Dancer), The Beeches Stud, €7,000, 124
A Group 1 winner at two, three, four and five, Luxembourg is a well-credentialled new recruit for the National Hunt sphere. While many will see it is a pity that he has gone straight to the jumps ranks, there is of course nothing stopping Flat breeders using him – and €7,000 is an enticing sum given the son of Camelot’s notable exploits across four seasons
The 150,000gns Tattersalls Book 1 graduate was unbeaten in three starts at two for Aidan O’Brien, his successes featuring the Group 2 Beresford Stakes at the Curragh and Group 1 Futurity Trophy at Doncaster. He started second favourite behind European champion juvenile Native Trail for the 2,000 Guineas on his return, but while both of those ran well, neither could quite get to grips with Coroebus, with
Native Trail second and Luxembourg a keeping-on third after stumbling at the start.
A crack at the Derby was unfortunately aborted due to injury, but he a made a triumphant return to action later that summer, first winning the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh and then turning away the likes of Onesto, Vadeni and Mishriff in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
At four he won the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh, and it was top-level contests all the way after that, his best efforts coming when runner-up to Mostahdaf in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, to Auguste Rodin in the Irish Champion Stakes, and to Romantic Warrior in the Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin, where he was denied by a short head.
The highlight of his fiveyear-old campaign last year was victory in the Coronation Cup at Epsom.
Luxembourg is a halfbrother to Group 2 winner Leo De Fury and a full-brother to the Group 3-placed Hiawatha Mill Stream
5 b Gleneagles - Swirral Edge (Hellvelyn), Yeomanstown Stud, €12,500, 120 Mill Stream was one of the highlights of an excellent 2024 for his sire Gleneagles, his best contribution being a victory in the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket, where he took the scalps of Vandeek, Inisherin
Pictures:
The focus was on King Of Steel at Tally-Ho Stud this month; (left) Henry Longfellow
Luxembourg and Ryan Moore win last season’s Coronation Cup at Epsom
Bloodstock special New sires for 2025
From page 9
‘He became the talk of the town and was one of the hottest properties around in 2022’
and Kinross, among others
The five-year-old has the looks to go with his talent, as his 350,000gns Tattersalls Book 2 price tag would indicate, a sum he justified in three seasons with Jane ChappleHyam and owner Peter Harris Mill Stream was off the mark straight away as a two-yearold, justifying favouritism at Doncaster, and he ran well in defeat on both his next two starts, first when a half-length runner-up to subsequent Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes winner Noble Style at Newmarket, and then when fourth in the Group 3 Acomb Stakes at York to future Dewhurst Stakes and 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean. Mill Stream picked up two black-type wins at three, headed by the Group 3 Prix de Meautry at Deauville
He hit his peak last year, returning to finish second in the Group 3 Abernant Stakes at Newmarket and then going one better in the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes He wasn’t beaten far in third in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, and then came his day in the sun on the July course Mill Stream is out of the high-class Hellvelyn mare Swirral Edge, also the dam of Group 2 Richmond Stakes winner and Prix Morny-placed Asymmetric Swirral Edge is in turn a halfsister to Listed-winning sprinter Fashion Queen and out of a half-sister to Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes winner Wunders Dream
Sakheer
5 b Zoffany - Shortmile Lady (Arcano), Ballyhane Stud, €6,500, 113 Sakheer was one of the hottest properties around in 2022. An 80,000gns Tattersalls December Foal Sale purchase by Camas Park Stud, the son of Zoffany made much more when impressing Oliver St Lawrence and KHK Racing to the tune of €550,000 at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale He started favourite for his debut three months later at Windsor, and ran promisingly to finish second, beaten half a length
The Roger Varian-trained horse made no mistake a fortnight or so later, striking by a yawning six lengths at Haydock despite having 11 rivals to deal with The Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury came next and again there was no stopping Sakheer, the winning margin this time being three and a half lengths, with Charyn back in third and Shouldvebeenaring fourth He had become the talk of the town, and the chatter would last all the way to the 2,000 Guineas the following spring.
The big question was whether Sakheer would get the mile. It would be the one and only time he raced over the
Sakheer wins the 2022 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury
EDWARD WHITAKER
trip, for all that it was not answered that satisfactorily on the day as he certainly didn’t disgrace himself in seventh behind Chaldean, given the likes of Charyn, Holloway Boy, Silver Knott, Auguste Rodin and Little Big Bear all finished behind him
Sakheer is the fifth foal out of Arcano mare Shortmile Lady, and is a half-brother to Group 2 Kilboy Estate Stakes winner Lemista, who was also third in the Grade 1 Beverly D Stakes
Shouldvebeenaring
5 gr Havana Grey - Lady Estella (Equiano), Irish National Stud, €6,000, 117
One of two sons of Havana Grey set for their first season at stud this year, the tough and talented Shouldvebeenaring should turn heads of commercial breeders looking to get into the sireline on a more budget-friendly fee.
A shrewd £40,000 purchase by Peter and Ross Doyle and Middleham Park Racing at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, the grey would go on to earn more than £550,000 during three seasons in training with Richard Hannon, during which time he amassed six wins and ten places from 30 starts
Shouldvebeenaring notched a hat-trick as a two-year-old, shedding his maiden tag on just his second start at Ripon, following up in a valuable sales contest at York’s Ebor meeting, and then going back to the garden racecourse to plunder the Listed Ripon Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy. He was a busy and productive chap at three and four as well.
His three-year-old campaign started in the January – on a winning note at Southwell, showcasing his versatility –with the highlights to follow including a victory in the Listed King Charles II Stakes at Newmarket and places in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock. Group 1 Sprint Cup back at the same track, beaten just a neck by Regional, and Prix de la Foret. At four he gained a deserved first Group success in the Prix de Ris-Orangis at Deauville, and also placed in the Duke of York Stakes – beaten just a neck by subsequent July Cup winner Mill Stream – City Of York Stakes and Park Stakes
So Moonstruck
6 b Sea The Moon - So Smart (Selkirk), Killack Stud, price on application, 107 Gestut Schlenderhan’s son of Sea The Moon was a smart performer in his native Germany, winning as a juvenile at Dusseldorf in October 2021 and proving up to Classic standard the following year
He started back for Markus Klug with a close fourth in the Group 3 Bavarian Classic at Munich and improved again to be second to Sammarco in the Group 2 Union-Rennen at Cologne, where he was headed
Shouldvebeenaring is standing for €6,000 at the Irish National Stud
in the final strides and beaten a head.
Arguably the best effort of his career was to follow, as he returned to Cologne for the Deutsches Derby the following month and was just two short heads away from winning it, rallying gamely but giving best to Sammarco and Schwarzer Peter in an incredibly tight finish Subsequent Group 1 scorer Assistent was a length and a quarter back in fourth
He didn’t make the track again for nearly two years, and ultimately couldn’t recapture past glories in a couple of runs for Owen Burrows and Al Wasmiyah Stud. He sold for just 5,500gns on Tattersalls Online in October, and good on Killack Stud for giving him the opportunity of a second career
Not only is So Moonstruck by a thoroughly admirable Lanwades sire, he is out of the Listed-placed Selkirk mare So Smart, herself out of a Monsun sister to Deutsches Derby, Breeders’ Cup Turf, Coronation Cup and Gran Premio del Jockey Club hero Monsun.
It is a rich German pedigree, one which will hopefully find some favour among both National Hunt and Flat breeders
Vandeek
4 gr Havana Grey - Mosa Mine (Exceed And Excel), Cheveley Park Stud, £15,000, 117 Vandeek takes up stud duties at Cheveley Park a couple of years after going unbeaten in
four runs as a two-year-old, a campaign highlighted by two Group 1 strikes.
The son of Havana Grey cost 52,000gns as a foal from Tattersalls, 42,000gns back at Park Paddocks as a yearling, and then it was third time lucky in the Newmarket ring for all concerned as he brought the hammer down at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale at an eye-watering 625,000gns to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock
A few months later, in the colours of KHK Racing, Vandeek made a winning start at Nottingham for Simon and Ed Crisford
A first Group success followed in the Richmond Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, and then came assignments at the top level.
The first was the Prix Morny at Deauville, where Vandeek dug deep to repel Ramatuelle by a short neck, and the second the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket, where was an impressive two-and-a-quarterlength winner over Task Force.
Naturally, hopes were high he could boost his alreadyimpressive CV last year, however despite running well on the two occasions he made it to the track, Vandeek had to settle for third both times, his swansong coming in the Group 1 July Cup.
A half-brother to three winners and from the family of top-level scorers Anabaa, Always Loyal and Shonan Adela, Vandeek is a welcome addition to the Newmarket stallion ranks
Bloodstock special Newsires for2025
Theinside trackonVandeek as he begins the nextpartof his career at Cheveley Park
Kitty Trice
UNBEATENdual
Group1-winning two-year-old Vandeek will takeuphis new mantle at CheveleyPark Stud with noble historyall around him
Following in thefootsteps of sires likePivotal would weighheavy on even the broadestshoulders,but Vandeek will lackfor nothinginthe wayofhome and outside supportas his covering duties getunder wayin the middle of nextmonth
Vandeek is one of twonew siresof 2025 by Whitsbury ManorStud’s upwardly mobile Havana Grey –the other is Group3 winner and Group 1-placedShouldvebeenaring at the Irish National Stud –and he should not lackfor popularity among breeders eyeingthe useofa freshman stallion, despite atypically strong grouptochoosefrom.
Vandeek wasbredbyKelly Thomas’s Maywood Stud outofthe Exceed And Excel mare Mosa Mine,who hasdone much better at paddocks than she did on the racecourse,for all that she knockedonthe door afew times and wasbeaten just ahead in aKempton maiden at three Vandeek is ahalf-brother to multiple winnersMine’s ADouble and Becker, with the dam having producedfourwinners in all from five runners,while further backinthe pedigreeare the likes of Group 1-winningjuvenile Balbonella, her top-class sonAnabaa, Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner AlwaysLoyal and Japanese champion two-year-old Shonan Adela
Vandeek’s firsttriptothe sales,asa foal at Tattersalls, endedwith Childwickbury Stud paying52,000gns for him He wasbackatParkPaddocks just under ayear later,when breeze-up guru Roderic Kavanagh of Glending Stables snappedhim up for 42,000gns
Vandeek wasclearlyblossoming as he developed,for that translated into awhopping625,000gns at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-UpSalethe following spring, with Stroud Coleman Bloodstock the buyers on behalfofKHK Racing.
Sent into trainingwithSimon and Ed Crisford,Vandeek startedevens favourite for his debutoversix furlongs at Nottingham,despitethe presence of two-year-olds from the yardsofSir MichaelStoute,Roger Varian and Karl Burke, and justified the billingwith alength-and-aquarter victorywhich the Racing Post’s in-runningcomments writer concludedwas ‘promising’ Afortnightlater and Vandeek was pitchedintoGroup 2companyat Glorious Goodwoodin the Richmond Stakes.Again Andrea Atzeni wasin the saddle,once morehestarted favourite,and theresultwas the same,acomfortable successbya length
‘He’sbeenverybusysince the December sales– we’vehad lots of visitors come up andsee him andhe’sbeenwellreceived. His bookisfillingupverywell’
Later that month the colt was dispatchedacrossthe Channel for his toughestassignmentyet,the Group1 Prix MornyatDeauville.The time he wasn’t sent off favourite;thathonour was bestowed upon French flyer Ramatuelle,while unbeaten Coventry Stakes winner RiverTiber alsostarted ashorter price
However, Vandeekand Atzeni were not to be denied,digging deep to repelRamatuelle by ashortneck, with twolengths backtothird-placed RiverTiber,a fellow new sireinthe 2025 ranks Vandeek wasthen given aslightly longerbreak beforereappearingin the Group1Middle Park Stakes at Newmarketatthe end of September. Atzeni haddeparted forHongKong by now, so JamesDoyle partnered the unbeaten colt,and an equally fine fist he made of it tooasthe new pairing producedthe same old result,an impressivesuccessbytwo and a quarter lengths over Task Force, with RiverTiber again in third.
Doyle wasbackonboardwhen Vandeek reappeared lastMay,and for his firststartasa three-year-old he wasmadethe shortestprice of his career,an8-11 shot for the Group2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock. However, it wasn’t to be for Vandeek as he came home in third place behind Inisherin -certainlyno disgrace given the winner followed up in the Group1 Commonwealth Cup at RoyalAscot
On his next, andwhat proved to be his final, start, Vandeekfinishedin frontofInisherin in theJulyCup at Newmarket. Trouble was, therewere twobetteronthe day, so despite keepingonwell he hadtogivebestto Mill Stream –another joining the sire ranks –and Swingalong, goingdown fightingbytwo lengths
CheveleyPark’sbloodstock managerand head of nominations
Matthew Sigsworth says of the charismatic grey newcomer,who they arestandinginpartnership with KHK Racing: “Vandeek hassettled in really well. He’s gota fantastic temperament and is averyeasyhorsetobearound.
“He’sbeenverybusysince the Decembersales –we’ve hadlots of visitors come up and see him, and he’s been really well received.His bookisfillingupverywell.
Vandeek: sure to prove popular with breeders
“We’ll be supportingVandeekwith morethan20ofour ownmares,half of whom areblack-type winnersor producers,such as Integral, Canonized,Perfection and Osipova
“Another highlight[of his book] is Zykina, the dam of Prix Jean Prat winner Good Guess.
“He’ll alsocover AnnaOfLorraine, ahalf-sister to Audience and dam of 2024 York sales race winner Diligently,while there’salsoa mare calledBoost,who is the dam of stakes winner Benefit.”
Sigsworthadds: “He’sbeenout in thepaddock everyday,wehaven’t done toomuch with him yetinterms of getting himready for covering. I imaginethat’s somethingwe’ll be doinglater this month.”
Vandeek will stand his firstseason at £15,000, butwhile that level makes
him ineligible for oursecond supplementof2025, nextmonth’s BreedingonaBudget, his studmate in Newmarketwillfeature.
Step forward Ulysses, aGroup 1-winningsirecourtesyofWhite Birch’sdefeatofdual Derbyhero AugusteRodin in theTattersalls Gold Cupatthe CurraghlastMay Sadly sidelinedafter that effort,the five-year-old trainedbyJohn Murphy isdue to return to action this year in a bid to add to his fivewins.
As well as his top-level strike,White Birch, who wasbredbyCheveleyPark outofthe Dutch ArtmareDiagnostic, haswinsinthe Group2Mooresbridge Stakes and Group3 Alleged Stakes on his impressiveCV.
He wasalsoafine thirdtoAuguste Rodin in the Derby, beforewhich he wasbeaten just aneckinthe Group2 DanteStakes at York when runner-up to TheFoxes
Other Groupwinners by Ulysses set to return to the trackthis year include lastyear’s Group2HuxleyStakes winner Passengerand Mighty Ulysses,who wasontargetat Caulfield in October
HollowayBoy,winnerofthe Listed CheshamStakes at two, capturedthe Group3Superior Mile at Haydock last Septemberand waspipped at the post andbeaten ashortheadby PokerFace in the Group2 Zabeel Mile at Meydanthis month
The12-year-old Ulysses is nowthe sireof14individual black-type performers, headedbysix Group winners
After fiveindividual Groupwinners lastyear,Ulysses should return to the forefrontofbreeders’imaginations –particularly off his career-lowfee of £8,000 –and Sigsworthreports the regally bred chestnut to be well stockedahead of the covering season
He says:“Ulysses hasgot his loyal supporters off the backoflastyear, which washis best yeartodateonthe track. White Birch, Passengerand HollowayBoy all remain in training, while Mighty Ulysses is still in trainingdownunder
“We’ll be supportinghim again this year,with the likes of Group2 winner Juliet Capulet settovisit him,while he continues to be popular with owner-breeders.”
Bloodstock special New sires for 2025
€35,000 Charyn catches the eye as formidable miler of his generation
FRANCE
TOPPING quite a lengthy and exciting list of new names across the Channel is one with as strong a profile as any recruit around Europe
Charyn, who will be standing at Sumbe’s Montfort & Preaux for the significant opening fee of €35,000, became the crack miler of his generation as a decisive three-time Group 1 winner in the Queen Anne, Prix Jacques le Marois and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
The striking grey, also a Group 2 winner as a juvenile and Group 1-placed at three, is a son of Dark Angel with sprinter-miler blood all the way through his pedigree and is expected to be in strong demand for his powerful home farm.
Nicolas de Chambure’s Haras d’Etreham is pledging unwavering support for new arrival Metropolitan (€15,000), who landed the French Guineas and ran fine races in the St James’s Palace and Marois
He is the first Classic winner
by major stallion force Zarak to head to stud and is a handsome, powerfully built type.
A third top-class miler, Big Rock, has been pitched at a competitive €12,000 at Haras de Grandcamp.
Perpetuating some of the last of Rock Of Gibraltar’s blood, and from the family of Derby winner Harzand, the Yeguada Centurion homebred was at his zenith in 2023 when running second to the brilliant Ace Impact in the French Derby and sweeping a stunning six lengths clear in the QEII, a performance that will live long in the memory.
Eric Lhermite’s farm also has a son of Zarak in Zagrey (€6,000), a reliable type who became his sire’s first Group 1 winner in the 2023 Grosser Preis von Baden.
God Blessing (€3,000), a son of Zarak’s Bonneval studmate Siyouni, and out of a High Chaparral mare, is new to fledgling operation Karwin Farm
Bred and raced by Jose
Delmotte of Haras d’Haspel, who still owns the six-year-old, he is a dual Listed winner and nearly made the frame in the Prix du Moulin.
Haras de Beaumont, a growing new force under the ownership of the Chehboub family, welcomes Puchkine (€8,500) through the doors this year The speedily bred son of Starspangledbanner was unbeaten in three starts as a juvenile in the provinces and proved himself in the big league with a resounding victory in the Prix Jean Prat.
Al Hakeem (€5,000), a multiple stakes winner at a mile and a quarter by Siyouni, is new to his breeder Al Shaqab’s Haras de Bouquetot, while another Normandy operation in Haras de la Huderie has two extra names on offer River Tiber (€5,500), the Coventry Stakes-winning son of Wootton Bassett, was bought by a syndicate of respected French breeders, while Mythico (€3,500), who won black-type races from two to six years of
age, including the German Guineas, offers an outlet for the late Adlerflug’s blood.
There are two new dualpurpose sires at Haras de la Hetraie, headed by Feed The Flame (€4,500), the stoutly bred son of Kingman out of a Montjeu mare who took Grand Prix de Paris glory, and who is backed up by Riocorvo (€2,800), the long-serving representative of Pastorius around Europe and beyond. Gamestop, the Wertheimer family’s speedy Lope De Vega colt who was beaten a neck in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, is new to Haras du Taillis (€4,000), while My Prospero, a proper Tsui family product who was a very close third in a Champion Stakes and a St James’s Palace, joins Haras des Faunes (€3,000).
Among the smart jumpers embarking on new breeding careers are recent Chepstow winner, and another Zarak, Nietzsche Has (Haras de Montaigu, €7,000), Master D’Oc (Haras de Toury, €3,200), Carlton Du Berlais (Haras de la
Baie, €3,000) and Leon Du Berlais (Haras de la Hetraie, €4,000).
IN AND AROUND BRITAIN AND IRELAND
A MERRY-GO-ROUND of new signings and changes has seen many of the British and Irish studs able to refresh their rosters with different talent over the course of the year
Kew Gardens (£3,000) is one of two recruits for Batsford Stud, the Cotswold operation run by the Varey family.
The 2018 St Leger and Grand Prix de Paris winner for Coolmore spent four years at Castlehyde Stud and will have plenty of stores in the sales later this year
Batsford has priced Aclaim at the same fee as he switches from Manton Park The Prix de la Foret winner already has a Classic scorer on his CV through his daughter Cachet’s success in the 1,000 Guineas Knockmullen House Stud is the new home for two other former Manton-based stallions
Gordon Doyle’s County Wexford operation dips its toes into the Flat by standing triple Group 1-winning sprinter Advertise (€5,000) off the back of his three Group winners produced in 2024, headed by Gimcrack Stakes scorer Cool Hoof Luke
Technician (€2,000), also on the move from Manton, visits his third country in four years and hopefully Knockmullen House can provide the grey with a more settled home as his runners begin to appear The winner of the Group 1 Prix-Royal Oak, a son of Mastercraftsman out of a Sadler’s Wells mare, has already been at Haras de Montaigu and in Wiltshire during a short career
Another crossing the Irish Sea in the same direction is elite sprinter Twilight Son (€5,000), who has some useful progeny already from Cheveley Park Stud and was purchased in a partnership for Michael Shefflin’s Annshoon Stud in County Kilkenny.
Derby winner Masar (private) joins the respected National Hunt farm of Sunnyhill Stud in County Kildare, which had great success showing another Darley star, Doyen, to jump breeders
One of the most exciting new Irish ventures, Kilkenny-based
Capital Stud, pulledoff areal coup with the acquisition of Martinborough (€5,000). A smartperformer in Japan by the greatDeepImpactwho had beenstandingatsites around France,hehas emergedasthe sireofpromisingjumper Majborough
Another headingfrom France is TooDarn Hot’solder half-brother De Treville (€2,500), who hasbeen transferredtoLongfordHouse Stud in County Tipperaryfrom
Montfort&Preaux. Telescope (€3,000), who was the sire of Supreme Novices’ Hurdle victor Slade Steelduring his time at Shade OakStudin Shropshire, is being given an opportunitytoestablish himself in Ireland with aswitch to Foxwood Farm in County Cork. MarchHareStud, the emergingyoung operation in Surrey,was thrilledto announce the arrivalof Magna Grecia (£5,500), the Futurity and 2,000 Guineas-winningson
of Invincible Spirit
Thehalf-brother to St Mark’s Basilica hasalready had winners in both hemispheres from his time under the Coolmorebanner
Another MarchHare resident, the 2,000 Guineas runner-up TipTwo Win (€500), tries his luckinWexfordat Killisk Stud in Enniscorthy. The sonofDarkAngel is joined therebyveteran National Hunt sire MoresWells (€350). Reporting by TomPeacock
2yo Gr.2winner
1st Gr.2 FuturityStakes,Curragh, 7f, by 2¼l 1st Maiden,Navan, 5½f,by2¼l on debut
3yo Gr.1sprinter
3rd Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, Santa Anita, 5f, to Nobals by ank&½l
3rd Gr.1 Prix de l’Abbaye, ParisLongchamp, 5f, to Highfield Princess by 1l &ashd
4yo Stakes winner
1st L Sole Power Sprint Stakes,Naas, 5f Beating 18 Gr.1 horses duringhis career.
He is typical of hissire, abig, strong, powerful horse with a good mind. He has loadsof scope and couldget very classy horses.
Aidan O’Brien
Charynstormshome in theGroup 1Queen Anne Stakes at RoyalAscot
Other namestonoteatstud(from left): Metropolitan,River Tiberand KewGardens
AUGUSTE RODIN
6-timeGroup1winnerat2,3 and4yearsbyDEEPIMPACT
CITY OF TROY
EuropeanChampionat2and WorldChampionRacehorse byJUSTIFY
HENRY LONGFELLOW
Group1NationalStakeswinnerat2justlikehissireDUBAWI
All Gr.1 winners at 2. All by top-class stallions. All with superb pedigrees. All their dams were Gr.1 winners at 2.