ITB_January2026

WHO WILL STEP UP?

Ed Grimshaw on British racing’s search for a leader and leadership

WEATHERBYS STALLION SCENE

Chapel Stud’s Bangkok has an Italian Classic hopeful, and it is a pivotal year for stallions at Haras de Beaumont

CHALDEAN

FRANKEL - SUELITA (DUTCH ART)

Highly praised

“We like Chaldean a lot, we have some good homebreds by him and we bought three foals by him. We are sending him a few mares in 2026.”

Gay O’Callaghan, Yeomanstown Stud

“The Chaldeans had loads of quality and were all athletic types.”

Edmond Ryan, Weir View Stud

“A lot of people are talking about Chaldean.”

Ghislain Bozo, Meridian International

“The Chaldeans sold unbelievably well. We had an absolute cracker by him and he did the business in the ring.”

Dermot Cantillon, Tinnakill House Stud

“From what I hear a lot of people are going to use him next year off the back of these foals.”

Nancy Sexton, Bloodstock Journalist

“Chaldean is the obvious one.”

Martin Buick, Bloodstock Agent

Contact Ed Sackville, Shane Horan or Tom Parry +44 (0)1638 731115 | nominations@juddmonte.co.uk www.juddmonte.com

His DEWHURST performance was bettered only by FRANKEL this century

“Took some pulling up after the line a trademark of his big wins last year” RACING POST

Like SADLER’S WELLS, GIANT’S CAUSEWAY, SEA THE STARS, ST MARK’S BASILICA etc

Defeats 2025 World Champion elect CALANDAGAN in the Juddmonte International in record time

Home to Gr.1 winning milers

STUD FEE: £15,000 1st Oct SLF The leading

NEW CENTURY

1st 2024 Summer Stakes, Gr.1

1st 2024 Stonehenge Stakes, Listed

3rd 2025 American Turf Stakes, Gr.1

European second-season sire

by earnings and Group winners-runners*

WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE

1st 2024 Royal Lodge Stakes, Gr.2

1st 2025 Nashville Derby, Gr.3

3rd 2024 Futurity Trophy Stakes, Gr.1

FIVE WAYS

1st 2025 Sirenia Stakes, Gr.3

*of sires with >50 runners as of 24/09/2025

AMERICAN GAL

1st 2025 Prix des Lilas, Listed

‘He’s a very tough horse who we’ve always had a lot of faith in. Ryan gave him an unbelievable ride. He won very well in the end and I’m delighted. He did everything right in the preparations going into the race, so for him to go and win is brilliant.’

Aidan O’Brien, trainer Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Gr.1

‘He ran a career best on this step up to 7f.’ www.racingpost.com

Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere Gr.1 , finished 1 length second to Rosallion, subsequent Irish 2,000 Guineas Winner

6f. Maiden Stakes at the Curragh

‘This was a smooth performance and the further he went the quicker he went and he was in total command at the line.’ www.racingpost.com

UNQUESTIONABLE

Wootton Bassett - Strawberry Lace (Sea The Stars)

Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Winning Juvenile, Classic Performer at 3

Out of a Sea The Stars mare from the stallion-making BEST IN SHOW family responsible for champion sire REDOUTE’S CHOICE

By Champion sire WOOTTON BASSETT, a powerful influence for class and precocity

Wootton Bassett’s first sons to stud are responsible for the 2025 Gr.1 winners Gezora and Woodshauna

DUBAWI LEGEND

FEE €5,000

GR.1 2YO AND GROUP-WINNING 3YO

SPRINTER

BY DUBAWI

First yearlings sold for €50,000, £35,000, €28,000, £24,000, etc.

Purchased by Sheila Lavery, MHF Bloodstock, Peter & Ross Doyle Bloodstock, Tally Ho Stud, SackvilleDonald/Manor House Stables, Dave Loughnane, Charvat Group S.R.O., Compas Equine, Highflyer Bloodstock, Richard Hughes, BBA Ireland, Bobby O’Ryan, Marco Botti, John Bourke/Bramblestown, etc.

He’s a fine big colt, and I like what I see at the moment.

Roger O’Callaghan, Tally Ho Stud, re colt x Breedj

First yearlings sold for 240,000gns, £65,000, £60,000, £52,000, etc.

Purchased by Kevin Ryan, Middleham Park Racing, Con Marnane, Peter & Ross Doyle x3, Highflyer/ Phil Cunningham, Highflyer/Eve Johnson-Houghton x2, David McGreavy Bloodstock, BBA Ireland, Karl & Kelly Burke/Nick Bradley Racing, Rabbah Bloodstock, Linehan Bloodstock, Patrick Keogh, Tony Ryan, Fionn McSharry, Jamie Osborne, etc.

He’s a good moving colt who’s been very straightforward in his work.

Kevin Ryan, re 240,000gns colt x Burmese Waltz

44 Stallion statistics Courtesy of Weatherbys

46 A rising power

Jamie mentions three sires with first-crop two-year-olds whose progeny stood out at Far Westfield Farm as they were being broken-in and ridden away

The fires in

The

Ed

In Part 1 of this month’s Weatherbys Stallion Scene we speak with Roisin Close of Chapel Stud, which stands Bangkok and who has a hopeful for this year’s Italian Classics

52 A big year ahead

Sealiway, Ace Impact, Puchkine and Intello: all have big years ahead – we chat with Pauline Chehboub of Haras de Beaumont

52 Last-minute transfers

Mayson, King Of Change and Aclaim have crossed in both directions over the Irish Sea

58 Building his castle

The new Haras de Castillon is standing six stallions for this spring’s covering season. Adrien Cugnasse speaks with Benoit Jeffroy

66 Stallion valuation

Stallions are more expensive than ever, writes Jocelyn De Moubray, who takes a look the changing stallion industry and the influence of online sales on stallion transactions

72 Foal sale statistics

From the autumn sales and listed by stallions in alphabetical order

85 New Sires Fact Pack

In our New Sires Fact Pack we profile the major commercial new stallions at stud in Britan, Ireland and France

110 Mare of the month

No Pushover, dam of No Walkover

112 Photo finish

Stallions at Yorton Farm Stud on the inaugural NH Stallions Open Weekend

48 58 52 66

the team

editor sally duckett

publisher declan rickatson

photography debbie burt design thoroughbred publishing

advertising declan rickatson

00 44 (0)7767 310381

declan.rickatson@btinternet.com

subscriptions tracey glaysher itsubs@btinternet.com

the photographers

equine creative media courtesy of stud farms tattersalls goffs

laura green alisha meeder

debbie burt weatherbys the printers micropress press

the writers

jocelyn de moubray amy bennett leo powell

adrien cugnasse

cathy grassick ed grimshaw weatherbys

william huntingdon

the stats weatherbys

plestor house, farnham road, liss, hampshire, gu33 6jq tel: 00 44 (0) 1428 724063

info@internationalthoroughbred.net www.internationalthoroughbred.net

jocelyn de moubray accounts annie jones itaccounts@btinternet.com

www.internationalthoroughbred.co.uk

PROVEN GR.1 SIRE OF SPEED

65+ Stakes winners/ performers

Including multiple Gr.1 winning sprinters

GLASS SLIPPERS & DREAM OF DREAMS

Dream Ahead Washington DC

GR.1 SPRINT SIRE

Incredible Value for 2026

Sire of Royal Ascot Gr.1 King Charles III winner

AMERICAN AFFAIR

Plus other tough sprinters including WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, VENTURE CAPITAL, SONDAD, etc.

Europe’s top sire of sprinters standing at under £25k

(5f/6f by earnings 2017 to 2025, Marray Thoroughbred Services)

£5FEE,500OCT1STSLF

A leading broodmare sire by Stakes winners/horses

For sires with seven crops or lessincluding Gr.1 horses POPTRONIC, LIGHTSABER, TEXAS, and eight new Stakes horses in Europe in 2025

A leading sire of 5f sprinters by earnings in GB & IRE in 2025

Ranked third behind MEHMAS and HAVANA GREY (Racing Post to 6/11/25)

£3FEE,500OCT1STSLF

Champion 3yo Sprinter won/placed in 15 Stakes races

Half-brother to Gr.1 sprinter AESOP’S FABLES

Leo reflects on the end of 2025 and looks ahead to the social events he has pencilled in for 2026

The passage of time

THE CONCENTRATION OF SALES in the latter months of the calendar year means that the Christmas and New Year period is a time for many to gain some well-earned rest. For some it can even be a period when they renew acquaintances with their family!

For the best part of four months in the autumn there is an unceasing round of sales between Ireland, Britain and France, as well as further afield, and for some, especially bloodstock agents, it must be a time of intense pressure. Not only do they have to be at the sales for the actual auction dates, but the period before that is spent in reconnaissance. My admiration for all who work these times is immense.

I report on the sales in Ireland, and get to attend some days of selling in Britain, and I feel that I have little time for a life outside of the sales circuit from September to December. When the gavel came down on the final lot at the Tattersalls Ireland Sapphire Sale, my yearning to pop the cork on a bottle of champagne was strong. Instead, I had one task remaining in the boardroom at Fairyhouse, a pleasant one and what proved to be quite an emotional few minutes.

Given that his time on the rostrum involved conducting some of the most iconic sales of horses during a four-decade long career, Edmond Mahony stepped away from that spotlight in his typical fashion – without any fuss. Few on that day of the Sapphire Sale would even have been aware of the fact that he was about to bring the curtain down on a profession that saw him earn the admiration of his peers. He was, quite simply, outstanding.

For those who know Mahony away from his role on the auctioneer’s podium, being a master of the sale ring might appear somewhat incongruous given

When Mahony stepped forward to sell at Newmarket or Fairyhouse,

his personality. By nature, Mahony can be described as shy, and certainly someone who did not crave the limelight. Yet, when Mahony stepped forward to sell at Newmarket or Fairyhouse, he took on an air of complete command, and vendors were assured that their lot was in the best of hands.

I have had the good fortune to enjoy my own career in the business in parallel with his, and while for a period we were on opposite sides of the fence

Edmond Mahony bringing the hammer down on his career on the rostrum at the Tattersalls Ireland Sapphire Sale

professionally even at odds, I hope it never diminished the respect we had for each other.

Over the past two decades, Mahony, a reluctant interviewee, sat down with me on several occasions to talk about the business, and gave me a final “big interview” for this magazine just a couple of months ago. For that I am very grateful.

As everyone knows, since the start of 2026 Mahony has a new role within Tattersalls, but he doesn’t need new business cards – he retains the title of chairman.

Matt Prior has assumed the responsibility for the day-to-day running of the company, while Mahony’s influence will still be felt, if at slight arm’s length. Mahony’s leadership qualities, most notably that of a steady hand, will no doubt be felt for some time to come. I wish him and his wife Fiona the best for the years ahead.

What about those emotional minutes that I mentioned earlier? Well, tune into the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Awards ceremony on the last Saturday in January and check out my chat with Edmond. It is likely to be a piece that will go viral.

O’Sullevan’s legacy in safe hands

While the Cartier awards unfortunately clash with Goffs, the organisers of the annual Peter O’Sullevan charity lunch, also held at the Dorchester Hotel in London, have managed to stage it on the gap day at Tattersalls during the company’s December Foal Sale. This allows for flexibility when it comes to being able to attend both events.

As it happened, at the lunch I was drawn to sit with Brough Scott, who as ever regaled me with stories and views that made the lunch pass all too quickly.

The guests on my table also included the author Felix Francis, who kindly signed a copy of his latest novel and gifted it to me.

Dark Horse is the 14th novel written by Felix, and before that he co-authored four with his late father, Dick.

Under the driving force of Nigel Payne, Mike Dillon and others, the continued success of this lunch is phenomenal. A fundraiser for charities that were close to the heart of the late Sir Peter, every year it also pays tribute to someone whose influence on racing has been immense.

This time the lunch celebrated the multiple champion trainer Willie Mullins, the 29th recipient of the award. He joins a roll of honour that reads like a who’s who of racing, and which includes the

One of my most anticipated trips of the year for me is that of heading to beautiful Bahrain for a couple of days in November for the Group 2 Bahrain International Trophy... ... Imagine my shock, and ultimate disappointment, when, on the eve of my departure to Bahrain, I went to the top drawer of my desk to retrieve my passport, and found it wasn’t there!

recently deceased Ian Balding, who was recognised in 2005 with his brother Toby.

One measure of how successful this lunch is can be gauged by the fact that it is the most-attended event of the year at the Dorchester Hotel, and is a sell-out every time. Indeed, this year’s lunch, in November, is already sold out. How amazing is that?

Not long after that lunch came the news of the death of Sir Johnny Weatherby, a huge blow to his family and many, many friends.

Here was a man who gave his entire life to racing administration, in a fine family tradition, and his passing leaves an enormous vacuum. I was fortunate to get to know Johnny over the years and he was simply the most likeable of people.

Always with a smile and a friendly welcome, he loved his work and was admired by all. I am also aware of the great pleasure he got from breeding a good horse, and what joy it was for him to be responsible for the dual Cheltenham Festival winner, Presenting Percy.

Many tributes have been paid to Johnny, and deservedly so. However, it can often be the simplest of comments that sum up the man best, and for me that was one made to me by Weatherby’s Nick Craven in the immediate aftermath of Johnny’s passing. He wrote to me and said: “It has been a heartbreaking few days, but how lucky was I to have him as my boss for 32 years.” Not many can say that.

I fell at the last hurdle

One of my most anticipated trips of the year is heading to beautiful Bahrain for a couple of days in November for the Group 2 Bahrain International Trophy.

The Bahraini people are among of the most welcoming anywhere, and this small nation is keen to build a reputation as a holiday destination –it comes highly recommended from this traveller.

Imagine my shock, and ultimate disappointment, when, on the eve of my departure to Bahrain, I went to the top drawer of my desk to retrieve my passport, and found it wasn’t there! Okay, it has to be somewhere fairly obvious – a suitcase, briefcase, another desk drawer, or the pocket of a coat or jacket. All were searched, not once but thrice, to no avail. With a heavy heart I had to contact John Maxse and inform him that I could not travel.

Thankfully, with an upcoming trip for Christmas and the New Year to Beirut in the offing, the Irish passport office had a replacement with me within

a week, and order was restored. The new passport is now safely stored, containing just two stamps to show that I entered and left Lebanon.

On this recent trip, I failed to make it to the races in Beirut. If you are wondering why you never see results of races there, the reason is that they combine running local horses and ponies with races beamed in from France.

This creates enough betting opportunities for the small crowds who attend what was once a popular gathering of society.

In the 1960s the Beirut Hippodrome held races twice a week, 52 weeks a year. Now it is on Sundays, and not as often since the horse population is small.

This is a sad tale of racing in decline in what was once a prosperous country, and a stark reminder that we can take nothing for granted.

When January included playing board games

My first full year in employment was in 1977, though my first day at work was at the Derby Sale in 1976, the second edition of what is now an iconic sale.

So, in June this year, I will celebrate 50 years in full-time employment. Maybe a time to celebrate?!

In 1977, the then Ballsbridge Sale, now Tattersalls Ireland, held a one-day sale of two-year-olds at Fairyhouse (to where they would later move), a mixed sale the following day in their sale yard at the RDS in Dublin, a one-day Derby Sale, a one-day August Sale, two days of yearlings in mid-September, and a three-day November Sale of National Hunt stock.

Times were different then, and workloads in the early part of a year were occasionally light.

Indeed, there was time to play an odd boardgame or two, but that was counterbalanced with work after the summer, when late nights were usual, as well as weekends working.

Pedigrees were compiled then by hand – no fancy computer systems or mobile telephones then – and there were days when I might manage to assemble eight or so pedigrees for an upcoming sale!

Results had to be checked in myriad formbooks, and, as in the case of Italian racing, in the newspapers that arrived sporadically into the office. Those were the days my friends.

Now, the first weeks of the year are filled with sales and events, and my own diary is full. By the time you read this, many of the events will have happened, but here is a sample of what is ahead as I write.

“And what do you want the next year to bring you?

“Nothing, I don’t want it to bring anything. The only thing I want is that it does not take anything away.

“That is does not take away the roof that protects me, the plate that feeds me, the blanket that warms me, the light that illuminates me, the smiles of my loved ones, health as a treasure, work as sustenance, friendship and and companionship, and that it does not take away the dreams that I carry within me.”

A Grade 1 National Hunt racing meeting at Naas, the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Stallion Trail, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association annual awards ceremony, careers day at Enniskillen College, a Bloodstock Industry Forum meeting and a sale at Tattersalls Ireland – just some of the things to keep me busy in the month of January!

Looking further ahead

It is cliché that time flies by faster as you get older, but that certainly seems to me to be the case. As my friend, racing photographer Pat Healy, keeps reminding me when we meet, “we are on the back-nine”, to which my response is always to ask whether I am playing the 11th or the 17th hole? Hopefully, I am on the early part of that back-nine of life!

The feeling that time is going faster comes into focus for me when I start getting invitations to the Randox Grand National weights lunch, and Cheltenham preview nights.

And in two months, we will welcome the start of the Flat season, and so the whole circus comes around full circle. Suddenly we are trying to guess which of the sires with their first runners will be making the biggest splash, and breeders will try to gamble on that outcome by using a sire in what can be that tricky fourth year at stud.

I am an avid diary keeper (thank you Weatherbys) and I put as many dates in at the start of each year. This can take time, as it inevitably leads to some daydreaming about the months ahead. Cheltenham, Aintree, Punchestown, The Curragh and Royal Ascot all happen in what seems like quick succession, and then I only have half a year completed. Each has its own charm, but if I am put to the sword and asked for a favourite, it is Royal Ascot by half a length. The rest dead-heat for the runner-up spot.

I look forward to sharing parts of this journey as the year goes by, and I will leave you with a thought that each and every one of you might adopt and even share. It goes like this:

“And what do you want the next year to bring you? Nothing, I don’t want it to bring anything. The only thing I want is that it does not take anything away.

“That is does not take away the roof that protects me, the plate that feeds me, the blanket that warms me, the light that illuminates me, the smiles of my loved ones, health as a treasure, work as sustenance, friendship and companionship, and that it does not take away the dreams that I carry within me.”

The Lloyd Report

The changing seasons

Jamie Lloyd and team have been busy breaking-in yearlings at Far Westfield Stud (a few by three first-season stallions have already stood out) and, as the crew moves into the foaling and covering season, he takes a look at some of the new sires for 2026

AS WE WELCOME the longer days at the farm it marks the winding down of our breaking season and the onset of a new breeding season.

The past winter has been another action-packed few months at Far Westfield, and is when we get to share in the excitement of new year’s hopes and dreams with our clients.

Each breaking season gives us some front row seats viewing the early days of another class of potential stars and allows us a rare early insight as to which sires could do well, or even a clue to who could wind up leading first-season sire.

We have been fortunate that most years we receive a good number of yearlings from rookie stallions.

In 2024-25 we had progeny of Starman on the farm, strong and straightforward from the start. One of the graduates went on to be named Venetian Sun, was the Royal Ascot winner of the Albany Stakes (G3), and she rounded out her juvenile campaign with a win in the Group 1 Prix Morny for trainer Karl Burke.

Other first crop sires from that season who impressed included St. Marks Basilica, Supremacy, A’Ali, Palace Pier and Victor Lidorum, and all had fared well by the final reckoning of 2025.

This year’s first crop sires have once

again caught the eye, despite 2023 hosting a smaller number of new stallions.

This winter we have progeny by Minzaal and Blackbeard, who have already drawn attention, as well as a very well-bred filly by Baaeed, who has just improved and improved everyday.

New Newmarket stallion farms

Like almost every facet of this industry, the stallion game continues to intrigue, fascinate, frustrate, educate and, at times, baffle many of us.

In what is arguably seen as an increasingly polarised market, this year has seen some optimism and some of the

New sires at new Newmarket-based farms: Scorthy Champ (left) standing at Barton Stud, while Royal Scotsman (right) has been retired to Genesis Green

braver amongst us are taking a shot at challenging the dominance of the few.

Two Newmarket stud farms will be standing new stallions in 2026, one for the first time, the other ending a long hiatus from a previously rich history.

Genesis Green Stud has long since been a top nursery in the UK, well represented each year with success in the sales ring and on the track.

This year one of its top graduates Royal Scotsman, a six-year-old son of Gleneagles who was consigned by the farm in 2021 at the Tattersalls October Book 2 Sale when he realised 125,000gns, has returned to stand at the farm.

As a two, he won the Group 2 Richmond Stakes and was narrowly beaten by Chaldean in the Dewhurst Stakes (G1) who he later ran third to in the following year’s 2,000 Guineas (G1).

He raced a two further times at four and was rewarded with a win in the Diomed Stakes (G3) and a second in the Challenge Stakes (G2).

Barton Stud is also standing a freshman sire for 2026 and, although it will be the first stallion to stand at the farm under the current management, it is not the first stallion to reside at the historic farm.

Barton Stud was established over a century ago and spent a good number of those years operating as a commercial farm, most notably standing Night Shift and Most Welcome.

Recent years have seen the farm grow and develop into one of the top nurseries and as a base for one of Europe’s leading sale-consigning operations. This has all been under the leadership of Tom Blain, whose decision it was to put Barton back on the stallion roster.

Barton returns to its roots standing Scorthy Champ in 2026, the four-year-0ld son of the great Mehmas.

Scorthy Champ won the National Stakaes (G1) at two for trainer Joseph O’Brien.

“ Like almost every facet of this industry, the stallion game continues to intrigue, fascinate, frustrate, educate and at times baffle many of us

“

He’s out of the young and productive mare called Fidaaha, a daughter of New Approach. Her three visits to the great Mehmas has resulted in a 100 per cent stakes-winning strike-rate.

Barton’s new freshman sire has two juvenile Group race-winning siblings –the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes winner Knight, and Malavath, who won a Group 2 in France.

Both these stallions give alternative options for breeders, who in recent years have had to get used to just dealing with a small number of farms when considering which stallions to breed to their mares.

The announcement of these two farms to stand stallions, in what has been a testing few years for many breeders, highlights the ever-present resilience and optimism within our industry. In what is always an everchanging market this could, hopefully, be the start of a resurgence in our breeding industry.

New sires at established farms

Coolmore has added the multiple Group 1 winner Delacroix to its line up.

The son of Dubawi is out of the

champion US Turf mare Tepin.

The powerful stallion station also retires a pair of Classic-winners by its recently lost superstar Wootton Bassett – the Group 1 Prix du Jockey-Club winner Camille Pissarro, and the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner Henri Matisse.

Darley also retires a sizable draft for 2026, led in fee order by Rosallion. He won three Group 1 races at age two and three, and he finished second in three further top-level races at four for the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid.

Darley’s Kildangan Stud in Ireland will play home to Shadow Of Light, a dual Group 1-winning juvenile by Lope De Vega, who was Classic placed.

The Dewhurst Stakes (G1) and Middle Park Stakes (G1) victor is a half-brother to Earthlight and was crowned European champion two-year-old colt in 2024.

Another Obaid homebred, Inisherin, winner of the Commonwealth Cup (G1), joins Rosallion in Newmarket, while Tribalist, a Group 1-winning son of Farhh will stand in Normandy at the new Haras de Castillon.

Elite Status joins the team at Whitsbury Manor Stud and is yet another who carried the destinctive yellow and black silks of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, whose recent passing is a huge loss to the industry.

The breeder of Dubawi was known at times for being controversial, and he was certainly not afraid to make big changes, but he always proudly stood by his decisions.

At Far Westfield we have been linked to his stable for some years through our affiliation with Karl Burke.

Elite Status is a Far Westfield graduate, as too was Poet Master, Ice Max, Liberty Lane, Cold Case, Royal Rhyme and Hankelow.

So, in a nod of gratitude to his support, I am breeding one of my own mares to Elite Status, I can’t afford Rosallion!

...Girls aloud

LAST YEAR started with incredulity as many in US racing were hit by the catastrophic effects of the Santa Ana winds on the wildfires in California.

We were grateful then to see so many offer to help with the racehorse evacuation from Santa Anita, and, as hard as it was to see property destroyed, the real worry was for the loss of life, human or animal.

It is therefore unbelievable to be starting 2026 with similar plight as wildfires rush across the Australian state of Victoria putting so many farms, houses and livelihoods at risk. It has been heartening to hear of so many tales of bravery and support as members of the Australian bloodstock community reach out to help those in danger.

The great historic Lindsay Park was lucky to have Inglis offer to house some of its horses as it has lost much of its paddocks to fire damage.

Another to jump to help was trainer Ben Brisbourne, who spent much of the day in his truck evacuating horses from the Euroa area and bringing them to his farm. The loss and damage to property is heartbreaking, but as always the potential loss of lives is much more worrying. Our thoughts, prayers and support go out to those affected by fires as the work continues to quench the flames, and who have the daunting task of rebuilding their farms and communities ahead of them.

Elsewhere, the first sales of 2026 have already started, and many international travellers have already travelled to Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the sunny Gold Coast in Australia, or have braved the colder climate of Kentucky for the Keeneland January Sale.

It won’t be long before the sales start again in this part of the world with the catalogues on the horizon for the Tattersalls February Sale, the Goffs February Sale and Arqana February Salea lot less distance to travel for those who did not buy at the end of the year, or who are aleady missing the buzz of the sales ring.

The breeding season is almost upon us and with that the annual pilgrimages of both Flat and NH breeders begin as they visit stallion farms.

Many will be looking to see the new recruits and making plans for matings for the year ahead.

The annual ITM Stallion Trail is an essential tool for European breeders who are considering using Irish stallions, as well giving racing and breeding fans the opportunity to get up close and personal with equine heroes.

This year it took place over the weekend of January 16-17 with over 30 farms participating, allowing access to some of the best farms and stallions Ireland has to offer.

All around Europe thoroughbred breeding farms are welcoming or getting ready to welcome the first of this year’s new arrivals.

The foaling cameras are focussed and sleepless nights are back

Bring on 2026, writes Cathy Grassick Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association

as the new crop of foals hit the ground.

Already we have seen photos of the first arrivals for some of the new stallions with a filly foal born by Yeomanstown Stud’s Millstream and a colt arriving at Oak Lodge and Springfield House Stud for resident Go Bears Go.

It will be exciting to see more of the new stallions arrivals as they start to arrive.

Another interesting event taking place later this month is the Irish Equine Veterinary Association Reproduction Symposium, which will be held at Tinakilly Country House in County Wicklow.

This is a two-day specialist veterinary conference, but there is a dedicated breeder programme taking place on the morning of Wednesday, January 28, which will bring together leading experts to give guidance to breeders on important developments in reproductive veterinary medicine and current treatments available.

It will also feature a Q & A session and will be fellowed by a networking lunch with speakers and fellow breeders.

This is an important opportunity for breeders to update their knowledge at the start of the breeding season and tickets are available through the IEVA website: www.irisheva.ie

As always the end of January is rounded off with the ITBA Awards and this year promises to be a special edition as 2026 sees the centenary of the founding of the ITBA.

I look forward to enjoying this year’s awards without being in the hot seat of chairman and take this opportunity to wish new ITBA chairman Cathal Beale the very best with his speech as well as for the year ahead.

The first foal by Yeomanstown Stud’s Group 1 July Cup winner Millstream is this filly out of the Dark Angel mare Silver Rose

Shaquille

His first crop is already playing in the big leagues

First foals made:

210,000gns, 190,000gns, 180,000gns, 150,000gns, 125,000gns, €120,000, 115,000gns, €105,000, 100,000gns etc. and averaged 4x their conception fee!

Emphatic winner of the Gr.1 Commonwealth Cup & Gr.1 July Cup

Cartier Champion Sprinter & Longines World’s Best 3YO Sprinter in 2023

2026 Fee: £10,000

January 1st, SLF

FARHH & FAIR DAUGHTER (NATHANIEL)

THE WORLD OF HORSERACING has lost one of its most steadfast guardians and outstanding leaders. Sir Johnny Weatherby, who died on December 18, 2025, at the age of 66, was a man whose life was inextricably woven into the fabric of the Turf.

Representing the seventh generation of his family to lead Weatherbys; he modernised and championed the industry with a blend of professional rigour and personal warmth.

Born on November 30, 1959, Johnny was the son of Christopher Weatherby and Alison Pease. He was born into a lineage that has served as core administrators of British racing and proprietors of the General Stud Book since 1770.

Following education at Eton College, Johnny joined the family firm aged 19 in 1979.

He was far more than a figurehead. After a productive secondment to the Jockey Club in London during the 1980s, serving as secretary and later director, he took over the chairmanship of Weatherbys from his father in 1993.

Under his stewardship, the business flourished and became far more open and accountable. Along with other senior members of the Weatherbys team he was instrumental in founding Weatherbys Bank, which he served as chairman for 23 years, cementing the firm’s role as the financial headquarters of the British racing community but also diversifying into the wider world of high-end private banking.

While his business acumen was centered at the Weatherbys HQ in Wellingborough, Johnny’s public presence was most visible at Ascot Racecourse.

Sir Johnny Weatherby with the late Queen Elizabeth II in his role as Her Majesty’s Representative at Ascot racecourse

Sir Johnny Weatherby KCVO 1959-2025

Serving as trustee from 1997, chairman 2011-2020, and Her Majesty’s Representative 2010-2020, he carried with distinction the immense responsibility of elevating the standards of the world’s most famous racecourse and race meeting.

During his time at Ascot the racecourse transformed in appearance and attitude. His personal warmth was so evident.

He was a man at ease in any company, moving seamlessly between the Royal Box and every corner of the racecourse. His knighthood in 2020 was a fitting recognition of decades of service to the sport and the Crown.

His influence extended globally. Not only attracting international competitors

“Johnny was one of life’s enthusiasts, a gentleman with integrity, who had empathy with all walks of life.

“He cared deeply about his family and his friends, touched a lot of hearts, and everyone loved him. “He was far too young.”

Charles Egerton

distinguished. He celebrated a famous victory at Aintree in 2019 when his horse Top Wood won the Foxhunters’ Chase, he was a part-owner of the high-class chaser Behrajan, and he showed a keen eye for bloodlines as the breeder of the Grade 1 winner Presenting Percy.

Johnny was known by employees and peers alike as an engaging, lively, and profoundly positive man. He possessed a sharp wit and an infectious sense of fun.

Despite his high-ranking roles, he was an inspiring leader who preached the value of “putting the customer first” and always going the extra mile for clients.

Outside racing, his interests were delightfully varied. He was a dedicated follower of both Manchester United and Leicester City, and he completed the London Marathon twice with his great friend Charles Egerton

At the centre of his world, however, was his family. He married Sophie CliffeJones in 1993, and they had four children: Isabella, Jack, Max and Lara.

of the highest class to Royal Ascot, but also as chairman of the International Stud Book Committee, ensuring the integrity of the thoroughbred horse remained paramount and beyond reproach.

Away from the boardroom, Johnny was a true and enthusiastic racing man. In his younger years, he was a fiercely competitive presence in point-to-points and hunter chases.

He even rode a winner in front of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at Towcester – on her first visit to a racecourse. As the stable amateur rider for legendary trainer David “Duke” Nicholson, he rode his talented horse Sanballat to finish ninth in the Cheltenham Foxhunters.

His success as owner/breeder was

He is survived also by his brother Roger, chairman of Weatherbys Bank, and his sister Clare, Lady Daresbury.

For Johnny, the family business was a sacred trust to be preserved for the next generation, but his greatest joy was his own family.

Sir Johnny Weatherby was a rare individual who upheld the weight of a 250-year-old business legacy, while remaining entirely modern and approachable.

He leaves British racing a more professional, more stable, and certainly a more welcoming and cheerful place than he found it. He will be deeply missed across racecourses and by racing people around the world.

Adrian McGlynn

MAJOR WINNERS

1964: Silly Season Coventry Stakes, Dewhurst Stakes

1970: Mill Reef Coventry Stakes, Gimcrack Stakes

Dewhurst Stakes

1971: Mill Reef

Epsom Derby, Eclipse Stakes,

King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

1972: Mill Reef Prix Ganay, Coronation Cup

1980: Mrs Penny Prix de Diane

1981: Glint Of Gold Derby Italiano, Grand Prix de Paris

1985: Gold And Ivory Grosser Preis von Baden

1986: Forest Flower

Queen Mary Stakes,

Cherry Hinton Stakes, Mill Reef Stakes

1987: Forest Flower Irish 1,000 Guineas

1989: Silver Fling

Palace House Stakes

1989: Dashing Blade National Stakes, Dewhurst Stakes

1990: Dashing Blade Prix Eugène Adam, Gran Premio d’Italia

1991: Selkirk

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes

1992: Lochsong Stewards’ Cup, Ayr Gold Cup

1993: Lochsong Nunthorpe Stakes, Prix de l’Abbaye

1994: Lochsong Prix de l’Abbaye

SOME WONDERFUL WORDS have already been penned about my brother-in-law, particularly by Brough Scott and Clare Balding. I just hope to fill in some of the gaps that are not so well known.

I was still at school when Ian came to Kingsclere in March 1964 to assist my father Peter, but he had already become part of our family life as he had been assistant to Herbert Blagrave at Beckhampton, who was married to Gwen, my grandmother’s sister.

My aunt Diana Hastings was secretary at the yard, and later with Jeremy Tree across the road. Emma, my sister, was already a good school friend of Gail, Ian’s sister.

Much has been written about Ian’s outstanding training career with Mill Reef, Silly Season, Mrs Penny, Selkirk, Lochsong and Forest Flower being amongst the most memorable, but he was also a pioneer, along with John Dunlop, in competing overseas.

Ian’s secondary education at Marlborough and Millfield was not academically outstanding, but his sporting abilities got him a place at Christ’s Cambridge.

Jack “Boss’ Meyer, the legendary cricketer and founder of Millfield, had a philosophy to nurture talent by providing the very best facilities, teaching, coaching and opportunities in which young people could exercise and explore their abilities, and give awards to those in financial need. He was a great influence on Ian’s life; Meyer always followed Ian’s rides and later his runners.

At Cambridge, rugby, cricket and boxing, coupled with riding out at Willie Stephenson’s at Royston, left Ian little time for study for his Rural Estate Management degree –strong rumour has it that late on in his course he had to ask where the university farm was!

In the practical section of this exam he was asked to identify a grain which

Mill Reef

he finally decided was wheat. When the examiner probed further and wanted to know the type of wheat, Ian was left completely at a loss.

Perhaps Ian’s most remarkable feat there was to ride a winner at Huntingdon and get back to Cambridge in time to play first XV rugby.

He was a true Corinthian and listed skiing, the Cresta Run, tennis, squash, Real Tennis and golf amongst his other hobbies. He was a good piano player, though with a slightly limited repertoire, but featuring a great rendition of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. He was also an accomplished draughts player.

He rode 65 winners as an amateur and his later trainer’s hacks included the ex-racehorses Grey Shot and Isphahan.

A wedding present of his jump horse Milo to my sister in August 1969 was summarily recalled in February for Ian to ride in hunter chases.

He was Field Master of the Berks and Bucks Drag Hounds and built an impressive team chase course on the unused portions of the Downs. He reportedly took some following across country.

He was never without a dog as a companion right from inheriting his mother’s poodle when she went back to the US and through a long line of lurchers, including Bertie, the Lambourn Champion.

He was a longtime Salisbury Racecourse director, on the National Trainer’s Federation Council, helped with the early organisation of the Godolphin Awards, was on the Committee of the Injured Jockeys Fund and a great supporter and organiser of the Stable Lads Boxing and Welfare Group.

Ian Balding 1938-2026

He also found time to be a church warden at Kingsclere and was a council

him to produce such good results from Mrs Penny.

Ian Balding: trained from 1964 to 2002 and was champion trainer in 1971

by William Huntingdon, a former columnist for International Thoroughbred and Ian Balding’s brother-in-law

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum

Main picture, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid with jockey Sean Levey after Rosallion (far right, middle) won the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2024. It was a brilliant meeting for the owner – Inisherin (middle right, top) won the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup. Both horses are now standing at Darley Stud’s Dalham Hall alongside the champion sire Dubawi (far right, base), who was bred by Obaid and won the Group 1 National Stakes, the Group 1 Irish 2,000 Guineas and the Group 1 Prix Jacques les Marois. He is now sire of 64 Group 1 winners.

The owner enjoyed his first Classic success in 1998 with High Rise (top right), winner of the Epsom Derby.

The last homebreds to win European Group races for Obaid were the exciting four-year-old Night Of Thunder colt Zeus Olympius (middle right, base), an impressive winner of last autumn’s Group 2 Joel Stakes, Bow Creek, who won the Royal Lodge Stakes (G2), and Hankelow (inset), winner of the Autumn Stakes (G3) on October 11. Obaid’s last international Group race winner was November’s Group 2 Bahrain International Trophy winner Royal Champion. The seven-year-old is out of Emirates Queen, a Street Cry half-sister to Dubawi

Christmas glory

The top-class Festival racing action was thrilling on both sides of the Irish Sea and reminded many just what they love about the sport, writes Amy Bennett

The superb running of the King George VI Chase saw this four in a line over the last before The Jukebox Man inched ahead to Grade 1 victory for owner Harry Redknapp, trainer Ben Pauling and jockey Ben Jones

SOMETIMES racing just writes its own stories and, so often, at the perfect moment.

So it was on Boxing Day when into the furore over Kempton’s future as a racecourse stormed one of the most memorable finishes ever see in the King George VI Chase (G1).

The three mile contest is often a coronation of a different sort with the winner cruising to victory. Not so in 2025, when contenders were lining up

around the home turn and a line of four rose at the final fence.

The Jukebox Man (Ask) emerged victorious from the fray, a mere nose to the good of the previous year’s winner Banbridge (Doyen), with another nose back to the third-placed Gaelic Warrior (Maxios) and half a length to Jango Baie (Tiger Groom) in fourth. Only half a length separated the first four.

Winner of the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase (G1) on the same card 12 months earlier, The Jukebox Man made a winning return to action over fences in November after 11 months off the track.

Bred by Paul Cunningham, the eightyear-old was purchased for only €3,000 at Goffs as a foal. He was next seen in the ring at the Goffs-staged Tingle Creek Sale at Sandown in December 2022 after his point-to-point victory when purchased by the Highflyer team for £70,000.

He is the sole winner from six runners under Rules to date out of the unraced Flemensfirth mare My Twist. She is a half-sister to the black-typeplaced Sunami Storm (Glacial Storm), out of a full-sister to the Scottish Grand National runner-up Merry Master.

The result was also the first leg of a notable double for the winner’s late sire Ask.

The son of Sadler’s Wells, who stood at the Beeches Stud until 2019, died in 2023. He had spent several seasons at stud in Britain, first at Dunraven Stud and latterly at Willow Wood Farm.

Just 24 hours after The Juekbox Man claimed glory by a nose, his paternal half-brother Thistle Ask cruised to a 10l success in the Desert Orchid handicap Chase over two miles at Kempton.

Now unbeaten in four races this season – by at least 7l each time – the Goffs UK graduate looks one to watch.

He is the first foal out of the Exit To Nowhere mare Thistle Lane, who was placed in point-to-points and is from the family of the black-type duo Irish Thistle and Why Not Thistle.

This year’s Kauto Star Chase (G1) went the way of Kitzbuhel (Cokoriko),

who made all to win by nearly 3l.

It was a big step-up in class from his winning debut over fences at Punchestown in November, but this is clearly a horse with a future over the bigger obstacles.

Bred by Michele Juhen Cypres, he is a half-brother to the Grade 1-placed Hors Piste (Kapgarde) and the Grade 2-placed Itours Brun (Free Port Lux), out of the winning Dom Alco mare Valgardena.

Kitzbuhel’s colours were also carried to victory half an hour later at Kempton by Sir Gino, who landed the Christmas Hurdle (G1) by 6l from the gutsy Golden Ace (Golden Horn).

Last seen when winning the Wayward Lad (G2) over fences 12 months earlier, Sir Gino’s victory was another fine result for his sire It’s Gino, who stands at Haras de la Barbottiere.

Also on Boxing Day, Idaho Sun announced his arrival in the big-time with an eye-catching victory in the Formby Novices’ Hurdle (G1) at Aintree.

He is now the winner of five of his six starts, his only defeat coming when sixth in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival last year.

Twice a graduate of Goffs, where he was sourced most recently by Kevin Ross

Sir Gino: the son of It’s Gino is back on track

for €60,000, he is out of an unraced Westerner half-sister to the Grade 1-placed Oscar Elite (Oscar), out of a winning half-sister to the 2014 Cheltenham Gold Cup victor Lord Windermere (Oscar) and the Grade 2 winner Sub Lieutenant.

The six-year-old gelding hails from the first crop of Idaho, who was placed in both the Epsom and Irish Derbys and won both the Hardwicke and Great Voltigeur Stakes (G2).

The full-brother to Highland Reel has spent his career to date at the Beeches Stud, but has relocated for the coming breeding season to Skuttles Barrough Stud in Somerset where his fee is £2,000.

As usual, French-breds were fully in command of Chepstow’s Finale Juvenile Hurdle (G2) with Tenter Le Tout

drawing clear to win by 7l.

A daughter of No Risk At All, the filly was only fourth in her debut bumper but improved when given a hurdle to jump, winning at Exeter in November.

She was purchased by trainer Chester Williams at Arqana in November 2023.

The Welsh Grand National (G3) also went the way of a French-bred, albeit one now with solidly Welsh connections. Haiti Couleurs was bred in France by the Simon family, but is trained in Wales by Rebecca Curtis and was ridden to victory by Sean Bowen.

Also successful in the 2025 Irish Grand National the winner has passed through sales rings in France, Ireland and Britain, and is a son of Dragon Dancer, who has also done the rounds, standing in France and Britain.

He has been resident at Nunstainton

ELECTROLYTE

Stud since 2018 and will stand for a private fee this year.

Action in Ireland

The Christmas Festival at Leopardstown delivered a bucket-load of eye-catching results.

Top honours on St Stephen’s Day went to the exciting Romeo Coolio, who added a third Grade 1 to his tally in the Racing Post Novice Chase, 12 months after his Grade 1 victory over hurdles at the same meeting.

Bred by Will Kinsey and a son of the late Kayf Tara, the seven-year-old was an expensive top lot graduate of the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale at the Cheltenham Festival in 2023.

His half-brother Bailly’s Comet (Passing Glance) also gained black-type ■ Group winning & Royal Ascot 2yo

SIRENEW 2026IN

Electrolyte is fast and tough! France has a very good young stallion in Hello Youmzain, and coming from one of the best sire lines in Europe, Electrolyte stands every chance of making a big impact at stud.

Richard Brown, on behalf of Wathnan Racing

Fee: £3,000

1st October, Live Foal

WON Gr.3 Prix Eclipse, Chantilly, 6f, making all WON Maiden Stakes, Ayr, 6f, on debut 2nd Gr.2 Coventry Stakes, Royal Ascot, 6f, by just a nose to Rashabar, beating Camille Pissarro £220,000 purchase from the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale.

Descending from the legendary Dahlia family and a halfbrother to Gr.3 winner Steel Of Madrid.

over the Festive period finishing third in the Listed bumper at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, almost a month after half-sister Julio Coolio (Crystal Ocean) finished fourth on debut at Ludlow.

Arguably one of the most notable winners on the card was Narciso Has (Doctor Dino), who landed the Grade 2 juvenile hurdle by 11l on just his second Irish start.

He is a full-brother to the French Listed hurdle winner Namour Has, and a half-brother to the Listed winner and young sire Na Has (Saint Des Saints), all bred by the Hamel Stud.

Day 2 of the Leopardstown Festival saw Skylight Hustle take top honours in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle (G1), following up on his maiden hurdle victory at Fairyhouse in November.

Bred by Sean O’Sullivan, the Jukebox

Jury gelding was purchased at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale and went on to win a point-to-point.

He is a half-brother to Sean Says (Battle Of Marnego), who was Listedplaced over hurdles, as well as two multiple winners in France and Italy.

He is out of a half-sister to Kenmist, dam of the Classic-placed Group 1 winner Grey Lilas.

Solness (Konig Turf) and Marine Nationale (French Navy) renewed rivalry in the Grade 1 chase over 2m1f, with the former winning by half a length for a third success at the highest level.

Another old rivalry saw Teahupoo (Masked Marvel) defeat Bob Olinger

On St Stephen’s Day at Leopardstown the novice chaser Romeo Coolio won his third Grade 1, headlining a fine stint for his pedigree

Affordale Fury hails from the first crop of his sire Affinisea and looks a fine indication of talent to come from the son of Sea The Stars

by 7l in the Christmas Hurdle (G1) at Leopardstown, nine months after Bob Olinger had the final say in the Stayers’ Hurdle (G1) at Cheltenham.

Half an hour later, Affordale Fury gained a deserved maiden Grade 1 victory in the Savills Chase over an extended three miles.

The eight-year-old, bred by Deidre Connolly, has knocked at the door in Grade 1 company, and got the better of the 2024 Grand National victor I Am Maximus (Authorized).

Affordale Fury’s victory provided a first top level success for his sire Affinisea, who stands at Whytemount Stud for €7,000.

Affordale Fury hails from the sire’s first crop and looks a fine indication of talent to come from the son of Sea The Stars.

Other highlights of the Leopardstown meeting included the fourth Grade 1 victory on the trot for Lossiemouth (Great Pretender), who saw off Brighterdaysahead in the December Hurdle (G1), as well as that of Wodhooh, who was beaten by Lossiemouth in the Aintree Hurdle (G1) in 2025.

The daughter of Le Havre took the Ascot Hurdle (G2) in November and stayed on well to land the Grade 3 mares’ hurdle on the final day of the Leopardstown meeting.

Limerick was not left behind Limerick also offered up some tasty Christmas fare with Final Demand (Walk In The Park) landing the Faugheen Novice Chase (G1) from his stablemate Gold Dancer (Doctor Dino).

Another graduate of Kenneth Parkhill’s stellar nursery the sevenyear-old has only once met defeat in

six starts under Rules when third to The New Lion at last year’s Cheltenham Festival. He also won his sole start between the flags.

It is also worthy of note that his 8l victory at Limerick is actually his smallest margin of victory since that point-to-point success in March 2024.

A day earlier at the same meeting, The Big Westerner (Westerner) landed the Dawn Run Mares’ Novice Chase (G2) from Jade De Gurgy (Doctor Dino), having taken the Grade 2 novice hurdle at the same meeting last year.

Another graduate of Tattersalls Cheltenham’s Festival Sale, the sevenyear-old mare is a half-sister to Stay Away Fay (Shantou), who defeated

Affordale Fury in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2023.

The Grade 2 novice hurdle at the 2025 Limerick meeting was landed by Kazansky (Milan), who triumphed by a head over County Final (Court Cave) in a very tight finish. A half-brother to the Grade 3-placed hurdler Knockanard Lady (Fame And Glory), they were bred by Liam O’Gorman out of the unplaced Presenting mare Regal Empress.

Although a long way from the Grade 1 action an honourable mention must go to Boycetown, who won the bumper on Down Royal’s Boxing Day card.

The then-four-year-old was runnerup in a point-to-point before changing hands for €120,000 at the Goffs Punchestown Sale and hacked up by 18l on his second bumper start.

Bred by Patrick McCormack and Peter Murphy, he is a half-brother to the Listed bumper winner Belle Metal (Soldier Of Fortune).

He is one of four winners under Rules to date for Capri. The Irish Derby winner began his career at Grange Stud in Ireland, but is about to embark on his third season standing at Willow Wood Farm in Cheshire – former home of Ask – where his fee will be £2,500.

Lossiemouth: a fourth Grade 1 win in succession

Point-to-point sale graduate The Big Westerner

Multiple Stakes winner by Havana Grey

Who will step up?

British racing’s search for a leader and leadership

by Ed Grimshaw

THERE IS A PARTICULAR QUALITY to the light at Kempton Park on Boxing Day – a low, golden, winter sun that paints the grandstands amber and stretches the shadows of horses until they look like the ghosts of giants past. Arkle, Desert Orchid, Kauto Star; they all walk this Turf in spirit, their hoofbeats echoing down the decades like distant drums.

And for a few glorious, raucous minutes this year, amidst the steam rising from flank and nostril, the roar swelling like an orchestra reaching its crescendo, it felt as though the old game had summoned up its ancient magic once more.

If you were there, pressed against the rails as The Jukebox Man battled out a finish of noses with the Irish leviathans, you could be forgiven for thinking the heart of British racing was thundering

as powerfully as ever.

Harry Redknapp, a man whose face is a weathered map of a thousand football dugouts, dancing a jig in the winner’s enclosure as if he had just signed Pelé on a free transfer. Ben Pauling, quiet intensity finally rewarded, the King George demons slain at last. For one glittering, defiant moment, the sport felt immortal.

But do not let the seduction of the moment fool you.

Whilst the patient’s cheeks were flushed on King George day, the prognosis in the cold light of the morning after is grave.

We are a sport enjoying a magnificent dinner on the deck of a ship taking on water.

Down in the engine room, where nobody with a title cares to venture, the gauges are bleeding into red whilst the crew exchange nervous glances and await orders that never come.

Who will step up?

It is the question that haunts this enterprise like a spectre at the feast – echoing through every sparsely populated betting ring, every halffilled grandstand, every owner’s bar where the whisky tastes increasingly of disappointment.

British racing is crying out for leadership. Real leadership – the kind that makes difficult decisions and powerful enemies, not the committee-

room shuffling and working-group wallpaper that has passed for governance these past 20 years. The silence in response is deafening

The numbers don’t lie Strip away the triumphalist press releases and the figures read like a coroner’s report compiled by a particularly gloomy pathologist. Betting turnover has declined by £3

Packed crowds at Kempton on Bpxing Day

british racing’s leadership

Collaboration is what you reach for when you lack the power to lead, the courage to try, or the stomach for the enemies that leadership inevitably creates

billion in real terms – a haemorrhage of 25 per cent since 2023 that should have prompted emergency surgery but instead elicited only concerned murmurs and another round of stakeholder consultation.

Online racing betting has plummeted from £11.5 billion to £8.37 billion –money that has fled to unregulated offshore parasites who contribute nothing whilst gorging on racing’s customers.

Field sizes at core fixtures now average a pitiful seven-eight runners, robbing each-way punters of value and turning competitive handicaps into processions.

Ninety-two per cent of owners never recover their costs.

And 47 per cent now plan to reduce their involvement, not because the magic has faded but because the arithmetic has become undeniable.

The mechanism is a death spiral that feeds upon itself with elegant, remorseless cruelty.

Smaller fields depress betting turnover.

Reduced turnover starves prize-money.

Starved prize-money drives owners away.

Fewer horses mean smaller fields.

We are staging a 1990s fixture list with a 2030s horse population, and the mathematics of this delusion grow more brutal by the season.

Who will step up to break this cycle?

The dirty word Collaboration. There it is – the word that has become an anaesthetic, a verbal

sedative administered whenever the industry requires an excuse for inaction.

Say it often enough in sufficiently earnest tones, and you can avoid making a single meaningful decision for an entire career.

My heart sank – though in truth it had little distance left to fall – when Lord Allen, recently installed in his one-day-a-week chairmanship of the BHA, reached for precisely this tired incantation at the Gimcrack dinner.

He would seek, he intoned with the solemnity of a bishop blessing the fleet, to work collaboratively with racing’s stakeholders. The words landed with the dull thud of a stable door closing long after the horse has bolted, been sold to Ireland and sired three Cheltenham winners.

It was the same sentiment expressed by Julie Harrington during her tenure – a woman navigating an impossible brief, ultimately overwhelmed by the scale of institutional dysfunction she inherited and could not reform.

The same philosophy that guided Nick Rust before her, a man who talked an excellent game but whose collaborative instincts proved

no match for the centrifugal forces tearing racing apart.

The same approach, the same vocabulary, the same depressing trajectory: managed decline dressed in the language of partnership.

Collaboration has become code for capitulation.

Let us be brutally clear about what collaboration means in the context of British racing.

It means every stakeholder wields a veto. The fixture list cannot be reduced because racecourses will howl, and racecourses have board representation.

Scheduling cannot be rationalised because media partners have contractual requirements that trump sporting logic.

Transparency cannot be demanded because commercial confidentiality is the last refuge of those with something to hide.

Hard choices are

If Lord Allen adopts a collaborative approach, what will change?

favour of soft consensus and strategic obfuscation.

Collaboration is what you reach for when you lack the power to lead, the courage to try, or the stomach for the enemies that leadership inevitably creates. It is the philosophy of the committee room, where uncomfortable truths are smoothed into anodyne communiqués.

British racing is now a battlefield, whether its generals wish to acknowledge it or not. You do not win battles through collaboration with the enemy within.

Who will step up to lead rather than merely collaborate?

The strategy vacuum

British racing does not possess a strategy. What British racing possesses is a collection of competing interests, each pursuing its own agenda with the single-minded determination of ferrets in a sack, each convinced that its particular slice must be preserved regardless of the consequences for the whole.

Consider the fixture list – that bloated monument to compromise, cowardice, and the complete absence of strategic thought.

We stage over 1,500 fixtures per year, spreading a diminishing horse population ever thinner across infrastructure designed for an era of abundance. Every fixture represents a constituency: a racecourse demanding dates, a media partner requiring content, a stakeholder unwilling to contemplate rationalisation.

The result is a product diluted beyond recognition – fields of five runners, betting markets so thin a decent wager moves the price three points, a spectacle that drives away the very customers it purports to serve.

A leader would ask the obvious question: how many fixtures can our horse population sustain at a level of quality that commands attention?

What British racing possesses is a collection of competing interests, each pursuing its own agenda with the single-minded determination of ferrets in a sack

A leader would then impose the answer, regardless of which constituencies howled into the wind. Instead, we get collaboration – endless consultation that produces fixture lists that grow ever longer whilst fields grow ever shorter.

Who will step up to make the hard choices?

The kamikaze calendar

We pit our best Saturday cards against the FA Cup, the Six Nations, the Premier League behemoth – shouting into a hurricane and wondering why nobody hears us. It is commercial self-harm of an almost artistic purity, akin to opening a vegan restaurant inside an abattoir and blaming the customers for lack of adventurous spirit.

A strategic leader would map the sporting calendar, identify the gaps, and position racing’s showpieces where they capture attention rather than compete for scraps.

Instead, we scatter our product like confetti, hoping something lands somewhere visible.

Who will step up to think strategically?

The institutional paralysis

Count the stakeholders and weep: the BHA, the Jockey Club, the Racecourse Association, Arena Racing, the ROA, the TBA, the NTF, the PJA, the HBLB, the Gambling Commission – each with their own priorities, their own chief executives drawing substantial salaries for presiding over their corner of the declining estate. Coordination

resembles a diplomatic congress of rival principalities defending territorial prerogatives whilst barbarians mass at the gates.

Who speaks for racing? Everybody and nobody.

Everybody has a platform; nobody has authority. The BHA was supposed to be the answer – a unified governing body with power to impose strategy.

Instead, it has become another constituency, captured by the interests it was created to regulate, its board populated by insiders, its culture rewarding consensus over courage

The fractured relationships

As midnight struck on the new year, the media rights deal between Betfred and Arena Racing expired without renewal –a commercial divorce conducted with all the warmth of a custody battle.

Twenty-one racecourses, nearly 40 per cent of the fixture list, vanished from 1,287 betting shop screens. When racing’s largest racecourse operator and one of its most significant bookmaking partners cannot agree terms, something fundamental has fractured in the ecosystem.

The relationship between racing and the bookmakers who fund it has curdled into mutual contempt. The BHA’s “Axe the Racing Tax” campaign enraged an industry already reeling from £1.6 billion in new government levies.

Entain’s public warning that racing will “take its pain” carries the unmistakable tone of retribution served cold. The £350 million annual contribution from betting will contract significantly – and nobody in authority

seems to grasp quite how catastrophic that contraction might prove.

A strategic leader would have maintained relationships with racing’s principal funders, even whilst lobbying government for favourable treatment.

Collaboration, it transpires, does not extend to the people who actually write the cheques.

Who will step up to rebuild these bridges before they collapse entirely?

The sword over Sunbury

Before the Boxing Day euphoria, the Jockey Club’s chief executive delivered a line of corporate fatalism that should chill the blood of anyone who cares about this sport’s heritage: “It is out of my hands.”

The Redrow option runs until 2028. Nothing to be done. Hands tied. Terribly sorry.

Out of his hands? He is the guardian of the sport’s most precious assets.

To speak of Kempton Park – the theatre where Desert Orchid became a legend and The Jukebox Man wrote the latest chapter in the King George story –as a troublesome line item on a balance sheet is a dereliction of duty so profound it takes the breath away.

Selling the home of the King George to plug a hole in the accounts is stripping lead from the roof to pay the heating bill. It is the act of a receiver, not a custodian.

The

betrayal

Have the custodians of British racing betrayed those who love it? I fear the answer is yes.

The men and women who have occupied the boardrooms have presided over uninterrupted decline unprecedented in modern racing history.

The betting turnover has collapsed on their watch. The ownership base has haemorrhaged on their watch. And through it all, salaries have been paid, pensions have accrued, and the mantra

You issue licences on tiered terms –meet the standards or accept relegation – and you create a promotion pathway so investment is rewarded and underperformance has consequences

of collaboration has been chanted with fervour whilst the congregation dwindled to a remnant.

This is not leadership; it is occupancy. The careful management of personal position whilst the institution crumbles around you. The prioritisation of superannuation and personal networks over the salvation of the sport they were appointed to serve.

The stable lass mucking out at five in the morning, her breath visible in the pre-dawn cold, has been let down. The trainer haemorrhaging money whilst owners delay payment has been let down. The small owner who believed the promises about community and returns has been let down. The punter driven to unlicensed operators by affordability checks has been let down.

They have been let down by those who were supposed to fight for them – and who chose instead to collaborate with their decline.

The search for a leader

Let us be plain, at last, about what is required – because the hour is late and diplomatic ambiguity has been exhausted.

British racing needs a chief executive who understands that collaboration has

failed – dismally, comprehensively, undeniably. It needs someone who recognises that fragmented stakeholders will never voluntarily agree to the rationalisation survival requires, because turkeys do not vote for Christmas and racecourses do not vote for fewer fixtures.

Racing needs a leader prepared to impose coherence on chaos, to make enemies of the comfortable, to tell powerful interests that extraction without contribution is finished. Not another insider from the carousel of familiar faces. Not another safe pair of hands. Not another chairman working one day a week whilst lending their title to the letterhead.

It needs a full-time, fully empowered chief executive with the authority to act and the courage to use it.

Someone who will reduce fixtures regardless of complaints. Someone who will demand transparency. Someone who will repair relationships with bookmakers before they withdraw entirely.

Not a diplomat; a general. Not a consensus-builder; a decision-maker. Not a collaborator; a leader.

And racing needs an independent board – genuinely independent, not populated by the same grandees who presided over decline. Non-executive directors drawn from outside the sport who will ask uncomfortable questions, demand accountability, and measure performance against outcomes rather than process.

The sport is crying out for a leader who will fight for it. Where is that person?

What must be done

And if someone does step up – if British racing finally finds its general – the path forward is not complicated. It is merely uncomfortable.

You begin by publishing what should never have been hidden: a fixture-byfixture scorecard showing turnover

per race, field-size trends, racecourse contribution, and media value by slot.

You drag the economics into the light.

You issue licences on tiered terms – meet the standards or accept relegation – and you create a promotion pathway so investment is rewarded and underperformance has consequences.

You protect the premium weekends and stop scheduling as though attention were infinite.

You slim the calendar to recover competitiveness and betting depth –fewer races, stronger races, and much less noise.

You acknowledge that foundation racing is not a lesser Ascot and regulate it accordingly: simpler rules, faster administration, a commercial model that matches what it actually is.

And you design an orderly exit for venues that cannot qualify – with a mechanism to capture redevelopment value for the sport, rather than watching it leak away whilst everyone composes eulogies.

Do that, and racing is not “saved” – nothing ever is. But it becomes governable again. Fail to do it, and the market will keep rationalising the

fixture list in the ugliest way possible: drift, decay, and closures by surprise.

The final furlong

Seventeen thousand race fans packed into Kempton on Boxing Day, their breath rising like incense in frozen air, their voices joining in that ancient communion between spectator and spectacle.

And they were not alone: the Christmas programme drew healthy crowds across the country –Cheltenham’s Festive fixtures buzzing, Wetherby warming the Yorkshire faithful, Leopardstown demonstrating what a showcase meeting can achieve.

The roar that greeted Redknapp’s winner was not a death rattle of a dying sport; it was a sleeping giant stirring.

The passion is there. The public affection endures. The magic, when we permit it to surface, remains undimmed.

But emotion cannot pay the bills. Nostalgia is not a business model. The collapse in turnover, the exodus of owners, the fractured relationships – these are failures of leadership that only leadership can cure. Not more collaboration. Not more consultation.

The sun is setting on the old ways. The shadows lengthen across Kempton Turf where the ghosts of giants walk. It is up to us to ensure that when the sun rises tomorrow, it is on a sport that has found someone willing to fight for its life.

The alternative is silence – the silence of the empty betting ring, the shuttered stable, the commentator with nothing left to call.

Next month....

Enough of the weeping; it is time to reinforce the ramparts.

We will put aside the mournful violin and take up the architect’s pen to draft the blueprint for survival.

We must have the stomach to prune the withered branches of the calendar so the great oak may thrive again, restoring the deep, competitive zest to our fields.

We will chart a path toward a tiered reality where excellence is the only currency and drag the sport’s dark economics into the unforgiving light.

It is a manifesto not for managed decline, but for a resurrection worthy of the ghosts that walk the Turf.

The record-breaking crowd at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day

Ed Grimshaw is financial turnaround specialist and racing analyst. He writes the Cutting Comment blog

Sires 2025 (by prize-money earned to December 31, 2025)

Courtesy of Weatherbys

NEW SHADOW OF LIGHT

European Champion, the best juvenile by Lope de Vega and one of only three colts in over a century to win both Britain’s biggest races for two-year-olds.

Won the G1 Middle Park by four lengths and faster in the G1 Darley Dewhurst than his grandsire Shamardal.

€17,500 Oct 1, SLF Kildangan Stud, Ireland

stallion scene

festival data analysis

Listen to Roisin Close of Chapel Stud in the Weatherbys bloodstock section of Nick Luck’s podcast via this QR code

A rising power

Chapel Stud’s Bangkok impressed with his juveniles in 2025 and there is much more to come, and excitingly he has a colt who is on target for this year’s Italian Classics

Bangkok: the son of Australia had four winners in 2025 from just seven runners

FIRST-SEASON SIRE BANGKOK

may have just had a handful of runners in 2025, but his results were mighty –he had four winners from seven runners, which is a 57 per cent strike rate and he ended the year as 2025’s leading Europeanbased first-season sire by winners-torunners.

His quartet of winners included the BHA 88-rated former Andrew Baldingtrained Rising Empire, the winner of one race from five starts and third in Newmarket’s valuable Tattersalls October Auction Stakes. Subsequently sold at the same company’s Autumn HIT Sale, bought by agent Marco Bozzi, the colt is now in training in Italy where his new connections are harbouring Italian Classic aspirations for 2026.

“Rising Empire is in training with Gabriele Bietolini in Rome,” says Bozzi. “Gabriele came to Newmarket with me with the plan to buy one whom we hope could get to the Premio Parioli.

“We really loved the way the horse ran at Newmarket in the valuable auction race. He ran on well up the hill and got the 7f nicely, he should stay the mile trip at Capannelle in the spring.

“He looks as though he will be a better three-year-old and is already rated 88, so improvement off that would see him in the mix at Capannelle. He is wintering well in Rome.”

Of Bangkok he added: “He was a Group 2 winner, had a Timeform master rating of 117 and has a great pedigree, I am surprised he has had so few runners so far.”

Winners not a surprise for Chapel Stud

Roisin Close stands Bangkok, a 10-yearold son of Australia, at her Chapel Stud in Worcestershire, and the stud owner, who fights like a tigress for the continued existence of middle-distance Flat sires on the European stallion roster, is far from surprised that the stallion, who had three placed runs as a

juvenile but ran on until he was five and was best over 1m2f, has had his share of juvenile winners.

“Bangers is a lovely looking horse, very neat and well put together,” she says, adding: “We had him genetically tested and he is a CT [suited to middle distances via Speed Gene Testing] and

that is why he has been able to get those early two-year-old runners and winners.

“It would be interesting to know where that pace comes from as he is by Australia, such an influence for stamina but who had a great year in 2025, and he is out of a Darshaan mare.”

Chapel Stud: the farm in Worcestershire is an idyllic spot to raise thoroughbreds and youngstock

Rising Empire: bought in the autumn at the HIT Sale with an Italian Classic campaign in mind

She adds: “His stock are compact types with good top lines. They look like Flat runners, but also with enough scope to train on and possibly perform across both codes.”

The current bloodstock market is a source of frustration for Close, and her dream is for a good-looking, wellcredentialled stallion such as Bangkok, who has made such a good start to his stud career, to buck the predominant trends at the foal and yearling sales, so giving breeders the confidence to use a stallion such as Bangkok.

“Horses with scope and the stamina to get distances over a mile and to train on – everyone says and knows that is what we should be breeding, but most breeders are not,” she says with disappointment. “Unless you are in the top tier it is very difficult to breed from a stallion who was good over 1m2f or 1m4f, and few breeders are prepared to look at a stallion such as Bangers at the cheaper end of the market – so few people want to buy them at the yearling sales.

“The progeny of sires like him must go and prove it on the track, once their stock get to the horses-in-training sales the market is then looking for horses with more staying pedigrees who can either go abroad or can go jumping, as Marco has with his purchase of Rising Empire.”

Close continues: “And I really think this summer has done Bangkok well –his progeny have shown early speed and yet they should train on as he did; it is so important horses are bred for, and have, longevity.”

A winner on all surfaces

Bangkok was bred by Barronstown Stud and was sold as a yearling at the Tattersalls October Book 1 Sale to SackvilleDonald for 500,000gns, a price attesting to his good looks.

Sent into training with Andrew Balding for owner King Power Racing, his trio of runs as a two-year-old saw

Bangkok: all the race wins for the son of Australia came over 1m2f and he has Speed Gene tested as a CT

I really think this summer has done Bangkok well – his progeny have shown early speed and yet they should train on as he did; it is so important horses have, and are bred for, longevity

him placed on all three starts.

He won his maiden on his three-yearold debut in March, and then collected Sandown’s Group 3 Classic Trial in April.

After a down-the-field run in the Group 1 Epsom Derby, he finished second in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot and in the Strensall Stakes (G2) at York. Balding then sent him on a winter trip to the Middle East where he finished second in the Qatar Derby in December.

At four, he won the Listed Winter Derby Trial in February, finished third in Group 3 Winter Derby and took a mid-division placing in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (G1).

He flourished again through the following All-Weather winter season and, after two runner-up spots, including in the Quebec Stakes (L), he won the Winter Derby Trial again before collecting the valuable Easter Classic on All-Weather Championships day.

His last victory came in the Group 2 York Stakes as a five-year-old on his penultimate start.

Bangkok was a tough, sound racehorse who travelled the world, acted on a variety of surfaces, took his racing in style and has family connections to match – he is a half-brother to 11 winners, six successful at black-type level, including the Group 1 Dubai

winner Matterhorn, and the Grade 1-placed The Foxes. He is also a halfbrother to Mujarah (Marju), the dam of the Group 1 winner Ribchester.

Second dam is the champion threeyear-old filly Mehthaaf, dam of a champion filly in Italy, and daughter of Elle Seule, the dam of the champion sprinter Elnadim, and granddam of the champion older mare and excellent producer Occupandiste.

Bangkok stands at Chapel Stud under Simon Davies’ Dahlbury Racing banner, he and his wife Rhian keen to invest in, and promote, high-quality, British-bred middle-distance and staying stallions for both codes.

Close continues, “We went out and sourced some speedy mares for Bangers and for Dahlbury, and we bought Money Tree, the dam of Rising Empire, a daughter of Profitable who had won over 5f as a juvenile.

“I think even Andrew [Balding] was surprised with Rising Empire’s performances and it would be amazing it the horse can get to the Italian Guineas.

“I just hope that a few people will take note and that Bangkok will get a few more mares and some good ones, too.”

Bangkok’s summer of 2025 certainly did no harm to those hopes and, in addition to the support he gets from Davies, the stallion has received the quiet backing of sensible and decent judges and some influential players.

“The Baldings and the Easterbys have always supported him, as has King Power, who is sending some mares again to him this spring and I think they are upping the quality,” outlines Close, who adds: “He just really needs one to get some black-type and, hopefully, we can get him established.”

Planteur, Eldar and Subjectivist

Dahlbury also owns and stands the Group 1 winner and 19-year-old Planteur, sire of the wonderful Group 1

Flat stayer Trueshan.

The son of Danehill Dancer moved from France to stand in Worcestershire for the 2021 covering season, is a stallion who has been enjoying some good jumping results through the autumn and is a sire about whom it can be argued has his best years in front of him.

“His first UK-bred crop are four-

year-olds now and they are doing brilliantly, we are having some exciting results both in bumpers and juvenile hurdles, he is really showcasing himself,” enthuses Close, adding:

“The UK NH breeding industry is struggling, but he saw some decent books of around 77 and 86 in his first two years so there should be enough of

His first UK-bred crop are four-year-olds now and they are doing brilliantly, we are having some exciting results both in bumpers and juvenile hurdles

Planteur: is an exciting option for British breeders now that his bigger crops are in action

them around, and enough who will be above average.

“Lots of his store horses were bought by trainers and they seemed to like them; there should be a lot of excitement about him and his progeny.

“I just hope those who did use him can get a bit of a touch from the results he is having.”

She adds: “If he is not a stallion people want as a NH sire, he has got so much quality and he throws that too, I don’t know what is?!”

Eldar Eldarov, a dual St Leger winner, a son of Dubawi and from Kirsten Rausing’s exceptional family of Alpinista, retired to Chapel Stud last spring at a fee of £5,000. He was a late addition to the roster – due to run in Dubai in the Dubai Gold Cup in March 2024, he sustained a serious neck injury in a stalls’ accident.

After extensive life-saving surgery and recuperation, connections’ plans to return to the racecourse were shelved and it was announced last January that he had been retired to stud.

“Eldar is a beautiful horse and I don’t think people realise quite how special he is,” says Close. “To stand a multiple Group 1 winner with a pedigree such as his is phenomenal, his pedigree is one of Lanwades’ best. I think if he had been based elsewhere, he would be standing at four times his current fee.

“He is a real quality horse, though he does look a bit strange now from his neck surgery, a bit like a horse in a Stubbs’ painting, but everyone who sees him is blown away as he is such a fine stamp of a horse.

The best of his racing career was snatched away from him – he still had plenty to give at the highest level on the international stage.

“He covered around 30 mares last year, but he retired so late that I hope we will get a few more bums on seats this time.

“I know Victorious Racing [formerly owner KHK Racing] is keen to support him.”

Eldar is a beautiful horse and I don’t think people realise quite how special he is... his pedigree is one of Lanwades’ best.

She adds: “It is not long until we see a few on the ground and I am really looking forward to them, we have five mares at home in foal to him. We will take some to the sales in the autumn and get a few out there.”

Last year’s closure of Alne Park Stud as a NH stallion farm saw Chapel Stud gain the champion stayer, the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup and Group 1 Prix Royal Oak winner Subjectivist, a nin-year-old

son of Teofilo. He had retired to Alne Park for the 2024 season and now stands at £3,500 for his first spring with Close.

“Subjectivist was a top-class racehorse, you don’t get much tougher than him, he has been very well supported by his owners and trainer Mark Johnston,” reports Close.

“He has fitted in well and we are looking forward to our first spring season with him.” ■

Eldar Eldarov: Close is looking forward to his first foals arriving and this year’s covering season

Night Of Thunder

2yo debut Maiden winner

2yo 2nd start Stakes winner

3yo debut 2nd Greenham

3yo CLASSIC-winning miler

2yo

2yo

3yo

Isaac Shelby

3yo CLASSIC-performing miler

A big year ahead at Haras de Beaumont

THE YOUNG Normandybased stud farm Haras de Beaumont has a big year ahead, with all of its stallions at important points in their careers –Sealiway will have his first runners, Ace Impact’s first yearlings will come under inspection at the autumn’s yearling sales, Puchkine’s foals will arrive this spring, and the 15-year-old Intello has a big book of two-year-olds to run for him, his first crop produced under the Beaumont banner.

Ace Impact’s first crop has already

Sealiway, Ace Impact, Puchkine and Intello –they all have pivotal seasons in 2026

come under market scrutiny at the autumn’s foal sales, and his progeny came away with flying colours.

The crop was well received by the market and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe-winning son of Cracksman

was a top five leading European firstcrop foal sire with an average price of 52,661gns.

His top-priced foal fetched €220,000, was sold at the Goffs November Sale by Castlehyde Stud and is a filly out of the Sea The Stars mare Onshore, while, of his 15 foals sold at the three European sale houses, four fetched six-figure sums and eight made over £/€50,000.

Beaumont’s owner Pauline Chehboub was delighted with how well the stock by the six-year-old stallion were received in the sale ring, though she freely admits the strong results were tentatively expected.

“We were quietly confident,” says Chehboub. “We are in regular contact with breeders and they were delighted with his foals from early on, and there were many positive reviews about his crop.

“He is stamping his stock, they have lots of quality and great motion.

“As a racehorse, he had extraordinary acceleration and that attracted good breeders with good mares.”

Ace Impact has been busy in his two covering years at stud, he has been one of the most active French-based stallions in the covering shed in 2024 and 2025 with books numbering 183 in year one and 153 in year two.

“He has been super popular, his books have been sizable and with some good mares, we hope that the sale results will continue his popularity,” confirms Chehboub. “As a stallion’s third season is never easy we have just given him a small price drop just to help the breeders.

Sealiway: has first runners, and the stud will have around 29 in training in both France and Britain

The first foals by Puchkine (above) arrive this spring, while the first crop by the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Ace Impact (right) were well-received by the market last autumn

“We will be looking for around 150 mares again and we will be sending him more than 20 of our own, while Harem Mistress, the dam of the Group 2 winner and new stallion Zarakem, is an early confirmed booking for him.”

There is a definite Beaumont playbook in place to ensure that the best is done by the stud to support its stallions.

“We breed to race and our strategy for young stallions is to support them with good mares, and also support them at the sales,” outlines the stud owner.

“We will keep a lot of the progeny, buy some as well, and then send them into training to the good trainers. It is very important to support the stock ourselves.”

And this is not idle chat from Chehboub as that strong backing is in evidence and already being given to the farm’s Group 1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardere, Champions Stakes winner and Prix du Jockey-Club runner-up Sealiway, whose first crop will be debuting on the racecourse this summer.

“Sealiway has 100 two-year-olds for 2026 and we will have 29 in training,” she confirms. “They will be going to Francis Graffard, who, of course, trained Sealiway, Jerome Reynier and to Karl Burke in the UK, they will be the first we have in training in Britain.”

Strategy on repeat is something successfully employed by the Chehboub family, and its mid-season buying of outstanding colts, as well as working in partnership with owners, being two policies that have been employed to good effect.

Puchkine, a son of Starspangledbanner, has first foals arriving this spring. He was partpurchased by the family from breeder Alain Jathiere after his Group 1 Prix Jean Prat win, while Gousserie Racing, the family’s racing name, also purchased its share in Ace Impact after his Prix du Jockey-Club (G1) victory.

Sealiway’s acquisition was slightly different in that he was bought in the sale ring for the family as a yearling by Paul Nataf, but breeder Guy Pariente of Haras de Colleville retained a share.

Puchkine was described by his trainer Jean-Claude Rouget as a “real speed horse”, he saw 111 mares in his first year, and Beaumont has held his price for this spring at €8,500.

Intello: a big crop of two-year-olds for 2026

The oldest and established stallion on the roster is the 16-year-old Intello, who, until 2023, split his time between covering at Cheveley Park Stud in the UK and at Haras du Quesnay in Normandy.

A champion three-year-old French colt and sire of three Group 1 winners, he was bought by the Chehboub family after Haras de Beaumont was created in 2022 from part of the Head family’s Quesnay, and the stallion stood his first season at Beaumont in 2023.

The son of Galileo, who is from the family of the 7f Group 1 winner Occupandiste, the champions Elnadim and Mehthaaf, saw 125 mares that spring, 115 in 2024 and 63 in 2025.

“Intello is such a nice horse, he is very well and in good shape,” said Chehboub. “We have dropped his fee a little to continue to have a good book.

Intello is such a nice horse... We have dropped his fee just a little to continue to have a nice book of mares...

“The Wertheimers, who owned and bred him, are great supporters, send good mares and obviously bred Junko, who is such a star racehorse.

“We are hopeful for this year’s crop of two-year-olds as he saw a lot of mares in his first year with us, and, hopefully, he will do great. He is the sire of 51 stakes performers, is a proven sire and is at an affordable price.”

The consistent Junko, winner of 2023’s Group 1 Grosser Preis von Bayern and Hong Kong Vase (G1), finished second in last year’s Group 1 Grosser von Berlin to Rebel’s Romance and third in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1) to Calandagan.

The latter half of last season was fruitful for Intello’s progeny – in August, Intellect finished second in the Fourstardave Stakes (G1) at Saratoga for Chad Brown having transferred from

Henri Francois Devin’s Chantilly-based team, Chestnut Rocket won a Listed race at the end of November, Trust On, was also successful at Listed level at the beginning of November for trainer Josephine Soudan.

“Some of the early confirmed mares from the Wertheimers for Intello are Baahama, the dam of two Group 3 winners, and the Listed winner Hamavi.

“There is also the Group 1 winner Miss France, Painter’s Pride, the dam of the Group 2 Prix Corrida winner Pensée du Jour and the Group 3 winner Canvassed, and Spiritfix, who was a Listed winner and Group 3 placed.”

It is certainly an exciting year for Beaumont, and one thing breeders can be sure of is that the farm’s young sires are not lacking support from their home corner. ■

Intello: his first Beaumont-sired crop hits the racecourse this summer

Last-minute transfers

Mayson, King Of Change and Aclaim have made late stud moves across the Irish Sea

AS WE FAST APPROACH the 2026 covering season there have been last-minute stallion transfers. Three established sires have changed studs and countries – Mayson and King Of Change have moved to stand in Britain from Ireland, while Aclaim has travelled in the other direction from Britain to be based in Ireland.

It is going to be a busy spring for Yorkshire’s Norton Grove Stud – not only has the farm added Mayson to its roster for 2026, but it is also standing Electrolyte, a four-year-old Group 3 winner by Hello Youmzain and embarking on his first season at stud.

Mayson is moving back to his birth county of Yorkshire after a two-year stint at Oak Lodge Stud in Ireland. On January 8 we spoke to Norton Grove’s stud manager Jessica Rummel, coincidentally the very same morning that Mayson arrived at the stud.

“He has travelled well, looks amazing” reports Rummel, adding: “Since the news was released, we immediately had bookings and lots of interest.

“We own him now and the deal was only completed recently so it has all been bit last-minute, but it is really exciting to have a proven Group 1 sprint stallion on the roster.

“I think previous owners David and Emma Armstrong, who bred and raced him, were keen to have him closer to home, and they are sending him some mares.

“We have tweaked his fee down a little to give everyone a chance.”

Electrolyte, who is at the start of his career, was a Group 3 winner, and as a talented juvenile he just missed out on Royal Ascot Group 2 Coventry Stakes success by the shortest of nose margins for owner Wathnan Racing and trainer Archie Watson

“He so nearly won at Royal Ascot, they couldn’t be split on the line. He is a lovely scopey horse and we are looking

forward to him,” says Rummel.

In September’s Weatherbys Stallion Scene, we featured Norton Grove Stud’s Mattmu after his daughter Argentine Tango finished second in the Molecomb Stakes (G2) for trainer Tim Easterby.

A tough and hardy filly she ran 12 times in 2025, in eight stakes races with one win and three placings to her name.

“Mattmu is in great form, and I really hope he gets to build on the success he enjoyed last year with the filly,” says

New sire Electrolyte and the 18-year-old Mayson have joined the Norton Grove Stud roster

Rummel. “She was so consistent last year and she certainly helped get his name in front of breeders. It is exciting to think what she might be able to do this season.”

In addition to Mayson’s move across the Irish Sea, King Of Change (Farhh) has travelled in the same direction from Starfield Stud in County Westmeath to stand at Tweenhills Farm & Stud in Gloucestershire, while the 13-year-old Aclaim (Acclamation), sire of the 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet, has travelled in the reverse direction and moved from Batsford Stud, also in Gloucestershire, to stand in Ireland at Rathasker Stud, County Kildare.

King Of Change, a stallion featured in Week 3 of this winter’s Weatherbys Stallion Scene Xtra newsletter, is the sire of four black-type winners from just 37 runners.

“The initial response from breeders on both sides of the Irish Sea has been tremendous and his introductory fee

[£8,500] is offered at an incredibly competitive price for a proven stallion with his obvious capabilities,” reports Tweenhills Stud’s David Redvers.

“With the highest percentage of stakes winners-to-runners of any stallion in Europe aside from Dubawi, breeders are encouraged to come and see him at the farm as he is filling fast.”

Of Aclaim’s move to County Kildare in Ireland, stud manager Maurice Burns says, “Aclaim is a Group 1 winner and more importantly a Group 1 Classic sire.

“He will be the perfect fit for Rathasker and our clients’ broodmare bands and we now own him outright.”

Burns adds: “Aclaim is by sire of sires Acclamation out of a Listed-placed halfsister to champion filly Again from the family of champion sire Montjeu – he has all the ingredients to improve his credentials under the stewardship of Rathasker Stud.”

Aclaim's fee for this spring will be €6,500, October 1 terms. ■

King Of Change, who has done so well with his early runners, has left Ireland to stand at Tweenhills

Aclaim: the son of Acclamation has moved to stand at the Burns family’s Rathasker Stud

Building his castle

Castillon Stallions is the project of a lifetime for Benoit Jeffroy. He chats to Adrien Cugnasse about the family farm in Normandy and the six stallions on its roster for 2026

JUST A FEW WEEKS before the 2026 covering season starts, the final works are being completed to transform Haras de Castillon into a fully-fledged stallion station, which is standing six stallions, including two newcomers, for its first year in operation as a stallion farm.

The Normandy stud is the latest addition to the French stallion landscape, and comes at a time when the country’s bloodstock scene is undergoing profound restructuring.

For stud manager Benoit Jeffroy, it represents the culmination of decades of work. A story that did not begin in Normandy, but further west in Brittany.

Until the 1960s Brittany was one of the poorest regions in France. From then onwards, however, the transformation of agriculture and industrialisation led to a sharp rise in local incomes.

Many rural families built successful agri-food businesses or enterprises linked to agriculture, and some of these entrepreneurs also became accomplished horse breeders.

The Jeffroy family became one of the region’s major livestock traders.

In 1976, Benoit’s grandfather Robert Jeffroy bought his first thoroughbred mare, while his son Bernard, also working in the demanding world of cattle trading, purchased Texan Beauty (Vayrann) at Deauville in 1987, his first public auction purchase.

Her sire Vayrann (Brigadier Gerard) was a disappointing stallion, and she was the size of a pony, but the young Breton believed the filly had quality.

He bought her for just FF20,000 (around €5,800 in 2025 terms), selling a share to his father to do so.

His instincts were right – named Texan Beauty, and despite being ridiculously small, she won five races at three.

The great family line

Once retired to stud, Texan Beauty did even better and she became the

Youngstock at Haras de Castillon in Normandy

ancestress, through her daughters and granddaughters, of numerous Group horses for the Jeffroy family, including the young sire Texas (Wootton Bassett), who is standing in 2026 at Castillon.

All five runners produced by Texan Beauty won on the Flat, and two became black-type performers, including Hexane (Kendor), runner-up in the 1995 Prix de Sandringham (G3), and she was subsequently sold to the US.

However, Hexanes breeder was determined to buy her back. The first twice she appeared in the Keeneland catalogue, he flew over to the US only to discover on arrival that she had been scratched.

When she was entered for a third time, Jeffroy stayed in Brittany and asked a bloodstock agent to check that she was actually there.

He was in luck and he bought back the eight-year-old Hexane for $30,000.

She was then in-foal to a stallion completely unknown in Europe: Sunday Break (Forty Niner), a horse bred in Japan and sent to into training with Neil D. Drysdale in the US by owner Koji Maeda.

He went on to finish third in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and was standing for $7,500 at Walmac Farm when he covered Hexane.

That foal went on to change the destiny of both the stallion and the Jeffroy family.

Named Never On Sunday he won the Prix d’Ispahan (G1) and finished on the podium in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1) and the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1).

Sunday Break: the first stallion Entrepreneurs by nature, and buoyed by the success of Never On Sunday, the Jeffroys decided to import his sire from the US to stand in western France.

Once in France, he covered a limited book in terms of both quality and quantity, at fees ranging from €2,500 to €4,000, but despite this Sunday Break

What is most important for a stallion is his ability to transmit physical and mental qualities, that is what makes a true improving sire

still produced Frankyfourfingers, winner of the Al Maktoum Challenge (G2), the Scandinavian champion Brownie, Cavale Dorée, who finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf (G1), and Danza Cavallo, who took second in the Flower Bowl Stakes (G1).

He also became a rare but interesting broodmare sire producing the dams of three Group winners.

For the Jeffroy family, and Benoit in particular, the story of Sunday Break acted as a catalyst, and to an extent the creation of Castillon Bloodstock almost two decades later is a direct consequence of that experience.

In the meantime Benoit Jeffroy gained extensive international experience.

After completing the Godolphin Flying Start, he spent five years as the French representative for Darley’s nominations

service, before running Haras de Bouquetot for more than a decade.

Launching his own stallion operation has been a natural progression in his career, especially as the creation of Castillon Stallions comes at a pivotal moment in the history of French breeding.

In 2009, Benoit Jeffroy and his brother Thomas took over the family farming business in Brittany, the Scea des Prairies. Six years later, alongside this, Jeffroy created Haras de Castillon in Normandy, a farm closer to his professional base and to that of his wife, Annabelle Aimé.

Initially, Castillon was intended to operate in conjunction with the family land in Brittany. However, the project quickly grew beyond anything originally imagined, and today Haras de Castillon

Texas: the homebred son of Wootton Bassett finished second in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1)

covers close to 250 hectares and employs a team of ten people.

Enrico Simone Faccarello has been employed at Castillon and is responsible for the stallions and for marketing nominations. He worked for five years at Bouquetot before moving to Auctav, and has now reunited with his former employer for this new venture.

Affordable nomination fees

After years in which France welcomed between 20 and 40 new stallions to stud on an annual basis, there will be only a handful of newcomers in 2026.

It will be the lowest for the past 25 years, and will be the first time in at least a quarter of a century that France will have fewer than 20 new stallions.

As a result, the new stallions at Haras de Castillon will enjoy maximum exposure and opportunity.

They are also to be offered at accessible prices, a deliberately plan at a time when breeders are struggling financially and when excessively high covering fees can represent a significant economic risk.

“I have been involved in the stallion business for a long time, ever since the days of Sunday Break,” says Jeffroy.

“When I started at Darley, there was Dubawi and Shamardal. It was difficult to sell Dubawi nominations in his second and third seasons, his stock were medium size, compact and strong, but not best walkers, but they have immense will to win.

“That is what made the difference. What is most important for a stallion is his ability to transmit physical and mental qualities, that is what makes a true improving sire.

“Unfortunately, few stallions are capable of this. However, many topclass sires such as Danehill Dancer, Cape Cross, Siyouni and Wootton Bassett all started at modest fees.

“Every stallion deserves a chance at the beginning. After that, it is up to him to prove his worth at stud.”

The yearling market in 2025 was

challenging for many breeders, and Jeffroy has taken a radical stance by offering a genuinely affordable range.

“A lot of young stallions retired in France in previous years at fees of €10,000 or more.

“There is now a clear gap among stallions standing for under €20,000 and even under €12,000 in France.

“We therefore decided to offer affordable prices for horses who achieved Group 1-level performances.”

Two of the best first-season stallions in France

A winner at two, Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Muhaarar) won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1), a race whose winners have exerted a considerable influence on French breeding, stallions such as Kendor (Kenmare) and Linamix (Mendez).

Stepped up to 2,100m, Marhaba Ya Sanafi finished third in what is considered the strongest edition, based on ratings, of the Prix du Jockey-Club (G1) of the 2017–2025 decade behind Ace Impact (Cracksman) and Big Rock (Rock Of Gibraltar).

Four runners from that race also went on to win at the highest level, while it was also a record-breaking edition in terms of time.

He will stand for €6,000.

Tribalist (Farhh) collected black-type at two, finished third in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, before becoming one of the best milers of his generation in Europe.

He is the only stallion standing in France to have won seven Group races on the Flat.

Perhaps his strongest performance came when he made all the running to win the Prix du Moulin (G1).

Tribalist is also the only horse to have won the Prix du Muguet (G2) three times, and he added two editions of the Prix Edmond Blanc (G3) to his record. He achieved ten wins and ten placings against elite milers and will begin his stud career at €6,000.

The Jeffroy family has always

Romanised (above) and Thunder Moon (below)

Jaber Abdullah is planning to give strong support to Marhaba Ya Sanafi with a good group of mares

supported their stallions, and bred Never On Sunday and Frankyfourfingers, the two best progeny of Sunday Break.

While at Al Shaqab Racing, Jeffroy also bred Chez Pierre, a son of Mehmas and winner of the Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes (G1), and Zelda, a daughter of Zelzal who was flagbearer for her sire.

“She allowed us to re-open the syndication and sell a lot of shares that year,” recounts Jeffroy. “My family also bred and sold at Arqana the top-priced yearling by Shalaa for €600,000 and the two top prices for Toronado in both of their first crops.

“We have always strongly supported stallions we were involved with. My father and grandfather were always keen to be involved through shareholdings, and then with Sunday Break.

“My family and I sent many of our mares to Al Shaqab Racing stallions when I worked for them, and at Castillon Stallions we will support the stallions with around ten of our mares for each.”

He adds: “Jaber Abdullah is planning to give strong support to Marhaba Ya Sanafi with a good group of mares.

“He is open to syndication, and a few breeding rights are available for Tribalist and recent history shows how important that can be for a stallion’s success in France.

“Breeders believing in a stallion is key to support them in first years and if he clicks, then all the partners profit.”

The other Castillon sires

A dual Group 1 winner over a mile, Romanised (Holy Roman Emperor) is already the sire of five black-type performers from his first two crops to race: Zia Agnese, winner of the Group 3

Prix Cléopâtre, the Group 3 third-placed Curragh Camp, Dalyan, who finished third in the Preis des Winterfavoriten (G3), Cielo Di Roma, winner of the Listed Prix Zeddaan, and Reine De Médicis, who collected a third place in the Prix Finlande (G3).

Through this winter, he has also produced promising winners over jumps.

Romanised remains in the ownership of Robert Ng and will stand for €5,000 in 2026.

Thunder Moon (Zoffany) won the National Stakes (G1) when he defeated St

Mark’s Basilica (Siyouni). As a threeyear-old he finished an unlucky second in the Prix Jean Prat (G1).

He will have his first runners in 2026 following an encouraging commercial debut with his first-crop yearlings sold for an average of €24,000 having been conceived off a fee of €6,000.

Jeffroy has purchased Thunder Moon with partners, while Al Shaqab Racing has retained a minority share, which is why he moves from Bouquetot to Castillon Stallions.

He stands for a fee of €5,000 this spring.

Texas, who finished second in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1) behind Modern Games, will also have his firstcrop of runners this season.

A son of the late Wootton Bassett, the average price of Texas’s first yearlings at the Arqana sales reached nearly ten times his covering fee of €3,800.

A handsome horse from the best family bred by the Jeffroys, he is indicative of a horse by his champion sire.

He represents an outcross to the vast majority of European mares being free Galileo (Sadler’s Wells), Dubawi (Dubai Millennium), Acclamation (Royal Applause), and Pivotal (Polar Falcon).

He is confirmed at €3,800 for 2026.

The best French steeplechaser of his generation at three in France, the Jeffroy-bred Magic Dream (Saint Des Saints) will be the jumps sire at Castillon Stallions, and his first progeny are three-year-olds of 2026.

The many breeders who supported him hope he will benefit from the success of sons of Saint Des Saints (Cadoudal) at stud, notably the phenomenon Goliath Du Berlais.

At the 2025 summer sales the stallion’s two-best priced sold for €46,000 and €60,000, some 17 and 13 times his 2022 covering fee of €3,500 at Haras du Hoguenet.

His fee has been held at €3,500 and, unusually in the jumping bracket Magic Dream is free of Sadler’s Wells blood.

Marhaba Ya Sanafi: won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and was third in the Prix du Jockey-Club

EXCEPTIONAL VALUE

A hallmark of consistency & class

The choice of leading breeders:

Al Shiraa Farm, Brendon Hayes, Écurie des Monceaux, Édouard de Rothschild, Famille Dubois, Gestüt Schlenderhan, Haras des Capucines, Jean-Claude Seroul, Kildaragh Stud, Rabbah Bloodstock, Wertheimer et Frère...

Sales:

An average of €50,363 at the yearling sales with a top price of 160,000gns at Tattersalls and €80,000 at Arqana From his crops bred in the South-West of France.

His first Normandy-bred yearlings will sell in 2026.

Stallion valuation

THE BEST STALLIONS IN EUROPE have never been as valuable as they are today. The calculation is straightforward, if you go back 40 years to the mid-1980s when Britain and Europe’s best stallion Mill Reef stood for £100,000 at the National Stud.

At the peak of his stallion career Mill Reef, who was 15 in 1983, produced between 35 and 40 foals a year from a book of 50 mares. He was, of course, an exceptional stallion – his 1984 crop alone included four major Group 1 winners.

The most expensive stallion in Britain and Europe today, also currently in the prime of his life, is Juddmonte’s Frankel who was 16 when his fee was raised to £350,000 in 2024.

In recent seasons Frankel has averaged around 130 foals a year from books of 190 mares. In real terms the two have been standing at the same price – £100,000 in 1983 is the equivalent of £340,000 today, however the difference is that Frankel produces about three and half times as many foals.

The exact comparison for value or annual revenue depends upon the number of Juddmonte’s own foals among the Frankel’s born in 2025

Elite stallions are worth more than ever, writes Jocelyn de Moubray.

In a changing market place, online sales have revealed valuations, with some stallion farms looking to restrict book sizes to protect nomination fees

mean that today’s stallions can produce three times as many foals from only twice as many covers.

In the mid-1980s stallions averaged somewhere between two and a half covers and three covers for each mare in-foal, today it is closer to one and a half.

Then as covering large books of mares became feasible so it became clear, contrary to what had been received opinion beforehand, that the demand for the best stallions is inelastic to both price and supply.

Breeders want to use the best stallions and, once a horse commands a sixfigure stud fee for a prolonged period, neither the number of mares covered, nor the exact price, has a significant influence on the demand for their services.

Popular stallions produce a great number of foals – Galileo and Sadler’s Wells lead the way with 2600 and 2,200-named foals respectively, but there are 15 current active European sires with more than 1,000 named foals. Kodiac has passed the 2,000 mark, while Dubawi, Dark Angel and Oasis Dream are likely to do so this year (Mill Reef produced a total of around 500 foals in his 15 seasons at stud).

More expensive stallions, too

Stallions are worth more than ever, and there are more expensive stallions than there were, too.

and how many of the others were foal shares, but it is likely that Frankel is worth around three times more today than Mill Reef was at the same point in their breeding careers.

Business transformation

From Mill Reef’s time to Frankel’s the bloodstock business has been transformed by two significant changes. Advances in veterinary techniques

In 2011, there were 16 European sires standing at the equivalent of £30,000 or more in today’s prices and nine at £60,000 or more.

In 2026 there are 27 and 13 at the same levels.

The prices of the elite sires are linked to their past performances, but it is difficult to judge whether or not they are good value as future performance, which is an unknown, is also priced in.

As a general benchmark stallions

Mill Reef: 40 years ago he was Europe’s best stallion and stood at £100,000, equivalent in today’s prices to Frankel’s fee of £340,000

.... it became clear, contrary to what had been received opinion beforehand, that the demand for the best stallions is inelastic to both price and supply

with more than 50 foals produce on average around 7.0 per cent blacktype performers to foals and 4.0 per cent Group horses to foals and have an average stud fee of €50,000.

On this logic, for instance, a horse such as Night Of Thunder is expensive at €200,000, but then the expectation is that his results will improve significantly from the time he was standing at €75,000 when the three-

year-olds of 2025 were conceived.

The 13 sires standing at more than £60,000 include three sprint sires, those whose progeny have an average winning distance of less than 7f – Blue Point, No Nay Never and Mehmas.

There are seven intermediate distance sires with a progeny average winning distance of 7f or more but less than 9f – Dubawi, Lope De Vega, Night Of Thunder, Siyouni, Kingman and

Too Darn Hot, and then three middledistance sires – Frankel, Sea The Stars and Zarak whose progeny have an average winning distance of 9f or further.

It is interesting to break them down by type – sprinters have fewer opportunities and lower average percentages of black-type performers and Group performers.

When comparing the recent record of these sires with their prices, those who are more expensive than expected are those whose future performance is most likely to improve. Or those who are reaching the end of their careers and so are covering fewer mares than they did in their prime.

The Perfect Profile

Dual Gr.1 winning Champion 2yo and the best son of HAVANA GREY

Half brother to GSTAAD, winner of the Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and the Cartier Champion 2yo Colt of 2025

Over 160 mares covered in 2025 including: 21 Group or Stakes winners; 10 dams of Group or Stakes winners; 18 full/half sisters to Gr.1 winners

In-foal mares made up to 180,000gns at the breeding stock sales and averaged £81,800 (13 sold)

FIRST CROP FOALS IN 2026 Fee: £15,000 (1st Oct. SLF)

Online stallion sales driving change

There has never been a great deal of data about the market for stallion shares and nominations in the public domain.

Stallion owners prefer to keep to themselves the details of transactions of both nominations and shares.

But Tattersalls and Arqana now organise online sales of shares and breeding rights which do give something of an insight into where the stallions on offer are at the moment of the sale.

Shares in the Aga Khan Studs’ Zarak were sold for first €600,000 and then €800,000 in 2024, and again for €740,000 in 2025, around ten times his past and future fee respectively.

A share in the Haras de Beaumont’s Ace Impact was sold for €152,000, around five times his fee for 2026 –a stallion about to have his first yearlings is a far higher risk than one such as Zarak with five crops to race already.

The uncertainty of investing in stallion shares was demonstrated by the prices made, or not made, by shares in the Haras d’Etreham’s young sires Hello Youmzain and Persian King.

If the elite sires are priced close to where their performance suggests they should be, then there are others who on this basis are remarkably good value.

The three-year-olds of 2025 by stallions such as Make Believe, Waldgeist, Phoenix Of Spain and Australia, looking at those with two or more crops of three-year-olds to race, performed better than these marks and yet those sires are all standing for considerably less than €50,000.

It is fair to say that, if we were still in a world dominated by owner-breeders, then the best stallions would probably be cheaper than they are today – part of the premium paid to go to elite sires is the expectation of a return in the sales ring.

That world has, however, long since ceased to exist. Many of those who buy expensive yearlings are either the owners of elite stallions already, or are hoping their purchases will become top sires in the future and join those generating an income of €10 million to €30 million a year.

This may be an unrealistic expectation as few top sires are sold as yearlings, and fewer still come from the top of the yearling market.

Of the 13 sires standing at £60,000 or more, nine raced for their breeders and Night Of Thunder, No Nay Never and Mehmas were all sold for less than €100,000, while the most expensive yearling purchase was Blue Point at 200,000gns in 2015.

In 2024, shares in these two sold with Arqana for €250,000 and €150,000, a year later the share in Hello Youmzain was not sold at €39,000 and one in Persian King made €26,000.

The first crop of three-year-olds of this pair did not live up to expectations, but, if the second does, then their value will rebound.

Several breeding rights in Mehmas and Palace Pier were also sold online and all for somewhere between twoand-a-half and three-times their 2026 stud fee.

Stallion owners starting to restrict book sizes to maintain prices

If all of the players in the market have become used to the numbers of mares covered by popular stallions there are reasons to believe that, in the future, stallion owners may decide it is in their

Palace Pier: breeding rights in him have sold online for around three times his 2026 stud fee

stallion values

If for years the general trend was towards covering as many as possible, there seems to be a movement back towards some sort of restriction and cutting back on foal shares and deals to maintain a price rather than the number of mares covered

best interests to restrict the numbers their best stallion prospects cover, at least at the beginning of their careers.

Before online sales the one aspect of a stallion’s commercial performance which was in the public domain was the number of mares covered.

Breeders may not be sure at the moment of buying a nomination, but every year the numbers are published or are put online.

Stallion owners are reluctant to admit the number their horse is covering has dropped, and so have often granted foal shares in order to maintain numbers.

Foal shares are something else which is now in the public domain, the ipad catalogue apps provide the names of the breeders of yearlings in sales, and, as a result, foal shares are not as attractive an alternative as they once seemed to be.

A further consideration is that, if

you look at today’s elite sires, the ones generating the huge income, many started out as relatively inexpensive sires and few of these covered huge books of mares during their first four years at stud.

Wootton Bassett covered only 220 mares in his first four seasons, and that did not stop him going from a fee of €6,000 to standing at €300,000.

Lope De Vega, Zarak, Night Of Thunder, Siyouni, New Bay and Dubawi were more popular in their early years, but none of these covered more than 500 mares in their first four years at stud.

Stallion owners have to strike a balance in a horse’s early years at stud between maximising revenue and providing the best possible base for long term success.

If for years the general trend was towards covering as many as possible,

there seems to be a movement back towards some sort of restriction and cutting back on foal shares and deals to maintain a price rather than the number of mares covered.

The value of the best stallions may appear to be extraordinary, but it is very much the driving force of the whole bloodstock business.

The industry in France has been transformed by the returns made by investors in stallions such as Wootton Bassett, Siyouni, Le Havre and Zarak.

German breeding needs a new super star stallion to generate the capital needed to maintain and grow the business.

Investing in stallion shares is a highrisk venture but one with huge possible returns, and it is the gamble which keeps the bloodstock business alive and, in the good times, thriving. ■

Zarak: alongside stallions such as Wootton Bassett, Le Havre and Siyouni, he has helped to transform the breeding industry in France

stallion foal statistics

1,150,000gns and bought by MV Magnier

Stallion foal sale stats 2025

Stallions with two or more lots sold, listed alphabetically and showing aggregate, average and colt and fillies’ figures from sales in Europe. Vendor buy-backs included. In guineas, compiled by Weatherbys. NH stallions included, stallions with first crop foals in bold

This colt by Frankel ex Cloudy Dawn, consigned by West Blagdon Stud, was the highest-priced foal sold in Europe in 2025 fetching

Photo courtesy of Tattersalls

STANDING TWO CHAMPION STAYERS AND DUAL GR.1 WINNERS

SUBJECTIVIST

CHAMPION STAYER & DUAL GR.1 WINNER

WON/PLACED IN 9 GROUP/ STAKES RACES. TFR 130

Won Ascot Gold Cup Gr.1

Won Prix Royal-Oak Gr.1

Won Dubai Gold Cup Gr.2

Won March Stakes Gr.3

Won Glasgow Stakes L

2nd Stonehenge Stakes L

3rd Ascot Gold Cup Gr.1

3rd Dubai Gold Cup Gr.2

3rd Gordon Stakes Gr.3

GR.1 PEDIGREE

Half-brother to Gr.1 St Leger runner-up and sire SIR RON PRIESTLEY and Gr.2 juvenile ALBA ROSE from the family of SHOLOKHOV, SOLDIER OF FORTUNE, INTENSE FOCUS.

ELDAR ELDAROV

CHAMPION STAYER & DUAL CLASSIC WINNER

JOINT CHAMPION 3YO STAYER IN EUROPE. TFR 122

Won Doncaster St Leger Stakes Gr.1

Won Irish St Leger Gr.1

Won Queen’s Vase Gr.2

2nd Boodles Yorkshire Cup Gr.2

4th Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Gr.1

4th Grand Prix de Paris Gr.1

A PEDIGREE RICH WITH GR.1 WINNERS

From the esteemed Lanwades Stud family of Gr.1 winners ALPINISTA, ALBORADA, ALBANOVA , etc. By Champion sire DUBAWI and sire of sires.

NEW TO CHAPEL STUD IN 2026

Teofilo ex Reckoning (Danehill Dancer)

£3,500 1st October SLF

Dubawi ex All At Sea (Sea The Stars)

Fee: £5,000 1st October SLF

stallion foal statistics

stallion foal statistics

Chaldean was leading sire by average with first crop foals, and his highest-priced was Lot 837 at the Tattersalls December Sale. The colt was sold by Stringston Farm, is out of You Look So Good (Excellent Art) and is a half-brother to the Group 2 winner Melo Melo and the Group 3 winner Treasuring

Photo: courtesy of Juddmonte and by Laura Green

The Goffs November Sale top-priced foal: by New Bay out of Livia’s Dream, he was sold by Mount Coote Stud to Stauffenberg Bloodstock for €650,000

Photo courtesy of Goffs and Mount Coote Stud

KEY DATES (EBF payments and deadlines)

2YO’S February 15th - for nominating two-year-olds for $3,000

YEARLINGS May 31st - for nominating yearlings for $600

2YO’S June 30th - for nominating two-year-olds for $6,000

STALLIONS June 30th - for provisionally registering stallions to the EBF for the year

STALLIONS December 15th - for payments to fully qualify stallions to the EBF for the year

NEW SIRES 2026

THE LOSS OF WOOTTON BASSETT was always going to be keenly felt but mare owners will still be able to tap into the son of Iffraaj’s genes as five of his sons start their second careers this spring.

Camille Pissarro, Henri Matisse, Maranoa Charlie, Unquestionable and Topgear will all be available to breeders but British mare owners will need to send their mares to Ireland as that’s where they’re all based.

In Britain, and the Newmarket area in particular, Barton Stud introduces Scorthy Champ, the farm not having stood a stallion in decades, and Genesis Green steps into the stallion marketplace with its debut sire Royal Scotsman.

In France, Normandy sees Haras de Castillon launching into the game with six stallions, two of whom are new for 2026.

New sires for 2026 listed in Timeform master rating order

DELACROIX

2022

Dubawi-Tepin (Bernstein)

Coolmore Stud

€40,000

The importance of Delacroix retiring to Coolmore cannot be stressed enough. Yes, the farm has stood plenty of champions, great milers and super-fast sprinters previously but Delacroix gives them something else, something which the farm has never had before –a champion three-year-old by Dubawi. It would be an understatement to say that he was bred to be good as his dam no less is Tepin (Bernstein), the 13-time winner, six of those victories coming at Group 1 level including the Queen Anne Stakes, Breeders’ Cup Mile, Woodbine Mile, Jenny Wiley Stakes, Just A Game Stakes and the First Lady Stakes. She was placed second in a further three Group 1s. With a race record like that she was always going to be coveted should she reach the sale ring and at Fasig-Tipton’s 2017 November Sale M.V. Magnier had to go to $8,000,000 for her to join Coolmore’s broodmare band. She sadly died young with only two runners to reach the racetrack.

The first of those was the 2021 mare Grateful (Galileo), winner of three of her eight races, including a Curragh Maiden over 1m4f; the Group 3 Stannera Stakes over 1m6f at Fairyhouse and on her penultimate start she tasted Group 1 success on Arc weekend in ParisLongshamp’s Prix de Royallieu.

Grateful’s year younger half-brother Delacroix made his debut in late July of his two-year-old career, running second ahead of his better-fancied stablemate and subsequent St. Leger (G1) winner Scandinavia over a mile in a Leopardstown maiden.

Two weeks later he made all over 7f in a Curragh maiden and that performance earned him a tilt at the Juvenile Stakes (G2) on Irish Champions weekend.

Sent off a shade of odds on, he lost by half a length to Jessie Harrington’s Green Impact (Wootton Bassett).

Delacroix ran 12 times in ten stakes races, winning six times, twice at Group 1 level, was runner-up four times and earned a Timeform master rating of 129

Sent to Newmarket for his next start, he won the first of his Group races in the Autumn Stakes (G3) over 7f, taking up the lead 2f out and gamely holding on from Stanhope Gardens.

On his final start at two, in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at Doncaster he only failed by a nose in a ding-dong battle with Hotazhell, the pair having a sustained duel down the home straight in soft conditions.

Delacroix debuted his three-year-old season in the Ballysax Stakes (G3), over 1m2f at Leopardstown and, having made nearly all, came home over 2l ahead of subsequent Epsom Derby winner Lambourn (Australia).

He returned to the same track for the Derby Trial Stakes, also Group 3, and having led going easily went clear inside the final furlong ahead of Purview and Tennessee Sud over 1m2f.

Delacroix was made favourite for the Epsom Derby, but his trainer Aidan O’Brien repoted that the colt suffered interference at the top of the hill which caused him to become unbalanced, and the horse finished a disappointing ninth place behind stablemate Lambourn, whom he had beaten comprehensively at Leopardstown.

On a retrieval mission next time out

he faced his elders in the 1m2f Eclipse Stakes (G1) and in one of the races of the season, having lost his place and met trouble in running, came with a scarcelybelievable run in the final furlong to beat Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) and 2,000 Guineas winner Ruling Court (Justify) in a race for the ages.

Ombudsman would gain revenge next time out in a muddling 1m2f International Stakes (G1), but Delacroix was once again seen to his best on his penultimate start in the Irish Champion Stakes (G1), where having made smooth headway 2f out kept on well to beat Anmaat (Awtaad) with Royal Champion (Shamardal) back in third.

In total, Delacroix ran 12 times in ten stakes races, winning six times, twice at Group 1 level, was runner-up four times and earned a Timeform master rating of 129.

Tepin was by Bernstein (Storm Cat), and without any Galileo or Sadler’s Wells influences in the pedigree, it means Dealcroix has access to all those mares by those sires and sons, and with whom Dubawi has been so successful.

And as there is neither any Danehill, Danehill Dancer or Green Desert, he has nearly every option in the European stud book open to him, Delacriox just could be the next big thing for Coolmore.

ROSALLION

2021

Blue Point-Rosaline (New Approach)

Dalham Hall Stud

£40,000

A homebred by the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, Rosallion was a Group 1 winner at two, three and just missed success at the highest level as a four-year-old.

He is out of the unraced mare Rosaline, a daughter of the Listedplaced mare Reem Three, dam of six Group race winners, including the Prix Daniel Wilderstein (G2) winner Ostilio, a full-brother to Rosallion.

Reem Three is also dam of two Group

1 winners – Rosallion’s stud mate Triple Time, a joint-champion miler and winner of the Queen Anne Stakes (G1), and Alman Princess, winner of the Darley Prix Jean Romanet (G1). Reem Three is also granddam of Darley’s fellow new sire Inisherin.

Triple Time’s first foals were well received by the market last year selling for an average price of 31,500gns and a top price of €120,000, given by

Springwell Stud for a colt out of the Marju mare Miss Marjurie.

Rosallion made his racecourse debut in June with victory at Newbury over an extended 6f and he went on to claim Listed success on his second start at the end of July at Ascot in the 7f Winkfield Stakes (L), always a race that finds a good one.

Next time out he did not settle and did not appreciate softer ground at

Doncaster in the Champagne Stakes (G2) at Doncaster over 7f, but proved himself a colt of the highest class with victory on a faster surface in the Group 1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardere beating Unquestionable by a ready length.

He was not given a prep race before the 2,000 Guineas and was possibly found out for fitness in the final furlong, but he still put in a superb performance to be beaten just a length and a half

Delacroix: as a Group 1-winning son of the former champion sire Dubawi and free of Galileo blood, he is an exciting new stallion for Coolmore

by Notable Speech, who had run three times that spring.

It was a cracking Classic, many claiming it to be one of the best in the last ten years, and Rosallion proved the form himself by going onto claim the Irish 2,000 Guineas just 20 days later beating Haatem, who had finished third at Newmarket.

Held up by Sean Levey, again he ran strongly, and despite the race not being run to suit, he was produced perfectly to make best use of his trademark finishing kick.

He went on to score at Royal Ascot at a brilliant meeting for the owner, winning the mile St James’s Palace Stakes (G1) by a neck from Henry Longfellow, Levey reporting after that he had been sure the stiff mile would be in hs colt’s favour.

The victory confirmed the son of Blue Point at the top of the year’s

three-year-old miling division.

Unfortunately, injury intervened and Rosallion was not seen on a racecourse again as three-year-old, but his impressive performances ensured he was awarded joint-champion European three-year-old miling honours.

Rosallion’s first run at four was in the Group 1 mile Lockinge Stakes when he once again took a keen hold, travelled powerfully until the final furling to finish third; it was a perfect prep for the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot.

His run style always made him susceptible to finishing an unlucky loser and unfortunately connections found themselves in the second spot at the Royal meeting to Docklands, at Goodwood in the Sussex Stakes (G1) and in the Prix du Moulin (G1).

Rosallion’s final run came in the mile Queen Elizabeth Stakes II (G1) when he finished sixth, and it was the

only sub-par performance of his career.

Rosallion only twice finished out of the top three places, and in a 13-race career ran in 12 stakes races and in ten Group 1 races.

Blue Point, a son of Shamardal, has produced three Group 1 winners with Kind Of Blue and Big Evs and out of mares by Compton Place and Oasis Dream, also the dam sire of his Group 2 winner Samangan.

Shamardal, a son of Giant’s Causeway, had great success with the speed sires and milers such as Pivotal, Cape Cross, Street Cry, but has also been a suitable outcross for Sadler’s Wells and Galileo.

Rosallion tried hard, always gave of his best, had a rare devasting turn of foot that was effective at the highest class; he is a credit to his late ownerbreeder.

CAMILLE PISSARRO 2022

Wootton Bassett-Entreat (Pivotal)

Coolmore Stud

€30,000

Coolmore retired three colts for 2026 and at €30,000 Camille Pissarro is the second-most expensive behind Delacroix.

That price would barely be a tenth of the fee his sire Wootton Bassett might have commanded had he not sadly passed away in the autumn of 2025, but Coolmore will be hoping that both Camille Pissarro and fellow retiree for 2026 Henri Matisse, also by Wootton Bassett can fill their father’s void.

Camille Pissarro has a fine pedigree to match his racetrack accomplishments.

His dam, the Cheveley Park Studbred, owned and raced Pivotal mare Entreat, was a winner at three, boasted a rating of 80 and has gone on to produce eight winners to date.

Until Camille Pissarro came along, the best of those was young Sumbe stallion Golden Horde (Lethal Force) – a Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed at two and

Rosallion winning the first of his three Group 1s – the Prix Jean Luc Lagardere in 2023

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Camille Pissarro has a fine pedigree to match his racetrack accomplishments

winner of the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup (G1) at Royal Ascot.

Camille Pissarro’s third dam is Imagining, herself dam of the US Champion Serena’s Song, winner of 11 Group 1s and dam of of the Group and Grade 1 winners Sophisticat and Harlington.

Camille Pissarro was a six-figure Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling, knocked down to M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm for 1,250,000gns.

He rewarded connections with a firsttime out win on his two-year-old debut in a 6f Navan maiden in April 2024, shaken up to win comfortably from New Theory (Starspangledbanner).

On his second start he was pitched straight into the 7f Group 2 Marble Hill Stakes at The Curragh and was narrowly denied by a head by Arizona Blaze, after being carried out to the right.

Camille Pissarro next ran well in defeat in the 6f Coventry Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot, racing on the wrong side before returning to Ireland at The Curragh, when second to Babouche (Kodiac) in the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes.

He didn’t really fire in York’s Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes, but subsequently lost out by just a nose to Hallasan (Pinatubo) in a valuable sales race at Doncaster.

Sent to France for his final two-yearold start in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (G1) on Arc weekend, he came with a sustained run to cut down the Coventry Stakes winner Rashabar with star miler Field Of Gold (subsequent Irish 2,000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes winner) in fourth.

Camille Pissarro’s first start at three

was perfunctory, just failing by half a length to Big Gossey in the Gladness Stakes at The Curragh (L), but he put in a vastly improved performance next at ParisLongchamp when beaten by the Henri Matisse in the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains, rallying inside the final 100 yards and just held.

Next time out, under a masterful ride from Ryan Moore, Camille Pissaaro flashed home to gain his Classic with victory in the 1m2f Prix du Jockey-Club (G1), which has been such a stallionmaking race over the past decade.

He lost no caste when fourth on his final start in the all-age Group 1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown having looked the winner 100yds out until Delacroix swept by the field.

With a Group 1-winning half-brother by a son of Dark Angel, a Listedwinning half-brother by Mehmas and a Listed-winning half-sister by Dutch Art, all those sires have already combined well with his pedigree.

Dam Entreat is by Pivotal, so he is another for whom most leading sire lines will suit

HENRI MATISSE

2022

Wootton Bassett-Immortal Verse (Pivotal) Coolmore

£20,000

Henri Matisse boasts one of the best pedigrees in the book being out of the three-year-old champion and dual Group 1 winner Immortal Verse (Pivotal) and a half-brother to Tenebrism (Caravaggio). She is a European champion two-year-old filly and winner of the Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) and the Prix Jean Prat (G1), and runner-up in the Prix Rothschild (G1) and the Matron Stakes (G1).

The family traces back to the champion Last Tycoon, Zipping and Fire Lily, as well as to the top racemares Hermosa, Hydrangea, and Whirl.

He is, of course, by the brilliant late Wootton Bassett, who was particularly adept at producing top-class juveniles. In 2024, he was sire of a record ten winners at the highest level, and he followed up in 2025 with eight.

Wootton Bassett was successful with a wide variety of broodmare sires, which

Henri Matisse: the son of Wootton Bassett winning the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar

bodes well as Henri Matisse has no limiting factors in his pedigree.

Of course, Wootton Bassett had a strong affinity for Galileo mares – from 87 starters he has produced ten blacktype winners, so that is an obvious option for his son, who has no Galileo or Sadler’s Wells blood in his veins.

Wootton Bassett has also been successful with daughters of Giant’s Causeway, which brings in Shamardal and Lope De Vega mares.

Wootton Bassett is also an obvious selection for mares by Dubawi, inbreeding Wootton Bassett to the Gone West line has been successful while he also has worked with the Danzig line.

With Henri Matisse’s half-sister Tenebrism by Caravaggio it means that mares by Scat Daddy line stallions could be interesting.

Henri Matisse made a winning debut at The Curragh in May, and stepped straight up to win two Group 2 races on the bounce – the Railway Stakes over 7f and the Futurity Stakes, both run at The Curragh.

His move into Group 1 company saw him finish a good second to Scorthy Champ in the National Stakes over 7f, before, on his first run away from The Curragh, he took fifth in the Prix Jean Luc Lagardere (G1) with the French autumn ground not to his liking.

The colt righted that wrong with a fine winning performance in the US at Del Mar in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). After overcoming a slow start and a wide draw, he relished the fast ground, finished strongly and was worth far more than the winning distance of a neck.

At three he won on his seasonal debut in a mile Group 3 in March at Leopardstown, before he claimed Classic glory in the mile Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1), a race run to suit at a decent fast pace.

He just found Field Of Gold too good in the mile Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. He stayed on well up the hill and was the only one in the

Saving his best for last, Maranoa Charlie became a Group 1 winner back in France on Arc weekend in the Prix de la Forêt

field to give the winner a run for his money.

He was kept at a mile for the rest of his career and took third in the oddlyrun Sussex Stakes (G1) behind the 150-1 winner Qirat and Rosallion, and finished off with a fifth in the Prix du Moulin (G1) run on good to soft surface.

MARANOA CHARLIE

2022

Wootton Bassett-Koubalibre (Galileo)

Tally-Ho Stud

€20,000

Sigmund Freud famously said that coincidences do not exist and the famous Swiss psychotherapist Carl Jung introduced the concept of Synchronicity to describe what many people dismiss as mere coincidence.

So what would either have made of the way Tally-Ho Stud churns out champion first-season sire seemingly year after year after year?

In 2025 Starman was just the latest in a long list of champions produced by the farm which include Mehmas and Cotai Glory, Danetime, Petardia, Society Rock, Sir Prancelot, Zebedee and Redback, all first-season champions by one metric or another.

Who therefore would bet against new recruit Maranoa Charlie repeating the feat with his first runners in 2029?

The French-bred Maranoa Charlie was a €220,000 Arqana August 2023 yearling bought by Broadhurst Agency from Haras d’Etreham, who bred the colt in

a partnership with Riviera Equine and Gestut Zur Kuste Ag.

Sent into training with Christopher Head, the colt made a winning debut the following August in a 7f unraced colts and geldings maiden at Deauville, winning comfortably by more than 3l.

Stepped up to a mile on his next start at Chantilly, the son of Wootton Bassett made light work of the soft ground winning by 8l.

Connections then pitched him into Group race company and, over a mile at Saint-Cloud, he was impressive making all to win the Prix Thomas Bryon (G3), once again by 8l.

Sent to ParisLongchamp for the Group 1 Criterium International, he did too much too soon, going 10l clear turning in. Those early exertions took their toll and he finished a well-beaten fourth behind Twain, another son of Wootton Bassett.

At three, he took in the recognised Poulains trial in the 7f Prix Djebel (G3) at Deauville, and that was despite Aurelien Lemaire dropping his whip. He beat Silius and subsequent Group 1 winner Woodshauna.

Uncertain of his stamina, connections decided to forego the Classic route and concentrate on Maranoa Charlie’s sprinting strengths and so his next start was in a strong renewal of the 6f Group 3 Prix Texanita at Chantilly.

A never-threatening fourth may have been considered disappointing at the time, but the first two home went on to become Group 1 winners – Woodshauna (Prix Jean Prat) and the Commonwealth Cup winner Time For Sandals.

Head stepped him back up to 7f next time, and he returned a convincing winner in ParisLongchamp’s Prix Paul de Moussac (G2).

After a change of ownership bought by Bond Thoroughbred Ltd, Maranoa Charlie’s next start saw him take up the running two furlongs out, headed and dropped to third before rallying again and just failing to catch Woodshauna in a thrilling 7f Prix Jean Prat (G1).

Behind him was the one-time Derby favourite The Lion In Winter (Sea The Stars) and champion two-year-old Shadow Of Light (Lope De Vega).

On his penultimate start, and his only run outside of France, he met trouble in running, but was still only narrowly beaten in the 7f City Of York Stakes (G1) when third to Never So Brave (No Nay Never) and ahead of Rosallion (Blue Point) and the shock Sussex Stakes Group 1 winner Qirat.

Saving his best for last, Maranoa Charlie became a Group 1 winner back in France on Arc weekend in the Prix de la Forêt, driven out to defeat Zarigana (Siyouni) and Ten Bob Tony (Night Of Thunder)

Maranoa Charlie’s dam Koubalibre (Galileo) was a winner at three in France and is dam of two winners.

She has a 2024 colt by Baaeed and a New Bay colt of 2025 to run for her in the future.

Koubalibre’s own dam Kheleyf’s Silver (Kheleyf) was a winning juvenile and importantly dam of Tiggy Wiggy (Kodiac), champion two-year-old filly in England, and joint-champion twoyear-old filly in Europe by virtue of her success in the Group 1 Cheveley Park

Stakes. She also finished third in the 1,000 Guineas.

By Wootton Bassett, with a 7f Group 1 victory by his name as a three-year-old, with speed and tenacity, Maranoa Charlie will be a popular sire at Tally-Ho.

DIEGO VELAZQUEZ

2021

Frankel-Sweepstake (Acclamation)

National Stud

£17,500

Diego Velazquez gave his owner Sam Sangster a day of days last summer when winning Deauville’s Group 1 mile Prix Jacques Les Marois by a head just a month after the colt had been purchased from the Coolmore partners.

It was a first Group 1 success for the Diego Velazquez, who had made a successful debut as a juvenile the previous August over 7f, and had followed up again when moving up to stakes class over 7f in the Group 2 Champions Juvenile Stakes.

He disappointed on his last juvenile start when he finished down-the-field in the mile Futurity Stakes (G1, but the race was run on heavy going and he did not help his case when

getting upset in the stalls.

On his debut at three he took fourth in the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1) behind Metropolitan and Dancing Gemini, and won the 1m1f Meld Stakes (G3) and the mile Solonaway Stakes (G2) at Leopardstown, his last two starts that season.

He missed a four-year-old debut appearance at Leopardstown, again after stalls issues, and then was slow jumping the gate at Royal Ascot in the Queen Anne Stakes (G1)

But he got back to winning ways at The Curragh and over 7f in the Minstrel Stakes (G2), his last start for his original owners.

Deauville saw him produce a career best, and although the race was a “win and you are in” for the Breeders’ Cup Mile that option was not taken up by connections after he failed to act on the US Turf at Keeneland in the Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes (G1).

Purchased specifically to stand at the National Stud, Diego Velazquez boasts a fine pedigree as a son of the champion Frankel.

Deigo Velazquez is out of the Listedwinning Acclamation mare Sweepstake, the dam of seven winners, including

Diego Velazquez: the son of Frankel and out of Sweepstake was bought whilst still in training and specifically to stand at the National Stud in the Britain

Deigo Velazquez’s close-relations by Australia – Broome, a joint-champion older horse in Ireland and winner of the 1m4f Grand Prix de Saint Cloud (G1) and placed three times at the highest level, and the Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Point Lonsdale, who won over 7f to 1m5f.

Under the third dam is Tyranny, the dam of the Group 1 winners Zoffany and Rostropovich, and Bulaxie, the granddam of the Cassydora, runner-up in the Nassau Stakes (G1).

Champion sire Frankel, as a befits his stature, has had a great relationship with most sires, but particularly fruitful partnerships with Dubawi, Pivotal, Dansili, Oasis Dream and Shamardal.

SHADOW OF LIGHT

2022

Lope De Vega-Winters Moon (New Approach) Kildangan Stud

€17,500

The Darley homebred Shadow Of Light was not only a seriously good two-yearold but also has a fabulous pedigree which is packed with black-type and traces back to both Be My Guest and Golden Fleece under his fourth dam.

That’s not to say all the action is further back in his pedigree as his dam Winters Moon (New Approach) was rated 109 and, in addition to making a winning debut at two years, was placed in both the Sweet Solara Stakes (G3) and Fillies’ Mile (G1).

At stud, four of her six foals to race have won, including Shadow Of Light’s three-parts brother Earthlight, the champion two-year-old colt in France whose seven wins at two and three include the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, the Prix Morny (G1), the Prix de Cabourg (G3) and the Group 3 Prix du Pin.

Winters Moon is also dam of the BHA 106-rated 2025 two-year-old Wild Desert, a winner on debut at two and second beaten a head in the Group 1 Summer Stakes over a mile at Woodbine having previously ran third in the Group

2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket. Winters Moon’s dam Summertime Legacy (Darshaan) won twice at two winning the Group 3 Prix de Reservoirs and was third in the Group 1 Prix SaintAlary.

At stud her eight winners include Wavering (Refuse To Bend), winner of the Prix Saint-Alary (G1) and Mandaen (Manduro), whose three wins include the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. Shadow Of Light ran nine times and ended his career the winner of four races and placed twice, form good enough to see him secure champion two-year-old status.

The first of those wins came on his two-year-old debut in a 6f Yarmouth maiden, always prominent and winning cosily for Charlie Appleby and William Buick. He reappeared three weeks later at Newmarket where he comfortably won a novice stakes on the July Course, only being shaken up to record a two length victory.

He was then sent to York for the Gimcrack Stakes (G2), a hot renewal of the race which included subsequent Group 1 winners Big Mojo and Camille Pissarro, running on well inside the

final furlong and only narrowly failing to catch the winner Cool Hoof Luke (Advertise).

Charlie Appleby said after the race that he was happy with the run and that although it had been a big step up he’d learned a lot.

That proved to be the case as next time out he won the first of his juvenile Group 1s when successful in the 6f Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.

Sent off second favourite to Aidan O’Brien’s Whistlejacket (No Nay Never and also new sire of 2026) he made smooth headway 2f out and readily flashed home 4l clear of the Ballydoyle runner-up. On his final juvenile start, Godolphin stepped him up to 7f for the Dewhurst Stakes (G1) and, in almost a mirror image of the Middle Park, Shadow Of Light made headway 2f from home and kept on well to beat Coolmore’s Expanded (Wootton Bassett) with Godolphin stablemate Ancient Truth (Dubawi) back in third.

Shadow Of Light ran four times as a three-year-old. Although without success he ran well in defeat, including when third in the 2,000 Guineas Stakes (G1) to stablemate Ruling Court and

Shadow Of Light winning the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, he went on to success in the Dewhurst

GROUP

1 WINNING SON OF MEHMAS out of multiple stakes producer FIDAAHA

Won the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh beating dual Group 1 and Classic Winner HENRI MATISSE.

New For 2026

SCORTHY CHAMP

New Stallions for 2026 European Two Year Old Classifications

Shadow Of Light 120

SCORTHY CHAMP 117

Rosallion

Delacroix

Henri

Unquestionable

Magnum Force

Maranoa Charlie

Diego Velazquez

Arizona Blaze

Aesterius

Elite Status

“His precocious ability, great attitude and elite pedigree combines to o er breeders a fantastic commercial option”.

Joseph O’Brien

The only son of MEHMAS at Stud in the UK and Ireland who’s progeny qualify for the new Windsor Castle Stakes regulations at

2026 Stallion Fee: BARTON X

£8,500

Aesterius

TOP-CLASS SPRINTER BY MEHMAS

High-class Sprinter

Won Gr.2 Flying Childers Stakes, Doncaster, 5f, beating Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup

Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Magnum Force & Gr.1 Haydock

Sprint Cup winner Big Mojo, just 12 days after his Gr.3 victory

“…showing bags of speed as usual, as well as a very willing attitude…” Timeform

Won Gr.3 Prix d’Arenberg, Longchamp, 5f

Won L Dragon Stakes, Sandown, 5f, quickening clear to win by 1¼l

Won Novice Stakes, Bath, 5f, readily on debut by 2¾l in May

2nd Gr.3 Molecomb Stakes, Goodwood, 5f, to Big Mojo

“Aesterius is a gorgeous looking colt with brilliant speed and a willing attitude.

With his proven class, temperament and sire Mehmas’s record for producing top juveniles, he looks every inch an exciting young stallion prospect.” Richard Brown, on behalf of Wathnan Racing

“Aesterius was a very talented, precocious and straightforward two-year-old.”

Archie Watson, trainer

Field Of Gold, leading until 100yds out.

His next start was when fifth in the 6f Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot to Time For Sandals (Sands Of Mali) and on his next start he looked all over the winner inside the final furlong of the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat at Deauville (7f), only losing position inside the final 50yds and finishing fourth to Woodshauna, Maranoa Charlie and The Lion In Winter.

WHISTLEJACKET

2022

No Nay Never-Adventure Seeker (Bering) Haras de Grandcamp

€14,000

By No Nay Never, a Group 1-winning juvenile, champion sire of twoyear-olds and a son of Scat Daddy, Whistlejacket was destined to be a top two-year-old, and he duly fulfilled his birthright for the Coolmore team.

He ran eight times at two and, although beaten on his debut over 6f at The Curragh in April, he won the 5f Listed First Flier Stakes on his next start at the same venue by three and a half lengths from Arizona Blaze.

Things did not go according to plan at Royal Ascot and he failed to justify his 10/11 price when fourth in the 5f Norfolk Stakes (G2), but he righted that slight next time out in the 6f July Stakes (G2).

He took second on his first move into Group 1 company in the 6f Phoenix Stakes, before arriving at his destiny in the Prix Morny (G1).

There, following in the path of both his sire and his big brother Little Big Bear, he galloped to smooth victory over Rashabar, the race run on good to soft.

He made most of the running on the rail in Deauville and was able to put his speed to good use, but he was not allowed that luxury at Newmarket in the 6f Group 1 Middle Park Stakes (G1) when he followed home Shadow Of Light.

On his last start as a juvenile, he finished fifth in the Grade 1 5f Breeders’ Cup Turf Juvenile Sprint having raced

toward the back of the pack, and was nearest at the finish.

Whistlejacket opened his three-yearold campaign with victory in Navan’s 6f Listed Committed Stakes, and was then third in the Lacken Stakes (G3) over 6f, but then failed to trouble the judge again in his final three stats with a bestplaced sixth in the 6f Commonwealth Cup (G1) when denied a clear run.

Dam Adventure Seeker, as a daughter of Bering, brings some stamina influences to the pedigee, has produced six winners from eight runners with Little Big Bear, a champion two-year-old of 2022 and whose first foals sold last autumn for an average price of 56,884gns.

His top price of €155,000 was given for a colt out of the Galileo mare For Henrym, while his best-priced filly made €100,000 and is out of the Born To Sea mare Sea Of Reality.

Adventure Seeker was a black-type placed at three, and is half-sister to the Princess Margaret Stakes (G3) thirdplaced Along Again.

Their grand-dam All Along was a champion Turf filly in the US and Europe in 1983, and won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1), the Prix Vermeille (G1), the Washington DC International Stakes (G1) and the Turf Classic.

Whistlejacket is free of all of the predominant European pedigree influences, and lines such as Danehill, Danzig, and Green Desert, who have all worked so well with Scat Daddy, are open to breeders. True Love, last year’s Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) winner is by No Nay Never and out of a Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare.

Oasis Dream and No Nay Never are becoming quite the match, and have produced the Group 2 two-year-old winners Array and Les Pavots. Oasis Dream is also the broodmare sire of Caravaggio’s Group 1 winner Whitebeam.

The strong European influences for juvenile precocity – Mehmas, Dark Angel, Acclamation – will double the juvenile class, while, for a bit more stamina, Sadler’s Wells and his sons match up well with the Scat Daddy line.

ARIZONA BLAZE 2022

Sergei Prokofiev- Liberisque (Equiano)

Irish National Stud

€12,500

New to the Irish National Stud for 2026 is Arizona Blaze, the tough and talented son of former Whitsbury Manor Stud young sire Sergei Prokofiev.

Arizona Blaze winning the Marble Hill Stakes (G3) at The Curragh where he also won the Flying Five (G1)

It was announced in December that the champion first-season sire of 2024 had been bought back by his breeder David Anderson and would continue his career at Ballycroy Bloodstock in Canada.

Arizona Blaze is the most accomplished runner by his sire so far, running 17 times at three and four years winning six races and placing eight times.

He was a £82,000 Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale purchase in 202, and he gave his owner Amo Racing a perfect start when successful on his two-yearold debut the following March in a 5f Curragh maiden for Adrian Murray.

He reappeared in early May in the Listed First Flier Stakes, finishing second to fellow new sire Whistlejacket (No Nay Never).

Stepped up to 6f later that month he improved with a determined win over subsequent Prix du Jockey-Club (G1) winner Camille Pissarro.

Arizona Blaze ran six more times as a juvenile without winning but put in some respectable efforts and was only once out of the placings, including when third to Shareholder (Not This Time) and ahead of Whistlejacket in Royal Ascot’s Norfolk Stakes (G2), when third to Henri Matisse (Wootton Bassett) in the Group 2 Railway Stakes on Irish Derby weekend at The Curragh, third to Babouche (Kodiac) and Whistlejacket in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, second in the valuable Goffs Premier Yearling Stakes at York.

He was driven out to take second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint (G1) at Del Mar to Magnum Force.

Those performances alone as a twoyear-old would surely have easily gained him a berth at stud, but kept in training at three, he progressed even further.

After a season’s debut win at Dundalk, he was third to Henri Matisse over 7f at Leopardstown in the Red Rocks Stakes (G3).

Sent to France for his next start, he stayed on strongly to land the Group 3 Prix Sigy at Chantilly, while back at Royal Ascot, he was first home in his

A month later, after connections forked out a £45,000 supplementary fee, Inisherin galloped to Group 1 6f Commonwealth Cup success at Royal Ascot

group in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup, narrowly defeated by Time For Sandals (Sands Of Mali).

Back in Ireland, he was a more-thancomfortable winner of the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes over 5f at The Curragh.

In September, Arizona Blaze ended his career in the best way possible. Lining up for the ultra-competitive Group 1 Flying Five Stakes he was always prominent and kept on well to gain a deserved top-level win beating leading performers such as Bucanero Fuerte (Wootton Bassett), the Australian wondermare Asfoora (Flying Artie), the Champion Sprint Group 1 winner Art Power and Whistlejacket.

INISHERIN

2021

Shamardal-Ajman Princess (Teofilo)

Dalham Hall Stud

£12,500

From the same extended pedigree as Rosallion and also bred by the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, Inisherin flourished as a three-year-old sprinter and was the joint-top rated in England in 2024.

The son of Shamardal had one start as a juvenile when second over a mile at Newmarket in September.

He then won over a mile on the AllWeather at Newcastle on his three-yearold debut, then finished mid-division in a rapid rise in class to the mile Group 1 2,000 Guineas.

Dropped back in trip to 6f and in company to Group 2 level he took the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock.

A month later, after connections forked out a £45,000 supplementary fee, Inisherin galloped to Group 1 6f Commonwealth Cup success at Royal Ascot. It was a fast-run affair and was

the fourth fastest time in the race’s history.

Plans to collect the July Cup on his next start, and racing against older sprinters for the first time, came to nothing when he finished fifth.

His final career victory came on his debut at four when he won the Duke Of York Stakes (G2) over 6f.

He is a half-brother to the Group 3 Strensall Stakes winner King Of Cities (Dubawi), and his dam Ajman Princess is a half-sister to the champion miler Triple Time, and the black-type winners Ostilio, Cape Byron, Third Realm and Captain Winters, and to fellow new sire Rosaline, the dam of Rosallion.

Sire Shamardal had great success with Pivotal as a broodmare sire, Dubawi, Gone West, Kingmambo and Danehill. Rosallion is out of a New Approach mare, while the Group 2 winner Afsare, who is under the third dam, is by Dubawi, so the family works well with the champion sire.

LEAD ARTIST

2021

Dubawi-Obligate (Frankel)

Banstead Manor Stud

£12,500

Lead Artist retires to Banstead Manor Stud for 2026 and offers breeders Group 1-winning form, a sensational pedigree and two of the best global stallions as sire and dam sire.

The Juddmonte homebred was unraced at two, but was seen out early in his three-year-old season.

His first start was full of promise, just denied by Godolphin’s First Conquest (Teofilo) in the Wood Ditton Maiden Stakes and he built on that performance the following month slamming the opposition by 4l in a York mile maiden,

DUAL GROUP WINNER & CLASSIC PLACED

2yo Gr.2 Richmond Stakes winner in record time and Gr.1 Dewhurst second, by a head to Chaldean

Classic-placed at 3, Diomed Stakes winner at 4

Highest rated 2yo retiring to stud in the UK for 2026

“The best-looking yearling I saw that year, so I bought him!”

ED SACKVILLE

By Gleneagles, sire of multiple Gr.1 winners, inc. Calandagan and Mill Stream, out of a blacktype Pivotal mare 2026 FEE £6,000

“He was incredibly talented and very unfortunate not to win his Group one.”

PAUL COLE

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beating First Conquest comprehensively by more than 10l in fourth.

Joint-trainers John and Thady Gosden stepped him up to Listed class next in the Cecil Frail Stakes over a mile at Newmarket where he kept on well to finish third behind Al Musmak (Night Of Thunder).

He was next seen out at Glorious Goodwood in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes where he displayed a resolute performance, making nearly all and repelling each challenge throughout the final two furlongs.

Stepped up in class once again for his next start, the 7f Group 2 Park Stakes at the St Leger meeting, he ran a fine second to Kinross, something of a specialist at that distance.

Back at Newmarket, his next race was the Darley Stakes (G3) over 1m1f and leading two furlongs out kept his head down to beat Liberty Lane (Teofilo) by a length and a half.

Connections decided to roll the dice for one more start that year and he was sent to Bahrain to tackle the valuable International Trophy over 1m3f.

In a strong international field he only gave best to Spirit Dancer (Frankel) beating Aidan O’Brien’s Point Lonsdale (Australia), Godolphin’s Nations Pride (Teofilo) and runners from Japan, France and Germany.

At four he was unplaced on his seasonal debut in Sandown’s Group 2 Mile, but reappeared the following month and put in a tough-running performance to get back up once headed in the Group 1 Lockinge over a mile at Newbury.

In the second-fastest ever Lockinge, he beat three Guineas winners that day in Rosallion (Blue Point), Notable Speech (Dubawi) and Fallen Angel (Too Darn Hot) and the Sun Chariot (G1) winner Tamfana further back. His final two races were unplaced efforts in the Queen Anne (G1) and in the Prix Moulin (G1) at ParisLongchamp.

Lead Artist’s third dam is Hasili, and there’s not much more than can be added other than suffice to say she is one of the most important broodmares in the history of the thoroughbred and whose decendants are responsible for 59

Group 1 performances. She had great success when sent to Danehill, and breeders might be advised to send Lead Artist mares who are by descendants of the great sire.

Lead Artist’s own dam Obligate was winner of three of her five starts in France for Pascal Bary. She won on her debut in an unraced two-year-old fillies’ maiden at Saint-Cloud. The following May, she again won on her seasonal debut taking the Listed Prix des Lilas over a mile at Chantilly by three lengths.

Up in class again, she also won her next start in the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham once again at Chantilly.

Two further runs that year saw her place third in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild behind Laurens (Siyouni) and unplaced in the Group 1 Prix de Moulin.

UNQUESTIONABLE 2021

Wootton Bassett-Strawberry Lace (Sea The Stars) Rathbary Stud

€10,000

Unquestionable put his name in lights as a yearling when sold at Arqana by Normandie Breeding to Mandore Agency for €340,000 and he continued to grab the limelight as a juvenile when in training with Aidan O’Brien.

The son of Wootton Bassett was bred by the Vitse family out of the Sea The Stars mare Strawberry Lace, and he made his race debut when pitched straight into Listed class he finished third in May’s 5f First Flier Stakes.

He won his maiden later that month back at The Curragh before finishing a short head second to Bucanero Fuerte in the Group 2 6f Railway Stakes.

In the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes over the same trip and on the same course he finished a good fourth behind Bucanero Fuerte, Porta Fortuna and Givemethebeatboys. He went to France from The Curragh and only found Rosallion in the Group 1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardere too good, and was just headed

Lead Artist: by Dubawi and out of the Frankel mare Obligate, and from the family of the star mare Hasili

Scorthy Champ only had to be pushed out to exact revenge on Henri Matisse in the National Stakes (G1) back at The Curragh

by the son of Blue Point in the shadow of the post.

He gathered in a Grade 1 victory winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita – he enjoyed a good midrace run on the rail, switched out well, stayed on and saw the mile trip out well.

That was to prove his last success, but he ran well when twice fourth in Group 1 company behind Rosallion in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes. They were to be his only starts as a three-year-old.

He had one run as a four-year-old for new trainer Richard Hannon and finished down the field in the Listed mile Paradise Stakes at Ascot when looking in need of the run.

As a cheaper source of Wootton Bassett he should appeal to breeders, and with a Grade 1 juvenile victory by his name.

Out of a mare by leading broodmare sire Sea The Stars (Cape Cross), which offers a spot of stamina, as well as class, and will allow breeders with mares by Galileo or his sons the opportunity to tap into Galileo’s bloodlines offering some duplication of Urban Sea.

SCORTHY CHAMP

2022

Mehmas-Fidaaha (New Approach)

Barton Stud

£8,500

It’s been decades since Barton Stud stood stallions and previous notable residents include Nasrullah, prior to his career in the US and Tehran, sire of the Aga Khan’s 1952 Derby winner Tulyar.

This year the stud welcomes the Group 1 National Stakes-winner Scorthy Champ,fulfilling the long-held ambition of managing director Tom Blain for the

stud to once again stand stallions.

“We’d been following him all year as one of the best juveniles of 2024 and we inquired very early this year,” said Blain to the Racing Post.

“Discussions started then. We didn’t think we’d be able to afford him and then relatively recently it worked out we could, so we did a nice deal with the owners. Some of them have stayed in and we’ve got some new partners on board as well.

“It’s a fast family and one which has made a lot of money in the sales ring, which is important to commercial breeders. He ticked a lot of the boxes we were looking for. The opportunity was right and it felt the right thing to do.”

Scorthy Champ was a 2023 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 yearling from Ballylinch by Joseph O’Brien for 155,000gns.

The son of Mehmas made a winning debut on his first two-year-old start for the trainer, comfortably winning a Leopardstown maiden over 7f in April.

He wasn’t seen again until August but ran with credit in the Group 2 Futurity Stakes over 7f at The Curragh, finishing third to Henri Matisse (Wootton Bassett) and Hotazhell (Too Darn Hot).

He put that run behind him on his final two-year-old start, and Scorthy Champ only had to be pushed out to exact revenge on Henri Matisse in the National Stakes (G1) back at The Curragh.

As a three-year-old he ran four times – he was not beaten far in the 2,000 Guineas and Irish equivalent and then just over 2l behind subsequent Arc winner Daryz in the Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam at Saint-Cloud.

Scorthy Champ’s New Approach dam Fidaaha was unraced, but has made up

for that in the breeding shed.

Scorthy Champ’s sister Malavath won three races at two and three years in France, with her victories including the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte (G2).

She also finished second in the Group 1 Prix de la Forêt and took the same position in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf.

Knight, a 2020 brother to Scorthy Champ is also a four-time winner, including the Horris Hill Stakes (G3) and runner-up in the Celebration Mile (G2).

Mehmas has a great record with Kodiac, Exceed And Excel, Arcano, Pivotal and Clodovil.

ELITE STATUS

2021

Havana Grey-Dotted Swiss (Swiss Spirit)

Whitsbury Manor Stud

£8,000

Whitsbury Manor Stud has enjoyed a fine run of late with its stallions and will be hoping that this homebred son of its leading sire Havana Grey will be the next in the line of success.

Bred from the top sire’s second crop the five-year-old is out of the dualwinning Swiss Spirit mare Dotted Swiss and was bred for speed and precocity –her two victories came at two and three and over 5f and 6f.

She is also sire of Soldier’s Heart, a year-younger full-brother to Elite Status and winner of last year’s Listed Champion 2YO Trophy at Ripon for joint-trainers Simon and Ed Crisford who purchased him for 425,000gns at the October Book 2 from Kilminfoyle Bloodstock. That team had pinhooked the colt for 85,000gns at the previpus year’s Tattersalls December Foal Sale. Soldier’s Heart has been following the same path made by his older brother – JC Bloodstock having purchased Elite Status as a foal for 56,000gns and Kilminfoyle sold him to Karl and Kelly Burke for 325,000gns, who bought him

Elite Status winning the Listed Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury – he also won the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes at the Berkshire track

on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid.

Elite Status made a winning debut at Doncaster in May, won the Listed National Stakes at Sandown the same month before taking third in the Norfolk Stakes (G2) behind Valiant Force, despite having edged left in the last furlong.

He beat subsequent Group 1 winner Sajir in the Group 3 Prix de Cabourg by an easy length and a quarter, but was unable to step up to Group 1 company on his next starts and finished downthe-field behind paternal sibling Vandeek in both the Prix Morny and the Middle Park Stakes (G1)

His three-year-old debut was a winning one in the Listed 6f Carnarvon Stakes, and he followed up with victory in a strong renewal of the Hackwod Stakes (G3) beating Lake Forest, Kind Of Blue, Regional, Rohann, Diligent Harry and Twilight Calls.

At four, a good fourth placing in the Duke of York Stakes (G2) behind Inisherin was his best result.

Dotted Swiss hails from the extended family of Sweepstake, Broome, Point Lonsdale and this year’s new sire Diego Velzaquez.

Havana Grey’s Group 1-winning son Vandeek is out of a Exceed And Excel mare and all of Havana Grey’s best results so far have come via broodmare sires with strong propensity for producing speed. It maybe wise for breeders to take that as a hint if considering his son as an option and double up on the speed factor.

MAGNUM FORCE

2022

Mehmas-Tropical Rock (Fastnet Rock) Ballyhane Stud

€7,500

Sons of Mehmas, particularly winners at Group 1 level, are hugely coveted by stallion masters and so it is that

internationalthoroughbred

Magnum Force begins stallion duties at Ballyhane Stud for 2026.

Trained throughout his career by Ger Lyons, and ridden each time by Colin Keane, Magnum Force made his debut in July of his two-year-old career with a fine second placing to Diego Ventura (also by Mehmas) in a 6f Naas Maiden. Dropped back to 5f a month later, he comfortably landed a Cork maiden from the Havana Grey filly Bobbi Rosa.

Connections, well aware they had a fast colt on their hands, sent Magnum Force next to the Listed Roses Stakes at York and their ambition was almost rewarded when a fast-diminishing neck second to Andrew Balding’s Tropical Storm (Eqtidaar).

Magnum Force returned to Yorkshire the following month and again ran his race when third to Aesterius (another Mehmas and new sire for 2026), with Group 1 winner Big Mojo second.

The highlight of his two-year-old season, and career, came on his final juvenile start at Del Mar when he flew home to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) going away from fellow new sire of 2026 Arizona Blaze (Sergei Prokofiev), with Big Mojo in fourth.

Magnum Force ran twice more at three without troubling the judge.

Magnum Force is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Tropical Rock, twice a winner at two, victories coming in a Windsor maiden over 6f and a Yarmouth handicap over the same trip. She won or placed in her four juvenile starts.

Her dam Tropical Treat (Bahamian Bounty) won her two-year-old maiden on debut. At three she was third in the 6f Kilvington Stakes (L), won the 5f Land O’Burns Stakes (L) and finished second in the 6f Group 3 Summer Stakes.

TOPGEAR

2019

Wootton Bassett-Miss Lech (Giant’s Causeway)

Capital Stud

€7,500

The consistent Topgear by Wootton

Bassett has found himself a place at the progressive Capital Stud in Ireland.

A €200,00 yearling sold at the September Arqana Select Sale 2020, he ran three times as a juvenile, was unbeaten with his final success that year coming in September in the Prix Eclipse (G3) over 6f.

He missed his three-year-old season but returned to the track with a vengeance and won on his season’s debut, before finishing an unlucky second three times including in the Group 3 Prix Bertrand du Breuil, and the Prix Messidor (G3), both races run over a mile at Chantilly.

He finished the year with two downthe-field outings in Group 1 races at ParisLongchamp.

In the spring of his five-year-old season he collected further Group race placings over a mile, before getting his head in front in the Prix du Pin (G3) over 7f on soft ground. He rounded his season off with a win the 7f Group 2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket by 5l from Royal Scotsman

His debut at six saw him pick up from where he left off with victory in the 7f Prix du Paris-Royal (G3) over Group 1 winner Sajir before running in three Group 1 races to conclude his career.

The best result in that trio of outings was fifth in the 7f Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1), the race won by Sajir with Lazzat, Woodshauna and Regional ahead.

A solid, dependable runner and a strong juvenile, he is out of a winning Giant’s Causeway mare, who is a half-sister to the Strub Stakes (G2) winner Guilt Trip (Pulpit).

He gives breeders outcross opportunities and access to Wootton Bassett at an affordable fee.

BEAUVATIER

2021

Lope De Vega-Enchanting Skies (Sea The Stars) Haras d’Etreham

€7,000

The tough and talented Beauvatier is the first son of Lope De Vega to stand at Haras d’Etreham.

Beauvatier was an exciting two-yearold and he kickstarted his racing career with a four-race winning-streak.

The first of those wins came on his May debut in a 5f Chantilly maiden, where he made steady progress to win impressively by five and a half lengths.

Later that same month he was stepped up in distance in the 6f Prix Pirette, a conditions race at Saint-Cloud, where he accounted for Ramatuelle (Justify), who would become a Group-winning juvenile and subsequent winner of the Group 1 Prix de la Forêt.

Beauvatier was then tried over further in the 7f Prix Roland de Chambure (L) at Deauville and comfortably beat the Wootton Bassett colt Zabiari.

He was to taste first Group race success on his next start in the Group 3 Prix la Rochette over 7f at ParisLongchamp, always doing enough to hold Evade (Wootton Bassett) and the useful Havana Cigar (Havana Grey).

His final race at two, and his first defeat, came in the Group 1 Jean-Luc Lagardere over 7f when, despite being hampered in running, he still managed a good third to Rosallion and the Breeders’

The Group 2 Challenge Stakes winner Topgear

ELITE STATUS

Bay 2021 Havana Grey x Dotted Swiss FEE: £8,000 1st oct slf

HAVANA GREY’s highest-rated performer with a stellar RPR of 119 NEW FOR 2026

Rated 4lbs higher than his sire Havana Grey and 6lbs higher than his grandsire Havana Gold

Purchased for £380,000 by Blandford

Bloodstock

at the Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale from Mocklershill, Aesterius was a speedy and talented juvenile as befits a son of Mehmas

Cup Juvenile Turf hero Unquestionable.

At three, Beauvatier made his seasonal debut in the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleu over a mile at ParisLongchamp, and put in a perfectly acceptable reappearance finishing second to Ramadan.

He was never a factor in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G 1), but went on to finish third in his next four outings in the Prix Jean Prat (G1) to Puchkine, in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest to Lazzat, in the Group 3 Prix de Meautry to Spycatcher and to Ramatuelle in the Group 1 Prix de la Forêt.

On his final three-year-old start he finished fourth to Kind Of Blue in the Group 1 British Champions Sprint.

Connections were rewarded for keeping him in training at four when he recorded two victories.

The first of those was the 6f Prix de Ris-Orangis (G3) at Deauville when he beat Spycatcher and Tribalist. On his penultimate start he travelled to Newmarket and was successful in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes.

Beauvatier retired the winner of six of his 18 races.

Beauvatier’s dam Enchanting Skies (Sea The Stars) won at three and four in France and was placed twice, including in the Listed Prix de Thiberville.

In addition to Beauvatier, his year younger half-sister Lhakpa (Siyouni) ran second in the Group 3 Prix Miesque.

AESTERIUS

2022

Mehmas-Jane Doe (Hallowed Crown)

Bearstone Stud

£6,500

Purchased for £380,000 by Blandford Bloodstock for Wathnan Racing at

the Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale from Mocklershill, Aesterius was a speedy and talented juvenile as befits a son of Mehmas.

Afer winning on debut for trainer Archie Watson at Bath in May over 5f, he finished a fine fifth to in the Norfolk Stakes (G2) behind the owner’s USbred colt Shareholder, Tropical Storm, Arizona Blaze and Whistlejacket.

Stepped back to Listed class next time was a successful move in the Dragon Stakes over 5f at Sandown, before he returned to Group company in the 5f Molecomb Stakes (G3) where he finished three-quarters of a length second to Big Mojo

He won his Group races on his next two starts with victory in the Prix d’Aurenberg (G3) over 5f at ParisLongchamp and then in the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes, which is something of a stallion-making race.

He reversed form with Big Mojo, and had Magnum Force and Tropical Storm behind.

In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint won by Magnum Force and with Arizona Blaze, Big Mojo and Whistlejacket ahead of him, things did not go according to plan – although he had an inside berth and ran the rail he was short of room in the last furlong. He ran better than his finishing position of sixth suggests.

He had three outings at three without any luck.

Aesterius is out of the young Hallowed Crown mare Jane Doe, a daughter of Snowdrops, a three-time Grade 3 winner in the US. She is a half-sister to the Horris Hill Stakes (G3) winner Tawhid (Invincible Spirit), who was also third in the Hungerford Stakes (G3) and the

Mehl-Mulhens Rennen (G2).

The extended family traces to the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Tiger Tanaka.

MARHABA YA SANAFI 2020

Muhaarar-Danega (Galileo)

Haras de Castillon

€6,000

Haras de Castillon is standing stallions for the first time and has entered the French market with a bang – six stallions will start covering mares this spring at the Normandy farm with two new sires for 2026 – Marhaba Ya Sanafi and Tribalist.

Marhaba Ya Sanafi was a talented miler who raced across four seasons with five wins and nine placings from his 25 starts for trainer Andreas Schutz.

Marhaba Ya Sanafi built on his pleasing autumn two-year-old debut to win a conditions race over a mile on Chantilly’s polytrack.

Seen out early the following March, he won a similar race again at Chantilly before taking his chance in Group company with a good second to American Flag (Wootton Bassett) in the Prix de Fontainebleau (G3) at ParisLongchamp, only giving best inside the last 150yds.

In the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1) he progressed even further and was driven out to Classic success ahead of Isaac Shelby (Night Of Thunder) and Breizh Sky (Pedro The Great).

Connections rolled the dice and decided to put his stamina to the test next time out where he lined up for the Prix du Jockey-Club in which he was a more-than-respectable third behind Ace Impact (Cracksman) and Big Rock (Rock Of Gibraltar).

He ran three more times that year without success.

Kept in training at as a four-yearold, Marhaba Ya Sanafi hit the ground running and was seen out in March recording a comfortable win in the Prix

Altipan (L) over a mile at Saint-Cloud.

In his next two subsequent starts he ran second to fellow new Castillon sire Tribalist in the Prix Edmond Blanc (G3) and the Group 2 Prix du Muguet, both races over a mile.

Further success at four came in the Prix Bertrand du Breuil (G3) over a mile at Chantilly and he was a good second to Caramelito (Zarak) in the mile Group 3 Prix Messidor.

Marhaba Ya Sanafi continued to race as a five-year-old and although without a win put in a series of very good efforts with placings in the Prix Altipan (L), the Group 3 Prix Edmond Blanc, the Prix de Montretout (L) and the Group 3 Prix Bertrand du Breuil.

Marhaba Ya Sanafi’s dam Danega (Galileo) was unraced, but is dam of four winners and her own dam Danelissima (Danehill) won the Group 3 Noblesse Stakes and was third in the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks.

Grandam Zavaleta (Kahyasi) won five races, including the Athasi Stakes (L), and the 1,000 Guineas Trial (L).

Sire of Marhaba Ya Sanafi is Muhaarar, relocated from Petit Tellier to Haras de Montaigu for this year at €18,000 and is enjoying a fine stint with his runners, his best performers being the Grade 1 winner Be Your Best, who is out of the Medagali D’Oro mare, and the Group 1 winners Cicero’s Gift and Eshaada, who are out of mares by Diktat and Nayef.

His Group and Grade 2 winners Annaf, Bran, Israr, Motorious, Polly Pott and Trevaunance are out of mares by Pastoral Pursuits, Storm Cat, Sea The Stars, King’s Best, Trade Fair and Azamour.

ROYAL SCOTSMAN

2020

Gleneagles-Enrol (Pivotal)

Genesis Green Stud

£6,000

Royal Scotsman breaks new ground for Genesis Green Stud, standing a stallion

for the first time.

And the farm has got itself a talented horse with top form as a juvenile highlighted by his Group 2 Richmond Stakes victory and second place in the Dewhurst Stakes (G1).

The son of Gleneagles broke his maiden over 6f on his second start at Goodwood and then finished third in a decent renewal of the Coventry Stakes (G2) to Bradsell and Persian Force.

He collected his Goodwood Group race win the following month — a performance that came in record-setting time and underscored his natural speed.

After a poor run in the Gimcrack Stakes (G2), he subsequently scoped badly, he was unlucky not to win a Group 1 as a juvenile losing out by just a head to Chaldean in the 7f Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes.

The pair met again in the 2,000 Guineas with Chaldean in front again, and Hi Royal splitting the pair.

It was a massive run from the Paul

Cole-trained colt who also had a bump in running, was too free early on his seasonal debut and did not appreciate the rain that came before the race.

His following outings in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes saw down-the-field efforts.

At four after a seasonal debut in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes, he enjoyed a dominating victory in the Diomed Stakes (G3) run over the extended mile at Epsom and then finished second to Topgear in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket in October.

By the underrated sire Gleneagles, Royal Scotsman is out of the Listedplaced mare Enrol, a daughter of leading broodmare sire Pivotal.

She is dam of four winners, including Encountered (Churchill), twice winner of the Group 2 Ladies Purse in Hong Kong.

The pedigree traces to the champion European two-year-old Bakharoff, the Lockinge Stakes (G2) winner Emperor Jones and Que Belle, winner of the Preis

Royal Scotsman: was consigned as a yearling by Genesis Green Stud and has returned as a stallion

der Diana (G2), the Hankel-Rennen (G2) and a Group 1 runner-up in the Prix Ganay and third in the Aral Pokal (G1).

Gleneagles is, of course, sire of 2025’s star Calandagan, who is out of a Sinndar mare, while Highland Chief, winner of the 2022-running of theMan O’War Stakes (G1), is out of a Montjeu mare.

Gleneagles other Group 1 winners are out of mares by the speedy sires Anabaa and his son Anabaa Blue, Hellvelyn and Danehill Dancer – he has a great winners-to-runners strike-rate with the last named.

He has also been successful with a range of Danehill and Green Desert line stallions.

TRIBALIST

2019

Farhh-Fair Daughter (Nathaniel)

Haras de Castillon

€6,000

Tribalist, like his fellow Castillon retiree Marhaba Ya Sanafi, raced 25 times, and made two starts in the autumn of his two-year-old career.

Trained for Godolphin by Andre Fabre, Tribalist made his three-year-old debut in a mile Chantilly maiden where he finished second.

The following month he broke his maiden impressively by 5l at Saint-Cloud and was then runnerup in an April conditions race at ParisLongchamp, again over mile.

A tilt at the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1) for his next start might have seemed ambitious, but he ran a huge race finishing third to Modern Games (Dubawi) and the Wootton Bassett colt, and fellow Castillon stallion, Texas.

That underlined his ability and he was next sent to Chantilly for the Prix Paul de Moussac (G3) over a mile at Chantilly, and he ran a fine race beaten a shorthead by Erevann (Dubawi).

He placed twice more at three when third in the mile Prix de Tourgeville (L) and second in the mile Group 3 Prix Perth with a win in the 7f Prix Matchem (L).

Kept in training as a four-year-old, Tribalist reappeared as a much stronger horse. He raced exclusively over a mile and won four of his first five starts, the Prix Edmond Blanc (G3) from The Revenant (Dubawi), the Prix du Muguet (G2) from Facteur Cheval (Ribchester), the Prix Bertrand du Breuil (G3) from Topgear (Wootton Bassett) and the Listed Prix Tantieme from Anthorus (Territories).

He was also third in the Group 3 Prix Perth to Belbek.

It is great testament to Tribalist that, as a five-year-old, he improved again.

He beat Marhaba Ya Sanafi in April’s Group 3 Prix Edmond Blanc with the same outcome a month later in the Group 2 Prix du Muguet at the same track.

But it was in September that year that he achieved his best result getting the better of star milers Charyn, Henry Longfellow and Notable Speech in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin at ParisLongchamp, making all and holding on well at the finish.

Tribalist stayed in training as a sixyear-old and his three runs yielded second place in a Chantilly conditions race, third to Beauvatier in the Prix de Ris-Orangis (G3) at Deauville and another win in the Group 2 Prix du Muguet over Vertbois (Night Of Thunder).

Tribalist has a strong black-type pedigree and he is from the immediate family of Crowded House (Rainbow

Quest), Racing Post Trophy (G1), Brando (Pivotal), Prix Maurice du Gheest (G1) and Ticker Tape (Royal Applause), American Oaks (G1).

Fahrr’s best have been out of mares by Cape Cross, Echo Of Light, Kingmambo, Sadler’s Wells, Seeking The Gold, Galileo and Shamardal.

ELECTROLYTE

2022

Hello Youmzain-Bibury (Royal Applause)

Norton Grove Stud

£3,000

From the first crop of Hello Youmzain, who has made such a bright start at stud, Electrolyte is out of the Royal Applause mare Bibury, a winner at three. She is dam of four winners and, in addition to Bibury, she has produced the 1m1f Group 3 Earl Of Sefton Stakes winner Steel Of Madrid, who transferred to Australia where he was renamed Calderon.

She is a half-sister to the staying star Rite Of Passage, winner of the Ascot Gold Cup (G1) and the British Champions Long Distance Cup (G3) for Dermot Weld.

Electrolyte won on his June debut at Ayr over 6f and then finished a fine second to Rashabar, the pair hardly able to be split on the line, in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes (6f) at Royal Ascot. He had picked up well mid-race and showed a decent turn of foot.

Electolyte then ran well in the July Stakes, just three and a half lengths behind race winner Whistlejacket having raced prominently.

He only beat one home over 7f in the Group 2 Vintage Stakes, so was dropped back by trainer Archie Watson to 6f for the Group 3 Prix Eclipse at Chantilly. He put the pace to the race, and stayed on well to make all.

Sold as a yearling for 72,000gns to JC Bloodstock, Electrolyte increased his valuation to €220,000 at the Goffs UK Breeze when sold by Michael Fitzpatrick’s Kilminfoyle Stud to Blandford Bloodstock.

Tribalist

SHOWCASING - DIJARVO (ICEMAN)

Fee: POA

Multiple Group-winning sprinter and Gr.1 placed at 2

One of the fastest colts of his generation

Sire of 12 Stakes performers incl. Gr.3 winner DAWN CHARGER

Sire of Royal Ascot winner MICKLEY

2025 winners incl. LR winner KAADI and black-type horses WAR BRIDE, MUDDY MOOY, etc.

2025 yearlings sold for 52,000gns, £45,000, etc.

NEW FOR 2026

UBETTABELIEVEIT MASSAAT SOLDIER’S CALL

KODIAC – LADY LISHANDRA (MUJADIL)

Fee: £4,500 1st Oct S.L.F

By Sire of Sires KODIAC

Winner of three races and £116,503 all over 5f

incl.: LR National Stakes, Gr.2 Flying Childers Stakes, also 3rd Gr.2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, all at 2

Yearlings sold for 70,000gns, 62,000gns, £66,000, etc.

Exciting first crop sire 2025 with multiple winners incl. HILITANY, SAYIDAH HARD SPUN, TRICKY TEL , etc.

TEOFILO - MADANY (ACCLAMATION)

Fee: £3,000 1st Oct S.L.F

Brother to Gr.1 Commonwealth Cup winner EQTIDAAR

Gr.1 placed at 2, 3 and 4, Gr.2 winner over 7f

Black type horses include DOCKLANDS

Won Queen Anne Stakes Gr.1, Royal Ascot 2025 and earnings of over £1,000,000

Yearlings made up to 50,000gns in 2025

mare of the month no pushover

Trained by David Pipe for Geoff Thompson, No Walkover was bred at Scarlett Knipe’s Cobhall Court Stud, with Scarlett and her late husband Robin listed as his breeders

SUCH IS THE FRENETIC PACE of the Grade 1 action over the Christmas and New Year period, it is easy to skip over the ungraded race action. But it is well worth taking a look at the bumpers at this time of year, including the victory of No Walkover, who took the eye in the bumper that closed Aintree’s Boxing Day card – as much for the manner of his victory as for his notable pedigree.

The (then) four-year-old son of Poet’s Word was prominent early on and took up the running with more than a furlong to go, and stayed on well for a 5l victory. It was an easier victory than the winner’s debut bumper success, where he got the better of a battle royale with Half Hoping in a Chepstow bumper in November to win by a nose, having been runner-up in a Lisronagh point-to-point by a neck in February 2025.

Trained by David Pipe for Geoff Thompson, No Walkover was bred at Scarlett Knipe’s Cobhall Court Stud, with Scarlett and her late husband Robin listed as his breeders.

Foaled in 2021, three years after Robin’s death, No Walkover was one of a 10-strong draft for the stud at that year’s Tattersalls December Foal Sale. The group mixed Flat and jumps-orientated pedigrees, with nine finding new homes, in a path well-trodden by graduates of the Cobhall Court Stud nursery.

No Walkover changed hands for 20,000gns to the bid of Midlands Equine, the joint fourthhighest price tag of his draft compatriots.

Of his four siblings to tread the same route before him, three brought higher prices, led by a son of Shirocco in 2015, who was snapped up by Rathmore Stud for 36,000gns.

They are out of the Scorpion mare No Pushover, herself a daughter of the fine producer Poussetiere Deux.

That daughter of Garde Royale won five of 59 starts in France on both the Flat and over obstacles and is a half-sister to Vieux Beaufai (Le Nain Jaune), whose victories included the 2000 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (G1), from the family of the talented French jumpers Cyborg De Beaufai (Cyborg), Duc De Normandie (Cadoudal) and Jaune Et Or (Le Nain Jaune), the latter dam of the Grade 3 winnr Jean D’Angely (Pelder), and the Listed winner and Grade 2-placed Diamant De Beaufai (Red Guest).

No Pushover

Scorpion – Poussetiere Deux (Garde Royale) Bay mare, 02.05.2009

2015 Shirocco gelding

2016 Always Thinking (Dunaden) unraced

2017 Kayf Tara gelding

2018 Laganhill (Kayf Tara), dual hurdles winner

2019 Empty

2020 Madajovy (Getaway) placed

2021 No Walkover (Poet’s Word) dual NH Flat race winner 2025

2022 Empty

2023 Bangkok colt

2024 Walzertakt filly

2025 Frontiersman filly

Having crossed the Channel to take up residence in Herefordshire, Poussetiere Deux produced 10 foals, who included seven runners and five winners.

Much the best of Poussetiere Deux’s foals was Wishfull Thinking (Alflora), who won five times at Grade 2 level, including a Peterborough Chase and was Grade 1-placed in both the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Melling Chase.

His full-brother Wishfull Dreaming earned black-type when winning a Listed bumper at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day 2015, while half-brother Tara Royal (Kayf Tara) made it a red-letter day at Wincanton in November 2010, when runner-up to big brother Wishfull Thinking in the Rising Stars’ Chase (G2).

Poussetiere Deux produced only two fillies during her paddock innings, starting with her first foal, Djess (Alderbrook), who won a Cartmel maiden hurdle and has since produced the three-time chase winner Oceans Red (Yorgunnabelucky).

Pushing forwards

The result of Poussetiere Deux’s 2008 mating to the multiple Group 1 winner Scorpion (Montjeu) was No Pushover, foaled in May 2009, the second-last of her dam’s progeny.

Having been bought back by her breeders at £38,000 at the Spring Sale in Doncaster in 2012, the filly was put into training with Nicky Henderson, running in the colours of The Perfect Day Partnership.

Third on debut at Towcester in a mares’ bumper in April 2013, the mare returned to the same venue later that year to finish runner-up.

In February 2014, she made it third time lucky when prevailing by a neck in a Newbury bumper on heavy ground.

A tilt at the Listed mares’ bumper at Aintree’s Grand National meeting two months later proved too ambitious, and she was retired to the Cobhall Court paddocks with a record of one win and two places from four starts.

No Pushover is the dam of nine foals to date, in a remarkably consistent production record that has seen breaks only in 2019 and 2022 to date.

Having visited Shirocco, Dunaden, Kayf Tara, Getaway, Bangkok, Walzertakt, Frontiersman and, of course, Poet’s Word, she is currently the dam of three runners and two winners.

Her fourth foal, Laganhill (Kayf Tara), was her first to race and won twice in novice hurdle company in the 2024-25 season. He is BHA rated 126, and was was last seen when finishing runner-up over fences at Bangor in November.

Madajovy (Getaway) was third in a Ludlow bumper on debut in April and narrowly missed making it a Christmas to remember for his dam when finishing second in a handicap hurdle at Warwick on New Year’s Eve.

The mare’s 2025 filly by Frontiersman followed in the family footsteps when offered at last year’s Tattersalls December Foal Sale and equalled the price tag of No Walkover when purchased for 20,000gns by Christopher Dalton.

With riches ahead on the track and plenty of well-bred younger siblings coming up behind No Walkover, this is a family to keep a close eye on for years to come.

Much the best of Poussetiere Deux’s foals was Wishfull Thinking (Alflora), who won five times at Grade 2 level, including a Peterborough Chase and was

Grade 1-placed in both the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Melling Chases

No Walkover: by Poet’s Word and out of the Scorpion mare No Pushover, the five-year-old gelding is the winner of two bumpers in 2025, seen here successful at Aintree on Boxing Day

photo

Left:

who has joined the farm for this year’s covering season

Above: Ito, who is entering his third spring season at the farm

Below left: Gentlewave

Below right: Postponed

Photos: Laura Green

Cracksman

€12,500

Call it a cliché if you like – but after a hugely lucrative first crop of yearlings, the Group 1 Sprint Cup winner truly does tick every box…

Speed – Europe’s highest-rated sprinter in 2022

Precocity – Gr.2 Gimcrack Stakes winner

Group 1 consistency – Won or placed at the highest level at two, three and four

Sireline – Mehmas’ best son

Progeny in demand – First-crop yearlings sold for up to 550,000gns, 450,000gns, 300,000gns and €300,000, averaging six times his opening fee

First 2yos set to blaze their trails in 2026