ITB_March2025

NATIONAL HUNT EDITION

Weatherbys Stallion Scene featuring Boardsmill Stud

NH Stallion Fact Pack: stats and facts on young jumps stallions standing in Britain and Ireland

The current young sire talent in France

The Golden age

Two Grade 1 winners at this year’s Cheltenham Festival: Golden Horn’s future has arrived

Go s NH Sales

Proven Source of Grade 1 Talent

DANCING

CONSTITUTION HILL

THE JUKEBOX MAN

LECKY WATSON

BAMBINO FEVER

CROKE PARK

CRISTAL D’ESTRUVAL

, winner of the 4YO Geldings Maiden at Lisronagh for Colin Bowe in the fastest time of the day, topped the Cheltenham Sale selling to Ed Bailey & Harry Derham for £400,000

SAINT CRYSTAL

, who earned JDG Jumping Star status when winning first time out in January, was an eased down 7-length winner of the Listed Prix General de Rougemont (4YO Hurdle) at Auteuil for Dominique Bressou and owner/breeders Ecurie Patrick Joubert & Sc Ecurie Couderc

WORKING FOR THE BREEDERS OF THE BLACKWATER VALLEY SINCE THE 1850’s

GREEN HINT, bred by Paul & Catherine Reed, won the 4YO Maiden at Daramona House for Ross Crawford and owners Simon Munir & Isaac Souede. The highly-regarded gelding will now be aimed at the Goffs Defender Bumper at Punchestown

“I have been really impressed by the athleticism of the Crystal Oceans I’ve seen at Doncaster and Goffs and am genuinely excited about his prospects as a sire. I was chuffed to get a nice one [which turned out to be Green Hint].”

Anthony Bromley last June

Champion Racehorse by SEA THE STARS

David Magnier, Albert Sherwood, David O’Sullivan, Andrew Magnier & Catherine Magnier: 353-25-33006. Robert McCarthy, Bobby McCarthy & Peter Kenneally: 353- 58-56254. Tom Gaffney, Joe Hernon, Paddy Fleming, Cathal Murphy & Barry Kennedy: 353-25-31966.

BLUE BRESIL

Sire of CONSTITUTION HILL – The Highest Ever Rated Novice Hurdler

Sire of 8 Individual Gr.1 winners including CONSTITUTION HILL, BLUE LORD, L’AUTONOMIE, ROYAL PAGAILLE, GOOD LAND, INTHEPOCKET, MICK JAZZ and REDEMPTION DAY

First Irish Crop 4-Y-O’s in 2025 already include winners CARRIGMOORNA BEECH and CAOIMHE

EAGLES BY DAY

Group winning son of SEA THE STARS, a proven sire line for top National Hunt Stallions.

Dam MISSUNITED, a 12-time winner including Gr.3 Lillie Langtry Stakes and the Gr.3 Guinness Galway Hurdle also 2nd in the Gr.1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot 2nd crop foals realised a median of 11 times his nomination fee with a 78% clearance rate at sales in 2024

JEU ST ELOI

Sire of dual Gr.1 winner KARGESE and the Gr.3 William Hill County Hurdle at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival

Other Gr.2 and Listed winners in 2025: NARA, UN CHIC CHEVAL, KISS GAME, KROKODILE DUNDEE & OCRE

MISTER ST ELOI sold at the Cheltenham Festival Sale by Knockbally Stables to Olly Murphy/Aiden Murphy for £180,000

OLD PERSIAN

Dual Gr.1 winner of 6 stakes races and € 3.7m in prize money from 2 to 4 years over 8-12f

By Dubawi - Sire of Gr.1 National Hunt winners including DODGING BULLETS (Gr.1 Queen Mother Chase) and HISAABAT (Gr.1 Punchestown Champion Hurdle)

FIRST CROP 3-Y-O’s 2025

10 It’s Leo

This year’s Festival meeting was an emotional one for Leo, so many results bearing close links to those no longer with us

16 A Golden age at Cheltenham

Golden Horn came of age, one of only two stallions to get two winners at the Cheltenham Festival, and both of his “surprise” winners were successful in Grade 1s – Amy Bennett reviews the bloodstock action from this year’s Festival meeting

26 National Hunt stallion statistics

After getting his first Gold Cup winner, champion NH sire Walk In The Park extends his lead at the top of the table

30 The Word is out

In this month’s Weatherbys Stallion Scene, James Thomas profiles Boardsmill Stud, which stands new sire Arrest, alongside Poet’s Word and Sumbal, both of whom have made an early impression with their first four-year-old point-to-pointers

36 Running up that hill

Ciaran Doran dives deep into Cheltenham results from the last 25 years, looking into the country and racing origins of those horses who have won and placed in the Festival “Triple Crown” races

44 Young NH sire Fact Pack Intro

44 New jumps sires

Luxembourg, Eldar Eldarov and Arrest: this spring’s trio of stallions retired to stud as bespoke jumps sires

48 Young sires in the UK and Ireland

Pedigree, performance and progeny results for the major young NH sires

86 Young sires in France

Adrien Cugnasse runs his eye over the young stallion talent in France

90 Stallion sale returns

Stallion by stallion tables showing foal and store averages and sale returns

94 Covering statistics

The covering tables from 2024 with details of the books seen by the major jumps and dual-purpose stallions standing in Britain and Ireland

98 Stakes-winning NH sires

Our unique table detailing the stakes-winning jumps sires and their dam sires *online version only

Photo finish

Paul Townend watches the finish of the Champion Hurdle on the big screen and from the back of the last hurdle as a loose Constitution Hill gallops past

Golden Horn at Overbury by Debbie Burt

the team

editor sally duckett

publisher declan rickatson

photography trevor jones design thoroughbred publishing

advertising declan rickatson

00 44 (0)7767 310381

declan.rickatson@btinternet.com

subscriptions tracey glaysher itsubs@btinternet.com

the photographers

debbie burt

courtesy of stud farms

tattersalls jockey club sales

tattersalls ireland laura green goffs the printers micropress press

the writers leo powell james thomas ciaran doran adrien cugnasse the stats weatherbys

accounts annie jones itaccounts@btinternet.com

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

info@internationalthoroughbred.net www.internationalthoroughbred.net

subscriptions: email or call as on the left, or log on to www.facebook.com/internationalthoroughbred

Back at Cheltenham

Leo was not going to miss his annual trip to Prestbury Park for this year’s Festival, and certainly was not going to be enticed to watch the meeting from a bar in Spain

HAVING MISSED OUT ON attending the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, it was one of my New Year priorities to ensure that I made amends this time.

However, I am embarrassed to admit that, for a fleeting moment or two, I was almost influenced by some of the negative commentary leading up to the event, led to believe that the 2025 renewal of one of racing’s centrepieces would be anything less than great. The doomsayers were out in force.

Reading recommendations about the attractiveness of watching this four-day extravaganza from the discomfort of a high-stool in a Spanish bar left me nothing short of saddened, and more determined to attend every day at Prestbury Park with a positive air.

Needless to say my decision proved to be right –jaded, cynical and even-aging racegoers, perhaps myself included, who have attended almost as many Cheltenham Festival race days as we have had hot dinners, had our senses continually heightened by result after result.

One could almost say that there was a deep and spiritual influence on the meeting.

With the opening race of the four days being named in honour of Michael O’Sullivan, the stage was set for what turned out to be an emotional rollercoaster.

The young rider’s two winners at the meeting in 2023, Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty, incredibly won again within 40 minutes of each other on the second day, leaving even the most sceptical or agnostic race-watcher wondering about some supernatural power.

Connections to Michael throughout the week were evident, but I could add to that the names of people such as John Hales, Robert Chugg, Ronnie O’Neill and Willie Codd, all sadly departed but leaving their fingerprints on this years’ roll of honour. I can not remember a Cheltenham with so many immediate connections to loved ones who are sadly gone.

On a lighter note, there were so many uplifting moments, too, and for me the real takeaway stories of

Connections to Michael through the week were evident, but I could add to that the names of people such as John Hales, Robert Chugg, Ronnie O’Neill and Willie Codd, all sadly departed but leaving their fingerprints on this years’ roll of honour

happiness were the successes enjoyed by jockey Rachael Blackmore, trainer Willie Mullins, and the multiple champion owner J.P. McManus.

You might be thinking to yourself, “hang on, they are such obvious choices”, but their achievements nonetheless touched my heart with gladness.

Blackmore’s influence for good is really immeasurable, and for her to complete the full set of major race successes at the meeting is remarkable. Given her relatively late arrival on the racing scene, throughout her career she has displayed a talent that is second to none, alongside having no ego, and always being grateful for her triumphs.

Such luminaries as Ruby Walsh and A.P. McCoy hail her as a great, and they certainly know a thing or two about race riding talent. However, it is also in her day-to-day handling of being an icon, something she would vehemently deny, that she truly shines. In a world in which success can be a fleeting 10 minutes of fame, Blackmore has kept her feet firmly on the ground.

There is always inevitable conjecture about when she

The late Micheal O’Sullivan with Marine Nationale at Fairyhouse after a first Grade 1 success in December 2022

might retire from the saddle – hopefully not for some time yet – but it will have to happen someday. She has already shown that she can turn her hand to much else, including writing a children’s book, but I earnestly hope that racing’s leaders have plans to utilise her experience and media savvy for the ultimate good of racing, assuming that is what she herself desires.

Mentioning retirement, I was amazed to see a headline in an Irish national newspaper speculating about the possibility of Willie Mullins handing over the reins soon. Quelle horreur!

Given the many accolades he has accumulated, and the many more he can still achieve, it is impossible to imagine the racing scene with Willie on the sidelines, looking on. The rich successes earned at Closutton have been down to Willie’s leadership, with Jackie’s and Patrick’s assistance, and the combined efforts of a large and dedicated team.

There is no denying that Willie’s dominance has been the subject of much comment, even derision at times, and jealously might well be an ingredient in that mix.

True, no other NH trainer has ruled for so long, though a look back through the history books will reveal that many have done so for periods of time.

In my lifetime, I can point to multiple champions such as Paddy Sleator, Tom and Jim Dreaper, Edward O’Grady, Paddy Mullins, Annemarie and Aidan O’Brien, Noel Meade and now Mullins.

Is it possible that Mullins could be acclaimed as the best ever? There is a strong argument for saying he is, but he would likely demure if that claim was put to him.

Alongside Vincent O’Brien, he has been a champion not only in Ireland but in Britain too, and Mullins can most certainly be mentioned in the same breath as the great Ballydoyle maestro. Different times bring different challenges and circumstances, and one is not really measuring like with like, but that said, Mullins is without equal in the modern era.

What can one say about J.P. McManus that has not been said before, and if looking back at bygone ages the closest I can ally him to is Dorothy Paget.

An aristocrat by birth, she was the champion owner on the Flat in 1943 when Straight Deal won the Derby at Epsom. She was a multiple champion NH owner too and, aided by Golden Miller’s five wins in the race, she won the Gold Cup at Cheltenham seven times. Additionally, she had four Champion Hurdle wins, Insurance being successful twice.

Only one horse has won the Gold Cup at Cheltenham and the Grand National at Aintree in the same year, Paget’s Golden Miller achieving the feat in 1934, he owner’s only triumph in the great Liverpool race.

For a short time, the prospect of this year’s Boodles Gold Cup winner, Inothewayurthinkin, emulating Golden Miller seemed a possibility, but trainer Gavin Cromwell

Is it possible that Mullins could be acclaimed as the best ever? There is a strong argument for saying he is, but he would likely demure if that claim was put to him

dashed those hopes in the days following Cheltenham. Inothewayurthinkin is the first supplementary entry to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, having been added to the field on the Saturday prior to the race at a cost of £25,000. His victory was a second win in the race for McManus after Synchronised in 2012.

The Limerick native is the most successful owner ever at the Cheltenham Festival with 84 winners, and there was added delight as his wife Noreen bred Inothewayurthinkin.

Six of McManus’s tally of wins were gained this year, and he had at least one winner every day. Five different trainers or training partnerships provided the halfdozen wins, which says so much about the depth of the owner’s investment in racing. Apart from the Gold Cup hero, he won with The New Lion, Fact To File, Dinoblue, Puturhandstogether and Jagwar.

The green and gold colours sported by McManus runners were on 36 runners over the four days – and there were just 28 races. His runners at Cheltenham came from 13 different yards. Apart from involvement in racing, his philanthropic work is mind-blowing, but he is not one to seek applause for this.

Rachael Blackmore: rode two winners at this year’s meeting, and now has a total of 18 Festival winners. Of current active jockeys, only Paul Townend has ridden more

Working for Irish Breeders and Supporting Our Breeding Industry

SUBSCRIPTION FEE:

F100 per annum

F50 add. family member

F20 ITBA Next Generation (U30)

SI GN UP TODAY!

Specifically designed Stud Farm Insurance exclusive to ITBA Members

FREE Racecourse Admission

FREE Diary and Calendar

FREE breeding and racing publications

inc digital subscriptions to EBN, The Owner Breeder, International Thoroughbred when a horse you bred is declared to run

Discount Racing TV Subscription

Discount packages with Irish Equine Centre Plus many more...

Greenhills, Kill, Co Kildare

www.itba.ie • Tel: 045 877 543 • office@itba.ie

Photos: (Main) Daniel O’Neill

His nature is to be quiet-spoken, and he generally shuns the limelight. I have a particular story that, for me at least, says the world about his persona. Mark O’Meara was the outstanding golfer in the world in 1998.

That year he won the British Open, but in the weeks leading up to the competition he, alongside Tiger Woods and others, were guests of McManus at The Curragh, and I was the paddock commentator and master of ceremonies.

As a golf fan, I entrusted photographer Peter Mooney with the task of taking a picture of myself and O’Meara looking “as casual as possible”. Peter succeeded and, shortly afterwards, presented me with a large print to remember the occasion, but with a suggestion.

“Why don’t you ask J.P. to get the photograph signed?”, said Peter. As I did not know McManus, I put the idea to the back of my mind, but it would not go away completely.

Finally, I summoned up the courage – or brass neck –to write to Martinstown Stud and ask if there might ever be a chance, albeit it a longshot, of getting the picture signed. A telephone call from someone in McManus’s office asked that I send the picture to them, and they would see if a signature could be obtained when the boss met O’Meara again.

Weeks, and maybe months passed, and I was sure that was the end of the dream. Then, out of the blue, another call from Martinstown came with the news that the signed portrait was there and would be on its way to me. Imagine my delight when the print arrived with the following inscription: “To Leo. Thank you for your support. Your friend, Mark O’Meara.”

Keen that as many people see this keepsake, I decided to put it hanging in a room that almost every visitor to my home inhabits at some stage – it is in the loo.

A Saudi Cup thriller

If this year’s Champion Hurdle was one of the oddest races that I can recall, it came just weeks after I had the pleasure to witness in person one of the best finishes I have seen in my lifetime. The $20 million Saudi Cup was always likely to be a match race between the Hong Kong-trained Romantic Warrior and the Japanese hope Forever Young – and so it proved to be.

The two served up a thriller, with victory going to Forever Young, and this on a night when once again Japan flexed its muscle on the international racing stage, winning four of the six Group races for thoroughbreds.

To illustrate the pair’s superiority in the feature race, Ushba Tesoro finished third, some ten and a half lengths in arrears, and he was beaten a neck when second in last year’s Saudi Cup, having won the 2023 Dubai World Cup. With a winners’ purse of $8 million, and successful for

Given how closely Henrietta follows the horse’s career, it is good to know that Romantic Warrior’s owner has indicated that the gelding will return to Corduff on eventual retirement

the seventh time in nine starts, Forever Young boosted his career earnings to almost £11.5 million, while Romantic Warrior’s take of $3 million stretched his winnings to just shy of £21 million.

Their performance cemented the race’s status as a worthy global Group 1 contest, much to the delight of Prince Bandar, the man whose dream has become reality.

Peter Lau Pak Fai, the owner of Romantic Warrior, and the trainer Danny Shum, deserve great praise for taking on such a challenge for start number 24 in the career of their superstar.

There were other Turf options, albeit not so richly endowed, and they came agonisingly close to making the dream a realisation. For me, it was an occasion when the hairs stood on the back of my neck.

Romantic Warrior was bred by James and David Egan’s Corduff Stud, with their American friend Tim Rooney, but none at the County Kildare farm will have watched the race with more interest and emotion than David’s wife Henrietta.

She has been invested in Romantic Warrior since the start, and could likely tell you what he has in his feed every day. She loves him.

Given how closely Henrietta follows the horse’s career, it is good to know that Romantic Warrior’s owner has indicated that the gelding will return to Corduff on his eventual retirement.

One of the best international races seen for a long time: the head to head in the Saudi Cup between the eventual winner Forever Young (left) and the Irish-bred Romantic Warrior

In memory of Michael O’Sullivan

I was unable to be present at the funeral service for Michael O’Sullivan as a result of being abroad, but I watched the ceremony online. Knowing the young man’s family, and how quiet and reserved his parents William and Bernie are, I was floored by the eulogy delivered by Michael’s dad. I have rarely heard words spoken with such pride and love.

Michael’s death just short of his 25th birthday left the racing world in mourning; a sadness felt in Ireland, Britain and further afield, too. From the moment I went through the gates of Cheltenham on day one, and the first group of people I encountered were members of his family, it seemed that Michael was very much present.

From the moment William spoke at the funeral, he summed his son up. He said: “I was very lucky in life to meet Bernie and to have two wonderful boys, Michael and Alan. Michael was a joy from the start”.

Cheltenham has always had a special place in the

Everything about Michael’s life was touched with some magic, and it seems that he is still very much a presence

hearts of the O’Sullivan family, and I clearly recall the last gasp victory of Lovely Citizen in the 1991 Christies Foxhunter Chase, trained by Eugene, ridden by William and owned by their father.

Michael achieved so much in his short life, and was on the cusp of something even bigger – he had style and talent in the saddle, but he was so much more than that. Everything about Michael’s life was touched with some magic, and it seems that he is still very much a presence.

His two Cheltenham Festival winners doing so again this year in back-to-back races was one such instance.

I also found it heartbreaking to read that Michael’s first winner on the track was Wilcosdiana, trained by his uncle Eugene. The race at Cork was the Jack Tyner Memorial Hunters Chase, named after a 19-year-old rider who died following a fall in a point-to-point in 2011.

The Tyner and O’Sullivan families are part of the DNA of Ireland’s racing scene, and now both are bereft.

My thoughts are with Michael’s family.

The late Richard Botterill

WHEN I moved from Tattersalls Ireland to Goffs as their NH manager, Richard Botterill was already there. He was hugely popular with vendors, and he enjoyed travelling the roads of Ireland in search of equine talent.

He had a tough gig at the time, as Goffs was then a small player in the NH sales scene, but the company was determined to change that imbalance, and the seeds of change were planted in the late 1980s.

Richard continued to be at the centre of the business until his passing, and will be missed by many colleagues and friends, and especially by his family.

Leo Powell

I got to work closely with Richard for just over a year, sadly not long enough at all.

I had not really met Richard before starting to do some work for Tattersalls Cheltenham, but, of course, I had heard all about him and had seen him in action on the rostrum.

And that was right from the days when I started riding racehorses and would be eagerly attending Ascot sales on the hunt for a point-to-pointer or two, those sales then run by the family firm Botterills, to watching wide-eyed at those tentative

early point-to-point sales held by Brightwells in Cheltenham’s Centaur Building.

We now take the existence of bespoke point-to-point sales as an integral part of the industry, but 20 years ago they really were quite unique, and under Richard’s early vision have been transformative.

In the last decade of Richard’s career, he proudly wore his Tattersalls tie and sold young jumps horses for six-figure sums

at Cheltenham and Fairyhouse.

Much has been written about Richard’s passion and dedication to the industry, but, when I was writing his obituary, I was struck by his acute business acumen.

He spotted niches and he worked hard to make them work. Through his career he sold two businesses – first his own fledging start-up to Russell, Baldwin & Bright (later Brightwells), the company keen to develop its bloodstock sector.

Then, once that bloodstock business had reached its zenith, the Cheltenham and Ascot sales were sold on to Tattersalls.

Richard was genuinely a good man, and kind, and he never lost touch with his roots, the basis of his life that had served him so well.

It is such a cliché after someone passes, but I wish I’d had the chance to get to know him better. I wish I had used my time chatting and conversing with him more wisely; put off deadlines and talked to him about his life.

At the Cheltenham Festival, I would see him on the steps outside the weighing room, taking the chance to talk to clients.

Even for the short time I had got to know him not seeing him there this year left a void.

Acclamation x Aris (Danroad)

Top Class Sprinter Miler by sire of sires ACCLAMATION

Sire of a Classic Winner and Precocious Stakes Sprinters

PASSING GLANCE

Polar Falcon x Spurned (Robellino)

Oct. Terms

Whitbread Salver for Leading Active British-based Stallion 2023-24 by prize-money

Sire in 2024 of Gr.1 winner STRONG LEADER & Gr.1 Chaser DASHEL DRASHER

Galileo x Chelsea Rose (Desert King)

Tough Dual Group 1 Classic Winner by GALILEO His rst crop of 108 will be three-year-olds in 2025

SWISS SPIRIT

Invincible Spirit x Swiss Lake (Indian Ridge)

Multiple Stakes producing sire by Sire of Sires INVINCIBLE SPIRIT

Sire in 2024 of smart sprinter TEES SPIRIT & 44% winners to runners

Marine Nationale (yellow): upsides the later faller Quilixios in the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase. It was an an emotive win for the Barry Connell-trained son of French Navy, who had previously won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (G1) when ridden by the late Michael O’Sullivan

French & Horn the Festival double act

Former Darley stallions French Navy and Golden Horn sired three Grade 1 winners between them at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, writes Amy Bennett

Photography by Debbie Burt

IT IS TEN years since Golden Horn powered his way through his own golden season as a racehorse, collecting top-level victories including the Derby, the Eclipse, the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. He retired the winner of seven of his nine starts to stand at Dalham Hall Stud for a free of £60,000, and spearheaded a huge team of ten young sires, including Night Of Thunder, who joined Darley’s European roster in the closing months of 2015, standing their first seasons in 2016.

Also among the ten was French Navy, a dual Group 3 scorer and at stud as part of the first Darley Club, standing for €4,000 at Kildangan Stud.

Fast-forward nine years from the start of their stud careers and both Golden Horn and French Navy celebrated top-level wins with their progeny at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

Perhaps not the arena where it was hoped their top-level winners would occur,

but cause for celebration nonetheless.

For French Navy, who departed Kildangan for warmer climes in India after the 2020 covering season, it was a second Festival success when his superstar son Marine Nationale followed up victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (G1) in 2023 with a superb triumph in the Champion Chase (G1) this year.

The eight-year-old cruised home by 18l from Jonbon (Walk In The Park) to record a hugely emotional victory coming so soon after the death of his jockey Michael O’Sullivan, for whom this year’s Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle was named.

Golden Horn has proved himself a good source of classy winners under both codes, with a quartet of Group 2 scorers on the Flat but, given the focus on sources of pure speed, it was no great surprise when he departed Dalham Hall Stud for Overbury Stud and a dual-purpose career in 2023.

Any jumps breeders who have subsequently supported him at his

Gloucestershire base will be punching the air after Golden Horn registered his breakthrough top-level winner in the Champion Hurdle and then followed up with the Triumph Hurdle winner on the final day of a roller-coaster meeting.

The 2025 Champion Hurdle will go down in the record books as one of the most memorable of all time, albeit not for the reason most people were hoping.

Hot favourite Constitution Hill, the

Left: the 25-1 chance Golden Ace, the daughter of Golden Horn, winning the Champion Hurdle, and, below, her delighted and rather shocked winning trainer Jeremy Scott

son of Blue Bresil, crashed out of the race four flights from home, Brighterdaysahead (Kapgarde) never seemed to get going, and last year’s winner State Man (Doctor Dino) took a crunching fall at the last, leaving Golden Ace to skip home by 9l from Burdett Road (Muhaarar).

The seven-year-old mare, trained by Jeremy Scott, defeated Brighterdaysahead in last year’s Grade 2 Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and was last seen winning the Kingwell Hurdle (G2) in February.

She has never been a slouch, but beforehand with questions to answer in the rarified air of the Champion Hurdle.

As they say, that’s racing!

Bred by Meon Valley Stud, the mare was snapped up by owner Ian Gosden for just 12,000gns at the 2021 Tattersalls July Sale as an unraced three-year-old. A half-sister to minor winners by Kingman and Lope De Vega, she is out of the Dubawi mare Deuce Again, successful in the Listed Further Flight Stakes in 2015, and from the further family of the Prix du Cadran (G1) winner San Sebatian and the Group 1 Oaks runner-up Noushkey.

AFTER GOLDEN ACE’S win, Golden Horn’s owner Jayne McGivern rightly said: “He has come of age now! He really deserves that, and he is going to get some extra carrots in his tea tonight!

“His book is pretty full but we are happy to still take calls from breeders!”

If Golden Ace’s victory was a shock, the victory of her paternal half-brother Poniros in the Triumph Hurdle (G1) was seismic.

One of 11 runners in the race saddled by Willie Mullins, the gelding had not jumped a hurdle in public prior to the first flight of the Triumph Hurdle but belied 100-1 odds to score by a neck over the hitherto unbeaten Lulamba (Nirvana Du Berlais), with paternal half-brother East India Dock in third.

A winner on debut at two in a Nottingham maiden for Ralph Beckett, Poniros was runner-up at three in the London Gold Cup Handicap, but it was no great surprise when Amo Racing offered him at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale.

A 20,000gns foal and a €95,000 yearling, he was purchased for 200,000gns by Harold Kirk for Mullins and Tony Bloom as a dual-purpose prospect, the Cheltenham a race planned by Mullins as a prep for a Flat campaign.

Bred by Wilgerbosdrift, Poniros is out of the Lope De Vega mare Rue Renan, a half-sister to the US Grade 3 winner Chattahoochee War (War Chant).

Golden Horn’s first progeny conceived at Overbury Stud are still only yearlings, making the success of his Flat-bred jumpers all the more worth of note.

The sire is also well endorsed by Mullins, who noted in the aftermath of Poniros’s success: “[Poniros] is by Golden Horn, who I think is going to make a good sire over jumps.”

Mullins added: “We bought him in October, schooled him and gave him a break.

“We said we’d better drag him in from the field and get him ready for Cheltenham

and that’s what we did.

“He was bought as a dual-purpose horse and I’m hoping in time he might turn into a Melbourne Cup horse.”

There is plenty to look forward to with Golden Horn, as he bids to follow in the hoofprints of illustrious former Overbury resident Kayf Tara. That stalwart died three years ago, but his legacy was continued at the Festival by the awesome The New Lion, who maintained his unbeaten record in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle (G1).

During a meeting marked by emotional highs and lows, the six-year-old was a poignant success for his breeders, the late Robert Chugg and his wife Jackie who has continued operations at Little Lodge Farm and was on hand to see the success of the son of Raitera (Astarabad).

But the links goes further – Raitera, who failed to conceive to Golden Horn last year, was covered by him again the weekend before the Festival.

Golden Horn’s second Grade 1 Festival winner: the 100-1 shot Poniros returns to the winners’ enclosure with a jubilant Jonjo O’Neil Jnr

Stallions with both winners and placed horses at the Cheltenham Festival

25-26 JUNE 2025 PART II 27 JUNE 2025

€350,000 TOP LOT the HIGHEST PRICE store sold at ANY store sale

25 lots sold for €100,000 or more

102 lots sold for €50,000 or more *2024 figures

WINNER

Inothewayurthinkin: Boodles Gold Cup (G1)

SECOND

Jonbon: Queen Mother Champion Chase (G1)

THIRD

Final Demand: Turners Novice Hurdle (G1)

O’Moore Park: Jack Richard Novices H’cap Chase (G2) Will Do: National Hunt Chase

Doctor at the double Golden Horn was one of two sires to register a double at the Festival, along with Doctor Dino.

The Haras du Mesnil resident, who commands an advertised fee of €24,000 this year, was denied a second Champion Hurdle victory with State Man, but his daughter Dinoblue put in an impressive performance to win the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (G2) by over 8l.

Runner-up in the same contest last year, the Grade 1 winner was bred by Vincent Barrett’s ML Bloodstock (also responsible for State Man, among many other stars), and is a half-sister to Blue Sari (Saddex), runner-up in the 2019 Weatherbys’ Champion Bumper, and successful in bumper, hurdle and chase company.

They are out of the Asatarbad mare Blue Aster, a half-sister to the useful French jumper April Blue (Sleeping Car).

Doctor Dino was also responsible for

Results by country of origin

Ireland

Winners: 12

Placed and winning horses: 40

Grade 1 winners: 5

France

Winners: 13

Placed and winning horses: 29

Grade 1 winners: 5

Britain

Winners: 3

Placed and winning horses: 14

Grade 1 winners: 3

Germany

Placed runners: 1

Jazzy Matty, who stayed on well up the hill to score in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup.

Successful in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (G3) in 2023, the six-yearold is a full-brother to the Grade 3-placed Inneston.

More notably, Jazzy Matty is also a halfbrother to Delta Work (Network), who won three times at the Cheltenham Festival and was placed in two Grand Nationals, as well as the Grade 2-placed Elwood (Martaline).

Dreams really do come true

Connections of Golden Ace may not have had much hope that the gamble of sending their mare to the Champion Hurdle would pay off in such style, but she proved that dreams really can come true.

As did J.P. McManus and his team, who stumped up £25,000 to supplement Inothewayurthinkin for the Cheltenham

Inothewayurthinkin: gave breeder Noreen McManus a second homebred winner at this year’s Festival, and a first Gold Cup winner for Walk In The Park

Gold Cup (G1), and got to see their son of Walk In The Park power home from defending dual champion Galopin Des Champs (Timos).

The seven-year-old winner is clearly no slouch, as he proved when winning last year’s Grade 1 Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree, a month after landing the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup. Since then however, the gelding had been defeated on each of his starts this season, including when fourth to Galopin Des Champs in the Irish Gold Cup (G1).

But racing is built on dreams and gambles, and Inothewayurthinkin put in a good round of jumping and stormed up the hill to be crowned champion.

Bred by Noreen McManus, he is a fullbrother to last year’s Grade 2 Cheltenham Festival Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase winner Limerick Lace, out of the Califet mare Sway, an AQPS winner on the Flat and also successful over jumps.

Limerick Lace finished fifth in the same mars race this year, just an hour and a half ahead of her full-brother’s big race victory.

Mrs McManus was the only breeder of the week to register two successes with Puturhandstogether having got the ball rolling in her husband’s famed colours in the

Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

By Caravaggio, out of the Galileo mare Round Of Applause, the four-year-old unsurprisingly started his career on the Flat,

scoring his only success from six starts last July. Winner of a three-year-old hurdle at Cork in December, he showed plenty of pace to score by 6l at Cheltenham.

The O’Connell Morgan Syndicate with their winning mare Bambino Fever (Jukebox Jury) after her Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper victory

Lecky Watson (Valirann): took his unbeaten chase record to three this season in the Brown Advisory

Bloodless Grade 1 win for Lossiemouth

The proximity of the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (G1) to the Champion Hurdle again put the spotlight on the connections of Lossiemouth, who opted to send their mare into battle against her own sex, rather than take on Constitution Hill and State Man half an hour later in the main event of the day.

The decision resulted in a third consecutive Cheltenham Festival victory for the daughter of Great Pretender and let nothing be taken from her – her defeat of Jade De Grugy (Doctor Dino) by seven and a half lengths was bloodless but flawless.

The six-year-old is a daughter of Great Pretender, who spent the 2014 covering season in Britain at Yorton Farm Stud but has been based at Haras de la Hetraie ever since. Bred by Elevage des Vallons and Ian Kellit, the mare is out of the Gentlewave mare Mariner’s Light, and hails from the family of the Grade 1 winner Lord Glitters.

The mares’ hurdle has every right be included in the Festival, but maybe it should not be held on the same day as the Champion Hurdle nor hold Grade 1 status – connections with good mares would then find it harder to walk away from running in the Champion Hurdle.

Further glory for Valirann

Valirann is enjoying a breakout season with his Grade 1-winning hurdler Potters Charm and Welsh Grand National (G3) victor Val Dancer, but it was a new Grade 1 winner Lecky Watson in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase who put the sire onto the scorecard at Prestbury Park.

The seven-year-old, unbeaten in three starts now this season, was bred by the late Ronnie O’Neill, who previously stood Valirann at his Whytemount Stud, and bred the gelding out of his homebred mare Anno Whyte.

Pulled up in a bumper on her sole racecourse appearance, Anno Whyte is a full-sister to the Grade 2 hurdles winner Giantofaman, and is out of the placed Anno Mundi (Red Ransom), who was purchased 21 years ago by O’Neill for just €9,500 out of the Darley draft at the Goffs February Sale. Valirann now stands at Tullaghansleek Stud in County Westmeath for a private fee.

Stowaway registered a second Grade 1 broodmare success courtesy of the bumper winner Bambino Fever

Stowaway registered a second Grade 1 broodmare success at this year’s Festival courtesy of Bambino Fever in the Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper, also giving jockey Jody Townend, sister of Paul, her first Festival winner.

Winner of a Stowlin point-to-point for handler Nick Stokes in May 2024 after failing to find a buyer at the 2023 Goffs Arkle Sale, Bambino Fever is now unbeaten in three bumpers, including her Grade 2 success at the Dublin Racing Festival.

She was bred by Geoffrey Thompson who sent his unraced mare Midnight Way to Jukebox Jury. The dam is a half-sister to the Listed-placed Midnight Gift, dam of the Grade 1-winning jumper Death Duty (Shantou).

Robcour enjoys a red-letter day

A day later, Stowaway was at it again when his granddaughter Air Of Entitlement landed the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (G2).

Not seen since winning a maiden hurdle at Down Royal on St Stephen’s Day, the six-year-old mare took the lead on the run-in to win by half a length.

Bred by Anne Lalor, also breeder of such luminaries as Cheltenham Gold Cup victor Minella Indo, the daughter of Westerner was a €90,000 purchase by Mags O’Toole from the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale in 2022.

She is the first foal out of Stowaway’s daughter Carrigeen Karaka, who is a halfsister to the Grade 3-placed multiple jumps

Air Of Entitlement: benefitted from a Rachael Blackmore ride to win the Grade 2 mares’ novice hurdle

Won Gr.1 Classic St Leger Stakes, Doncaster, by 2l beating Gr.1 horses Giavellotto, Emily Dickinson, etc.

Won Gr.1 Classic Irish St Leger, Curragh, easily by 3½l beating 8-time Gr.1 winner Kyprios

Won Gr.2 Queen’s Vase, Royal Ascot, his third race victory on the trot

Won 2yo Maiden on debut by 5l

Career earnings exceeded £1m Timeform: 122

Out of a 3-time Stakes winner over 1m2f and the dam of 3 Stakes horses

winner Rogue Angel (Presenting).

Air Of Entitlement kicked off a great day for Brian Acheson’s Robcour with the black, white and pink colours also carried to a battling 1-2 in the Stayers’ Hurdle (G1).

Victory went the way of Bob Olinger (Sholokhov), a third victory at the Cheltenham Festival for the 10-year-old, who was bred by Ken Parkhill out of the Zaffran mare Zenaide.

Bob Olinger saw off his better-fancied rival Teahupoo (Masked Marvel).

Robcour registered a second runner-up spot on Thursday’s card when Heart Wood followed home the impressive Fact To File by a respectful 9l in the Ryanair Chase (G1).

Also a Grade 1 winner at last year’s Festival, Fact To File continued his top-level winning ways when taking the John Durkan Memorial Chase (G1) in November, but was twice beaten subsequently in Grade 1 races.

Bred by Michel Pehu, the eight-year-old is a son of Poliglote, out of a daughter of Trempolino, and was purchased for €40,000 from Arqana’s Autumn Sale in 2018.

Ken had met Doddie and then decided to donate all this horse’s winnings to the charity

Rathmore’s first mare purchase for Kenneth Alexander a Festival charity success

The Grade 3 Pertemps Network Final victory for Doddiethegreat, a son of Fame And Glory trained by Nicky Henderson, provided a great charity result with the success adding over £60,000 in to the MND Foundation set up by the late rugby union star Doddie Weir. It was also a memorable victory for owner Kenneth Alexander and Peter Molony – the gelding’s dam Asturienne (Sleeping Car), the first mare bought for Alexander by Molony.

“She had been a good runner,” recalled Molony, “and had won five races, trainer Alan King had thought she’s be she would be a

black-type horse, but a few training problems intervened. She was bred by Anthony Bromley’s family at Wood Hall Stud.

“She is a fabulous mare and this horse was always a real good-looking sort – we thought he’d be a real ‘Nicky Henderson sort’ as he was so good looking, you can only send Nicky good lookers!

“Ken had met Doddie and then decided to donate all this horse’s winnings to the charity. He won his first three races, but then had a severe injury and was off the track for a long time.”

Of the mare, Molony added: “She is retired now, but has a host of Walk In The Parks to come.”

Karaktar gets on the Festival winners’ sheet Before the meeting, it was expected that Karaktar might get on the scoreboard courtesy of Il Est Francais in the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase.

That was not to be when the seven-yearold failed to gallop up the hill, but the sire, a son of High Chaparral, did get himself a winner, courtesy of Jagwar, successful in the Grade 3 Trustatrader Handicap Chase over 2m4f.

Jagwar is a sizeable horse, reportedly 18hh, and the six-year-old was bred by Jacques Cypres and Laurent Couetil.

He is trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriro and is a half-brother to the Grade 3 winner D’Jango, his dam is a Video Rock Listed winner and he is from the family of The Fellow.

Karaktar earned his placed at stud with victory in the Group 3 Prix Noailles over 1m2f. He is from the Aga Khan’s family of the Group 3 May Hill winner and Group 1 placed Karasta.

The stallion, alongside Golden Horn, was the youngest to get a winner at this year’s Festival and stands at Haras de Cercy for €12,000.

The New Lion with Jackie Chugg: with her late husband Robert, she bred the son of Kayf Tara. The gelding’s dam Raitera was covered by Golden Horn the weekend before the Festival

stallion statistics

Leading NH Sires 2024-25 (by prize-money earned to March 17, 2025)

Courtesy of Weatherbys

The Word is out

James Thomas chats to John Flood of Boardsmill Stud, which stands the exciting young NH sires Poet’s Word and Sumbal, alongside new stallion Arrest

BOARDSMILL STUD HAS long been a seat of National Hunt power. So long in fact, that this year marks the 90th anniversary of the Flood family standing their first thoroughbred stallion.

Lasting nine decades in any business is no mean feat, never mind one in which fate and fortune, good, bad or otherwise, play such a defining role. Much has changed since the early days with horses such as J’Accours and Trouville, both in the bloodstock world and beyond, but the Boardsmill approach to standing stallions has plainly stood the test of time.

“You almost don’t believe it when you hear 90 years,” says John Flood, the third generation of the family to head up the operation. “My Grandad, Jack, would’ve stood the first thoroughbred horse, and he and my Dad, William, really put the wheels in motion.

“We’ve always called ourselves an independent, family-run stud farm. We put our neck on the line by always buying our own horses; we reap the rewards if they work out, and not if they don’t. That’s just the way Dad liked doing it, and I’m pretty similar in that respect. It’s not to say we’d never do something different, but I guess there’s a lot of pride and satisfaction in reaching 90 years because it’s a very competitive and open market.”

When asked about the principles that have underpinned Boardsmill’s longevity, Flood says, “Being fair to breeders, supporting breeders when we can, and standing sound horses with a long-term view. We’d never tolerate wind issues, that’s the first thing we’d take into account with horses we’re buying. There’s plenty of people who will take on trust that we’re in it for the long game.

“We get behind the horses and support them ourselves. If they’re not good enough for our mares, they’re not good enough for anybody else’s. Something else Dad has always done, like some similar studs, we try to help as much as possible in the sales ring. We try to look at every foal and we try to be there in the ring when we can. People appreciate that. There’s a lot of things that come together, but people get in behind you when they think you’re going to do as good a job as possible.”

Boardsmill’s rich past has paved the way for a future that appears particularly bright. The current three-strong roster comprises the up-and-comers Poet’s Word and Sumbal, who have been joined this year by the promising newcomer Arrest. While finding the right horse is a major piece of the breeding puzzle, Flood is acutely aware that success when it comes to standing stallions also relies on the support of others.

“Without your clients you’re nothing, so

John Flood: proud that the family’s Boardsmill Stud has been in the business for 90 years

Taurus Bay: the first four-year-old point-to-point winner for Poet’s Word sold for £155,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale after winning on debut at Comea

Photo courtesy of Tattersalls Cheltenham

Photo courtesy of Tattersalls Ireland

those 90 years are a testament to them as well,” he says. “We have a very good, loyal client base that has returned year on year, and we’ve been delighted that people have seen fit to come back to us and put their trust in us standing the likes of Arrest.”

And there is little wonder why breeders are putting their trust in an imposing, high-class son of multiple champion sire Frankel. Arrest’s biggest performances arguably came in defeat, beaten just a head by Dubai Mile in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud at two, and finding only Continuous too good in the St. Leger.

He also advertised his claims by running out a wide-margin winner of the Chester Vase (G3) and the Geoffrey Freer Stakes (G3) during his time with John and Thady Gosden. As well as being a son of Frankel, his pedigree also features notable NH influences such as Roberto and Top Ville. Needless to say, this combination of credentials has not gone unnoticed.

“He’s been really well received so we’re hoping he’s going to be busy,” Flood says.

“A lot of our regular clients – and some notable breeders – are going to be using him. He has a good temperament, which helps them settle in. He’s let down well too, obviously he’s going to mature but he’s looking and covering really well.”

You need the numbers, but with the way sales are in this day and age, it’s quality that’s selling

Arrest was brought into the Juddmonte fold as a foal, and his price tag of €440,000 highlights that he possessed an impressive physique right from the start.

“One of the reasons we were watching him, and ultimately bought him, was his looks,” Flood continues. “He’s over 16.2hh, correct, a real good walker with a lovely head and ears on him. If he produces foals in his mould then we’ll be delighted because he’s a very good-looking horse.

“We followed him through his racing career, and we knew from his two-year-old season that he was a big, imposing horse. It was surprising how well he did as a twoyear-old given his size.

“Because he just didn’t quite reach the top level, he stayed on our radar hoping that he’d be within reach.”

The acquisition of Arrest saw Boardsmill

renew an association that has already paid dividends in the recent past. “Court Cave stood 21 seasons with us here, and we also bought him directly from Juddmonte,” says Flood.

“We were dealing with Rory Mahon then and now it’s his son, Barry, who’s in charge at Juddmonte Farms, so there’s a nice link up.”

Flood declares himself “very happy” with how Arrest’s debut book is shaping up, in terms of both quality and quantity.

“We hope he’ll cover in the region of 150, which would be a good first book,” he says. “But the key to getting any horse off the ground is as much about quality as quantity.

“You need the numbers, but, especially with the way sales are in this day and age, it’s quality that’s selling.

“Even if you have good-looking stock, if they don’t have the pedigree to back it up then they can be a tough sell. We’ll be sending some of our own better mares so he’s going to get plenty of black-type performers and producers.”

Arrest will be aiming to follow a similar trajectory to Poet’s Word, who has covered an average of 243 mares a season in his first five years at Boardsmill.

That kind of support comes as no surprise given his top-class achievements on the

Arrest: Flood is hoping the new sire will cover a quality book of around 150

Poet’s Word: covered over 200 mares every spring since moving to Ireland

track. He was an emphatic winner of the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, in which he beat Cracksman, while he proved he had boundless courage as well as immense class as he bravely fought off Crystal Ocean in a stirring finish to the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) later that season

Those efforts earned Poet’s Word a place on Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud roster. However, such is the indifference the modern-day Flat market has towards middle-distance talent, he left Nunnery after just one season having covered only 30 mares. The Flat breeder’s loss has been the jumps breeder’s gain.

“It’s incredible that a horse with that ability was available to NH breeders so early in their career,” says Flood. “He’s a very good-looking horse so people were happy to get in behind him from the start.

“The quality of his stock has taken him from there. It’s good for the NH side of things to get access to quality like that, even if it’s obviously not the best from the Flat perspective.”

THE QUALITY OF Poet’s Word’s youngstock meant his name was already on peoples’ lips before his first four-year-olds raced between the flags.

The hype has only intensified after his first point-to-point runner, Taurus Bay, made a comfortable winning debut at Comea. Denis Murphy’s charge was subsequently sold to Ben Pauling and Jerry McGrath for £155,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale.

The stallion was arguably unlucky not to go two-from-two after No Walkover finished an unlucky second, beaten just a neck, at Lisronagh for Andrew Slattery, but quickly made amends with Sapphos Word, who won by over 4l at Lingstown on March 9.

She beat a Berkshire filly called Diamond White, who was sold at the Cheltenham Festival Sale for £170,000.

“There’s an awful lot of interest in him this year,” says Flood. “He’s never had a quiet year since he came to us, which is rare while a horse is waiting for runners, but he’s never dipped on the kind of quality of foal he

produces. That’s kept people coming back. For a horse who’d never had a runner over jumps, we had an idea from his small batch of runners on the Flat that they had a nice attitude and some ability.

“From his first crop of 21 foals he had 12 runners and nine winners, so there was a bit of knowledge there leading into his first Boardsmill crop.

“There was also a lot of positive talk since the store sales from both trainers and pointto-point handlers about the horses all being very straightforward with lovely attitudes, sound of their wind and having an aptitude for jumping.

“It was all positive, although you sometimes have to take that with a pinch of salt because they still have to go do it, but his runners have backed it up.”

The Boardsmill roster is completed by Sumbal. While the strapping grey may have flown under the radar relative to a headline horse like Poet’s Word, his record is also showing green shoots of promise.

Like sire sensation Jeremy, Sumbal is a son of Danehill Dancer. He began his stud

career at Haras de Grandcamp in France before transferring to Annshoon Stud for the 2020 season. He moved to Boardsmill the following year, giving him a crop of around 90 three-year-olds in the pipeline.

His small French-bred crop has produced two winners from just three runners, while his four-year-olds have found their way into some of Ireland’s leading establishments. His first point-to-point runner was Warren Ewing’s Intense Appeal, who showed plenty of ability when second on debut.

“There’s a number in point-to-point and training yards and there’s plenty of positive talk,” says Flood. “He had his first pointto-point runner when Warren Ewing ran Intense Appeal in Kirkistown. There were only three runners in that race and he was second to a good horse that has been bought by Willie Mullins since [for £165,000].

“Warren was very sweet on this guy and nearly couldn’t see him being beaten, but he just got caught for a bit of toe from the winner. He thinks an awful lot of him still.

“Colin Bowe has one that he’s very positive on. Noel Meade has one, Gordon Elliott has

Sumbal: his first four-year-old point-to-point runner Intense Appeal was second on debut behind Kanzler, who was sold to Willie Mullins at the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale for £165,000

STALLION SCENE

another. We’re just hoping that from that small crop if he has two or three four-yearold winners that would be a good strike-rate, which would set him up ahead of next year when he has a bigger crop coming through.

“He’s been a bit in Poet’s shadow but is ticking along nicely and I wouldn’t swap him at the moment. He’s got it all to play for.”

Despite the issues in the NH market, with trade at the foal sales particularly selective, Flood says Boardsmill has seen no reduction in covering activity in 2025. However, he is aware of just how privileged a position that is considering the current climate.

Arrest’s development

IN SOME RESPECTS THE ARREST STORY has, quite literally, come full circle as he was bred just around 30 miles away from his new home at Swordlestown Little in County Kildare.

He is the seventh foal out of the high-class producer Nisriyna, who defied a price tag of just €2,000 to breed seven winners. These include the Sha Tin Group 3 scorer Dinozzo and the Listed-placed Spring Loaded. The pedigree could improve further still as Arrest’s half-brother Detain, a promising three-year-old son of Wootton Bassett, who is under the care of the Gosden-Juddmonte axis, has recently been entered for the 2,000 Guineas having finished sixth in the Futurity Stakes (G1) last autumn.

Arrest was one of three joint sale-toppers at Goffs in December 2020, alongside another Frankel from the Swordlestown Little draft.

“We’re a very small farm here just beside Punchestown, so to even have

Breeders Mariann Klay and Des Leadon with Arrest after he won the Group 3 Chester Vase

“So far this year we wouldn’t have seen any slow down because Poet’s is so popular, as is Arrest being a new horse,” he says.

“But it would be silly to say there won’t be any change because I know from a certain amount of people that they’re going to be selective with what they cover, relative to the past couple of years.

“There was a dip last year; some were calling it ten per cent, others reckoned it was up to 20 per cent less business. I’d probably call it ten per cent last year and I’d expect another ten per cent this year, relative to how the foal sales went.

“With a number of people unable to sell their foals, they just mightn’t be as keen to go back covering again.”

Asked if finding suitable stallion prospects was another challenge, Flood says, “It is, and given the way it’s going it will probably only become harder. For starters the whole Australian thing has added to sound horses being bought for big money to continue racing down under. That’s one element you’re competing with.

“Plus, a lot of the horses are in the hands of the bigger operations, some of which will stand them as NH stallions, either

Photos courtesy of Swordlestown Little

themselves or through partnerships.

“That whittles down the number. And the way the whole thing has gone towards the premium product, it does make you think that the kind of horse that might have got a chance in the past, they mightn’t get the support to get them off the ground now.”

Flood joined his father in the day-to-day running of the operation in 2004. Although he was born into the jumps industry, he says it was not always a given that he would take up a role in the family business.

“I was strongly encouraged by Mum and Dad to finish my education and get to

college,” he says. “There was a period around the early 90s when things were a little bit tricky here, and they were adamant about me getting something to fall back on if I didn’t want to carry on the tradition.

“I did finance in college and got a place on the BHA Graduate Programme with a season’s placement at Darley. I then spent five years working in asset management in Dublin, but my main interest was always at home, evenings, weekends, it was just constant.

“There came a point where I had to choose to do one job properly, I came back in 2004.”

Does Flood see any crossover between asset management and standing stallions?

“I guess the success of both boils down to the stock/stallions you invest in and they are your track record,” he says. “Diversification and risk/reward analysis would be other crossovers.”

Flood is never more emphatic than when asked if he’s ever had second thoughts about having turned down a quiet life in finance. “No, never!” He says with a dismissive laugh.

And given the 90 years that have come before, and not to mention the bright future that lies ahead, who can blame him.

a Frankel to go to the sales with was massive,” says Mariann Klay, who runs the farm with her husband Des Leadon.

“It was kind of a dream, really. Arrest was never a problem and never had an issue, everything went smoothly. We had a fantastic day at the sales as both Frankels made €440,000. It was just elation when Juddmonte bought him. It’s what you dream about as a small breeder and it doesn’t happen often.”

Klay and Leadon, both of whom are renowned veterinarians, are no strangers to producing high-class horses. Despite never keeping more than six broodmares at their boutique operation, they also produced the Railway Stakes (G2) winner and Middle Park (G1) runner-up Lilbourne Lad.

In an unlikely twist of fate, the dams of both Arrest and Lilbourne Lad came out of John Oxx’s Currabeg Stables, where the couple met. They are not only highly skilled breeders and veterinarians, but remain dedicated followers of the sport as well.

“Both Des and I are avid racing fans,” says Klay. “We both rode out for John Oxx for over 30 years, and both had amateur licences, both rather unsuccessfully! Des actually went to every race Arrest ran in, including at Ffos Las. I went to Chester when he won the Chester Vase, and it was a feeling that’s hard to describe. There’s

satisfaction and pride as well that we raised him on our little farm. We’re a very small team so it’s brilliant for the people who work with us as well.”

Although Arrest looked well capable of adding a Group 1 victory to the pedigree, Klay has no complaints that he has moved on to his second career.

“As a breeder, there are two ways of looking at it,” she says. “Of course it would be fantastic if he raced on and

got a Group 1 for the family. But this is a great outcome, so I’m pleased.

“We went to see him during the Irish Stallion Trail and I was really impressed with Boardsmill. Obviously William and John are brilliant at what they do, but I was really impressed with how all the horses looked.

“I’m really pleased that he’s going to get the best chance he could get. It’s a lovely outcome to the story.”

Arrest at ten weeks old at Swordlestown Little, he went on to be a joint sales-topping foal at Goffs

Running up that hill

by Debbie Burt

EVERY 12 MONTHS one hill alone serves as the benchmark against which all NH champions are measured.

The Cheltenham hill isn’t for everyone; some horses recoil at the mere view of having to scale the Cotswolds’ most notorious incline (apologies to Cleeve Hill!), some horses, as we saw this year with Il Est Francais, are just better suited to flatter tracks.

In contrast, others, on hitting the front, view the stiff finish as “just their favourite hill to climb” to borrow a line from Simon Holt.

Regardless, the distinctive undulations allied to the iconic hill combine to deliver a searching examination of the best jumps horses across both sides of the Irish Sea each

and every March, producing the brilliant racing that we have so loved for so many years and for so championships.

That said, for every equine fairytale story at Prestbury Park, there’s also a sire and a dam without whom the dreams of trainers, owners, and jockeys could not come to pass.

Breeding has always been roundly considered as more art than science and this is especially true for jumps racing.

A quick look at successful pedigrees highlights the sheer variety of stallions who have successfully sired Cheltenham winners – and this year only two sires produced two winners.

This is not to say though that jumps breeding is pure randomness; rather, certain trends can be gleaned on closer inspection.

Country by country trends

To start things off, which country has had the most success in terms of sires who have bred Cheltenham winners and placed horses in the Festival Triple Crown of the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase and the Gold Cup?

Ireland comes out on top when one looks at all horses who have won and placed in the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase, and Gold Cup between 1995 and 2025, with France narrowly edging out Britain for second.

However, it is French-bred stallions who have been the most successful in terms of siring Triple Crown winners in that time frame (25), with Irish-bred sires (22) just ahead of Britain (20) and the US (18).

Photography

Ciaran Doran takes a detailed look through the Cheltenham Festival results over the last 30 years analysing where winning and placed Festival “Triple Crown” horses were bred, alongside their individual pathways to success

French-bred sires seem to have enjoyed the Gold Cup most whereas Irish-bred and USbred sires prefer the Champion Hurdle test.

British-bred stallions on the other hand appear to favour the two major Triple Crown chases at the expense of the Champion Hurdle.

To what extent is this information insightful? American-bred stallions siring Cheltenham winners seems somewhat counter-intuitive at first, but becomes less surprising once one considers, first, the number of American-bred colts who raced and stood as stallions in Europe in the 1980s and 1990s such as Be My Native and Turgeon and, second, the ex-Flat horses who were successfully re-assigned to the hurdling division.

On a similar line of thought, one would expect the country most adept at developing Flat sires to also be the most adept at developing Champion Hurdle sires although admittedly, the Flat-to-hurdles conveyor belt seems to have broken down in the last 10-15 years.

Somewhat less surprising is the fact that French-bred sires have found the Gold Cup to their liking – in contrast, Oscar and Sholokhov were the only two Irish-bred stallions this century to sire Gold Cup winners (Lord Windermere and Don Cossack) prior to Walk In The Park, the current and this season’s elect NH champion, who has gaining his greatest moment so far as a jumps sire with the Gold Cup success of Inothewayurthinkin.

By sires who went jumping

Next, let’s take a look at the Triple Crownplaced horses from the last 30 years who were by a sire with jumping experience.

The Champion Hurdle is the Triple Crown race in which sires who jumped a fence are most unwelcome – prior to Constitution Hill (a son of the Grade 3-placed Blue Bresil) winning the Champion Hurdle in 2023, the only placed horse to be by a sire with jumps experience this side of 2004 was another son of Blue Bresil in Mick Jazz (third in 2018).

In comparison, sires with jumping experience have had more luck in the Champion Chase and Gold Cup, with this success mostly coming in the last decade.

For instance, six of the nine Gold Cups between 2017 and 2025 were won by sons

festival data analysis

Triple Crown winners and placed horses by sire’s country of origin (winners in brackets)

of sires who jumped an obstacle – Minella Indo (Beat Hollow) in 2021 and Galopin Des Champs (Timos) in 2023 and 2024 being the exceptions.

Significantly, the vast majority of the sires were not just bred but also developed in France – stalwarts such as Saint Des Saints, Buck’s Boum, Kapgarde, and Denham Red have helped to sustain what now seems like a never-ending golden era of French NH sires.

French dominance in recent years

French sires have played an increasingly large part in the premier British and Irish steeplechases and the success of Frenchbreds in general has hardly gone unnoticed; one does not have to delve far into social media in the aftermath of big jumps races to witness people lamenting the current status of NH breeding in Britain and Ireland.

Irish breeders have, however, produced by far and away both the most Triple Crown winners in the last 30 years, as well as the most Triple Crown-placed horses.

Most of that Irish success has not been recent though – in the last decade, 14 Cheltenham Triple Crown winners were

Oscar and Sholokhov

were the only two Irish-bred stallions this century to sire Gold Cup winners prior to Walk In The Park

French-bred compared to nine Irish-bred winners.

In an inversion of what we saw earlier, British breeders have fared best in the Champion Hurdle; indeed, the first two home in this year’s Champion Hurdle were both British-bred in the form of Golden Ace (Golden Horn) and Burdett Road (Muhaarar).

Coincidentally, the two also happen to be from the same extended family as 1995 Champion Hurdle winner, Alderbrook, himself the last entire to win a championship race at the Festival.

However, while British breeders might maintain a comparative advantage when it

Triple Crown winners and placed horses by country of origin (winners in brackets)

comes to breeding Champion Hurdlers, the absolute advantage belongs to Irish breeders.

French and Irish breeders are closely matched when it comes to rearing Champion Chase horses, but, as far as breeding Gold Cup horses goes, Irish breeders still retain bragging rights over their Gallic counterparts – for now.

Flat v bumpers v point-to-points v hurdles

Historically speaking, the Champion Hurdle was the preserve of ex-Flat horses, between 1995 and 2002 every single winner of the Champion had begun their careers on the Flat.

Indeed, the Flat-to-hurdles pipeline has been the most fruitful source of Champion Hurdle winners (and placed horses) from 1995 to 2025.

However, the early 2010s marked something of an inflection point in terms of the developmental path taken by future Champion Hurdlers on their route to twomile glory. Since 2011, Hurricane Fly stands out as the only Champion Hurdler to have

made his debut on the Flat.

In contrast, Rock On Ruby, Jezki, Annie Power, Buveur d’Air, Espoir d’Allen, Epatante, and Golden Ace (although she was bred to have raced on the Flat) all began their careers in bumpers while Faugheen, Honeysuckle, and Constitution Hill started off in point-to-points.

Point-to-points had been a more reliable pathway to Gold Cup glory than success in either the Champion Hurdle or Champion Chase but, since 2011 however, Native River and Minella Indo are the only Gold Cup winners in the last 30 years with point-topoint origins.

Five out of the last seven Cheltenham Gold Cups have been won by French-breds, with all five making their racecourse debut over hurdles. It is also worth noting the precocity of these French-breds in a division where backwardness traditionally was no bad thing – Al Boum Photo and A Plus Tard debuted as three-year-olds while Galopin Des Champs first raced as a four-year-old.

Notably, however, Inothewayurthinkin’s first ever start was as a four-year-old over hurdles in Cork in November 2022.

The most proven pathway to Triple Crown glory has generally been bumpers, however.

Bumpers have by far and away produced the greatest number of Champion Chase victors and placed runners, including this year’s winner, Marine Nationale.

Bumpers also happen to be a close enough second behind the Flat when it comes to Champion Hurdle winners and a very respectable third as far as producing Gold Cup winners goes.

This does exclude those who raced in bumpers having first been tried out over obstacles – for instance, Brave Inca was re-routed to bumpers as a young horse

Stamina wins out

Finally, let’s assess how the successful sires and dam sires compare in terms of speed versus stamina and distance.

One would expect that there would be no discernible difference between the preferred trips of Champion Hurdle-winning and Champion Chase-winning sires and that Gold Cup-winning sires would be more stamina-laden than both, and the results largely seem to track what one would expect in theory.

Irrespective of whether one focuses on all placed horses or merely Triple Crown winners, to meet the Gold Cup challenge, as expected, horses by and large need to be by a sire who has stamina in abundance.

Hardy Eustace’s sire Archway (a halfbrother to Dr Devious) was the quickest of all Triple Crown-winning sires between 1995 and 2004, 6f being the longest trip he won over during his racing career.

Other speedy sires include Norwich, Green Desert, Komaite, and Enrique and who sired Newmill, Collier Bay, Punjabi, and Binocular respectively. Given the presence of sires with jumping experience, there are quite a few Triple Crown-winning stallions who won

Of the Festival “Triple Crown” races, British breeders have enjoyed their most success in the Champion Hurdle – this year the first two home in the championship hurdle (Golden Ace pictured) boast a GB suffix

festival data analysis

Triple Crown winners and placed horses by pathway (winners in brackets)

over a trip in excess of two miles.

Narrowing down the list to only those who never jumped an obstacle, we are left with Kayf Tara, Ardross, Tiraaz, Milan, and Crillon who were the respective sires of Special Tiara, Alderbrook, Finian’s Rainbow, Jezki, and Buveur D’Air.

Coincidentally, all five were winners over

the minimum trip in either the Champion Hurdle or the Champion Chase.

The longest distance Gold Cup sires won over on the Flat in this sample was 1m6f (Torus and Zaffaran, sires of Mr Mulligan and Looks Like Trouble).

This year, a Derby and Arc winner in Golden Horn sired the Champion Hurdle

Two of the Festival Triple Crown races went to Irish-breds this year (Inothewayurthinkin, pictured) something of fight back against the Gallic onslaught of recent years

winner, French Navy, the sire of Marine Nationale, won a Group 3 over 1m2f, while the furthest distance Walk In The Park won over was a mile although he did admittedly split Motivator and Dubawi in the Derby plus also take fifth in a Listed hurdle over 2m2f in his only start over obstacles.

For as much as variety has come to define successful pedigrees at Cheltenham, there still exist trends which have emerged over the course of the last 30 years.

Past performance is by no means a castiron guarantee of future production; just ask British and Irish jumps breeders who have come to be overshadowed by their Gallic counterparts in recent times.

That said, statistical approaches are seen to best effect when one digs into the findings, when questioning why such relationships exist in the first place, and when examining what is happening now.

Why are bumpers the most fertile soil on which to race a young jumps horse? How much of France’s recent success can be attributed to their development of sires with jumping backgrounds themselves?

Should we be placing more emphasis on the precocity of jumps horses?

Why are there fewer and fewer Flat horses going hurdling?

These are questions which have perplexed breeders and the powers-that-be for a long time now; only once these questions are properly answered will British and Irish jumps breeding be finally able to address what has been a slow and steady decline.

Until then though, while this year might have offered a temporary reprieve, it’s a case of “Allez France” as far as Cheltenham Triple Crown winners go.

Bay, 2006, Giant’s Causeway - Helsinki (Machiavellian)

Full brother to Shamardal, sire of 25 Gr.1 winners including Casamento, Able Friend, Mukhadram and Lope De Vega

Out of an own sister to Street Cry, sire of 23 Gr.1 winners (including Winx and Zenyatta) and now Gr.1 producing sons

SIRE OF NH STAKES HORSES

LIBBERTY HUNTER

Gr.1, Gr.2 and Gr.3 placed, rated 160 ONEMOREFORTHEROAD

LR winner, Gr.2 and Gr.3 placed FORTUNES MELODY

LR winner, Gr.2 and Gr.3 placed ASLUKGOES

LR winner

TIMEFORATUNE

LR winner

LUCKY ZEBO

LR winner

Enquiries:

Richard Kent: +44 (0)79 73 315722

Clare Lloyd: +44 (0)7875 673260

Roger Brookhouse: +44 (0)7831 689001

Email: richard@mickleystud.co.uk www.mickleystud.co.uk

Young NH Stallions FACT PACT

Featuring pedigree, performance and progeny results for young stallions standing in Britain, Ireland and France

Data from Weatherbys

New NH Sires

We run through the stallions who have been retired to stud this spring to stand as jumping and dual-purpose stallions in Britain and Ireland

ARREST

Frankel – Nisriyna (Intkihab)

Boardsmill Stud

Private

The Group 3 winner and Classic-placed son of Frankel follows in the hoofprints of another Juddmonte-owned colt who went on to be a successful stallion for the Flood family at Boardsmill – Court Cave.

Unlike the son of Sadler’s Wells who became a Grade 1 sire, Arrest was not a homebred for the global bloodstock operation, rather he was bred by Mariann Klay and Des Leadon of Swordlestown Little Stud (see our Weatherbys Stallion Scene feature on page 30) and one of three Frankel colt foals who topped the 2020 Goffs November Foal Sale (held in December because of Covid) when selling to Juddmonte for €440,000.

Sent into training with the Gosdens, he was third on his two-year-old debut to another Juddmonte runner Nostrum in a Sandown maiden but put that experience to good use on his next start at the track when winning a mile maiden.

There followed a novice win at Ffos Las before a narrow defeat to Dubai Mile in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

Success in the Group 3 Chester Vase on

Arrest finished second in Group 1 company for the second time when beaten by Continuous in the St Leger

his three-year-old bow, coupled with the presence of Frankie Dettori in the saddle for what was billed as the Italian star’s final ride in the Derby, pushed Arrest into favouritism for the Epsom Classic.

However, unsuitably fast ground dashed his hopes behind Auguste Rodin and it took him two starts to return to winning ways, which he did in the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes.

Arrest finished second in Group 1 company for the second time when beaten by Continuous in the St Leger.

Arrest ran four times as a four-year-old and was runner-up on three occasions –in the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes, the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes and the Grand Prix de

Deauville (both Group 2 races).

Out of the unraced Nisriyna, he is a half-brother to the Group 3 Centenary Vase winner Dinozzo, who was also placed in and Juddmonte, who bought him for €340,000 as a foal at Goffs, and he holds an entry in this year’s 2,000 Guineas.

Nisriyna is an Intikhab half-sister to the Group 3 Prix de Flore and La Coupe winner Narniyn, a daughter of Dubawi who was placed in both the Nassau Stakes and Grand Prix de Saint Cloud. They also have an Intense Focus half-sister, Temerity, who is a Listed winner in India.

Second dam Narmina is also unraced, but is an Alhaarth half-sister to the Princess Royal Stakes winner Narwala, who is the dam of Group 2 winner Affidavit and Listed

Eldar Eldarov’s final start at four yielded his second Group 1 success, this time in the Irish St Leger over the era’s dominant stayer Kyprios

winners Tea Garden, Altamura and Nalanai.

Altamura is the ancestress of Aynthia and A Soldier’s Life, while her unraced half-sister Sawara is the dam of the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham winner and Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches second Maiden Tower.

ELDAR ELDAROV

Dubawi – All At Sea (Sea The Stars) Chapel Stud

£5,000

A beautifully-bred Classic and Group 1 winner, Eldar Eldarov is an exciting stallion prospect for Chapel Stud.

The son of Dubawi was bred by Kirsten Rausing from her outstanding Al family –his dam is a daughter of Albanova and a half-sister to the dam of Alpinista – and the colt was picked up for £110,000 by Mags O’Toole for Norman Williamson at the Goffs Orby Sale of 2020 in Doncaster.

Williamson transformed the Dubawi colt into a £480,000 Arqana Breeze-Up horse, again at Doncaster, where Oliver St Lawrence bought the two-year-old on behalf of KHK Racing.

Trained by Roger Varian, Eldar Eldarov ran just once at two, in a back-end maiden at Nottingham, which he won by 5l.

Given time, he made his seasonal reappearance in late May, winning at Newcastle over 1m2f and then was successful

Eldar Eldarov winning the St Leger in 2022, he won the Irish St Leger the year after

at Royal Ascot in the 1m6f Group 2 Queen’s Vase.

His next start came in the 1m4f Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris in which he was fourth to Onesto before gaining his top-level spurs with his victory in the St Leger. He ended that season down the field in the British Champions’ Cup.

As a four-year-old, he took the runner-up spot in the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup before contesting the Gold Cup (G1) and Goodwood Cup (G1), in which he was fourth.

Eldar Eldarov’s final start at four yielded his second Group 1 success, this time in the Irish St Leger over the era’s dominant stayer Kyprios.

A top level Cup campaign beckoned for Eldar Eldarov as a five-year-old, but he sustained a serious neck injury in the stalls at Meydan, showing remarkable tenacity and bravery to recover from the life-threatening damage.

As mentioned his pedigree is one of the best in the book. His dam All At Sea is a triple Listed winner by Sea The Stars and has also produced the Group 3 Coongy Cup winner and Group 3 Gallinule Stakes third Kingswood (Roaring Lion), and the Invincible Spirit filly A La Voile, who was third in the Listed Rothesay Stakes.

All At Sea is a three-parts sister to the Sea The Moon colt Alignak, winner of Chester’s Listed Stand Cup and to Albamara, a dual Listed-placed daughter of Galileo.

She is also a half-sister to Algometer by Archipenko, winner of the Group 3 Newbury Arc Trial and the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes, and the Listed winner Alwilda, who is the dam of Alpinista and the Listed winner Alpenblume.

Second dam Albanova won three Group 1 contests in Germany and is an Alzao fullsister to the dual Group 1 Champion Stakes winner Alborada, who was also successful in the Nassau Stakes and the Pretty Polly Stakes when both were Group 2 contests.

Third dam Alouette won the Listed Oyster Stakes and was third in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and is a Darshaan full-sister to Jude, dam of Group 1 winners Yesterday and Quarter Moon, who in turn foaled Group 1 winner Diamondsandrubies.

It is also the family of Group 1 winners Aussie Rules and Coronet.

Sent on his travels as a five-year-old, Luxembourg extended his record of winning at the highest level in every season when successful in the Coronation Cup

LUXEMBOURG

Camelot – Attire (Danehill Dancer)

The Beeches Stud €7,000

A Group 1 winner in every season he raced, Luxembourg is a representative of the Montjeu sire line that has produced leading NH sires including Walk In The Park who is on course to retain his crown this season as the champion NH sire.

Bred by Ben Sangster, the Camelot colt was sold for 150,000gns at Book 1 by The Castlebridge Consignment to MV Magnier and sent into training at Ballydoyle.

Luxembourg made a winning debut in a Killarney maiden in July of his juvenile season and then in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes.

He went on to make it three wins from three runs with victory in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy, a race previously won by his sire.

His subsequent career exploits obscure the fact that he was quick enough to be third to Coroebus and Native Trail in the 2,000 Guineas when making his seasonal reappearance on the Rowley Mile.

An interrupted preparation meant he had to sit out the Derby and an injury-hit summer saw him off until August when he won the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes.

He put in a career highlight performance on his next start when defeating the Group 1 winners Onesto, Vadeni and Mishriff in the Irish Champion Stakes (G1) and was seventh in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe,

his first attempt over the longer trip.

At four, he won the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, was runner-up to Mostahdaf in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (G1) and to his stable companion Auguste Rodin in the Irish Champion Stakes (G1).

Luxembourg was also fourth behind Hukum, Westover and King Of Steel in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) at Ascot.

Another career highlight came in defeat in the Hong Kong Cup where he narrowly failed to defeat the brilliant Romantic Warrior on home turf at Sha Tin in the Hong Kong Cup (G1).

Sent on his travels as a five-year-old, Luxembourg extended his record of winning at the highest level in every season when successful in the Coronation Cup.

He retires to stud as the winner of seven of his 20 starts, four times at Group 1 level, having been in the placings at the highest level five times.

Luxembourg is a half-brother to the Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes winner Leo De Fury by Australia and to the Listed and Group 3-placed Sense Of Style, whose Camelot filly was bought by Amo Racing for 2,900,000gns as part of their spending spree at Book 1 last October.

His full-brother, Hiawatha, made €1,200,000 to MV Magnier at the 2021 Goffs Orby Sale and he went on to finish runner-up in the Group 3 Eyrefield Stakes as a two-year-old.

Their dam Attire is a Danehill Dancer full-sister to Group 3 and Royal Ascot winner Forgotten Voice and a half-sister to the Group 3 Prix de Flore winner Australie, dam of the Listed winners Hawke and Mireille.

He hails from a top-class Wildenstein pedigree: his second dam Asnieres is a winning Spend A Buck half-sister to the champion and Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Arcangues and to the Group 3 winner and Poule d’Essai des Pouliches third Agathe, the dam of the champion, Prix de Diane, Prix Vermeille and Prix Ganay heroine Aquarelliste, the Grade 1 Clement L Hirsch and the Grade 1 Charles Whittington Memorial Handicap winner Artiste Royal and Australian Listed winner Annenkov, all by Danehill.

Photos: The Racing Post

Jumps sires in the UK

Stallions standing in Britain with young jumping crops

ARRIGO

Shirocco – Aiyana (Last Tycoon)

Bullbrook Farm

£2,000

Year to Yorton Farm Stud: 2021

Arrigo is a member of the leading Monsun sire line, from the family of Galileo and a half-brother to the top-class Adlerflug; his credentials are undoubtedly of the highest calibre.

The son of Shirocco, the sire of the former champion hurdler Annie Power as well as six Group 1 winners on the Flat, including the Classic winners Brown Panther and Windstoss, Arrigo stood his first season in the UK in 2021 having begun his career in his native Germany and his oldest foals are

nine-year-olds in 2024.

Bred by Gestüt Schlenderhan, the Group 2 Oppenheim-Union-Rennen winner resembles his sire physically with the same strong shoulder and forearm.

Second in the Group 1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club and Group 3 Bavarian Classic (over 1m2f), he is a half-brother to the German champion three-year-old of 2007 Adlerflug.

By In The Wings, Adlerflug is the sire of Arc hero Torquator Tasso and the 2020 Group 1 Deutsches Derby winner In Swoop, who was second to Sottsass in the Arc.

Their Last Tycoon dam Aiyana was a winner at two and three in Germany and has also foaled the Listed winner Andorn by

Monsun and is the second dam of Zoffany’s Mehl-Mulhens Rennen (G2) winner Knife Edge.

Second dam Alya was runner-up in the Preis Der Diana (G1) and is sister to the dynasty-founding matriarch Allegretta.

The daughter of Lombard, the German St Leger winner and twice Horse of the Year, she is a full-sister to another German St Leger winner in Anno and Listed winner Arionette.

She is also a half-sister to the Group 2 winner and Group 1 second Anatus and Andronikus, a Listed winner.

Arrigo’s pedigree has two lines of Northern Dancer through The Minstrel, who is the damsire of Shirocco, and Try My

Bangkok at Chapel Stud

Best, the sire of Arrigo’s broodmare sire Last Tycoon.

Despite this influence, he is free of Sadler’s Wells so is an option for mares by his sons and grandsons.

The mares Arrigo has covered in France and Germany included Kauto Abana, whose dam Kauto Karolyna is a full-sister to the legendary Kauto Star.

Arrigo has had 23 starters from 41 foals of racing age with seven winners of 28 races to date.

He had 30 foals on the ground in 2023 and last season Arrigo sired the dual Compiegne four-year-old hurdle winner Atacama Du Mazet out of a Sholokhov mare.

BANGKOK

Australia – Tanaghum (Darshaan) Chapel Stud

£3,000

Year to stud: 2022

The first son of Australia to retire to stud in Britain, Bangkok descends from the blue hen Fall Aspen and has an outstanding pedigree as well as all the necessary attributes required by a successful sire.

Bred by David and Diane Nagle at the world-renowned Barronstown Stud, Bangkok was the joint second-most expensive yearling from the first crop of the dual Derby winner Australia making 500,000gns to Alastair Donald on behalf of King Power Racing at Tattersalls October Book 1.

Bangkok won his maiden at Doncaster over 1m2f on his first start at three, defeating subsequent Dante Stakes winner Telecaster. On his next start, his first at stakes level, he won the Group 3 Classic Trial at Sandown beating another subsequent Group 1 winner, this time Technician who was also bred by the Nagles and would win the Prix RoyalOak (G1).

Considered a live chance in the Derby, Bangkok did not appreciate Epsom and beat just Telecaster home. However, he showed his true colours on Ascot’s more forgiving track to finish second behind Japan in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes.

He was also a close second to Zaaki in the Group 3 Strensall Stakes at York and that horse would go on to become a multiple Group 1 winner in Australia. Bangkok’s final

Last season Arrigo sired the dual Compiegne four-year-old hurdle winner Atacama Du Mazet out of a Sholokhov mare

start of his three-year-old season was in the Qatar Derby just prior to Christmas, in which he took second.

He started his four-year-old season by winning the Listed Winter Derby Trial at Lingfield and was third in the Group 3 Winter Derby itself. Back on Turf for the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes he was fifth behind Lord North and seventh in the Eclipse.

After a visit to the Middle East, he returned to Lingfield for a repeat of his Winter Derby Trial success before going on to finish fourth to Armory in the Group 2 Huxley Stakes at Chester and fourth to Sir Ron Priestley in the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes before gaining a deserved success in the Group 2 York Stakes and ended his career in the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor.

In all, Bangkok won and placed in eight stakes races.

Bangkok has an outstanding pedigree

Bangkok annual sales average

and it is quite simply a stallion’s family; he is a half-brother to the Group 1 winner Matterhorn (Raven’s Pass), the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G2) runner-up The Foxes (Churchill), the Group 3 winner Tactic (Sadler’s Wells) and the Listed winner Yaazy (Teofilo).

He is also a half-brother to the Listedplaced Zahoo, dam of the Group 3 winner Convergence and to Mujarah, the dam of European champion miler Ribchester.

His dam Tanaghum was second in the Listed Harvest Stakes and is a Darshaan half-sister to the Group 2 Premio Lydia Tesio winner Najah. They are out of the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Mehthaaf (Nureyev).

Methaaf is a half-sister to the July Cup winner, champion sprinter and sire Elnadim, and to Only Seule who is the dam of the Group 1 winner Occupandiste, herself the dam of Group 1 winner Mondialiste and second dam of Group 1 winner and sire Intello.

Bangkok’s third dam Elle Seule won the Group 2 Prix d’Astarte and is a daughter of Exclusive Native and blue hen Fall Aspen, who is the second dam of Dubai Millennium.

Other stallions under the Grade 1-winning daughter of Pretense are Timber Country, Fort Wood, Harbour Watch and Charnwood Forest.

His sire Australia has had five Group 1 winners, including the Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Order Of Australia, the Grand-Prix de Paris victor Broome, Mare Australis (Prix Ganay), the filly Ocean Road, who won the Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita, and the 2020 St Leger winner Galileo Chrome.

His first crop numbered 22 foals and they averaged £4,472 at the foal sales in 2023 with a yearling sale average of £11,340 for five sold from six offered.

Bangkok had 16 registered foals in his second crop, and his foal sale average more than doubled to £9,675 in 2024.

CAPRI

Galileo – Dialafara (Anabaa)

Willow Wood Farm in 2024

£2,500

Year to stud: 2020

A striking looker with the pedigree and race record to excite in equal terms, Capri’s oldest

crop are only four-year-olds but he moved from Coolmore’s Grange Stud to Willow Wood Farm for the 2024 season.

The handsome grey is a dual Classic winner defeating Cracksman and Wings Of Eagles in the Irish Derby (G1) and Crystal Ocean and Stradivarius in the St Leger (G1).

He was also a classy juvenile, landing the Group 2 Beresford Stakes for Aidan O’Brien.

Bred by Lynch Bages and Camas Park Stud, Capri ended a juvenile season that included a Listed win and defeat of the Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling in a Galway maiden with a third place to Waldgeist and Best Solution in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint Cloud.

At four and won the Group 3 Alleged Stakes over 1m2f at Naas on his seasonal reappearance. His best performance of the season in Group 1 company was his fourth place over the same trip in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes behind Cracksman and Crystal Ocean, and ahead of Group 1 winners Rhododendron and Verbal Dexterity.

At five, he took third in the Listed Saval Beg Stakes over 1m6f behind subsequent Melbourne Cup winner Twilight Payment and then filled the same position in the 2m Group 3 Loughbrown Stakes.

The ten-year-old is one of nine stakes winners from 27 runners, including his full-sister Passion and full-brother Cypress Creek, bred on the successful Galileo-Anabaa cross.

Europe’s champion three-year-old stayer of 2017 is a grandson of the Group 2 Prix de Malleret winner and the Group 1 Prix Vermeille second Diamilina, a daughter of the hugely influential sire Linamix.

The top class NH stallion Martaline was a son of Linamix, while the Group 1 Prix du Cadran and dual Group 1 Prix RoyalOak winner Vazirabad, the Classic winner Blue Bunting, the Group 1 winner Ectot and his Group 1-winning half-brother Most Improved are amongst the top class horses with Linamix as their broodmare sire.

Bauer, who was second in the Melbourne Cup for Luca Cumani and comes from the same family as Capri, is also out of a Linamix mare.

Capri’s first crop averaged £12,373 at the store sales last year with the top price of €44,000 achieved at the Goffs Arkle Sale where Hugh Mulryan bought the filly out of Grade 2-winning chaser Youcantcallherthat from Rathmore Stud.

There were two more €40,000 stores at Goffs last June by Capri: Tor Racing bought Brandonview Stud’s half-brother to Listed winner Chicago Time, while Grange Stables went to that figure for Tally-Ho Stud’s half-brother to Listed winner Belle Metal.

From his first crop, he has had three runners and a winner abroad. Springhill Warrior, who was the most expensive of his offspring at auction when making €62,000 as a two-year-old at the Springhill Stud dispersal (and the second most expensive sold in the session), finished second for Gordon Elliott on his hurdling debut at Navan in early March.

Capri sired 109 foals in his first crop, 70 in his second, 40 in his third and he has 20 registered yearlings.

Capri covered 55 mares in 2024, his first at Willow Wood Stud.

DARTMOUTH

Dubawi – Galatee (Galileo)

Shade Oak Stud

£2,500

Year to stud: 2018

The Royal Ascot winner Dartmouth, whose eldest foals are seven-year-olds of 2025, offers NH breeders access to the exciting Dubawi-Galileo cross that has produced leading sire Night Of Thunder and promising second season sire Ghaiyyath.

The Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes winner and King George third is one of three blacktype winners so far out of Galatee, a member of Galileo’s first crop and winner of the Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes.

She has also foaled the Group 2 Grand Prix du Chantilly and Prix du Conseil winner Manatee (Montjeu), who stands at Whytemount Stud, and the Listed-winning Dubai Destination filly Gaterie, whose son Warren Point by Dubawi was a Group 3 winner last year.

Dartmouth’s full-sister Desert Breeze is the dam of 2024 Gordon Stakes winner and St Leger (G1) third Desert Hero (Sea The Stars). Their Dansili half-sister Halay is the dam of the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup and Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy winner Siskany, by Dubawi.

Galatee is a half-sister to the dam of Australian Group 2 winner Aylmerton.

Bred by The Queen, Dartmouth hails from a wonderful Wildenstein family. His second dam Altana is a half-sister to the champion Arcangues and to Group 3 winner Agathe, who is the dam of champion Aquarelliste and the Group 1 winner and sire Artiste Royal, and the second dam of the 1,000 Guineas winner Cape Verdi.

Altana is also a half-sister to the dams of the Group 1 winner Angara and the Group winners Actrice, Breton Rock and Forgotten Voice. It’s also the family of new Coolmore NH sire for 2025 Luxembourgh.

To date, Dartmouth is the sire of 12 winners from 54 runners out of his first three crops. His best performer is Naval College, who is a dual Listed winner in Australia following his 185,000gns purchase by Sackville Donald at the Tattersalls Autumn HIT Sale of 2022.

At the sales last year

Dartmouth’s foals sold at an average price of €45,000 and his

Springhill Warrior: the son of Capri as a two-yearold at the Springhill Dispersal, where he made €62,000

Photo courtesy of Tattersalls Ireland

three-year-old stores averaged €21,804. The previous year, his stores averaged €11,903, while his foals sold for an average price of €12,875.

Dartmouth’s highest-priced store is a son of Grade 1 Dr PJ Moriarty Chase winner J’Y Vole, who made €85,000 to Gordon Elliott and Bective Stud from Lakefield Farm at the Goffs Arkle Sale of 2024.

He has 46 members of his first crop, who are six-year-olds of this year, and they have produced eight winners from 29 runners while he has three winners from his second crop of 44 five-year-olds and a winner and nine runners from this year’s four-year-olds, his third crop.

His page on nhstallions.co.uk records that under NH rules he has had 56 starters for 12 winners.

For the store sales this year, his crop numbers 45, he has 31 two-year-olds and 22 yearlings.

FRONTIERSMAN

Dubawi – Ouija Board (Cape Cross)

£2,000

Overbury Stud

Year to stud: 2019

An impeccably bred son of Dubawi who is a half-brother to Derby winner Australia out of the seven-time Group 1 winner Ouija Board, Frontiersman has the page for the job.

The Listed Godolphin Stakes winner, who was runner-up to Highland Reel in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes, has made a promising start with his runners.

Bred by Ouija Board’s owner-breeder Lord Derby, the ten-year-old is also a half-brother to Australian Group 3 winner Voodoo Prince. Frontiersman raced in the Godolphin blue silks for Charlie Appleby and made his debut at three, winning over 1m2f on his second start.

In all, he ran five times that year and won twice.

On just his third start at four, he was pitched into Group 1 company and produced possibly the best performance of his career when running second to the global Group 1 winner Highland Reel and finishing ahead of Group 1 winners Hawkbill and Journey, as well as Group 2 winners Idaho, Red Verdon, Prize Money, the Group 3 winner and Derby

runner-up US Army Ranger, the Listed winner and Group 1-placed Elbereth, and the Listed winner Air Patrol.

Dartmouth’s highest-priced store is a son of Grade 1 Dr PJ Moriarty Chase winner J’Y Vole, who made €85,000 to Gordon Elliott and Bective Stud

Later that summer he won the Godolphin Stakes, a 1m4f Listed race at Newmarket, defeating subsequent Group 1 winner Best Of Days, and he was placed in the Group 2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes and the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes.

Frontiersman made two starts in Meydan at five and was placed both times, as runnerup to Hawkbill in the Group 2 Dubai City of Gold Stakes and fourth to Vazirabad in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup on the World Cup card. He ran 16 times and was only out of the first four on three occasions.

His Galileo half-brother Australia won three times at the highest level and was third in the 2,000 Guineas before commencing a promising stallion career that has yielded 22 Group winners from 45 black-type winners headed by St Leger winner Galileo Chrome and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile hero Order Of Australia, and three other Group 1 winners Ocean Road, Mare Australis and Broome.

Ouija Board died at the age of 21 and among the seven top level trophies collected by Lord Derby’s homebred daughter of Cape Cross were consecutive victories in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Her dam Selection Board is a Welsh Pageant full-sister to the Grade 1 Arlington Million and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Teleprompter and a half-sister to Rosia Bey, the dam of Group 1 winners Roseate Tern and Ibn Bey and second dam of Red Camellia, a Group 2 winner who has been an influential broodmare for Cheveley Park Stud.

It is also the family of 2023’s European champion three-year-old Ace Impact.

The first crop of Frontiersman are fiveyear-olds this season and he has sired nine winners from 22 runners including the Flat Listed-placed Asian Daze and Dodger Long, who was third in the Grade 3 Mullinam

Hurdle at Fairyhouse for Harriet Dickin.

Frontiersman has 66 four-year-olds and 45 three-year-olds with his numbers dropping slightly after that – he has 34 registered two-year-olds and 26 yearlings.

His first crop returned a very pleasing store sale average of €64,000, with the most expensive Rathmore Stud’s half-brother to the graded-placed hurdler Bothar Dubh who made €64,000 to the Pavilion Syndicate at the Goffs Arkle Sale.

That dropped to €17,288 for his second crop of stores at last year’s sales.

GOLDEN HORN

2012 Cape Cross – Fleche D’Or (Dubai Destination)

Overbury Stud £10,000

To stud 2016

Progeny of Golden Horn lit up this year’s Cheltenham Festival, the stallion responsible for two Grade 1 winners in Golden Ace (Champion Hurdle) and Poniros (Triumph Hurdle) and the Overbury Stud resident was one of only two stallions to sire more than one winner at the meeting. Third in the Triumph Hurdle was East India Dock, also by Golden Horn and sent off favourite for that race on the back of two successive Grade 2 Hurdle victories at Cheltenham either side of Christmas.

It wasn’t always meant to be this way, however.

Golden Horn started his stud career at Dalham Hall at a fee of £60,000 and that price was fully justified as Anthony Oppenheimer’s homebred had scorched his way to five consecutive wins at two and three years.

Winner of a back-end Nottingham maiden for John Gosden in October, he reappeared at three pitched straight into Listed company staying on well to land the Fielden Stakes at Newmarket.

On to York next for the Group 2 Dante Stakes, he readily accounted for stablemate and favourite Jack Hobbs and was installed as favourite for the following month’s Classic, the Group 1 Epsom Derby. There he comfortably beat Jack Hobbs once again with Storm The Stars an 8l third. Taking on his elders next in the Eclipse Stakes (G1) he once again showed his class when stretching clear of The Grey Gatsby with once again eight lengths back to the third.

He met the first of only two career defeats next when surprisingly outbattled by 50/1 chance Arabian Queen in the Juddmonte International (G1), but he put that performance behind him by winning a highclass renewal of the Irish Champion Stakes (from Found) and then, under a masterful Dettori ride romped home in the Group 1 Prix de la Arc de Triomphe.

He lost no cast in defeat on his final start, finding only Found too good when runner up in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at Keeneland.

Flat breeders looking for something in his mould were rewarded in his time at Dalham Hall and Golden Horn has been responsible for one millionaire in Trawlerman, winner of the British Champion’s Long Distance Cup and the Ebor Handicap, the Group 2 and 3 winner Botanik, the Group 2 Royal Ascot Queen’s Vase winner Gregory, Juddmonte’s homebred mare Haskoy, winner of the Group 3 Al Rayyan Stakes and the Listed Galtres Stakes, the Group 2 Italian Derby winner Goldenas plus four other Group 3 winners – Yellowbrick Road, Caius Chorister Higher Leaves and West End Girl.

Despite those successes, Flat breeders lost appetite in using him commercially and he came to be viewed as an owner-breeder stallion.

With fewer and fewer of those around it was not unnatural that he would find his way into the NH sphere and owner Jayne McGivern eagerly stepped in to purchase in 2023 and his first purpose jump-bred crop yearlings of this year.

Flat racing’s loss has very much been jump racing’s gain and, at £10,000, NH breeders are queuing up for his services for quality mares.

Golden Horn has been rewarding breeders at the sales and in 2024 his foals averaged €27,873 with his three-year-old stores

averaging €37,000 with a top price of €74,000 given by Ben Case and Ross Doyle at the Tattersalls Ireland November Sale for a colt out of the Milan mare Mill Quest.

At the Goffs UK November Showcase Sale, Ed Bailey Bloodstock/OLBG Racing Club went to £62,000 for the daughter and second foal out of the two-time Grade 1 Festival winner Put The Kettle On, and the year before at the same sale Tally-Ho Stud spent €60,000 for a colt out of Akilaya (Getaway).

A Group or Grade 1 double at any showcase meeting is always going to get breeders excited and on the back of this year’s Cheltenham Overbury Stud manager Simon Sweeting said “It was very, very exciting and the phone, as you can imagine, has been extremely busy.

“People have been on to us and want to get their mares booked in. As his book is limited, the last four or five days have been crazy.

“It’s a good problem to have!”

JACK HOBBS

Halling – Swain’s Gold (Swain)

Overbury Stud

£4,000

Year to stud: 2018

Jack Hobbs, trained by John Gosden to win the 2015 Irish Derby, was the first Irish Derby hero since Fame And Glory to retire directly to the NH breeding ranks.

Bred by legendary jockey Willie Carson and his late wife Elaine, Jack Hobbs was sold for 60,000gns to Blandford Bloodstock at the 2013 Tattersalls October Book 3 Sale.

He had the misfortune to be of the same Classic crop as stable companion Golden Horn whom he chased home in both the Group 2 Dante Stakes and Derby. In between those two runs he was purchased by Godolphin for whom he comfortably won the Irish Derby, beating Storm The Stars, Highland Reel and Oaks winner Qualify.

Freshened up after a summer break, Gosden sent him to Kempton for the

Yes Sir Jack (Jack Hobbs) at the Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale sold for £170,000

Photo courtesy of Tattersalls Cheltenham

Group 3 September Stakes which he won easily before his third place behind Fascinating Rock and Found in the Group 1 Champions’ Stakes at Ascot.

Injury problems meant he ran just twice at four, again taking the third step on the podium in the Champions’ Stakes, this time behind Almanzor and Found with Group 1 winners My Dream Boat and The Grey Gatsby in fourth and fifth.

Kept in training at five, he started the season with a triumphant return to the winners’ enclosure after the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic, defeating Group 1 winners Highland Reel, Postponed and Seventh Heaven. He ran twice more that year, both times finishing down the field at Group 1 level and he was retired to Overbury Stud for the 2018 season.

He is one of four winners out of Swain’s Gold and the best runner she has produced so far. Her other black-type performer is Niceofyoutotellme, a son of Hernando who was third in the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes for Ralph Beckett the same season Jack Hobbs won the Irish Derby.

As a son of Halling out of a Swain mare, Jack Hobbs offers breeders a complete outcross with a pedigree clear of inbreeding within the first five generations and with just one line of Northern Dancer.

Halling is already the sire of Coastal Path, who was on his way to becoming an influential NH sire before a testicular problem forced his retirement from stud duties at the age of 15.

He is the sire of Willie Mullins-trained

Grade 1 winners Asterion Forlonge, Bacardys, Franco De Port and Saint Roi.

Jack Hobbs received strong support from breeders in his first five seasons at stud with a first crop of 106 foals and 90 foals registered in 2020 and those numbers rose again with 97 in 2021 and 105 in 2022.

He has 93 two-year-olds registered and a similar number of yearlings at 91.

He has had 148 starters so far for 41 winners of 59 races – The Gadget Man has won two races on the Flat for Ralph Beckett and was sold at the Tattersalls Autumn HIT Sale for 310,000gns to agent Guy Mulcaster and Australian-based trainer Chris Waller.

His first crop includes I’m A Lumberjack, who was third in a Listed bumper at Newbury last season for Alan King and the maiden hurdle winner is one of a trio of black-type placed runners from the first crop of Jack Hobbs. The others are Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle runner-up Intense Approach and Jax Junior, third in a Listed hurdle at Huntingdon in early February for Lucy Wadham.

Four of his first crop have sold for six-figure sums following impressive point-to-point performances, headed by the aforementioned Intense Approach (€9,000 Goffs UK January 2020). He was Jack Hobbs’ first Irish point-to-point winner in February 2023, winning a 2m4f maiden at Farmaclaffley for trainer Warren Ewing and jockey Dara McGill. He was subsequently sold at the Tattersalls Festival Sale to John McConnell Racing for £210,000.

Ewing also sold the second most expensive

pointer by Jack Hobbs, Reflection Of You, who won the four-year-old mares’ maiden at Loughanmore on debut in October and subsequently made £140,000 to Lucinda Russell and Paul McIvor.

At the Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale, Matt Coleman and Jonjo O’Neill went to £130,000 for Jack To Bat who had been second in a four-year-old maiden at Borris House for Aidan Fitzgerald, while at the 2024 Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale Whinney Hill was bought for £140,000 by Gordon Elliott Racing.

At the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale in November, the sire achieved his best price yet for a horse sold at the venue – Yes Sir Jack, faller at the last on his point-to-point debut, was bought by Hamish Macauley Bloodstock for £170,000 from Baltimore Stables. He had been a £23,000 two-yearold at the Goffs UK January Sale, sold by Mill House Stud.

Hobbs’ foals averaged €12,855 in 2024 with the average for his stores at €28,494 just down from €33,625 a year previously.

KEW GARDENS

Galileo – Chelsea Rose (Desert King) Batsford Stud

£3,000

Year to stud: 2021

A handsome son of Galileo with a Group 1-winning dam and a stakes-winning juvenile himself, Kew Gardens was amongst the busiest new stallions at stud in 2021 when he covered 198 mares but without even

KINGSTON HILL

At last year’s Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale

Highflyer Bloodstock spent £130,000 on Kingston Hill’s four-year-old gelding Swindon Village, runner-up in an Irish point-to-point

a runner on the ground, he has moved to Batsford Stud for the 2025 season

Bred by David and Diane Nagle at their renowned Barronstown Stud nursery, Kew Gardens ran five times at two for Aidan O’Brien winning the Listed Zetland Stakes at Newmarket in a track record time by more than 3l from Dee Ex Bee, who went on to finish second in the Derby. Kew Gardens was also second in the Group 3 Champions’ Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown and won his maiden over a mile on his second start.

He won the Group 2 Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot on his first start over 1m6f, stretching more than 4l clear of his pursuers.

That victory set him up for Group 1 glory in the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp, the first of his two triumphs at the highest level at three. He added the St Leger comfortably from Lah Ti Dar with Dee Ex Bee and Old Persian further back. Kew Gardens was also third to Old Persian and Cross Counter in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes.

Remaining in training at four, he performed at the highest level losing by a nose to Defoe in the Group 1 Coronation Cup and finishing runner-up to Search For A Song in the Irish St Leger. His final race was memorable for halting the unbeaten run of champion stayer Stradivarius by a nose in thrilling finish to the Group 2 British Champions’ Long Distance Cup.

He is one of three Group winners out of the Moyglare Stakes winner Chelsea Rose, a daughter of Desert King, so he is bred on a version of the Galileo-Danehill cross.

His full-sister Snow won the Group 3 Munster Oaks and their older Tamayuz halfsister was a Group 3 winner and was second in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest.

Chelsea Rose’s Red Ransom colt Hamlool was second in the Listed Lingfield Classic Trial and her winning Invincible Spirit daughter Pale Orchid is the dam of Free Eagle’s first crop Listed Caravaggio Stakes

winner Justifier.

Chelsea Rose trained on to win the Ballyroan and Dance Design Stakes (both Listed contests then) and to be placed in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes and Premio Lydia Tesio.

Her dam Cinnamon Rose is by Trempolino, and out of the Green Dancer mare Sweet Simone, who is the dam of Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam winner River Warden and Sweettuc, who won the Grade 3 Hoist The Flag Stakes.

Kew Gardens stands out due to his inbreeding to the great mare Special.

She features in the fourth and fifth generations of his pedigree through her daughter Fairy Bridge, dam of Sadler’s Wells, and son Nureyev who is a threeparts brother to Sadler’s Wells and is the broodmare sire of Desert King.

Kew Gardens is also 4S x 5D x 5D to Northern Dancer but two of those lines won’t appear in the first five generations of his foals’ pedigrees.

He had 109 foals born in his first crop and achieved an average price at the foal sales of €8,598. Niall Bleahen spent €24,000 on a colt out of the Westerner mare Western Diva at Fairyhouse in November, while the stallion’s daughter was the second-best price of €20,000 at the same sale. She is out of the Martaline mare Cathodine Cayras from Adamsfield Stud and was bought by White Gold Stud.

His second crop has 49 registered yearlings and they averaged a higher price than his first crop at €9,167.

The best price achieved was €14,000 for Gabrielle Whitty’s colt out of Irish Lass, a winning Getaway half-sister to Royal Bond heroine Airlie Beach. Clonbonny Stud sold the April-born colt at the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale.

There are ten yearlings of this year by Kew Gardens registered with Weatherbys.

Mastercraftsman – Audacieuse (Rainbow Quest) Nunstainton Stud

£3,000

Year to stud: 2016

The St Leger and Racing Post Trophy winner stands his fourth season in the UK having moved from Coolmore to the north of England, and Nunstainton Stud in Durham in 2022.

Kingston Hill was a Group 1 winner at two and three, and hails from the Danehill Dancer sire line with the excellent Rainbow Quest as his broodmare sire.

His first crop are now eight, but as he began his stud career at Coolmore’s main base in Fethard and only transferred to Castlehyde Stud in 2020, his purely NHbred crops are only now making the track.

His pedigree is a mix of speed and stamina influences. Kingston Hill is out of the Rainbow Quest mare Audacieuse, who won the 1m2f Group 3 Prix de Flore at Saint Cloud and is a half-sister to the Group 3 Acomb Stakes winner and Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes fourth Waiter’s Dream (Oasis Dream).

Another of her half-brothers is the Listed Challenge Stakes winner Lord Jim, while her half-sister Intellectuelle is the second dam of Captain Conan, winner of the Grade 1 Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle and three Grade 1 novice chases.

Second dam Sarah Georgina is by Persian Bold and was fourth in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at two. She is a half-sister to the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and Prix de la Foret winner Danseuse du Soir who is the dam of the Group 1 winner Scintillo.

Kingston Hill has attracted plenty of mares and is the sire of 578 foals with 82 winners from 211 starters and two black-type winners.

His best performer to date is his first graded race winner – the Grade 2 Coolmore NH Sires Kew Gardens Hurdle winner No Looking Back. The gelding was also third to Facile Vega in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.

Kingston Hill is also the sire of this season’s Listed Alan Swinbank Mares’ Bumper winner Kingston Queen.

In the sales ring last year his foals

averaged €10,000 and his stores returned an average of €20,235 which was a decline from the 2023 store sale figure of €25,634.

At the 2023 Cheltenham February Sale, his Tallow-winning four-year-old gelding Butcher Hollow made £200,000 bought by Hamish Macauley and Bryan Cooper.

Alan Tobin went to €200,000 for Kingston Pride at the 2023 Goffs Punchestown Sale – he has gone on to win a bumper and over hurdles. That same year at Doncaster, the stallion’s four-year-old daughter Realta Liath made £100,000 to Highflyer Bloodstock from Rob James.

At last year’s Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale Highflyer Bloodstock spent £130,000 on Kingston Hill’s four-year-old gelding Swindon Village, runner-up in an Irish point-to-point at four, and Syd Hosie and Darren O’Dwyer Bloodstock went to

£85,000 for Crossgales King at this year’s January Sale. The gelding has twice finished second in Irish points as a four-year-old.

LOGICIAN

Frankel – Scuffle (Daylami)

Shade Oak Stud

£3,500

Year to stud: 2022

A Classic-winning son of Frankel from a typically strong Juddmonte family –Logician is out of a half-sister to Bated Breath – and he stands his fourth season at Shade Oak Stud in 2025.

The seven-year-old went through his three-year-old season unbeaten, beginning with a debut success in Newbury maiden over 1m2f for trainer John Gosden, who increased the scale of the challenge

faced by Logician with each run.

Victory in a Newmarket novice followed on his second start and he returned to Newbury for a 1m4f handicap after which his record reads three wins from three starts.

Gosden decided to test the horse’s mettle in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes at York on his next run and he passed with a comfortable success over a field which included Nayef Road.

Sent off odds-on favourite for the St Leger, he defeated Sir Ron Priestley, Nayef Road, Sir Dragonet and Technician to secure the final Classic of the season and European champion three-year-old stayers’ honours.

A couple of months after his Classic triumph, Logician had to undergo surgery to treat life-threatening peritonitis and pleurisy and his joust with illness left its mark on the grey. He returned to race almost exactly

Kew Gardens: the two-time Group 1-winning son of Galileo is embarking on his second season standing at Batsford Stud in the UK

a year after his St Leger victory, winning a conditions race over course and distance.

He was retired as a five-year-old and purchased by Shade Oak Stud.

Logician is a full-brother to Collide, a Listed winner in France who was also Listed-placed in Australia.

They have a Champs Elysees half-sister Suffused, who won three Grade 3 contests in the US and was second in the Grade 1 E P Taylor Stakes while their Time Test half-brother Okeechobee won the Group 3 Gordon Richards Stakes.

Sleep Walk, a winning half-sister to Logician by Oasis Dream, is the dam of dual Grade 1 Diana Stakes winner Whitebeam, a daughter of Caravaggio.

Dam Scuffle was third in the Listed Snowdrop Stakes at Kempton and is a Daylami half-sister to the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free winner and sire Cityscape, and the Group 2 winner and multiple Group 1-placed sire Bated Breath.

Scuffle has produced six winners with her first six foals and is also a half-sister to Tarentaise, the unraced dam of the Group 2 Meydan Sprint winner and the Group

1 King’s Stand Stakes second Equilateral. His second dam Tantina was twice a Listed winner at Goodwood and is a Distant View half-sister to the Chilean Listed winner Colonialism, and to the dam of Gimcrack Stakes (G2) winner Ajaya and Group 3 winner Extra Elusive. The family stretches to the European champion two-year-old Xaar and the blue hen mare Best In Show.

His first crop are two-year-olds and number 141. As foals they averaged €10,866 for 14 sold and Logician has 124 registered yearlings who averaged £10,914 last year.

MARMELO

Duke Of Marmalade – Capriolla (In The Wings)

Norton Grove Stud

£2,000

Year to stud: 2020

One of two sons of the late Duke Of Marmalade at stud in Britain, the Group 2 winner Marmelo has an ideal race record and pedigree to make a lovely NH stallion. Bred by Deepwood Farm Stud, Marmelo won or was placed in 16 of his 22 starts in Europe and Australia.

Trained by Hughie Morrison, he was unraced at two and broke his maiden at the third attempt as a three-year-old.

After that success he finished second in the Listed Prix Michel Houyvet over 1m7f, then third to Doha Dream in the Group 2 Prix Chaudenay and rounded off the campaign with second in the Listed Prix Vulcain at Deauville.

As a four-year-old he defeated Bateel in the Group 3 Prix de Barbeville on his seasonal reappearance and later that season claimed the first of his two victories in the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay.

He was also second to Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Talismanic in the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil before his first trip to Australia where he contested the Group 1 Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

At five, he took second to Vazirabad in the Group 2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier and then the Listed Grand Cup at York before going one better than the previous season in the Prix Maurice de Nieuil.

He finished his European season in the runner-up position in the Prix Kergorlay (G1) and, returning to Australia for a second successive year, he ran Cross Counter to a length when second in the Melbourne Cup.

Kept in training as a six-year-old, he retained all his ability with two wins from five starts. Those victories came in the Group 3 John Porter Stakes and his swansong, the Prix Kergorlay. He also contested the Prix Maurice de Nieuil for the third time and was second behind Way To Paris.

Marmelo is a half-brother to the Group 3 Henry VII Stakes winner Vent Du Force and to the Italian Grade 3-winning chaser Atalan and they are three of the eight winners out of Capriolla.

She is an In The Wings half-sister to the Lingfield Derby Trial winner Saddler’s Quest by Saddler’s Hall and to the French Listed-winning fillies Seren Hill and Quiz Mistress. Capriolla is also a half-sister to the dam of Group 3 Prix Thomas Byron winner Circumvent and the Group-placed Tioga’s Pace and Devious Company.

Marmelo’s Nathaniel half-brother made 58,000gns at Book 2 where he was purchased by Jamie Piggott. From his first three seasons at stud, Marmelo has 27 foals and covered 10 mares last year.

Marmelo: the son of Duke Of Marmalade working in Australia under Hugh Bowman ahead of his second place to Cross Counter in the Melbourne Cup

MIDNIGHTS LEGACY

Midnight Legend – Giving (Generous) Alne Park Stud

£3,000

Year to stud: 2023

Midnight Legend was of the most successful British-based NH sires of recent years and stood at David and Kathleen Holmes’ Pitchall Stud. It was the couple’s long-held ambition that he would be able to sire a son capable enough to follow in his hoofprints and earn a place at stud.

The appropriately-named Midnights Legacy is the product of that quest and the stallion began his stud career in 2023 at Dan and Grace Skelton’s Alne Park Stud.

Although he didn’t win a black-type race, Midnights Legacy was a durable sort and had a decent career on both the Flat and over hurdles, winning under both codes.

On the Flat he raced 19 times for five wins and three placings, including when winning the second of his two starts as a juvenile in a 1m3f Bath maiden, his first two starts at three, both in handicap company, and a decent handicap at Epsom on Derby Day as a four-year-old.

At four, his first NH start was a winning one in a Plumpton novice hurdle as was his first chase start the following season in a 2m event at Ludlow in March. He was still plenty quick enough to head back to Epsom that summer, once again on Derby Day to land the Northern Dancer Handicap. He retired the winner of eight races and with six placings from 26 starts under both codes.

His first dam Giving (Generous) was also a winner at two and she placed three times at four in France. She produced a pair of Listed-winning hurdlers – Midnight’s Gift, who is also by Midnight Legend, and Giving Glances, who is by Midnight Legend’s former stud mate Passing Glance.

His second dam Madiyla was a winner at three and is dam of the Listed winner Burn The Breeze, and of Lethals Lady, winner of the Prix Aymeri de Mauleon (L) at Toulouse. Her legacy will, however, be remembered as the dam of Katchit, the three-time Grade 1 -winning hurdler of the Champion Hurdle, the Triumph Hurdle and the Anniversary Novice Hurdle at Aintree.

Midnights Legacy has 12 yearlings in his first crop and he covered 15 mares last year.

MOGUL

Galileo – Shastye (Danehill)

Willow Wood Stud

£2,500

Year to stud: 2022

Successful over 1m4f at the highest level and a Group 2-winning juvenile, Mogul is bred on the outstanding Galileo-Danehill cross that produced the 2021 champion sire Frankel, as well as Teofilo, who is the sire of more than 20 individual Group 1 winners, Mogul got off the mark on his second start at two in a mile maiden at The Curragh before he was sent into Group 2 company for the Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown, which he won before ending his juvenile season with fourth to subsequent 2,000 Guineas winner Kameko in a rearranged Vertem Futurity Trophy on Newcastle’s All-Weather track.

Covid disrupted the 2020 season and Mogul made a delayed seasonal debut in the King Edward VII Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot in which he was fourth to Pyledriver.

The topsy-turvy nature of that season meant that the Derby was run on July 4, and Mogul finished sixth to runaway winner Serpentine.

Stepped up to 1m6f for the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood on his next start, Mogul returned to winning ways, defeating subsequent Ascot Gold Cup hero Subjectivist. He couldn’t follow up in the Great Voltigeur Stakes (G2) in which he finished third of four but in the Grand Prix de Paris (G1), which was run in September 2020, he succeeded his older full-brother Japan as the winner of that 1m4f Group 1.

His immediate victim that day was Deutsches Derby winner In Swoop, who would follow up that performance with a close second to Sottsass in the Arc.

Mogul went to the Breeders’ Cup and was beaten just 3l by Tarnawa in the Grade 1 Turf before heading on east to Hong Kong for the Group 1 Vase at Sha Tin, in which he defeated champion and horse of the year Exultant to win his second Group 1 over 1m4f.

Kept in training as a four-year-old, Mogul was campaigned at the highest level with his best performance coming when a good third to Mare Australis in the Group 1 Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp.

Bred by Newsells Park Stud, Mogul cost MV Magnier 3.4m guineas at the 2018 Tattersalls Book 1.

Mogul: who stands now at Willow Wood Stud has 101 registered yearlings from his first crop

His year-older full-brother Japan was also a dual Group 1 winner and beat Crystal Ocean in an epic tussle for the Juddmonte International. Their older full-sister Secret Gesture won the Group 2 Middleton Stakes and was placed five times at the highest level, including in the Oaks.

He is also a full-brother to the Group 3 winner Sir Isaac Newtown and a half-brother to the Austalian Listed winner and the Group 3-placed Maurus by Medicean.

His unraced Sadler’s Wells three-parts sister Shabyt is the dam of 2021 Listed winner Shandoz by Golden Horn and the Listed-placed Shaherezada by Dutch Art.

The amazing sales mare Shastye produced sales of over 14m guineas for Newsells Park Stud, while on the track she was second in the Listed Pontefract Castle Stakes and boasts an excellent pedigree.

Her Linamix half-brother Sagamix won the Arc, while her Highest Honor half-brother Sagacity was a two-year-old Group 1 winner.

She is also a half-sister to the Group 2 winner Sage Et Jolie, dam of the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan winner and sire Sageburg and her winning Linamix half-sister Saga D’Ouilly produced two Listed winners and the granddam of 2021’s Group 1 Middle Park and Prix Morny winner Perfect Power.

Mogul has 101 registered yearlings in his first crop and 90 registered yearlings.

His first crop averaged €6,327 at the sales in 2023 with the top price of €16,000 for the colt out of the Listed-placed chaser Pretty Reckless, who was bought by Lakefield Farm from The Beeches Stud at the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale.

The average for his second crop fell to €4,292 at last year’s foal sales.

SUBJECTIVIST

Teofilo– Reckoning (Danehill Dancer)

Alne Park Stud

£4,000

Subjectivist ran 20 times from two years to six years for the training combination of Team Johnston, winning six races and placed in a further eight.

The Mascalls Stud-bred son of Teofilo ran seven times as a juvenile winning a 7f Chelmsford maiden by 7l and placing second three times, including when runner-up in

Subjectivist wins the Group 3 March Stakes at Goodwood by 15l . The stallion won six times, his victories also including the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup, the Group 1 Prix Royal Oak and the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup

Salisbury’s mile Listed Stonehenge Stakes.

At three, he debuted at Royal Ascot in the King George V Handicap and was a good third behind subsequent Group 1 winner Hukum. He took second over two furlongs further in the Bet365 1m6f Handicap and then showed his versatility when winning the Listed Glasgow Stakes at Hamilton over 1m3f just 11 days later.

He was kept busy and a fortnight later when third in Glorious Goodwood’s Leger Trial, the Group 3 Gordon Stakes.

He ran twice in August that year, unplaced in York’s Great Voltigeur Stakes (G2) then returned to Goodwood to win the March Stakes (G3) over a 1m4f.

He was allowed to take his chance in the final Classic at Doncaster when down the field behind the winner Galileo Chrome.

He bounced back from that in style – after making all on heavy ground he proved his stamina capabilities winning the first of his Group 1s at ParisLongchamp in the 1m7f Prix Royal Oak from the Group 2 winner and multiple Group-placed Valia.

As a four-year-old he had a perfect, albeit short, campaign winning both his two starts.

The first of those was in March at Meydan, where, under an enterprising Joe Fanning ride, he made all to land the valuable Dubai Gold Cup (G2) over two miles.

And even better was to come when he recorded his career highlight next time out at Royal Ascot. Sent off second-favourite behind eventual fourth Stradivarius in the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup, he travelled strongly and powered home impressively beating Princess Zoe with the Irish and Epsom Derby winners Santiago and Serpentine further back in seventh and eighth.

Subjectivist wasn’t seen again until almost two years later in 2023 when a down-thefield February run in the valuable Red Sea Handicap at Riyadh preceded two third placings in the two races he’d won in 2021 – the Dubai Gold Cup and behind Courage Mon Ami in the Ascot Gold Cup.

By the unbeaten juvenile and top sire Teofilo (Galileo), Subjectivist was always likely to come into his own over a distance of ground and his Danehill Dancer dam Reckoning was a winner over a mile at two years and placed three times over 1m2f in the Listed Gillies Stakes, the Festival Stakes and the Hoppings Stakes.

She was a 55,000gns Tattersalls Book 1 yearling of 2010 who also sold twice at the same venue’s December Mares’ Sale – for 42,000gns in 2013 and then to Subjectivist’s breeder Mascalls Stud for 160,000gns the following year.

Reckoning is dam of two further blacktype horses – Sir Ron Priestley (Australia), winner of the Princess Of Wales’ Stakes and the Jockey Club Stakes, both Group 1 races run over 1m4f, and the March Stakes (G3).

He also was a runner-up in the St Leger (G1) and third in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup. Her daughter Alba Rose (Muhaarar) had a best performance when third in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes.

He covered 33 mares in his first season.

Sire of five Grade 1 winners incl. BAMBINO FEVER - unbeaten winner of Weatherby’s Bumper (Gr.1), Cheltenham

3YOs realised up to £135,000 in 2024

P-to-P graduates realised up to £300,000 in 2024

Fascinating Rock

World 10f Turf Champion at 4 years

Recent winners include ETERNAL ECHO (winner of Naas 4YO Bumper on debut and multiple winners SPINNING WEBB and APOLOGISE

Foals have realised up to €37,000

Exceptionally good looking horse

Sire of five Black Type horses from early crops of limited number of foals

3YOs realised up to €41,000 in 2024

P-to-P graduate I AIN’T YOUR MATE realised £120,000 in 2024 16.2hh with size and scope

Standing at Burgage Stud

Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow, R93 RK35

Enquiries to: VICTOR CONNOLLY Mobile 086 268 1899

Email: victorconnolly198@gmail.com www.burgagestud.com

Gr. H. by Montjeu ex Mare Aux Fees

Irish jumps stallions

We analyse the young sires at stud in Ireland and pinpoint results from early runners, sales returns and covering statistics as well as running through the sire’s own profile

AFFINISEA

Sea The Stars – Affianced (Erins Isle)

Whytemount Stud

Private

Year to stud: 2017

As a Sea The Stars three-parts brother to Group 1 winner and established NH sire Soldier Of Fortune, the appeal Affinisea holds for NH breeders was immediately

apparent when he retired to the O’Neill family’s Whytemount Stud.

Bred by Jim Bolger’s Redmondstown Stud from the first crop of world champion

Sea The Stars, Affinisea topped the Goffs November Foal Sale when selling for €850,000 to his sire’s owner-breeder.

He made a winning racecourse debut at four over 1m4f for John Oxx and narrowly

failed to make it two wins from two starts when second over 1m6f at Killarney as a five-year-old.

Affinisea has an outstanding pedigree that has been nurtured by Jim Bolger over successive generations – in addition to boasting an Irish Derby and Coronation Cup-winning sibling, he is also a three-parts brother to Group 3 Meld Stakes and Listed

Hollygrove Cha Cha (Affinisea) wins the Grade 2 hurdle at Sandown in February

Silver Stakes winner Heliostatic, who is at stud in Argentina.

Carriglawn, their Rock Of Gibraltar halfbrother also won the Listed Silver Stakes, and they are out of Affianced, a daughter of Erins Isle and winner of the Curragh’s Debutante Stakes when it was a Listed race.

Affianced is a half-sister to the Group 1-winning two-year-old Sholokhov, the sire of Gold Cup winner Don Cossack and the brilliant Shishkin

Another half-sister, the Listed winner Zvaleta, is the second dam of the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes winner Intense Focus and third dam of Skitter Scatter, winner of the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.

Affinisea was the busiest stallion in Europe covering 325 mares in 2021 and that figure was surpassed in 2022 when he saw 382. It was a more manageable 268 in 2023, and in 2024 was 220 of which 20 were black-type mares.

On the racecourse this has been the best season to date for Affinisea with three new Grade 2 winners headed by Only By Night, successful in a Grade 2 chase at Cork for Gavin Cromwell.

She is joined in that Grade 2 winners’ club by the five-year-old mare Hollygrove Cha Cha, successful at Sandown for Jamie Snowden and Hot To Trot Jumping and Classic Novices Hurdle winner Sixmilebridge.

Affinisea is also the sire of the dual Grade 1-placed Affordale Fury and the Listed bumper winner Avakate and has 54 winners from 146 runners.

At the sales last year his foals averaged €14,450 which was only slightly lower than his 2023 figure of €14,977. His store sale average was €25,564 which was down yearon-year from €27,172.

AUSTRIAN SCHOOL

Teofilo – Swiss Roll (Entrepreneur) Clongiffen Stud

Private

Year to stud: 2020

A Teofilo half-brother to one of the most famous and popular chasers of the decade, Austrian School’s kinship with Tiger Roll is not the only reason why this 16.2hh bay was snapped up for stud duties – he has a further

From the famed nursery and breeding grounds of Lodge Park Stud, Amhran Na BhFiann hails from one of the farm’s leading families

pedigree to recommend him.

Dam Swiss Roll has produced blacktype performers on the Flat, as well as her Cheltenham Festival and Grand Nationalwinning son. The daughter of Entrepreneur was second in the Listed Vintage Crop Stakes and her Dubawi son Ahzeemah was a high-class stayer for Godolphin winning the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup and the Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy, and finishing second in the Group 1 Irish St Leger to Voleuse De Coeurs.

Austrian School was a classy performer and earned an official rating of 110 during his four-year-old season. Forward enough to win on his debut at two over a mile for Mark Johnston in August, he also won over 1m2f that season. At three, he made a winning seasonal reappearance over 1m6f and was second in the Listed Glasgow Stakes over 1m6f. His final start that year came in the 1m6f Listed Noel Murless Stakes when a close third.

The following year he won on his seasonal bow once more and was third to Dee Ex Bee in the Group 3 Henry II Stakes at Sandown and second in the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes.

A remarkably consistent horse, Austrian School ran 18 times and won four races, finishing out of the first four on just three occasions.

His dam Swiss Roll is a full-sister to Berenson, who was second in the Group 1 National Stakes at two and is a half-sister to Group 3 Park Express Stakes winner Pollen, dam of the Japanese Group 3-placed Pollentia.

Swiss Roll’s three-year-old full-brother to Austrian School made 155,000gns to Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm at 2020’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sales.

Austrian School retired to Clongiffen Stud in 2020 and is an option for mares free from Sadler’s Wells blood considering he is inbred 3x3 to the dominant sire of our times.

He had 17 reported foals in his first crop,

18 in his second dropping to eight in 2023 and 10 last year. His first foals include a filly out of Mariah Mooney, a half-sister to the Grade 1 Leopardstown novice chase winner Mariah Rollins, who is also the dam of Pendra, a Grade 3-winning chaser and second-placed in the Grade 1 Tolworth Novice Hurdle.

Austrian School has eight two-year-olds on the ground and Stroud Coleman bought the only one of them who sold as a foal going to €9,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale for Clongiffen Stud’s filly out of Zariyama, a Pivotal halfsister to the multiple Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placed Zanahiyr.

AMHRAN NA BHFIANN

Galileo – Alluring Park (Green Desert)

Knockhouse Stud

€1,500

Year to stud: 2020

From the famed nursery and breeding grounds of Lodge Park Stud, Amhran Na BhFiann hails from one of the farm’s leading families.

The seven-year-old son of Galileo is a fullbrother to four winners, and a half-brother to another four. His star sibling is his older sister Was, winner of the Oaks (G1) and placed three times in Group 1 races, while his brother Douglas Macarthur won the 1m2f Derrinstown Derby Trial and was fourth in the Criterium de Saint Cloud. In 2019 Was produced Concert Hall to a covering with Dubawi and she is a Listed winner of the 1m2f Salsabil Stakes over 1m2f and was third in the Irish 1,000 Guineas. She also took Group 1 fourth placings in the Epsom Oaks, the Moyglare Stakes and the Belmont Oak Invitational.

Amhran Na Bhriann was bought for 1,300,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 1 in 2018 and made a down-the-field debut in

the August of his juvenile year.

He did not reappear until he was three and, after a fourth in a maiden on his seasonal debut, was sent to Epsom for the July-run Derby of 2020, a race in which he performed with credit for one so inexperienced with an honourable fourth place.

After a runner-up spot in a Naas maiden when pulling up lame, subsequently found to be a fracture, he got off the mark first time out as a four-year-old in April at Dundalk over 1m4f, a race he won by 13l

Again he was pitched straight into stakes race company but managed a decent fourth in the 1m6f Listed Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes before he finished down the field in the Ascot Gold Cup (G1) won by fellow sire Subjectivist.

He broke his Group race duck next time when winning the Curragh Cup over 1m6f by an easy 7l after making all, and that was the last time he troubled the judge.

Amhran Na BhFiann covered 16 mares in his first season.

BOLSHOI BALLET

Galileo – Alta Anna (Anabaa)

Beeches Stud

€3,000

Year to stud: 2024

Coolmore homebred Bolshoi Ballet is a dual Group 1 winner by Galileo, who was the farm’s sole representative in the 2021 Epsom Derby when sent off as favourite for the Classic.

As a two-year-old the son of Galileo wasn’t seen until October but made up for lost time by running three times that month – he ran green in a Newmarket maiden prior to winning a similar race at Leopardstown before placing fifth, beaten just over 2l, in the 1m2f Criterium de Saint-Cloud (G1) on heavy ground.

At three he started the season in tremendous fashion and on his first two starts he recorded the same Ballysax/ Derrinstown Derby Trial Group 3 double as fellow Coolmore sires Galileo, High Chaparral, Yeats and Fame And Glory.

At Epsom for his next start as favourite was struck into early, but still managed a respectable seventh behind Adayar. Given a short rest, he reappeared next at

Belmont for the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (Grade 1) keeping on determinedly to record his first top-level success. He was to race four more times that season with a best-placed finish when fourth in the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1).

Kept in training at four, Bolshoi Ballet raced just once, and that wasn’t until November 2022 when fourth in the Listed Churchill Stakes at Lingfield.

He undoubtedly showed connections that he retained his ability and was kept in training as a five-year-old.

His first start came in April 2023 when third behind stablemate Emily Dickinson in the 1m6f Vintage Crop Stakes (L) at Navan before being headed in the final 100yds next time out at Newbury in the Group 3 Al Rayyan Stakes back at a mile and a half.

He then followed that with a second at Royal Ascot in the Listed 1m2f Wolferton Stakes before a sixth to Hukum in the 1m4f King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) on unsuitably soft ground.

Bolshoi Ballet’s final start was in August in the Sword Dancer Stakes (G1) back at Saratoga and he put up probably his best performance being only pushed out to win going away by four and a half lengths.

Bolshoi Ballet’s dam is Alta Anna, an unraced daughter of Anabaa.

She is the dam of five winners and, in addition to Bolshoi Ballet, his 2015 fullbrother Southern France was the winner of four races at three to four years and £500,894 including the Zipping Sandown Classic (G2), the Irish St. Leger Trial (G3), the Yeats Stakes (L).

He was also placed on multiple occasions at Group level including in the Irish St. Leger (G1), the St Leger (G1), and when fourth in the Goodwood Cup.

Bolshoi Ballet covered 74 mares in his first season at stud.

CRYSTAL OCEAN

Sea The Stars – Crystal Star (Mark Of Esteem) Beeches Stud

€8,000

Year to stud: 2020

Crystal Ocean’s first crop has produced that all-important four-year-old maiden winner with Cristal D’Estruval winning on debut for

Colin Bowe at Lisronagh in late February.

The four-year-old gelding went on to top the Tattersalls Cheltenhm Festival sale when sold for £400,000 to Harry Derham and Ed Bailey

The sire’s NH sale average for his first foal crop was an impressive €35,688 with the session-topping €120,000 foal from Tattersalls Ireland, the standout amongst some meaty auction prices.

Foal prices stayed strong the following year and his 2022 average was €25,644 with a top price of €75,000 given by Ian Ferguson at Goffs December NH Sale for the colt out of Presenting Juno (Presenting).

At the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale, Joey Logan bought the colt out of the Yeats mare Hour Before Dawn for €72,000, while Sabrina Harty gave €70,000 for the colt out of Whistle Dixie (Kayf Tara) sold by The Beeches Stud.

In 2023, his average dipped to €21,480 with the most expensive, the half-brother to Cheltenham Festival winner Blodge, making €65,000 to Ben Case and Kevin Ross at the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale. Sold by Burgage Stud he is a grandson of the Grade 1 winner Bilboa.

At the Goffs December NH Sale that price was almost matched by Nicky Bertran de Balanda, who paid €62,000 for a filly out of the Listed winner Cap Soleil by Kapgarde. She was sold by Rathmore Stud on behalf of Ballykilty Farm.

His first stores hit the sales last year and averaged €35,862 with the most expensive filly being a half-sister to Ballyburn bought for €92,000 by Cobajay Stables at the Goffs Arkle Sale.

Willie Mullins and Harold Kirk teamed up with MV Magnier at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale to buy a gelding out of Carrowmore from Baroda Stud for €120,000.

Bred by the late Renee Robeson and raced in the colours of her brother Sir Evelyn Rothschild, Crystal Ocean was an incredibly consistent racehorse. Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Crystal Ocean was never once out of the first three in 17 career starts, all but two of which were in Group races. One of those was his debut over 7f at two, when he was second by just a neck in a Newbury maiden. He finished third in the Group 2 Dante

Stakes to the more experienced Permian and Benbatl, and took the same position behind Permian in Royal Ascot’s Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes before breaking through the glass ceiling in the Group 3 Gordon Stakes. He went down fighting to Capri in the St Leger, a trait that would come to define some of his greatest performances over the following two seasons.

Crystal Ocean developed into one of the best horses in the world at four and five.

He ran off a treble of Group wins in his first three starts at four and was second to Poet’s Word in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, losing out by a neck with the pair pulling 9l clear of the field.

He was second to Cracksman in the 1m2f Group 1 Champions’ Stakes, beating Group 1 winners Capri, Rhododendron and Verbal Dexterity.

As a five-year-old he was involved in some of 2019’s most memorable European races, starting off his campaign with his second

successive victories in the Group 3 Gordon and Aston Park Stakes before finally getting his head in front in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, defeating Group 1 winners Magical, Waldgeist, Sea Of Class, Deirdre, Zabeel Prince and Desert Encounter.

In a thrilling renewal of the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, he and Enable battled most of the way up Ascot’s home straight with the mare just getting the better of him by a neck.

It was a similar scenario in the Group 1 Juddmonte International at York with the two-year younger Japan, who had to dig deep into his reserves to see off Crystal Ocean by a head, getting 7lb from his elder.

Crystal Ocean is a three-parts brother to the dual Group 2 Pride Stakes winner Crystal Capella (Cape Cross) and a half-brother to the Grade 1 Canadian International winner Hillstar.

He is also a half-brother to the Listed Newbury Fillies’ Trial winner Crystal Zvezda.

DEE EX BEE

Farhh – Dubai Sunrise (Seeking The Gold)

Arctic Tack Stud

€3,000

Year to stud: 2022

Trained by Mark Johnston, Dee Ex Bee ran 21 times, won four races, and was placed second or third 12 times. Dee Ex Bee was a consistent runner and was unlucky to bump into first Kew Gardens and then Stradivarius.

As a two-year-old he won on his first start at Goodwood over 7f in August, finished third at Listed level in September, won at Epsom over a mile in October and at the end of the season finished second in the 1m2f Zetland Stakes to Kew Gardens.

His appreciation for Epsom continued as a three-year-old – he was second in the racecourse’s Listed Blue Riband Stakes on his first start in April, was second in the Chester Vase (G3), before he ran the race of his career in the Epsom Derby (G1) when just a length second to Masar.

He finished down the field in the Irish Derby but bounced back when third to Kew Gardens in the Grand Prix de Paris (G1), second to Cross Counter in the Gordon Stakes (G3), fourth in the Group 1 St Leger (once again behind Kew Gardens), and then third to Iquitos in the Grosser Preis von Bayern (G1).

At four, he won on his first two starts – on his first try over 2m in the Sagaro Stakes (G3) and then over the same distance in the Henry VII Stakes at Sandown.

He took on Stradivarius in the Gold Cup (G1) at Royal Ascot, and was just a length down at the line, shortening that distance to just a neck in the Goodwood Cup (G1).

He rounded the year off with a thirdplaced finish in the Prix du Cadran (G1), behind Holdthasigreen and Call The Wind.

His sire Farhh has not really had the opportunity to prove himself due to fertility problems, but his progeny are headed by the Group 1-winning miler King Of Change, who is out of an Echo Of Light mare and is standing this year at Starfield Stud at a fee of €5,000.

Dee Ex Bee hails from a leading stallion family – his unraced dam Dubai Sunrise is full-sister to the champion and leading sire influence Dubai Millennium, of course,

Cristal D’Estruval: the son of Crystal Ocean was a sales-topping £400,000 at the Festival Sale

the sire of one of the world’s best stallions, Dubawi.

His third dam Fall Aspen, a two-time Grade 1 winner, was dam of the sires Hamas, Fort Wood, Timber Country and grand-dam of Elnadim.

Dee Ex Bee’s first crop numbers 79 foals and they made a good first impression at the sales averaging €13,886.

Three made over €30,000 at the Goffs December NH Sale with the top price at €37,000. Bobby O’Ryan bought Pat Kinsella’s colt out of Pat’s Oscar, a winning Oscar half-sister to Grade 2 winner Hiddenvalley Lake.

There are 83 foals in his second crop and they averaged €6,367 at the sales last year.

FASCINATING ROCK

2011 Fastnet Rock – Miss Polaris (Polar Falcon) Burgage Stud

€2,000

To stud 2017

Victor Connolly’s Burgage Stud had a fine Cheltenham meeting with its resident stallion Jukebox Jury responsible for the Grade 1 Champion Bumper winner Bambino Fever and Anyway second in the Grade 2 Jack Richards’ Novices’ Handicap Chase. The Irish stud has another young sire Fascinating Rock already showing promise and hopes are high he can emulate the success of his stud mate.

Fascinating Rock was a grand performer for Dermot Weld – he was officially rated 123 at his best and was the world champion over 1m2f on Turf at four. He won eight races from 15 starts over three seasons. Unplaced on his debut at two years he hit the ground running at three by winning his maiden at Leopardstown, the Group 3 Ballysax Stakes and the Derby Trial Stakes in consecutive starts.

He didn’t get a clear run next time out in the Group 1 Epsom Derby and finished midfield behind Australia.

Fascinating Rock trailed home once again behind Australia in the Irish equivalent. He wasn’t seen again until the following April when he took the Heritage Stakes (L) at Leopardstown prior to Group 3 success in the Mooresbridge Stakes at The Curragh before going under by just a nexk to Al

Fifty Stars has 50 yearlings and they averaged €7,584 at last year’s foal sales

Kazeem

in the Tattersalls Gold Cup.

A busy autumn campaign saw him successful in consecutive races winning the Group 3 Enterprise Stakes at Leopardstown in September and gaining his career highlight when defeating subsequent Arc winner Found in the Irish Champion Stakes.

As a five year old, Fascinating Rock ran three times: third to Found in the Mooresbridge Stakes, beating her next time out in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and he finished his racing career when runner-up to Success Days in the Group 3 Royal Whip at The Curragh.

Fascinating Rock has been successful with both his Flat and NH runners and they include Tamra Blitz, dual winner of over £400,000 at Sha Tin, the Group 3 winner Earls Rock, Virtual Rock, winner of the Listed Prix Lord Seymour and victorious over hurdles, the recent bumper winner Eternal Echo as well as the multiple winners Spinning Web, Apologise and, in France, the highest earner and four-time winner Halite. His foals realised up to €37,000 and averaged €11,000 last year.

FIFTY STARS

Sea The Stars – Swizzle Stick (Sadler’s Wells) Sunnyhill Stud

€3,000

Year to stud: 2022

From 36 starts, Fifty Stars won seven races, was placed 10 times and picked up race earnings over £1,500,000.

He ran throughout his career in Australia, having been bought as a yearling by John Foote at the Tattersalls October Book 2 Sale 2016

He did not run at two, and began his racing career in May 2018 winning on his career debut over 7f and rounding the year

off on his fourth start with success in a Group 3 over the same distance.

He ran 11 times in 2019, mainly over 7f and a mile, and while he did not trouble the judge at Group 1 level, he collected two Group 2 races in succession – Flemington’s mile Blamey Stakes and the 7f Ajax Stakes at Rosehill.

He finished mid-division on his next five starts before he finished second in the Group 1 Cantala Stakes over a mile, beaten just a short-head.

The following February, after he finished second on that year’s debut, he made it two in a row in the Blamey Stakes and then collected his Group 1 when winning the Australia Cup at Flemington.

Spelled then through to the southernhemisphere spring season, he ran from October 2020 to September 2021 in nine Group 1s, four Group 2s, once in a Group 3 and once in a handicap without success, but with three runner-up results, including in the McKinnon Stakes (G1) behind Arcadia Queen and in the A D Hollindale Stakes (G2) to the talented British-bred Zaaki, who is now a multiple Group 1 winner.

A sound horse he was repatriated to Ireland to stand at Sunnyhill Stud as a jumps sire, the farm keen to capitalise on the fact that he is a half-brother to Whiskey Sour, winner of the Future Champions Novice Hurdle (G1) at Leopardstown.

His second dam Viz (Darshan) was dam of Viztoria (Oratorio), a joint champion juvenile filly of 2012 in Ireland, while third dam For Example is dam of Forbearing, placed second in the Rose of Lancaster Stakes (G3), the Winter Hill Stakes (G3) and a three-time hurdle winner.

She is grand-dam of King Of Camelot, who finished third in the Prix de Conde (G3). Swizzle Stick is an unraced daughter of Sadler’s Wells so it does rule out mares by him or his immediate descendants.

His first crop of foals numbers 43 and they averaged €11,520 at the sales with a top price hit of €26,000 at the Goffs December NH Sale for the first foal out of the Grade 2-winning hurdler Lady Breffni (Yeats). She was sold by Tinnakill House to Ballinaroone Stud.

Fifty Stars has 50 yearlings and they averaged €7,584 at last year’s foal sales.

GALILEO CHROME

Australia – Curious Mind (Dansili) Starfield Stud

€3,000

Year to stud: 2021

The first son of dual Derby winner Australia to retire to stud, Galileo Chrome had 44 foals born in 2022 and added 31 more in 2023 with 16 foals born in 2024.

As well as being Australia’s first stallion son, Galileo Chrome also has the distinction of being the first Group 1 winner by the impeccably bred sire.

Raced once at two, Galileo Chrome pieced together an unbeaten three-year-old season starting with a maiden success over 1m2f at The Curragh where the vanquished included subsequent runaway Derby winner Serpentine.

His first attempt at stakes level gave him victory in the 1m5f Listed Yeats Stakes, an impressive performance which convinced connections to let him take his chance in the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster, a decision that was rewarded with a thrilling success over Berkshire Rocco and Pyledriver with Irish Derby winner Santiago in fourth.

Bred and raced by Mohamed Ali Meddeb, who will be lending his star stayer significant support in his stud career with some choice mares, including the dam of the Group 1 National Stakes winner Al Riffa, who has two and three-year-old sons by Galileo Chrome.

Galileo Chrome hails from the outstanding Lanwades Stud family founded by Alruccaba.

His dam Curious Mind is a Dansili half-sister to a pair of Listed Cocked Hat Stakes winners in Private Secretary and Michelangelo, who was also third in the St Leger.

They are out of the Listed-placed Intrigued, a Darshaan full-sister to the Listed Ballymacoll Stakes winner Approach, who is the dam of Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and Prix Jean Romanet winner Coronet (Dubawi) and Midas Touch (Galileo), who won the Group 2 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial and was second in the Irish Derby.

Intrigued’s Danehill half-brother Aussie Rules won the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile for Coolmore. They are out of the Alzao mare Last Second, who won the Nassau Stakes

and Sun Chariot Stakes when they were both Group 2 contests.

Last Second is a half-sister to the Group 3 Doncaster Cup winner Alleluia (Caerleon), who is the dam of Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak winner Allegretto (Galileo), and she in turn is the dam of the Listed Aphrodite Stakes winner and Group 2 second Cabaletta.

She is also a half-sister to Listed Oyster Stakes winner Alouette, a daughter of Darshaan, who was also third in the Group 1 Moyglare Stakes at two and is the dam of the Group 1-winning Alzao full-sisters Albanova and Alborada, a dual winner of the Champion Stakes.

Another of Last Second’s half-sisters is Jude, a daughter of Darshaan who failed to win on the track but has made a lasting impact as a broodmare with no less than six daughters earning black-type. They are headed by the Sadler’s Wells full-sisters Yesterday, winner of the Irish 1,000 Guineas, and the Group 1 Moyglare Stakes winner

Quartermoon, who was also placed in three Classics and is the dam of four black-type performers, including the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes winner Diamondsandrubies. Quartermoon is also the second dam of Group 2 winner and Group 1 placed Eminent by Frankel.

It is the family of Arc heroine Alpinista and new National Hunt sire and dual Group 1 winner Eldar Eldarov.

Galileo Chrome is inbred 4x5 to Northern Dancer and 5x4 to his son Danzig so they are far enough back that they will only appear in the fifth generation of his foals’ pedigrees and Sadler’s Wells will be back in the fourth generation.

His first foals averaged €6,940 at the sales which dipped to an average of €5,571 for his second crop. The best price for a foal by Galileo Chrome remains the €22,000 achieved by Russellstown Stud’s half-brother to Hurricane Georgie at the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale in 2022.

Galileo Chrome: the son of Australia has three crops on the ground and stands at Starfield Stud

young ire nh stallions

Riverside Stud bought the half-brother to the Midlands National winner. The third crop of foals improved the sale average again, up to €8,000 in 2024.

Eddie O’Grady went to €25,000 for the half-brother to Al Riffa at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.

HARZAND

2013 Sea The Stars – Hazariya (Xaar) Kilbarry Lodge Stud

Fee on application

To stud 2017

Harzand will be given every opportunity to succeed as a NH stallion by virtue of the high volume of mares covered since relocating from the Aga Khan Studs to Kilbarry Lodge. And the signs with performances by his first runners are already highly encouraging.

Harzand raced for his owner-breeder The Aga Khan, and trainer Dermot Weld saddled the son of Sea The Stars to win four of his seven career starts.

The first of those, and his only start as a two-year-old, was in a Gowran Park mile maiden in September when after starting slowly he made good headway late on to finishfifth.

If Harzand was slow to come to hand as a juvenile he was quick to get going at three where he won a 1m2f Cork maiden in March drawing right away to the line by 16l – such winning distances usually belonging to the realms of NH racing.

Harzand proved that he could stay but did he have the class to accompany that stamina? The answer was a resounding “yes” on his next start in the Group 3 Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown when he justified favouritism staying on strongly to beat Idaho.

Given a short break, he was sent off one of the more fancied runners in the Epsom Derby and having taken up the running inside the last furlong found extra to repel the Aidan O’Brien-trained duo of US Army Ranger with Idaho back in third.

He claimed a second Derby at The Curragh later that June keeping on well under pressure to once again thwart old rival Idaho.

That was to be Harzand’s last victory and two runs that autumn saw him unplaced

in both the Irish Champion Stakes (to Azamour) and behind Found in the Prix de la Arc de Triomphe.

At stud Harzand never covered huge books until transferring to Kilbarry Lodge and has only had three Flat performers rated over 100, the best of whom is Caught U Looking, rated 104 and winner of the Weld Park Stakes over seven furlongs at The Curragh.

Over obstacles he’s already surpassed what his Flat runners have achieved by siring Hello Neighbour, winner of the Spring Juvenile Hurdle (G1) and the Juvenile Hurdle (Gr2) both at Leopardstown.

He also has two Grade 1-placed horses in Dionis, who was second in the Corsa Siepi Del 4 Anni Hurdle at Merano, and Six Figures, third in the Prix Cambaceres at Auteil. He also has Gaoth Chuil who was third in the Group Three Quevega Mares’

Hurdle at Punchestown, Starzand, his Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale top lot, bought by Johnson White and former champion jockey Richard Johnson for £230,000, a scopy sort and with a long-term future over fences, was an impressive winner on his debut at Ffos Las on March 21 for joint-trainers White and Philip Hobbs.

Starzand is also one of five Irish point-topoint winners for the sire this season.

HUNTING HORN

Camelot – Mora Bai (Indian Ridge)

Capital Stud

€2,000

Year to stud: 2021

By Camelot, who hails from the influential Montjeu line, what makes Hunting Horn of particular interest is his female family – his

Hurricane Lane: has first crop foals on the ground this spring, and covered 236 mares last year

dam Mora Bai is an Indian Ridge half-sister to High Chaparral. His best NH offspring has been Altior and he was an excellent stallion siring Group 1 winners in both hemispheres with his best son So You Think is becoming a consistent sire of top-class horses in Australia.

Hunting Horn is closely-related to the Group 2 Beresford Stakes winner David Livingston by Galileo, who was also third in the Group 1 National Stakes.

Their dam Mora Bai is a full-sister to Treasure The Lady, who was Listed-placed and is the second dam of the Group 3 1,000 Guineas Trial winner Love Locket, and the Listed winner Raakib Alhawa.

Mora Bai is also a half-sister to Chenchikova, the dam of the 2020 Group 1 Prix de Diane and Nassau Stakes winner Fancy Blue, the Listed winner and Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes third Smuggler’s Cove and Casterton, a Listed winner in France. She is also a half-sister to Black Bear Island, by Sadler’s Wells, and winner of the Group 2 Dante Stake, who was second in the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes.

The family is a fine Aga Khan pedigree and second dam Kasora, by Darshaan, was bred by His Highness out of the Group 2 winner Kozana, who was placed in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin at a mile and the 1m4f Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

A daughter of Kris, she produced four black-type performers at stud, including the Group 1-placed Khoraz.

From Camelot’s first crop, Hunting Horn was a Group winner in both hemispheres claiming the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot at three and the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup as a four-year-old.

He ran twice at two, placing on both occasions at the start of a 25-race career that included third in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby, fourth to Old Persian in the Dubai Sheema Classic, fourth in the Grade 1 Man O’War Stakes and the same place in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s to Crystal Ocean, Magical and Waldgeist.

His maiden victory at three came over 1m2f and at the expense of Latrobe, also by Camelot, while his Group race wins were at 1m2f and 1m4f and he was placed in Group 1 contests at both those distances.

Hunting Horn covered 80 mares in his

Quantum Quest, from Idaho’s first crop, is the most expensive of his progeny to come under the hammer, making £125,000 having been third in a four-year-old maiden

first year at stud and his first-crop foals averaged €10,055. The best prices achieved was at the Goffs December NH Sale where Matt O’Connor went to €27,000 for Capital Bloodstock’s colt out of Flash Flossy.

At the same sale, Conna Stud sold a Hunting Horn colt out of Roussillon Red to Brian Flynn for €22,000. None of his second crop have come on the market.

He covered just 16 mares in 2022 which increased in 2023 to 25 mares but dropped down to 13 mares last year.

HURRICANE LANE

Frankel – Gale Force (Shirocco) Grange Stud

€5,000

Year to stud: 2024

The three-time Group 1 winner Hurricane Lane boasts the highest possible recommendations for a stud career and was one of the busiest stallions last year.

He is by the best stallion in the world and is from a talented, middle-distance family.

He is out of Gale Force by Shirocco, himself a NH influence. She achieved a BHA rating as high as 96 after she put together a career that included three victories over 1m7f to 2m, the best of which came on her last start when she won the Listed Prix Denisy at Saint-Cloud.

She is a half-sister to Seal Of Approval (Authorized), winner of the 1m4f British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes (G1), and to Instance (Invincible Spirit), third in the Group 3 7f Oak Tree Stakes and dam of Sound Angela, a winner over a mile in 2022 and runner-up in December over 1m1f in Deauville’s Prix Petite Etoile. She has finished second five times at Listed level in races run over trips from a mile to 1m4f.

Hurricane Lane’s own siblings include Sweet William, a son of Sea The Stars who last year won the Doncaster Cup (G2) and Henry II Stakes (G3) and was placed behind

Kyprios in the Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup (both G1) and the British Champions Long Distance Cup.

His full-sister Frankel’s Storm achieved a BHA best of 95 wining over a mile and 1m4f.

Hurricane Lane was bought by Godolphin at the yearling sales for 200,000gns and won his two-year-old maiden in the autumn over a mile on heavy ground.

As a three-year-old he won his first two starts, including the 1m2f Dante Stakes (G2) and went to the Epsom Derby (G1) to finish a good third behind Adayar and Mojo Star despite losing both of his front shoes.

He went two places better at The Curragh beating Lone Eagle by a neck and followed up in France in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris where he beat the Aiden O’Brientrained Wordsworth and William Haggas’s subsequent Group 1 winner Alenquer.

The 1m6f St Leger was an obvious target and the son of Frankel made good that aim finishing ahead of Mojo Star by a comfortable two and a half lengths.

A return trip to France saw him run a fantastic race to take third in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe behind Torquator Tasso and Tarnawa and ahead of Adayar.

He finished best of the three-year-olds –despite racing freely he put in the secondfastest in the penultimate furlong.

At four he was third to Broome in the Hardwicke Stakes (G2) and at five, he won the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes over 1m4f and was retired after coming home last of five in the Coronation Cup (G1) at Epsom.

In his first season at stud he covered a large book of 236 mares.

IDAHO

Galileo – Hveger (Danehill)

Beeches Stud

€3,000

Year to stud: 2019

A full-brother to the globe-trotting seven-

young ire nh stallions

time Group 1 winner Highland Reel, Idaho hails from a top class family and was a Royal Ascot winner on the track.

Successful on debut at two, and pitched straight into Group 1 company on just his second start by Aidan O’Brien, Idaho was a high-class performer from the start of a career that took him around the world.

Placed behind Harzand in both the Derby and Irish Derby, Idaho was an authoritative winner of the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes and was sent off favourite for the St Leger at Doncaster in which he suffered a nasty spill.

At four he was a comfortable winner of the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot and then finished third to Enable and Ulysses in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Sent on his travels, his next four starts were all in Group or Grade 1 company and he went from New York to Paris to Woodbine and then Tokyo with fourth in the Grade 1 Canadian International at 1m4f his best result.

His first start at five was in Dubai for the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic and he next popped up at Chester where he easily won the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes over 1m5f.

In that last year his best performances came in his two third places behind Stradivarius in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup and York’s Group 2 Lonsdale Cup, both around 2m.

Idaho has an impressive pedigree and is bred on the excellent Galileo-Danehill cross that has produced Group 1 winners and leading stallions Frankel and Teofilo, as well as his full-brother Highland Reel whose first crop last year yielded eight winners from 29 starters and are three-year-olds of 2023.

Idaho is also a full-brother to Cape Of Good Hope, who won the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes, and the Group 3 Ballysax Stakes winner Nobel Prize. Idaho’s full-sister Cercle De La Vie is the dam of new Sumbe stallion and Group 1-winning juvenile Angel Blue (Dark Angel). Another sibling is the Group 1 Storm Queen Stakes and Victoria Oaks second Valdemoro.

Their dam Hveger was placed in the Group 1 Australasian Oaks and is a full-sister to the Australian champion and five-time Group 1 winner Elvstroem, and a half-sister to another Australian champion, the threetime Group 1 winner Haradasun. They are

out of Circles Of Gold, winner of the Group 1 AJC Oaks and a half-sister to the second dam of Group 1-winning sprinter and good sire Starspangledbanner.

His first crop of foals went under the hammer in 2020 and averaged €10,575 for 17 sold, his second crop averaged €6,800 and in 2022 averaged €3,993. His fourth crop of foals averaged €3,000.

That first crop went on to achieve an average of €15,613 at the store sales with the most expensive of them being the Tullycanna Stables gelding out of West Elite, the unraced Westerner half-sister to Oscar Elite from the family of Gold Cup winner Lord Winderemere. Kevin Ross Bloodstock went to €60,000 for him at the Goffs Arkle Sale. He had cost €20,000 as a foal from Lisnagar Paddocks at the December NH Sale.

The most expensive foal by Idaho sold so far is a half-brother to the Grade 2 Paddy Mullins’ Mares Handicap Hurdle winner and the Grade 1 Fairyhouse Mares’ Novice Hurdle third Alletrix. He made €28,000 to Richard Frisby at Goffs December NH Sale from the Beeches Stud and was sold by Frisby for €33,000 to Tom Keating at the

2023 Goffs Arkle Sale.

His second crop was topped by a €16,000 colt out of Rose Cottage, an unraced Flemensfirth sister to the Grade 3 winner Emily Gray and the Grade 3-placed Pride Of The Parish. He was sold at Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale by the Beeches Stud to Lulham Bloodstock for €16,000. Idaho has 137 five-year-olds, 124 fouryear-olds and 91 three-year-olds. There are 19 two-year-olds by him and he has 15 yearlings.

His second crop returned a foal sale average €13,643 and Quantum Quest, from Idaho’s first crop, is the most expensive of his progeny to come under the hammer, making £125,000 having been third in a four-year-old maiden.

He has been placed for Henry de Bromhead, Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. Idaho is the sire of eight winners from 39 runners so far. He sired a first four-yearold maiden point-to-point winner in his first crop with the victory of Idaho Valley at Tallow in early February 2024, and has had two winners between the flags in Ireland this season.

The race winner Harzand and the second-placed Idaho upsides in the 2016 Irish Derby

IN SWOOP

Adlerflug – Iota (Tiger Hill)

Beeches Stud

€3,000

Year to stud: 2022

The talented son of Adlerflug did not run as a two-year-old but made his three-year-old debut a winning one over 1m3f in May at Lyon Parilly. He was sent off race favourite so had not been hiding his talent in his home work.

He was stepped up quickly to Group 2 company in the Prix Greffulhe over the same course and distance and finished just a length and a quarter behind the race winner, despite lacking a bit of room in the last furlong.

Connections maintained their ambitious approach and he ran in the Grade 1 Deutsches Derby, which he won by threequarters of a length.

It is a race that with the benefit of hindsight is looking amazingly strong – in second was the subsequent 2021 Arc winner Torquator Tasso (also by Adlerflug), third (but disqualified) was Grocer Jack, the multiple Grade 1 and Grade 2 winner who was sold for a sale-topping 700,000gns at 2021’s Tattersalls Autumn HIT Sale.

In Swoop then finished second to Mogul in the Grand Prix de Paris (G1) and filled the same position putting in his most memorable performance when a neck runner-up to Sottsass in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

An Arc challenge was firmly on the cards as four-year-old, and his early runs in 2021 looked as though he had retained all of his ability – he won the Group 3 Prix d’Hedouville, the Grade 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly and then finished fourth in the Grade 1 Grand Prix de Saint Cloud. Sadly, that was to be the last race in the horse’s career as injury intervened.

By Adlerflug, who was sadly lost as a 17-year-old as he was starting to make a real mark, In Swoop boasts a cracking Germanproduced pedigree.

He is out of the Preis der Diana winner Iota and is a full-brother to Ito, the German champion, winner of the Grosser Preis von Bayern (G1) and also a multiple Group 2 winner and Group 1 placed.

In addition to In Swoop, Adlerflug’s

leading performers include the Arc winner and new sire Torquator Tasso, the multiple Group 1 winner Iquitos, successful in the Grosser Preis Von Baden (G1) and sire of Deutsches Derby runner-up Mr Hollywood in his first crop, the Grosser Dallmayr Preis-Bayerisches Zuchtrennen (G1) winner Mendocino, Ito, winner of the Wettstar Grosser Preis Von Baden (G1) and the Grosser Preis Von Bayern (G1), and the Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1) winner Alenquer.

His second dam Iora (Konigsstuhl) is dam of the Group 3 winner Illo (Tertullian), Ioannina, a Listed winner and Group 1 third, and to Iowa, dam of the Group 2 winner Itoba (Areion). It is also the further family of Iran, the top-rated German miler of 2009, and Iberus, the third top-rated German twoyear-old of 2000.

Sadler’s Wells and Danehill are in In Swoop’s third generation so there is room for mares from those lines. On the Flat, Adlerflug has also done well with mares by Monsun, Areion, Toylson and by Mount Nelson, while from his few jumps runners he has had winners from mares by Arctic Tern, Protektor and Platini.

There are 111 foals in In Swoop’s first crop and they averaged €11,119 at the sales. The most expensive of them was a colt out of the unraced Milan mare Castlevennon, from the family of Ballyadam. He was sold by Daniel Doran to Sid Bloodstock for €28,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale.

In Swoop’s second crop contains 116 foals and at the sales they averaged €9,700 with the top price of €30,000 for The Beeches Stud’s colt out of Regal Girl, a Yeats halfsister to Binocular, who was bought by Richard Rohan at Goffs December National Hunt Sale.

JEU ST ELOI

Saint Des Saints – Ottolina (Saint Cyrian) Glenview Stud Private

Year to stud: 2016 (relocated to Ireland for 2024) Rathbarry and Glenview Studs purchased the exciting French stallion Jeu St Eloi for stud duties in 2024 and he looks to have a very bright future ahead of him.

The son of Saints Des Saints moved from

Haras de Cercy to stand alongside Blue Bresil, Eagles By Day and Old Persian, in a deal brokered by Paul Harley and Nicolas Bertran de Balanda of NBB Racing.

Jeu St Eloi first came to prominence in Ireland in January 2023 when the Willie Mullins-trained It’s For Me won a Navan bumper by 10l and was installed as favourite for the Grade 1 Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival.

Another of his sons, D Art D Art, won a bumper for Tom Cooper less than a week later at Gowran Park.

Paul Nicholls also saddled Inthewaterside to win two bumpers and the gelding is now a five-time winner with his most recent success in a novices handicap chase at Newbury last December.

Nicholls also handles the sire’s highestrated performer Blueking d’Oroux (148) who has won four times. The first of those wins was a conditions hurdle at Fontainebleau on his racecourse debut at three for Armand Chaille-Chaille. On his first start for Nicholls the following April he also made a winning debut in a competitive handicap hurdle but it wasn’t until October of that year when his true ability became clear when he landed a valuable Cheltenham hurdle and followed that up next time out winning the Grade 2 Ascot Hurdle.

Jeu St Eloi’s leading money earner is the Willie Mullins-trained Kargese. She ran three times in France for D Sourdeau winning twice, including the Grade 3 Prix Sagan hurdle at Auteil and was runner-up in the Listed Prix Girofla at the same course.

In her subsequent six runs for Mullins she has never been out of the first two and is a dual Grade 1 winner of the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown and the Champion Four Year Old Hurdle at Punchestown. She was also second in both the Triumph Hurdle and Aintree’s 4-y-o Juvenile Hurdle, both Grade 1s, and enjoyed Festival success this season in the County Hurdle (G3).

Jeu St Eloi is sire of 16 individual NH black-type performers. He is a half-brother to dual Auteil Grade 1 Chase winner Oculi and is from the immediate family of leading French sire Balko. His progeny realised up to €300,000 in 2024.

Jeu St Eloi’s store horses averaged €63,667 in 2023, and although that statistic

dropped last year to €45,157, it is still a highly respectable return.

Upon transferring from France to Rathbarry Paul Cashman said at that time: “He has had great success in his brief career to date and he offers NH breeders a complete outcross to existing bloodlines.”

KENWAY

Galiway – Kendam (Kendargent) Coolagown Stud

€3,000

Year to stud: 2024

Kenway is a complete Haras de CollevilleGuy Pariente homebred – the stallion by the breeder’s super sire Galiway, whom Pariente has produced so well mimicking his development of Kendargent, who retired to Colleville in 2010 when he stood at a fee of just €1,000. He has scaled the heights as a sire and dam sire, and is in fact the sire of Kenway’s own dam Kendam.

Galiway, sire of the Group 1 winners Sealiway and Sunway on the Flat, has bred the multiple Grade 1 jumps winners Gala Marceau and Vauban, as well as three Listed winners over hurdles in France. He now

stands at a fee of €30,000 having started out at €3,000.

Kenway was trained by Philip Decouz and ran 38 times for six wins. He ran seven times as a juvenile gathering Listed and Group 3 success over 7f, and ran over the same trip and over a mile at three for a couple of Group 3 placings but no win until the autumn when he won on the All-Weather at Deauville in October over 1m1f. He then rounded the year off with victory at Listed level on the same track over 7f.

His Listed success at four came in April and he collected four more stakes placed results, including at Group 3 level over 1m2f.

He went onto run another ten times between February 2022 and March 2023, but failed to make much of an impression.

He was a sound and consistent racehorse who acted on good and good to soft going.

Last year Kenway was sent 71 mares.

KHALIFA SAT

Free Eagle – Thermopylae (Tenby) Lacken Stud

€2,000

Year to stud: 2022

Runner-up to Serpentine in the 2020 Derby, Khalifa Sat comes from a high-class staying family.

The son of Free Eagle is a threeparts brother to Unsung Heroine (High Chaparral), who won the Give Thanks Stakes (G3) and was second in the St Leger. He is also a half-brother to Ghostmilk (Golan), who was Listed-placed in Australia.They are out of Thermopylae, a Tenby full-sister to the Listed Singapore Gold Cup winner Carry The Flag and a half-sister to the Gran Premio di Milano (G1), the Hardwicke Stakes (G2), the Princess of Wales’s and John Porter Stakes (G3) winner Posidonas.

Thermopylae is also a half-sister to Nomothetis, the dam of Italian 2,000 Guineas winner Spirit Of Desert and second dam of the Minstrel Stakes and the Somerville Tattersalls Stakes winner Larchmont Lad.

Khalifa Sat’s second dam Tamassos is a half-sister to the Juddmonte International winner and Coronation Cup second Ile De Chypre and to the classy hurdler Halkopous, who won the Fighting Fifth, the Bula Hurdle

Jeu St Eloi: been well received in Ireland – he saw 200 mares last spring, including 40 with black-type

Kargesse (Jeu St Eloi) winning at the Festival

and the West Yorkshire Hurdle for Venetia Williams.

Khalifa Sat was bred by Declan Phelan and the Irish National Stud and sold for €20,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale. As a yearling he made €40,000 at Goffs Orby to Andrew Balding, who trained him for Ahmad Al Shaikh.

Khalifa Sat ran twice at two winning his maiden over 1m2f at Goodwood on his second start. At three he came out and won the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes on his seasonal reappearance before his Epsom second spot.

Khalifa Sat had one more run when behind Mogul in the Group 3 Gordon Stakes.

He is inbred 4S x 5S x 5D x 4D to Northern Dancer through Sadler’s Wells, Danzig, Nijinsky and the aforementioned Dance In Time and also has Mill Reef 6S x 5D.

He has 29 foals in his first crop and they averaged €4,500 at the sales. The highest price was achieved at the Goffs November Foal Sale where Pipe View Stud sold a colt out of the Daylami mare My Silver Bullet for €8,500 to Khalifa Sat’s racing owner Ahmad Al Shaikh.

A member of his second crop is the most expensive foal by Khalifa Sat; Lacken Stud sold a colt out of April’s Moon who is a winning half-sister to Black Up for €15,000 to Mossy Fen Stables at the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale.

MAC SWINEY

New Approach – Halla Na Saoire (Teofilo) Anngrove Stud

Private Year to stud: 2024

Mac Swiney’s early stud career has already been one of transition – the son of New Approach was initially retired to stand at the Irish National Stud, but just weeks later it was announced that he was on the move to Alistair Pim’s Anngrove Stud with his fee swapped to private from €8,000.

Mac Swiney also nearly had the unique distinction career of becoming the first Classic winner subsequently sold at a UK or Irish online auction when offered by Goffs in January 2023, but he was bought back then by his trainer Jim Bolger.

Bolger citing then he wanted the horse

to stay in Ireland as he had a dozen mares he would like to send to him, and in this early second phase of Mac Swiney’s career the trainer has continued to say that he will support the stallion.

And Mac Swiney is Bolger-bred through and through – he produced dam Halla Na Saoire, her sire Teofilo and Halla Na Saoire’s own dam Siamsa. New Approach himself was trained by the master of Glebe House racking up an unbeaten juvenile career record winning two Group 1s and then the Epsom Derby at three.

Mac Swiney raced six times at two years and improved on his debut fifth placing to record his first win in a Curragh maiden in July over 7f.

Pitched into stakes company next time out he gradually weakened in Leopardstown’s Group 3 Tyros Stakes in a strong field that included Group 1 winners Van Gogh and State Of Rest. He reappeared that same month winning the Group 2 Futurity Stakes over 7f at The Curragh in August staying on strongly at the finish and exacting revenge on the unplaced Van Gogh.

His final two juvenile starts were both Group 1 races – the first of those was the National Stakes at The Curragh won by Thunder Moon with Mac Swiney hampered a furlong out and finished down the field.

The second was a victorious one when, sent to Doncaster for the Futurity Stakes over a mile, he kept on well beating Godolphin’s One Ruler with Baradar further back in third.

At three, Mac Swiney raced eight times, six times at Group 1 level, but he kicked off his season in Leopardstown’s Group 3 Derby trial finishing fourth to subsequent Epsom Derby favourite Bolshoi Ballet (Galileo).

Despite staying on over the 1m2f his trainer decided to drop him back to a mile for his next start in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. He was rewarded handsomely with Mac Swiney made all and held off the fellow Bolger-bred and trained Poetic Flare, winner of the English equivalent and subsequent St James’s Palace Stakes (G1), the pair clear of Irish National Stud’s sire Lucky Vega who was 3l back in third.

Mac Swiney was then sent to Epsom for the Derby and ran a creditable race finishing fourth to Adayar before a sixth place behind

Hurricane Lane in the Irish version.

His next two starts saw him unplaced in both the International at York and the Boomerang Mile, but he returned in good style on British Champions Day when third to Sealiway with Mishriff, Adayar, Addeybb and Al Aasy behind in the Champion Stakes (G1).

Mac Swiney raced three times as a fouryear-old and his best placing was fourth to Aikhal in the Group 3 International Stakes at The Curragh over 1m2f. He retired the winner of four races and £624,697.

Mac Swiney’s unraced dam Halla Na Saoire has produced one other winner –named Slaney Street who was trained by Bolger to win two races at two and three years.

Her dam Siamsa (Quest For Fame) also won two races for Glebe House and the best of her three winners was Light Heavy (Teofilo), who won three races at three years, including the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial (G2), the 1m2f Ballysax Stakes (G3) and he was also third in the Irish Derby (G1).

Siamsa’s Montjeu daughter Halla Siamsa is dam of five winners the best of whom was the Bolger-trained Parish Hall (Teofilo), joint-third top rated two-year-old colt in Europe in 2011, winner of £428,631 and six races, including the Dewhurst Stakes (G1).

Mac Swiney is in-bred to Galileo who is his grand-sire (as the sire of New Approach) and great grand-sire via Teofilo, the sire of Halla Na Saoire. This rules out such options for breeders.

However, there is no Danehill, Danzig, Green Desert, Kingmambo, Mr. Propsector or Pivotal in the bloodline, which opens up alternative plans for NH breeders with any mares from those lines.

Mac Swiney received 48 mares in his first season at stud.

MANATEE

Monsun – Galatee (Galileo)

Whytemount Stud

€2,000

Year to stud: 2022 (transferred to Ireland) Relocated to Ireland in 2022, Manatee’s oldest crop are seven-year-olds of this year from his time previously spent in France and his first Irish foals are two-year-olds.

The Group 2 Prix de Conseil du Paris and Grand Prix de Chantilly winner is one of three black-type winners so far out of Galatee, a member of Galileo’s first crop and winner of the Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes.

She has also foaled the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes winner and King George third Dartmouth, who stands at Shade Oak Stud, and the Listed-winning Dubai Destination filly Gaterie. Galatee is a halfsister to the dam of Australian Group 2 winner Aylmerton.

Bred by Darley, Manatee hails from a wonderful Wildenstein family. His second dam Altana is a half-sister to the champion Arcangues and to the Group 3 winner Agathe, who is the dam of champion Aquarelliste and Group 1 winner and sire Artiste Royal, and the second dam of 1,000 Guineas winner Cape Verdi.

Altana is also a half-sister to the dams of Group 1 winner Angara and Group winners Actrice, Breton Rock and Forgotten Voice, who won the Dovecote Hurdle and is a halfbrother Luxembourg.

Manatee won four of his 13 races over three seasons and was placed in a further six contests, including the Group 2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier. He was also fourth in consecutive runnings of the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud for André Fabre.

He retired to Haras du Hoguenet where he stood for five seasons prior to his acquisition by Ronnie O’Neill.

Manatee covered relatively large books of mares in France and to date has had 117 starters with 38 winners of 59 races. His best performers to date are Juste Milieu, runnerup in the Listed Prix Antoine de Palaminy for Guillaume Macaire at Pau and Jaminska third to Queen’s Gamble in the Listed Byerley Stud Mares’ Hurdle at Taunton Manatee is the best of the three runners by Monsun out of Galileo mares and his pedigree is free of inbreeding in the first five generations.

His stores averaged €40,924 in 2023 with the most expensive a €62,000 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale purchase for Suirview Stables from Glen Stables. French-bred Kaiser De Chanay is a half-brother to Auteuil Listed winner Gelboe De Chanay and the Grade 2 third Eragon de Chanay.His store sale average dropped to €19,333 last year.

Manatee has 45 two-year-olds in his first Irish-bred crop and they averaged €8,900 at the sales and he has 33 yearlings registered with Weatherbys, with an average foal sale price of €4,750.

MEKHTAAL

Sea The Stars – Aiglonne (Silver Hawk) Knockmullen Stud

€2,000

Year to stud: 2019 (transferred to Ireland from France in 2023)

Having started his stud career under his owner’s banner at Haras de Bouquetot, the Group 1 winner Mekhtaal is in his third season at stud in Ireland at Knockmullen House Stud.

A €300,000 Arqana August yearling sold by joint-breeder Haras du Mezeray to Mandore International, the son of Sea The Stars has both the pedigree and race record to succeed and is an attractively-priced addition to Ireland’s young NH sires rank. Mekhtaal made a successful debut for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget when winning an early season 1m2f maiden at Saint-Cloud

in March as a three-year-old.

Returned to the track a month later he placed second to Lascar in a Maisons-Laffitte conditions race over the same distance before heading to Deauville in May where he comfortably won the Prix Hocquart (G2), making all to land the 1m2f contest.

That run was good enough for him to take his place in the Jockey-Club but he was never put into the race and finished midfield behind champion Almanzor.

Kept busy by his trainer he contested another Group 1 in July when fourth to Helene Charisma in the Grand Prix de Paris having met trouble in running. He was to have one further run at three when second to Sky Kingdom in the Prix du Prince d’Orange (G3) back at Maisons-Laffitte.

Kept in training at four he kicked off his campaign with a fine second placing to Cloth Of Stars in the Group 2 Prix Harcourt prior to his career highlight next time out – dropping back to 1m1f he won the Prix d’Ispahan (G1) with sire-sensation Zarak down the field.

He failed to win through the remainder of the season but was transferred to the US

Manatee: stands at Whytemount Stud formerly in France and his first Irish crop are two-year-olds

young ire nh stallions

and trainer Graham Motion for two runs as a five-year-old, finishing runner-up on both occasions, in the Grade 2 Nijinsky Stakes at Woodbine then just missing out to Johnny Bear in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Stakes at the same track.

Mekhtaal is out of the 1997-born Silver Hawk mare Aiglonne. She won four races between 1m2f and 1m4f, including the Prix Fille De L’Air (G3), the Listed Prix Panacee and was also third in the Group 3 Orchid Handicap.

She is dam of 11 winners; in addition to Mekhtaal, her other black-type horses include the dual Group 3 winner Aigue Marine (Galileo), Normandy Bridge (Le Havre), winner of the Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon, Prix Hocquart (G2) winner Democrat (Dalakhani) and Apophis (Rainbow Quest), who was third at Listed level.

Mekhtaal is from the immediate family of White Muzzle, Fair Question and Elfaslah.

MIRAGE DANCER

Frankel – Heat Haze (Green Desert)

Capital Stud

€3,500

Year to stud: 2022

Mirage Dancer hails from the amazing Juddmonte family of Hasili being out of her daughter, the dual US Grade 1 winner Heat Haze (Green Desert), a close sister to two-time Grade 1 winner Intercontinental, Cacique, also a dual Grade 1 winner, Champs Elysees, a three-time Grade 1 winner, who was developing into a NH sire until his untimely death, as well as the champion Banks Hill, the leading sire Dansili and the Grade 3 winner Delux.

Mirage Dancer ran 40 times and was with Sir Michael Stoute in Europe for whom he won on his sole start as a juvenile. At three, he collected placed results in the 1m2f Hampton Court Stakes (G3) and the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes.

In the May of his four-year-old season, he won at Listed level over 1m4f at Goodwood before a good second to Best Solution in the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes (G2) and then won the 1m4f Group 3 Glorious Stakes from Red Verdon.

As a five-year-old in 2019 he continued to run to placed efforts in Group company before the decision was made to send him Down Under for a Melbourne Cup tilt.

He kicked off with a third placing in the 1m4f Group 1 Caulfield Cup before finishing mid-division in the big Group 1 in November.

He remained in Australia, put in some good placed efforts over middledistance trips before gaining victory in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) in October 2020. In ran in 14 further Group and stakes races until his last start in October 2021.

His first crop of 88 achieved an average of €13,413 with the most expensive a filly out of Bonbonniere, a Martaline half-sister to Irish Grand National winner Burrows Saint. She was bought by Kevin Ross from Mountain View Stud at Tattersalls Ireland.

His second crop of 110 foals averaged €14,684 at the sales headed by Ashwood Stud’s colt out of Pat’s Oscar, who changed hands for €44,000 at the Goffs December National Hunt Sale.

MOJO STAR

Sea The Stars – Galley (Zamindar) Whytemount Stud

€3,000

Year to stud: 2024

A member of the burgeoning Amo Racing stallion collection Mojo Star, a son of Sea The Stars from Juddmonte’s family of Rail Link, is in his second season at Whytemount Stud.

Mojo Star raced nine times across four seasons winning one race and finishing second five times.

The Richard Hannon-trained colt made one start at two years in an October Newbury

Mirage Dancer: the son of Frankel had a second crop of 110, which averaged €14,684 at the sales

maiden over a mile, losing out by just a nose at the line.

Back at Newbury in May he once again took second this time this time over 1m2f behind Manobar.

It was a slight surprise to see him line up for the Epsom Derby next time when he was sent off at 50/1, but the Amo Racing-owned colt raised his game to a whole new level beating all bar Adayar at the line.

Held up in rear, he made good headway 3f out, went second over a furlong from home and stayed on in the final 100yds to finish 4l behind Adayar and with Hurricane Lane 3l back in third, and that was despite being struck into through the race.

Sent to The Curragh for the Irish Derby he finished fifth behind Hurricane Lane, never landing a blow.

Mojo Star broke his maiden next time out when, back at favoured Newbury in August, he was a comfortable winner over 1m4f.

Connections still believed they had a Classic horse and Mojo Star was allowed to take his chance in the St Leger. Once again he ran with immense credit, staying on all the way to the line to be beaten just 2l by old

adversary Hurricane Lane.

His last start in 2021 came in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe when tenth.

Mojo Star was kept in training at four and made just one start. And what a race it was –in a thrilling finish to the Ascot Gold Cup he narrowly lost out to Kyprios with perennial champion Stradivarius in third.

Mojo Star is out of the Zamindar mare Galley, one of Juddmonte’s lesser-lights on the racecourse and placed three times at three years in France.

She has been, however, far much more successful in the breeding shed producing four winners.

In addition to Mojo Star, her other blacktype horses are Cape Magic (Cape Cross) winner of a Listed race in Italy and Portage (Teofilo) who took a Listed race at The Curragh.

Her second dam Dockage bred 11 winners from 13 runners, including the July Stakes (G3) scorer Wharf, the Listed winner Mooring, and Docklands, who won five races in France. She is better known as the dam of French champion three-year-old and Arc winner Rail Link.Mojo Star covered 72 mares in 2024.

OLD PERSIAN

Dubawi – Indian Petal (Singspiel)

Glenview Stud

Private

Year to stud: 2021

Old Persian is a Group 1-winning son of Dubawi from one of the greatest families to have raced over the past 40 years.

Old Persian’s dam-sire is Singspiel, a Group 1-winning son of In The Wings who is no stranger to NH breeders and those interested in producing top-class middledistance horses and stayers on the Flat.

In The Wings himself sired triple Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle hero Inglis Drever, while his son Winged Love produced the dual Tingle Creek winner Twist Magic. Singspiel is the sire of Irving, who won two renewals of the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle, and the Grade 2 winners Junior and Prima Vista.

The In The Wings’ sire line has excelled in Germany where his son Soldier Hollow, sire of Grade 1-winning hurdlers Arctic Fire and Saldier, is the outstanding stallion.

His dominance was challenged by another son of In The Wings in the late Adlerflug, who was German champion sire

Mojo Star: the son of Sea The Stars enjoying a well-deserved drink of water after his fine performance when second to Kyprios in the Ascot Gold Cup

Kevin Ross Bloodstock paid €60,000 for a Persian Force half-brother to the Grade 1 Supreme Novices Hurdle winner Slade Steel

in 2020 with his son In Swoop claiming the Deutsches Derby and running Sottsass very close in the Arc. Torquator Tasso, who was second to In Swoop in the Deutsches Derby went on to win the 2021 Arc for Alderflug.

Old Persian’s female family traces to Pasadoble, his fourth dam who was a Listed winner in France but excelled as a broodmare, foaling the champion racemare and broodmare Miesque to Nureyev.

At stud, Miesque produced the Group 1 winner and top-class sire Kingmambo, the triple Group 1 winner East Of The Moon.

Miesque is also the second dam of the Group 1 Prix du Jockey-Club winner and young sire Study Of Man (Deep Impact).

Old Persian is a Darley homebred who was third on debut at two and won his next two starts, both over mile, that season.

At three he progressed from victory in a 1m2f handicap at Newmarket to winning the Listed Fairway Stakes over course and distance before emulating his relative Permian with victory in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.

He added the Group 2 Great Voltiguer Stakes in which he defeated Group 1 winners Kew Gardens and Cross Counter before finishing fifth in the St Leger itself.

Shipped to Dubai he began his four-yearold season with success in the Group 2 Dubai City Of Gold Stakes before making the breakthrough at Group 1 level in the Dubai Sheema Classic over the Japanese-trained Cheval Grand and Suave Richard with Hunting Horn and Magic Wand in fourth and fifth.

He was then a narrow third in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin behind French King before Canadian success in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes over 1m4f. He made two starts at five in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint Cloud won by Way To Paris and the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes (G2).

Old Persian has 111 reported foals in his first crop and 97 in his second. He saw 117 mares last year.

His foals averaged €9,625 in 2022 with a top price at the Tattersalls November NH Sale of €47,000 given by Gerry Hogan Bloodstock for a colt sold by Ballincurrig House Stud out of a Westerner half-sister to The Big Bite and from the family of Cooldine. Persian Force’s average crept up to €10,071 in 2023 and, again, the best price was at Tattersalls Ireland.

Kevin Ross Bloodstock paid €60,000 for a Persian Force half-brother to Grade 1 Supreme Novices Hurdle winner Slade Steel, the colt consigned by Ballincurrig House Stud.

The foal sale average for his third crop was the lowest of the three, coming in at €7,750 and his first crop are stores this year.

ORDER OF ST GEORGE

Galileo – Another Storm (Gone West)

Castle Hyde Stud

€6,500

Year to stud: 2019

The first crop of the Ascot Gold Cup winner set sales rings ablaze from the start and that was repeated when Mighty Bandit, who won a juvenile hurdle at Punchestown to become his sire’s first winner over hurdles, made €420,000 at the Caldwell Construction Dispersal at Tattersalls Ireland last year.

Tessa Greatrex of Highflyer was buying on

behalf of owners Jim and Claire Bryce, and then, for the same connections, purchased the point-to-point winner Buckna for £350,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale reporting then (in a rainy winners’ enclosure at Cheltenham) that she liked what she was seeing of the stallion’s stock.

The stallion has had three more point-topointers sell for six figures sums, of which one Future Prospect is now a winner of a bumper for Bronsan Racing.

The most expensive of Order Of St George’s foals to sell so far has been Ballyreddin Stud’s half-brother to Listed bumper winner Tetlami, who made €90,000 to Mags O’Toole on behalf of Aiden Murphy at the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale 2020.

That colt was one of four by the sire to sell for more than €50,000 at the 2020 Tattersalls Ireland NH Foal Sale.

At the Tattersalls Ireland NH November Sale in 2021, his top price of €58,000 was given by Alan Harte Bloodstock for Ballyreddin Stud’s half-brother to Labaik.

The price was matched by Glenvale Stud, which bought the half-brother to Mister Blue Sky, while Henrietta Knight went to €52,000 for Limekiln Stud’s colt from the cracking family of Offshore Account, The Listener, Yorkhill and Gallant Oscar.

At Goffs December NH Sale in 2022, Cottage Bloodstock spent €58,000 on a colt out of the Astarabad mare Asta Belle at the Goffs December NH Sale.

Order Of St George’s foals averaged €15,825 in 2022 which dipped to €14,194 while his three-year-olds averaged €29,599 at the 2023 store sales.

The top price of €90,000 matched that of his most expensive foal and was recorded at the Goffs Arkle Sale. Highflyer Bloodstock, on behalf of Nicky Henderson, bought the half-brother to Listed Prix Violin Handicap Chase winner Motu Fareone offered by Arglo House Stud.

His second crop boasted an improved store sale average on the back of his first four-year-old point-to-point winners. At the store sales, Order Of St George’s progeny sold for an average of €32,680 headed by the €110,000 purchase of the gelding out of Crafted Mystery by Aiden and Olly Murphy

Order Of St George’s sale statistics

at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.

As well as large numbers of mares covered – in 2020 Order of St George had 167 foals born, 137 in 2021, 200 in 2022, 169 in 2023, 135 last year and was the busiest sire in Europe in 202 – the sire has attracted highclass mares in his early seasons at stud.

As a racehorse, Order Of St George was from the top drawer – his second victory in the Irish St Leger was hailed on these pages as one of the greatest staying

performances of modern times.

That was the third of his three Group 1 victories having won his first Irish St Leger by 11l and the Ascot Gold Cup by 3l.

Despite having the stamina to win and finish second in the 2m4f Ascot Gold Cup, he also had speed and played his part in the unprecedented clean sweep of the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for his sire Galileo and trainer Aidan O’Brien, finishing third to Found and Highland Reel who were both

Skerry Hill (Lot 9) at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale.

The gelding is by Order Of St George and won on his four-year-old debut at Farmacaffley for young trainer Cormac Abernethy and owner Wilson Dennison. Mouse O’Ryan and Gordon Elliot were the successful purchasers at £205,000

Group winners over shorter trips.

He was also fourth to Enable the following year, ahead of the Group 1 winners including Brametot, Iquitos, Winter, Zarak, Seventh Heaven and Capri.

Order Of St George was a tough and sound horse who demonstrated remarkable consistency to only once finish outside the first four in 25 starts over four seasons.

His record reads 13 wins of which 11 came in stakes races, six seconds and a third.

young

His pedigree marks him out as something special, coming from an excellent female line.

He is one of six foals out of Another Storm to earn black-type – the others include the Grade 3 winner Angel Terrace, Asperity, the winner of the Group 3 Prix Paul Moussac, and the Listed winner Sehoy.

Another Storm is daughter of Gone West and Storm Song, the US champion two-yearold filly of 1996.

POET’S WORD

Poet’s Voice – Whirly Bird (Nashwan)

Boardsmill Stud

Private

Year to stud: 2019 (2020 to Boardsmill) Poet’s Word began his stallion career at Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud in Norfolk before his switch to the Flood family’s Boardsmill Stud in 2020 after just one season as a Flat stallion. The change from Flat to NH made a marked difference to his book size, indicative of the disappointing shift away from high class middle-distance horses on the Flat.

His first crop foals are now five-year-olds and there are only 20 of them registered, but 13 of them have raced and nine have won, which is a very healthy strike rate.

His first Irish-born crop of Boardsmill foals numbers 196 and he got another 174 in 2022 and has 221 two-year-olds on the ground. His yearling this year number 192.

He also has the major attraction of being entirely free of Sadler’s Wells blood, making him an attractive proposition, especially as he is inbred 5x3 to the great Shirley Heights.

Poet’s Word also offers a different sireline, he is a grandson of the brilliant Dubawi, who has worked to great effect with Galileo mares to produce top class racehorses, including the exciting stallion Night Of Thunder.

With all of these pedigree pointers, without even looking at his own female family and his race record, it’s easy to see why he attracted such large books of NH mares in Ireland.

That female family is top notch – he is out of the Nashwan mare Whirly Bird, who was third in the Listed Harvest Stakes and is also the dam of Malabar by Raven’s Pass, who won the Prestige Stakes and the Thoroughbred Stakes, both Group 3 contests

at Goodwood, and was fourth in three Group 1 races, including the 1,000 Guineas.

She is also the second dam of Beckford, who won the Group 2 Railway Stakes at two and was second in the both the Phoenix Stakes (G1) and National Stakes (G1).

Whirly Bird is a half-sister to Ursa Major (Galileo), a Group 3 winner who was also fourth in the St Leger. Her Sadler’s Wells half-sister Inchiri won the Listed Galtres Stakes and is the dam of South African Group 3 winner Hawk’s Eye. Inchberry, a Barathea half-sister to Whirly Bird, was fourth in the Oaks and is the dam of Australian Group 3 winner Divine Unicorn.

Second dam Inchyre is a half-sister to Inchinor, who was putting together a good stud career prior to his early death.

Inchyre is also a half-sister to the Listed winners Incheni and Ingozi, the latter is the dam of Grade 1 E P Taylor Stakes winner Miss Keller and the second dam of Harbour Law.

Ingozi’s daughter Oshiponga is the dam of the Group 2 and 3 winners Hatta Fort, Spirit Of Appin and Blue Bayou and the second dam of Group 3 winners War Story and Agent Murphy, who was also second in the Group 1 Irish St Leger.

Poet’s Word is a son of Poet’s Voice, who was a classy miler and won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over that trip at three. He also won the Group 2 Champagne Stakes at two and the Celebration Mile, also a Group 2, as a three-year-old.

At four, he was second in the 1m2f Group 2 Jebel Hatta and third in the Joel Stakes. He died at the age of 11 and Poet’s Word is the best of his runners.

Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Poet’s Word had a profile typical of his trainer’s classy middle-distance horses.

Bought for €300,000 as a yearling, he ran once at two and moved up through the ranks at three. He ran five times during his threeyear-old season, winning a 1m2f maiden and an 1m3f handicap as well as recording a second place finish in a 1m2f 0-105 handicap at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting, which earned him a rating of 104.

At four, he began with victory in another handicap before his first try at stakes level resulted in second to Deauville in the Group 3 Huxley Stakes.

Stepped up to 1m4f for the Group 3 Glorious Stakes, he made the breakthrough to win comfortably before an impressive brace of second places in his first two runs in Group 1 company behind Decorated Knight in the Irish Champion Stakes and Cracksman in the Champion.

He fulfilled that promise as a five-year-old becoming one of the best middle-distance performers turning tables on the Cracksman in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and

defeating Crystal Ocean to win the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Poet’s Word also took second in the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic and he ended his career with second in York’s Group 1 International Stakes.

His first foals were well received and averaged €19,201 in 2021, which remained just about the same for 2022 at €19,401.

That dropped to €15,604 for his third crop with his fourth crop averaging €14,612.

Poet’s Word was popular at the store sales in 2024 with an average price of €31,359.

He was the sire of two six-figure lots at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.

Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls purchased the most expensive store by Poet’s Word, Galbertstown Stables’ gelding out of Lady Knightess for €120,000 while Milestone Bloodstock went to €100,000 for the gelding out of Dinaria Des Obeaux, consigned by Ballyreddin and Busherstown.

At the Goffs Arkle Sale Ballycrystal Stables and Monbeg teamed up to buy Boardsmill Stud’s half-brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Benefficient for €75,000.

Denis Murphy of Ballyboy Stables had the distinction of training the first four-yearold maiden runner, and winner, by Poet’s Word when Taurus Bay made a successful debut at Comea in February and he was bought for £155,000 by Ben Pauling at the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale. Sapphos Word became the sire’s second debut four-year-old winner at Lingstown in March.

PYLEDRIVER

Harbour Watch – La Pyle (Le Havre)

Beeches Stud

€3,500

Year to stud: 2024

An interesting pedigree proposition, Pyledriver was a winner at two who went on to score a Group 1 double in the Coronation Cup and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Pyledriver ran 20 times for trainer Willie Muir and, after his winning debut as a twoyear-old in July over 7f at Salisbury, ran in Pattern races in every single subsequent race of his career.

Muir is quoted as saying; “Pyledriver is the best horse I’ve ever had anything to do with and gave us so many fantastic days. From day one he never let us down; brilliant temperament, went on any ground, clean winded and super sound.”

The Harbour Watch horse’s race record bears testament to that.

A down-the-field run as a juvenile in August in the Listed Denford Stakes was followed with success in Haydock’s Ascendant Stakes (L) over a mile with fellow new NH sire of 2024 Subjectivist back in fourth place.

On his final start at two he was again unplaced in the Group 2 Royal Lodge with Muir stating that the colt had lost some of its strength having grown throughout the summer.

Pyledriver kicked off his three-year-old

Pyledriver beating Al Aasy to win the Coronation Cup at Epsom, the first of the stallion’s two Group 1 victories

young

season filling the runner-up position in Kempton’s Classic Trial before winning the first of his Group races when taking the King Edward VII Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot. That was followed by an unplaced effort behind Serpentine in one of the most bizarre Derbys ever witnessed. He put that defeat behind him winning the traditional St Leger trial the Great Voltigeur at York (G2) prior to finishing third to Galileo Chrome in the Classic itself.

Kept in training at four Pyledriver ran four times in 2021 winning twice and placed second in the other two starts.

The first of those successes was in Epsom’s Group 1 Coronation Cup in which he beat a strong field which included Al Aasy, and the Galileo full-brothers Japan and Mogul and followed that success in November that year dropping back to 1m2f to win the Listed Churchill Stakes at Lingfield.

That victory put him cherry-ripe for his next race in December at Sha Tin’s Group 1 Hong Kong Vase when he finished a brave second, only losing out to Glory Vase in the last 100 yards and picking up £415,486 for his effort in the process.

Pyledriver remained in training at five and once again raced four times that season. He progressed with each race starting off with an unplaced effort in the Neom Cup at Riyadh, was fourth to Shahryar in the Group 1 Sheema Classic at Meydan before a fine second to Hukum in the Coronation Cup (G1) prior to his second Group 1 victory beating Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Torquator Tasso at Ascot in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Pyledriver did not race again that season but returned the following year in 2023 winning the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot before a fifth-placed effort behind Hukum on his final start in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1).

Pyledriver achieved an official rating of 124. His deceased sire Harbour Watch had one additional Group 1 winner in Waikuku who won three times at Sha Tin at the highest level including victories over Golden Sixty and Beauty Generation.

Pyledriver’s dam is the 2011 Le Havre mare La Pyle, twice a winner over 1m2f and 1m3f in France. She is herself dam of four

winners with Pyledriver her sole black-type horse to date.

In his first season at stud, Pyledriver covered 112 mares.

RICH HISTORY

Dubawi – Polished Gem (Danehill)

Kedrah House Stud

On Application

Year to stud: 2022

It did not really happen for Rich History on the racecourse – in five starts in Ireland for owner-breeder Moyglare Stud he failed to finish better than sixth place.

Transferred to Qatar and ownership of owner Hamad Ahmed Hassan Al Malki Al Jehani, he won twice over 1m1f and 1m2f and picked up a handful of placed efforts.

Rich History is a son of Dubawi and gained a place at stud due to his wonderful pedigree, long nurtured by Moyglare. His dam Polished Gem won at two and she has gone on to produce seven black-type winners, headed by Search For A Song (Galileo), a joint champion European threeyear-old of 2019 and three-year-old stayer in Ireland, the accolades given after her two Irish St Leger victories.

Her closely related brother is Free Eagle, a joint-champion older horse in Ireland Europe and winner of the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (G1). He started out as a Flat sire at the Irish National Stud, his best runner the Epsom Derby third-placed Khalifa Sat, who is out of a mare by Tenby. He is now getting some jumpers and Coltar out of a Red Ransom mare, and See The Eagle Fly, out of a Verglas mare, are heading that division to date. He is now at Anngrove Stud.

Polished Gem is also dam of the multiple Group 2 winner Custom Cut, top-rated older mile in Ireland for 2015, Sapphire, winner of the British Champions Fillies/Mare Stakes (G2) and dam of the Group 2-placed Kiss For A Jewel (Kingman).

Falcon Eight, her 2015 gelding by Galileo, was a Listed winner and Group 3 Loughbrown Stakes placed and has won over hurdles.

Polished Gem is out of the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Trusted Partner, the dam of Dress To Thrill, winner of the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes, and of Archive

Footage (Sadler’s Wells), who won three times over hurdles, including a Grade 1 at Leopardstown. She is also dam of three further hurdle winners and the dam of Indian Pace, who won the Galway Hurdle (G1).

Rich History’s third dam is the US champion Talking Picture, dam of Easy To Copy (Affirmed), a champion older stayer in Ireland in 1985.

It is also the further family of Unaccompanied, winner of the December Hurdle (G1) and the Spring Juvenile Hurdle (G1), Plinth, a Grade 2 winner over hurdles and multiple Grade 1 placed, and Heaven Help Us, runner-up in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle (G1).

The farm offered a Rich History halfbrother to Grade 2 Kelso Novices Hurdle winner Mount Mews at the Tattersalls Ireland February National Hunt Sale in 2024 and he made €14,500 to Martin Cullinane.

SANTIAGO

Authorized – Wadyhatta (Cape Cross)

Castle Hyde Stud

€5,000

Year to stud: 2022

Santiago’s first foals made quite the impression at the sales averaging €17,990 and earning their sire a slight fee increase to €5,000 for 2024, a fee at which he remains for this year.

Top of the foal charts was Kilbarry Lodge Stud’s colt out of Alighting, a Listed-placed Kayf Tara half-sister to the multiple Grade 1 winning chaser Don Poli. He made €65,000 to Charles Shanahan and Glenview Stud at Tattersalls Ireland in November 2023.

Con O’Keeffe also sold the second-most expensive Santiago foal at that sale, a colt out of Kilbarry Lady who is a winning granddaughter of Tropical Lake. Dick Frisby went to €48,000 for the foal.

The stallion’s average dropped slightly with his second crop of foals averaging €13,379.

The Irish Derby winner Santiago ran three times as a juvenile, finishing second in his first two maidens until breaking his duck on September over a mile at Listowel.

In the interrupted Covid year he made his three-year-old debut a winning one in Royal Ascot’s 1m6f Group 2 Queen’s Vase before

heading to The Curragh for the Irish Classic which he won by a head.

A step up to 2m at Goodwood for the Cup saw him finish a two and a quarter lengths third to Stradivarius before he concluded the year with a fourth place finish in the St Leger.

At four, he collected a fourth placing in April’s Group 3 1m6f Vintage Crop Stakes, a second placing in the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup, was down the field in the Cup at Ascot before rounding things off with a good fourth to Trueshan.

His sire Derby winner Authorized, a son of Montjeu, has become a significant NH

sire, whose leading performers include the dual Aintree Grand National winner Tiger Roll, the Stayers’ Hurdle (G1) winner Nichols Canyon, the talented Goshen and Zamdy Man.

Montjeu is sire of the late Fame And Glory, whose progeny are performing so well, as well as the champion sire Walk In The Park. His best so far is the Grade 1 winner Douvan and his full-brother Jonbon.

Santiago’s Galileo brother won the Group 3 Eyrefield Stakes in 2023 and his Frankel half-sister La Joconde was third in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille and the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks.

Santiago: going to post ahead of his Royal Ascot Queen’s Vase (G2) victory in 2020 when he beat subsequent St Leger (G1) runner-up Berkshire Rocco

His Cape Cross dam Wadyhatta is a halfsister to Motamarris (Le Havre), third in the Prix du Jockey-Club (G1), to the dam of Tantheem (New Approach), winner of the Prix de Cabourg (G3), to the Listed-placed Saraaba (New Approach) and to the dam of Glounthaune (Kodiac), a Group 3 winner of the Killavullan Stakes (G3) in 2021.

Under his third dam is the Prix Jean Prat and Prix Jacques Les Marois (G1) winner Tamayuz, the Group 3 winner Nuqoosh (Machiavellian), the Listed -placed Thamarat and the dam of the Muhaarar’s Group 1 winner Eshaada.

His fourth dam is the Group 3-winning mare Allez Les Trois, dam of Anabaa Blue, and a daughter of Allegretta and a half-sister to Urban Sea.

Santiago has 98 two-year-olds and 117 yearlings. His foal sale average dropped to €13,379 for his second crop.

SILAS MARNER

Muhtathir – Street Kendra (Kendar) Knockmullen House Stud

€1,200

Year to stud: 2017 (transferred to Ireland for 2022)

A son of the leading French-based jumps sire Muhtathir, Silas Marner ran 22 times, won seven races, was placed four times and won just under £200,000.

After two runs as a three-year-old when fourth and then second, he got off the mark on his second run as a four-year-old over a mile on heavy ground at Saint-Cloud. He stepped up next time to Listed level when he finished fourth, getting his first stakes victory two runs later at Craon over a mile and on the very soft.

He backed that up on the All-Weather in December at Deauville, the start of a four-race winning run that culminated in a Group 3 victory as a sixyear-old in the Prix Edmond Blanc at SaintCloud again over a mile and on the soft.

Campaigned then at stakes level, he did

young ire nh stallions

not trouble the judge (but ran well when sixth of 14 in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest) until second back in the Prix Luthier at Deauville and then when winning a conditions race at Chantilly over a mile.

He was certainly a horse for races as his next run saw him placed third back in the Prix Edmond Blanc and then win a Listed race at Longchamp over a mile.

That June he was a third in the Group 3 Prix Bertrand du Breuil, the last time he was competitive.

He was the ninth foal out of his dam Street Kendor and is a half-brother to seven winners to the Listed-placed 1m1f performer Saronis, Sara Baras, the German Listedplaced hurdler Eighth Avenue and a fullbrother to the Listed-placed middle-distance runner Chasse Maree.

His winning dam Street Kendra is a halfsister to the Group 2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier,

the Group 3 Prix de Barbeville and Group 3 Ormonde Stakes winner Stretarez, andto the Group 3 Prix de Lutece winner Street Shaana, who is dam of a two-time French Listed-winning hurdler.

SUCCESS DAYS

Jeremy – Malaica (Roi Gironde)

Kilbarry Lodge Stud

Private

Year to stud: 2020

The 2021 victories of Appreciate It in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Black Tears in the Mares’ Hurdle and Sir Gerhard in the Champion Bumper, as well as Belfast Banter’s win in the Grade 3 County Hurdle, emphasised just how big a role Jeremy could have played in NH breeding had he not died at the young age of 11.

The 2023 Gold Cup third Corach Rambler

added the Grand National to the sire’s list of achievements and he is also the broodmare sire of the champion filly Blue Rose Cen.

Jeremy’s son Success Days could be the one to carry on his sire’s good work from Kilbarry Lodge, where he is currently standing his sixth season.

Success Days was a remarkably tough and sound racehorse who ran 30 times during the course of his six-season career.

He announced himself as a Derby contender with victories in both of Ireland’s most successful trials – the Ballysax Stakes and the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial – both 1m2f Group 3 contests but he finished down the field in the Blue Riband itself. Given a break, he came back to run in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Bayern but ran too keenly. At four he was unlucky to come up against Group 1-winning mares Zhukhova and Found in his first two starts, finishing second

Success Days: has first crop four-year-olds and already has had a point-to-point winner: If You Believe, who won at Lingstown on debut

Sumbal’s foals of racing age: 30

to the former in the Listed Alleged Stakes and the later in the Group 3 Mooresbridge Stakes.

He was third to Fascinating Rock and Found in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and then turned the tables on Fascinating Rock with victory in the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes when the future Melbourne Cup winner Moonlight Magic was third.

He ran six times at five and won the Group 2 York Stakes from Mondialiste and was placed in the Group 3 Alleged Stakes and International Stakes. He travelled to Australia in early 2018 for the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and returned to Ireland where he was second in the Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes and ended the season with a third place in the Listed Trigo Stakes. Kept in training as a seven-year-old, he ran five times and his best result was third to Forest Ranger in the Group 2 Huxley Stakes at Chester.

In total, he won six races during his career, including four stakes races, and finished second or third on 11 further occasions. After his 7f win at two, all of his other victories were at around 1m2f.

Success Days was bred by Robert Ng and Dermot Farrington out of the Roi Gironde mare Malaica and trained by Ken Condon. Malaica was a classy juvenile with podium positions in the Albany Stakes and the Prix Miesque and she is a half-sister to the Group 3 Fort Marcy Stakes winner Olympico. His second dam Carmel is an unraced Highest Honor mare, which is where he gets his grey colouring, and she is a half-sister to Group 1 Prix Ganay winner Execute, who was twice runner-up in that race also. She is also a half-sister to the Group 2 Grand Prix

Sumbal’s first crop runners (to March 10)

d’Evry winner Tot Ou Tard and Ing Ing, who won the Group 3 Prix Quincey. Her unraced half-sister Sissysis is the dam of French Listed-winning hurdler Magneli.

His pedigree includes three lines of Northern Dancer through Danzig, Danseur Fabuleux, who is the dam of Jeremy’s broodmare sire Arazi, and Fairy King, the full-brother to Sadler’s Wells who is the sire of Success Day’s damsire Roi Gironde.

He also has two lines of Sharpen Up, 4 x 5, through Mira Andonde, who is the dam of Danehill Dancer, and Sharpo

Success Days had 38 foals in his first crop, including a filly out of Dona Katharina, who is a winning hurdler and full-sister to the multiple Grade 1 winner Outlander, the Grade 2 winners Western Leader and Ice Cold Soul, the Listed winner Mart Lane and the Grade 2-placed Now McGinty. Now a yearling, she is the most expensive by Success Days selling for €70,000 to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock at the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale.

The stallion’s filly out of Ittasal fetched €52,000 when sold as a yearling at the 2022 Goffs Sportsman’s Sale to KJ Condon and RPG Bloodstock, consigned by Rossenarra Stud. She has been named Sirene Success. At Goffs UK in January 2022, Ian Ferguson bought a Success Days colt out of the Kayf Tara mare Night At Tara for £17,000.

Success Days’ book size doubled for his second season and he has 57 foals in his second crop and breeders continue to be pleased with them – his third crop is by far his largest to date at 95. He has 35 registered yearlings.

His first crop foals averaged €22,357 but

realised €11,430 in 2022. His top-priced foal in 2022 was the colt out of Kilbarry Angel bought for €38,000 by Stroud Coleman at the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale. He was sold by Kilbarry Lodge Stud.

In 2023 his average price was €7,365 with a top price of €23,000 for a half-brother to Robinnia out of Dreams And Songs, a placed daughter of Karello Bay. He was sold by Mountain View Stud to Orchard Stud at Tattersalls Ireland in November.

That foal sale average climbed back to €10,875 last year and his first crop of stores achieved a very healthy average of €25,938 with the aforementioned Kilbarry Angel dam of the best-priced Success Days store at the Derby Sale – a €42,000 gelding bought by Kevin Ross and Ben Case from Churchlands Stud.

SUMBAL

Danehill Dancer – Alix Road (Linamix) Boardsmill Stud Private Year to stud: 2019

Sumbal is by Danehill Dancer and out of a daughter of Linamix – enormous positives for his stud career.

Sumbal was bred by Aleyrion Bloodstock and, as befits a six-figure yearling, he is a handsome looker with an attractive profile.

He was bought by David Redvers at Arqana and was trained initially by FrancisHenri Graffard for Qatar Racing. Unraced at two, he was unbeaten in his first three starts at three, victories that included the Group 2 Prix Greffuhle before finishing fifth to New Bay in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey-Club on his next start. He was also second in the Group 3 Prix du Prince d’Orange that season.

As a four-year-old he was second to Garlingari in the Group 2 Prix d’Harcourt and Group 3 Prix Exbury, both over 1m2f and he ran twice more in France before he was switched to England and the yard of David Simcock. His best result in England was fourth place in the 1m4f Group 3 St Simon Stakes.

He is a half-brother to the Listed Grand Prix du Nord winner Lily Passion and Lavender Lane, who was third in the Group 2 Prix de la Nonette and Group 2 Prix de Malleret.

His dam Alix Road was a three-time winner and was also second in the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris and third in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary.

She is a half-sister to the Listed Prix du Courcelles winner Fils De Viane and to Princesse de Viane, dam of Group 3 Prix de la Nonette winner Viane Rose, who is the dam of two Listed winners in Japan.

Sumbal’s pedigree is an interesting mix and although there is plenty of Northern Dancer in there, he is 5x5 to him and 5x5 to his son Lyphard, he is free from all Sadler’s Wells blood. He is also inbred 4x5 to the influential Caro through Lettre d’Amour, second dam of Danehill Dancer, and Miss Carina the dam of Linamix’s sire Menez.

Sumbal has nine three-year-olds from his first season in France and 20 two-year-olds from his season at Anshoon Stud.

He has nine first crop foals, 21 from his 2020 covering year and 72 born in 2022 with 69 more born in 2023. Sumbal’s yearlings total 60 registered with Weatherbys.

His foal average improved from €6,917 in 2021 to €9,200 in 2022. His top price so

far is €35,000 given by Mulryan Bloodstock at Tattersalls Ireland in 2022 for the Boardsmill Stud-offered filly out of Smart Talk (Hubbly Bubbly).

Also at Fairyhouse, Marys Choice’s colt was bought by Ralahine Stud for €32,000, while at this year’s Tattersalls Ireland February Sale Boardsmill Stud purchased the colt out of the Presenting mare Kenzie.

His foal average was €8,850 in 2023 with a top price of €32,000 at the Goffs December NH Sale – Mouse O’Ryan purchased the colt out of Humble Glory for €32,000.

Sumbal had a store sale average of €12,000 in 2023 with his first Irish-crop returning a store average of €7,750 in 2024.

VADAMOS

Monsun – Celebre Vadala (Peintre Celebre) Coolmore

€4,000

Year to stud: 2017

The transfer of Vadamos from Tally-Ho Stud to Coolmore’s Grange Stud before his second crop ran, raised a few eyebrows among those

who were desperate to see a son of Monsun get the chance to shine as a Flat stallion.

However, the switch made enormous sense – Vadamos is a Group 1-winning miler by Monsun so theoretically should bring speed to some of the more stoutly bred mares amongst the NH broodmare population and he was already covering NH mares so the demand for breeders to use him was there.

Vadamos has a similar profile to Maxios – both horses won the mile Group 1 Prix du Moulin and are sons of Monsun with the influence of Nureyev on their dam’s side.

Vadamos is out of the Peintre Celebre mare Celebre Vadala, while Maxios is out of the Nureyev mare Moonlight’s Box.

The two stallions are impressive physical specimens with good looks to go with their pedigrees and proven ability.

That ability to inject an element of pace into NH pedigrees might be seen in Vadamos’s relative success as a first season Flat sire. Overshadowed by his former stud mate Mehmas, Vadamos still managed to quietly compile 17 individual Flat winners headed by Spycatcher who was second in the Group 3 Acomb Stakes to Gear Up, and that horse went on to win the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

As a five-year-old Spycatcher won the Group 3 Prix de Ris-Orangis and was second in the Prix Maurice de Gheest and third in the British Champions Sprint last season. From the same crop as Spycatcher came Luisa Casati, who won the Listed Daisy Warwick Fillies’ Stakes at Goodwood last season for Tom Ward.

In New Zealand, where Vadamos shuttled to Rich Hill Stud, he is the sire of the Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Plate and theGroup 2 Avondale Guineas winner and Group 1 New Zealand Derby second La Crique, as well as Group 3 Wellington Stakes winner Devastate and the Listed winners Grace’s Secret and Art De Triomphe. His best performer over jumps so far is King Of Kingsfield, who has been placed three times in Grade 1 company – the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, the Brave Inca Novice Hurdle and the Champion Bumper at Punchestown – for Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown House Stud.

Vadamos’ first four-year-old point-to-

Vadamos: the son of Monsun has 197 two-year-olds and 180 yearlings on the ground

point maiden winner Matata won on debut at Tallow for Barry Court Stables and was sold to Highflyer Bloodstock for £75,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale. Trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, he was third in the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase this season.

Vadamos is the sire of 200 winners from 395 runners and his first Coolmore-sired crop of 240 foals are three-year-olds of this year. He has 197 two-year-olds and 180 yearlings on the ground.

Last year at the store sales he averaged €16,195 which was down on his 2023 store sale average of €27,413.

WALDKONIG

Kingman – Waldlerche (Monsun) Knockhouse Stud

€1,500

Year to stud: 2023

As a Kingman Group 3-winning halfbrother to Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Waldgeist and from the immediate family of Masked Marvel, Waldkonig offers NH breeders a class option.

Owned and bred by Newsells Park and Ammerland it was not until December of his juvenile season that he reached a racecourse when 9l successful on his debut at Wolverhampton in a novice stakes over eight and a half furlongs eased down by 9l.

As a three-year-old he didn’t reappear until June and was pitched straight into Listed company in the Newmarket Stakes, just losing second place on the line to Volkan Star, the race won by the multiple Group 1 winner and new sire for 2023 Mishriff.

Waldkonig only ran twice in 2020 and he wasn’t seen again until the following April where he comfortably won a 1m2f handicap at Pontefract.

His final racecourse appearance was also a winning one two weeks later at Sandown when he landed the Group 3 1m2f Gordon Richards Stakes beating Desert Encounter and Baaeed’s brother Hukum.

Waldkonig won or placed in his five career starts and earned an official rating of 114. His dam Waldlerche won two races at two and three in France, including the Prix Penelope at Saint-Cloud (G3) and was placed twice, one of which was at Listed level in the Honda

Nereide-Rennen at Munich.

Her star son Waldgeist (Galileo) won nine times, four at Group 1 level and £4,298,560 in earnings. She is also dam of Waldlied (New Approach), who won twice in France with one Group 2 success in the Prix de Malleret.

His second dam Waldmark was a winner at two and a subsequent runner up in the Falmouth Stakes (G2). She is the dam of Masked Marvel, winner of the St Leger and the champion European three-year-old stayer of 2011. He is sire of last season’s Grade 3 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase winner Maskada and this year’s Stayers’ Hurdle (G1) winner Teahupoo, winner of back-to-back Grade 1 Hattons Grace Hurdles, as well as Predator’s Gold, runner-up in two Grade 1 hurdles for Willie Mullins.

One of Waldmark’s seven winners is Gifted Icon and her daughter Waldfest is dam of multiple Grade 1 hurdler Vauban, also a Group 3 winner on the Flat.

Waldkonig covered 15 mares in 2023 and again in 2024.

WAY TO PARIS

Champs Elysees – Grey Way (Cozzene)

Coolagown Stud

€3,500

Year to stud: 2021

The Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner offers breeders a proven outcross for the Galileo line as he is a son of the Group 1 winner Champs Elysees by Danehill.

His sire proved enormously popular with NH breeders when he moved to Coolmore’s Castle Hyde Stud from breeder Juddmonte Farms’ Banstead Manor Stud and he covered over 400 mares in the two seasons he stood there before his premature death at the age 16 in 2019.

Way To Paris was a tough, sound, cleanwinded horse who made 35 starts over six seasons and mixed in the best company.

Once-raced at two, he won a pair of Listed races at three. He ran seven times at four finishing second in the Gran Premio di Milano and the Premio Federico Tesio and third in the Gran Premio del Jockey Club, all Group events from 1m2f to 1m4f. He was also third in the Group 3 Prix d’Hedouville

behind Tiberian and subsequent Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Talismanic.

He started his five-year-old season with seconds in the Group 3 Prix Exbury and when behind Waldgeist in the Group 3 Prix d’Hedouville.

Way To Paris then took third to Waldgeist and the Group 1 winner Dschingis Secret in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly, defeating Tiberian and Cloth Of Stars.

He was also fourth to Waldgeist, Talismanic and Cloth Of Stars in the Group 2 Prix Foy at Longchamp.

As a six-year-old he won the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Neuil at ParisLongchamp from a field that included Marmelo and Call The Wind. He was also second again to Waldgeist in the Group 2 Prix Foy and was runner-up in the Group 2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier and Group 3 Prix de Barbeville.

Kept in training at seven, he started off the season with a narrow defeat to Shaman in the Group 2 Prix d’Harcourt and then went down by a head to subsequent Arc winner Sottsass in the Group 1 Prix Ganay before making the breakthrough at Group 1 level next time in the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud (G1).

Way To Paris is a half-brother to the dual Group 1 Premio Presidente della Repubblica winner Distant Way (Distant View) and the Group 3 Premio Ambrosiano winner Cima de Pluie (Singspiel).

Their dam is the Group 2 Premio Lydia Tesio winner Grey Way (Cozzene), who was champion sire in North America in 1996 and is a son of Caro.

Way To Paris has 59 three-year-olds, 61 two-year-olds and his yearlings are his biggest crop to date, numbering 76.

His first foals averaged €12,000 in 2022, while his second crop foal sale average was €9,000 and it dropped again for his third crop, to €7,550.

The top-priced foal from each of his first two crops is out of Group 2 Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle winner and Grade 1 Spa Novices Hurdle second Liskennett, a daughter the Listed winner and Grade 1-placed Generosa.

Her filly made €25,000 from Coolagown Stud to Gerry Hogan at the Goffs December NH Sale in 2022, while her colt fetched €23,000 12 months later, bought by Galbertstown Stables.

young ire nh stallions

The highest-priced foal from his third crop was Bayview Stud’s half-brother to Home By The Lee, who was bought for €23,000 Islandavanna Bloodstock at Goffs in December.

WINGS OF EAGLES

Pour Moi – Ysoldina (Kendor)

Beeches Stud

€3,000

Year to stud: 2018

Wings Of Eagles emulated his sire Pour Moi with a breathtaking last-gasp victory in the Group 1 Derby at Epsom.

Unfortunately he then suffered a careerending injury in the Irish Derby, but still managed to finish a close third to Capri and Cracksman.

Bred by Aliette and Giles Forien, he was bought by MV Magnier at the 2015 Arqana August Yearling Sale for €220,000. He won his maiden over mile and finished fourth to Coronet, who went on to be a Group 1 winner in the Listed Zetland Stakes.

On his three-year-old reappearance he was second to stable companion Venice Beach in the Group 3 Chester Vase before his sensational Epsom triumph over a field that included subsequent Group 1 winners Cracksman, Benbatl, Capri, Best Solution and Rekindling.

Wings Of Eagles is out of the Kendor mare Ysoldina, who won the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte and was third in the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. He is the best of her six winners so far – they also include the Listed Prix Ceres winner Orendina (Siyouni), the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes third Sparkle Roll and the Listed-placed fillies Torentosa and Gyrella.

The last-named is the dam of Gleneagles’ Group 2 Prix Greffuhle winner Baby Rider.

Ysoldina is a half-sister to the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Belle Et Celebre and the Group 2 Prix Jean Romanet winner Whortleberry, who is the dam of Group 3 Unicorn Stakes winner Straw Hat.

The third dam Rudolfina is a Listedwinning daughter of Pharly and is the dam of

the Listed Prix Ridgway winner Rupert and the Group 3 Prix Daphnis second Rampoldi. Over jumps her progeny include the Listed-placed pair of Riccordo Bello and Reach Me.

Wings Of Eagles returned to his breeders’ Haras du Montaigu to begin his stud career and he spent one season in Normandy before being recalled to Coolmore and a spot in the team at The Beeches Stud.

His first crop, conceived in France, are now seven-year-olds and number 37 registered foals, including the Listed Prix Delahante (at two) and Listed Grand Prix des Provinces (as a three-year-old) winner Blue Wings as well as the Listed Grand Prix d’Anjou winner Aigle Vaillant.

Wings Of Eagles also has Lovely Diamond, who was second over 1m4f in the Listed Derby du Languedoc at Toulouse.

He has 156 five-year-olds from his first season at The Beeches Stud, headed by the Listed Navan bumper winner Churchfield Sunset. There are 149 four-year-olds, 83 three-year-olds, 33 two-year-olds and 44 yearlings on the ground by him.

His first crop also produced four-yearold point-to-point winners including Hay Meadow, who is now a dual winner under Rules, The Great Nudie, a winner and Listed placed for Colin Bowe after being retained after winning between the flags, and Wings And Wands.

In 2022, his foals averaged €7,013 and his three-year-old stores €19,040, with a slight decline in 2023 of his foal average to €6,286 and his store average to €12,351.

At the 2023 Goffs Spring Store Sale, Kevin Ross Bloodstock went to £34,000 on behalf of Nick Alexander for Rathmore Stud’s half-brother to Hughie Morrison’s Listed-placed hurdler Miss Fairfax out of Stein Castle, a Shantou half-sister to Grade 1 winners Carlingford Lough and Thisthatandtother.

On the back of those four-year-old winners, his store sale average for 2024 jumped to €20,413.

At the Goffs Arkle Sale last year, Tullybeg Stud’s gelding out of Dancing Slippers, a Flemensfirth full-sister to Royal Kahala, became the most expensive store by Wings Of Eagles when making €88,000.

Hay Meadow: by Wings Of Eagles has won a point-to-point, a bumper and over hurdles

Photo courtesy of Tattersalls Cheltenham

2020, Bay, 16.2h.h. by Frankel - Nisriyna

Multiple Stakes Winner & Gr.1 Classic runner-up

By Champion Racehorse & Sire FRANKEL

Dam descends from highly influential ROBERTO & TOP VILLE lines

‘A big imposing colt with a great walk’ Realised €440,000 as a foal

Multiple Gr.1 winner over 10-12 furlongs

His first runner over jumps is a winner & Gr.2 placed

First 4YO point to point runner TAURUS BAY won on debut and sold to Ben Pauling for £155,000

3YO stores in 2024 realised €120,000, €100,000, etc.

Sire of a winner and a 2nd in France from only 2 runners in ‘23/’24

First Irish Bred 4YO’s in 2025 in training with: G. Elliott, N. Meade, C. Bowe, W. Ewing, JW. Doyle, etc.

First Boardsmill Crop are 3YO’s in 2025

Young French stallions

Adrien Cugnasse casts his eye over the young talent in France

FRENCH RACING HAS ITS WEAKNESSES, but among the things that the French industry knows how to do well is the breeding of jumpers and, in particular, bring forward young jump stallions.

At this year’s Cheltenham, French breeding achieved its best score ever: 12 graded race victories.

In France, a young sire can reach the top having started his career with medium-sized books. Walk In The Park (Montjeu) covered 58 mares in his first season at stud, Blue Bresil (Smadoun) 55, Network (Monsun) 48 and Saddler Maker (Sadler’s Wells) just nine.

Given that there is no need to cover huge books when starting out to be successful in France, this means that many young stallions (but not all) will have a reasonable chance of success, but, of course as we know, only a minority actually succeed.

Unfortunately (for French breeders), Martinborough (Deep Impact) has left for Ireland. He is a very good stallion, perhaps he was the best of the young sires in our country, and an outcross, too.

He has 55 per cent winners-torunners over jumps. Seven are blacktype performers, or 17 per cent, which is remarkable and the Grade 1 Arkle Chase third-placed Majborough (Martinborough) is a talented horse.

Martinborough has never covered many mares and in only two of his eight French seasons he saw no more than 70 mares. Well done to the Irish breeders for getting their hands on him.

They have first three-year-olds In 2025, we will see the first three-year-olds run over jumps by Headman (Kingman),

Martinborough: Cugnasse believes that the son of Deep impact was one of the best young NH sires in France.

The 16yo now stands at Capital Stud, Ireland at a fee of €5,000

Photo: Debbie Burt

Moises Has (Martaline), For Fun (Motivator), King Edward (Martaline), Latrobe (Camelot), Gary Du Chenet (Martaline) and Telecaster (New Approach).

At the time of writing, only a few races for three-year-olds over hurdles have taken place. Of the aforementioned young sires, Telecaster has had a runner and Moises Has a daughter called Manita, who was

runner-up in one of the best three-yearold beginners’ hurdle races. Latrobe’s first runner was fourth in the same race.

To be able to judge them correctly, it will be necessary to wait for spring 2026 and their first four-year-olds.

In the meantime, these young stallions will have to produce good three-year-olds because that is really what French breeders are looking for – last year these first French three-year-old races launched the career of Goliath Du Berlais (Saint Des Saints), a young stallion who, just a year later, many consider to be exceptional.

They have first four-year-olds

In living memory never has a young stallion had such a spectacular start to his career as Goliath Du Berlais.

As a racehorse, he ran eight times at three, but he was mainly considered a good four-year-old when he won his four Group victories.

A horse with an impressive physique, no one expected Goliath Du Berlais to produce early three-year-olds jumpers –yet before the end of March 2024, he was already the sire of two winners.

And that was only the beginning because a year later, Goliath Du Berlais has continued to show that was no flash in the pan and has gone on to more than confirm that early promise.

To date, with his first four-year-olds, he has 49 runners over jumps, but already 18 winners (37 per cent), a lot at this stage of his career. Those who have not yet won will have plenty of opportunities in four-year-old races to open their account.

Seven of his progeny are black-type performers (14 per cent) which is remarkable for such a young stallion, because the French programme offers a low proportion of Listed and graded races.

His flag bearer is Sobriquette, the recent winner of the Prix Duc d’Anjou (G3) and who is among the favourites for the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure (G1).

Admittedly, Goliath Du Berlais did begin his career seeing a book of good mares, but this was the case for other beginners before him, and few have achieved such results!

His covering fee for 2025 is €12,500, a

In living memory never has a young stallion had such a spectacular start to his career as Goliath Du Berlais

sum which is unheard of for a stallion with his first crop of four-year-olds. This is the price for a proven stallion, and the young sire of Haras d’Etreham has enormous pressure to live up to with much expected of him now.

I have read in the Anglo-Irish press that one of the secrets of the success of French jumping breeding lies in the AQPS mares. I think this is poor judgment – in the case of Goliath Du Berlais, only one of his 18 winners is out of a mare bearing the AQPS suffix!

Admittedly, the AQPS breed does contribute to their building of the French jumping scene, but we must not overestimate its importance. This year, the breed has had something of a slump with just a quarter of the French-breds in the Anglo-Irish top 100.

But, if we look at the last three seasons, these French non-thoroughbreds correspond to almost a third of the French-born horses in this top 100. This is a relatively logical success rate because it is generally estimated that AQPS roughly represent a third of the births of jumpers in France.

Born at the same stud as Goliath, Nirvana Du Berlais (Martaline) is also represented by his first four-year-olds.

His first crop was smaller (77 foals against 101 for Goliath), and so he logically had fewer runners (29, or 38 per cent of his foals against 48 for Goliath, or 48 per cent).

In general, Nirvana du Berlais’ progeny are seeming to need a little more time and it is no coincidence that his flag bearer Lulamba started at the end of his three-yearold year and is in training in England.

The Nicky Henderson-trained Lulamba, who was sent off as an 11/4 shot for the

Triumph Hurdle (G1), put in an excellent performance to finish a neck second.

To really get an opinion on Nirvana du Berlais, the second half of 2025 will be decisive. His second crop (100 foals) and third (134 foals) are larger than the first and he will therefore have more runners so that we can form an opinion on him.

Perhaps, like a number of French stallions, his progeny might be better suited to racing Ireland and Britain.

The stallion has a first black-type performer at Auteuil, but to date his best offspring in training in France seems to be Leader Sport. This four-year-old won well at Compiègne, carrying the colors of Walter Connors, who has had great success with his horses trained in France and already has had four individual winners this year.

Among the stallions who covered their first French mares in 2019, three others should be mentioned.

Bande (Authorized) was a fairly latematuring racehorse, and much more so than his brother Doctor Dino (Muhtathir).

He had 87 foals in his first crop, the year he stood for €3,000, and the stallion covered a very modest quality of mares.

His three-year-olds did not shine, but things now seem to be taking off as his first runners turn four and many have shown class over the last weeks.

Lucky Nonantais finished second in the Prix Duc d’Anjou (G3) at Auteuil, while Color Ritano (Bande) is a recent 15l winner over fences. Lucky Nonantais’s trainer is now targeting the Grade 1 races for the horse.

Two rather unexpected stallions have shone in recent weeks. The full-brother of Gleneagles (Galileo), Taj Mahal (Galileo) was somewhat handicapped by the fact that French jump breeders do not like the blood of Galileo (even if Galiway is a success).

From a low quality book, Taj Mahal has produced six jump winners from eight runners – Proud Lucy who, despite a completely empty maternal pedigree, has recently finished second in the Prix d’Indy (G3) at Auteuil.

No one saw Taj Mahal coming!

Another surprise sire Earnshaw (Medaglia D’Oro) also covered a book of poor quality mares in the south-west.

With just four runners over the jumps, he has already produced Kaldoun Des Rocs, who was second in one of the good races for early three-year-olds over hurdles at Compiègne.

Another offspring of Earnshaw, Xena Du Moun started her career with a 9l victory over hurdles. The US-bred Earnshaw has a lot black-type jumpers in his own dam line and that’s maybe an explanation for his surprisingly good start.

The stallion was unearthed by vet Marc Semirot, the man who bought Walk In The Park (Montjeu) for €195,000 at the Arc Sale as a stallion prospect.

They have first five-year-olds

In 2019, Beaumec De Houelle (Martaline) was clearly the most anticipated beginner over jumps and he covered a lot of mares in his first three years at stud. He seems more

Beaumec De Houelle: the Haras de Montaigu stallion has enjoyed a recent run of progeny form and represents good value for money

gifted at producing four-year-olds and fiveyear-olds than three-year-olds.

After a little slow start the stallion has really taken off in recent months and his progeny have restored his image.

To date, he has had 75 runners over jumps, but nine are already black-type performers, or 12 per cent, including two horses who picked up black-type at Pau and Cagnes sur Mer in 2025.

At €5,000, Beaumec De Houelle is a good value for money option for breeders this season.

He has not yet produced the Grade 1 horse who will allow him to explode commercially, but he can already count on the good Mamisuz De Houelle (Beaumec De Houelle), winner of the Prix Magalen Bryant (G2) at Auteuil last autumn.

Tunis (Estejo) had four three-year-old stores who sold for €100,000 or more in 2024. And his covering fee has increased from €4,000 to €10,000. In France, the stallion has 17 jump winners from 59 runners (29 per cent) and three black-type performers (five per cent).

Tunis himself was not a backward horse – he won over a mile as a two-year-old in Poland – and he then finished second in the first three-year-old hurdle race in France. But he stands in a region where the mares are known for not being early. It will be interesting to see how his production evolves over time.

A number of stallions who started out in the Flat market have produced black-type performers over jumps.

This is the case of Cloth Of Stars (Sea The

Stars), Dschingis Secret (Soldier Hollow), whose Shuttle Diplomacy finished third in the Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper, Seahenge (Scat Daddy) and Seabhac (Scat Daddy), and Seabhac looks interesting

We don’t necessarily expect a son of Scat Daddy (Johannesburg) to get jumpers, but he has had eight runners over jumps in France, including four winners, two blacktype and a three-time graded-placed filly.

He is also the sire of Shokdor, an impressive winner of the Prix le Prix Touquet (L) in Auteuil, and now being targeted at the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure (G1).

Some of the best French jump breeders, such as Guy Cherel, Pierre de Maleissye Melun, Francois-Marie Cottin or Gheorghe Codre, are sending him mares.

Coolmore out to launch stallions who have jumped

Susan Magnier has sent several well-bred three-year-old colts to Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm in the hope of producing a jump stallion by Walk In The Park.

The first runner Wild Bill Hickok was a stylish winner of the first three-year-old hurdle race in the French programme, the Prix d’Essai des Poulains.

After the race George said that some of the other stallion prospects Susan Magnier sent him were even better!

And so it proved – The Mighty Celt made a 4l winning debut in the middle of March. The interest of Anglo-Irish stallion owners to stand sires who have won over jumps is clearly growing.

Lulamba: the son of Nirvana De Berlais finishing second in the Triumph Hurdle

NH stallion store horse sale statistics

Stallions with two or more horses sold as NH three and four-year-old store horses at the major NH store sales in 2024 in Britain, Ireland and France. In Euros, compiled by Weatherbys, two or more sold

STALLION Sold

Affinisea (IRE) 33

Arctic Cosmos (USA) 3

Authorized (IRE) 6

Bande (IRE) 7 185,825

Bathyrhon (GER) 7 259,550 37,079 68,000

Beaumec de Houelle (FR) 18 1,098,100

Berkshire (IRE) 12

Blue Bresil (FR) 51

Born To Sea (IRE) 3

Buck’s Boum (FR) 7

Califet (FR) 3 51,000

Capri (IRE) 23

Choeur du Nord (FR) 5

Cloth of Stars (IRE) 2

Cloudings (IRE) 2 4,375 2,188 2,875

Clovis du Berlais (FR) 3 56,000 18,667 24,000

Cokoriko (FR) 8 414,500 51,813 115,000

Court Cave (IRE) 11

Doctor

Doyen (IRE) 7

El Salvador (IRE) 5

Jack Hobbs: his nine store horses sold last year averaged €27,106

NH stallion foal sale statistics

Stallions with horses sold as foals at NH sales in 2024-25 in Britain, Ireland and France showing numbers

averages and medians. In Euros, compiled by Weatherbys and including vendor buy backs, two or more sold

Walk In The Park: had the top foal average of €44,056 for 40 sold

The Goffs December Sale top lot: by Walk In The Park and out of Holy Virgin (Saint Des Saint) the colt was bought by NBB Racing for £160,000

Stallion covering stats 2024

Table showing the covering statistics of the major NH / dual-purpose sires standing in Britain or Ireland, who covered ten mares or more in 2024. Black-type results include both NH and Flat. Data from Weatherbys

After some success in the point-to-point field and sales ring last spring, Wings Of Eagles covered 130 mares in 2024, including 33 winning mares

Stakes-winning National Hunt sires

From Weatherbys

Sires of NH black-type winners from April 1, 2024 to March 16, 2025 showing horse name and dam sire

Adlerflug

Ange Pitou (Monsun) L

Affinisea

Hollygrove Cha Cha (Indian Danehill) .............2

Only By Night (Getaway) 2 L

Sixmilebridge (Haatef) ..........................................2

Air Chief Marshal

Rubaud (Cardoun) 2 2 L

Aizavoski

Hooligan (Old Vic)....................................................2

Al Namix

Al Dancer (Kaldounevees) 3

Al Gasparo (Nickname) L

Gemirande (Grand Tresor) 3

Alhebayeb

Duffle Coat (Sadler’s Wells) L

Almanzor

Daddy Long Legs (American Post) ............... 3 L

Altruistic

Rocky’s Diamond (Presenting) 2

Apsis

Frero Banbou (Useful) ............................................3

Arcano

Meme Xam (Sir Prancealot) L

Arctic Cosmos

Apple Away (Dr Massini) L

Beaumec de Houelle

Lovely Guy (Lavirco) L Mamisuz de Houelle (Robin des Champs) ....2

Belardo

Emotivo (Shirocco) 3

(Supreme Leader) ..................................3 Senecia (Presenting)

The Wallpark (Alderbrook) L Authorized Anzadam (Astarabad) ........................................

Pearl (Slickly) 2

I Am Maximus (Poliglote) .....................................3

Jeu de Thaix (Voix du Nord) 2

Axxos

Hasard de Brion (Voix du Nord) 3

Balko

Balko d’Ange (High Rock) L Kentucky Wood (Laveron) 2

Ballingarry

Perceval Legallois (Lahib) ................................. L L

Bande

Lucky Nonantais (Nickname) L

Bathyrhon

Katate Dori (Saint des Saints)..............................3

Le Roi David (Linngari) L

Valgrand (Gold Away) ............................................2

Berkshire Colcannon (Well Chosen).....................................2

Blue Bresil

Constitution Hill (King’s Theatre) 1 2

Redemption Day (Astarabad) .............................1

Royale Pagaille (Villez) 1

Bonbon Rose

Ash Tree Meadow (Grape Tree Road) 3

Born To Sea

Mambonumberfive (Soave) 2

Shika du Berlais (Poliglote) 3

Buck’s Boum

Flicker of Hope (Early March) .............................. L

Califet

Battle Born Lad (Tamure) 2

Califet En Vol (Well Chosen) ................................ L

Camelot

Frankendael (Pivotal) L Lot of

du Berlais

d’Amour (Anabaa Me)

Allen

Court Cave

JPR One (Presenting) 2

Crillon

Hermes Baie (Murmure)........................................2

Crystal Ocean

Saint Crystal (Saint des Saints) L

Dansant

The King of Prs (Oscar)...........................................3

Decorated Knight

What About (Elusive City) L

Denham Red

Energumene (April Night) 2

Diamond Boy

Diamond Carl (Satri) 2

Diva Luna (Presenting) 2

Impaire Et Passe (Le Fou) .............................. 1 1 2

L’homme Presse (Bateau Rouge) 2

Doctor Dino

Ches Demonmirail (Turgeon) .............................3

Dinoblue (Astarabad) 2 L

Fil Dor (Ange Gabriel)............................................. L

Hacker du Berlais (Saint des Saints) 2 L

Jade de Grugy (Ballingarry) .................................3

Jazzy Matty (Video Rock) 3

La Renommee (Ballingarry) ................................. L

Le Philosophe (Stormy River) 2

Louise Demonmirail (Poliglote) L Murcia (Poliglote) L

Royale Margaux (Villez) L State Man (Johann Quatz) 1 1

Doyen

Banbridge (Presenting) 1 1

Beacon Edge (Presenting) ....................................2

Fortune de Mer (Vendangeur) L

Minx Tiara (Bishop of Cashel) .............................. L

The Busy Fool (Luso) L

Dragon Pulse

Bottler’secret (Aussie Rules) ................................2

Dubai Destination

Idas Boy (Witness Box) L

Dylan Thomas

Boombawn (Oscar) .................................................2

Brides Hill (Groom Dancer) 2

Myretown (Oscar) ....................................................3

Egerton

Sexy Lord (Rainbows For Life) L

El Salvador

San Salvador (Dylan Thomas) .............................3

Estejo

Speed Emile (Ballingarry) 1

Fame And Glory

Doddiethegreat (Sleeping Car) 3

Famous Bridge (Saddlers’ Hall) 3

Home By The Lee (Presenting) 1 2

Red Dirt Road (Bob Back) 3

Feel Like Dancing

Dancing City (Loup Solitaire) 1 1 3

Flemensfirth

Ballybow (Yeats) .......................................................3

Ballyburn (Old Vic) 1 1

Fingle Bridge (Video Rock) .................................. L

Gowel Road (Accordion) 2

Grey Dawning (Milan) ............................................ L

Jubilee Alpha (King’s Theatre) L

Minella Cocooner (Old Vic) ..................................3

Minella Drama (King’s Theatre) 2

Fly With Me Ci Ppo Ra (Balko) ......................................................

(Dubawi)

Free Eagle

Walnut Beach (Teofilo) L Windbeneathmywings (Barathea) L

French Navy

Marine Nationale (Definite Article) 1

Galileo Mystical Power (Shirocco) ................................ 1 1

Galiway

Jimmy du Seuil (Equerry) 3

Gemix

Just In Time Blue (Cut Quartz) ............................ L

Mamix’s Passion (Manbolix) L L

Getaway

Classic Getaway (Classic Cliche).........................2

Cottesloe Sunshine (Beneficial) L

Docpickedme (Old Vic)..........................................3

Handstands (King’s Theatre) 1 2 2

Listentoyourheart (Presenting).......................... L

Tripoli Flyer (Mountain High) 2

Gleneagles

Cabot Cliffs (Halling)............................................... L

Common Practice (Zoffany) 3

Eagles Reign (Deep Impact) L

Golden Horn

East India Dock (Galileo) 2 2

Golden Ace (Dubawi) 1 2 L

Mark of Gold (Mark of Esteem) 2

Nemean Lion (Selkirk) 2

Poniros (Lope de Vega)..........................................1

Goliath Du Berlais

Bahyadame (Martaline) L

Early Mist (Poliglote)........................................... L L

Sobriquette (Nickname) 3

Great Pretender

Benou (Turgeon)...................................................... L

Cherie d’Am (Flemensfirth) L Godfrey (Ungaro)..................................................... L

Jingko Blue (Saint des Saints) 2

La Delirante (Kapgarde) ........................................ L

Lossiemouth (Gentlewave) 1 1 1

Harzand

Hello Neighbour (Montjeu) 1 2

Holy Ballet

Vesuvio (Personal First) 3

Holy Roman Emperor

Vischio (Muhtathir) L

Hunter’s

Romeo Coolio (Kapgarde)....................................1

Springwell Bay (Leading Counsel) 3 L

Tareze (Lavirco) ......................................................... L

The New Lion (Astarabad) 1 1

Kentucky Dynamite

French Dynamite (Laveron) .................................3

Kingston Hill

Kingston Queen (Presenting) L

Konig Turf

Solness (Tiger Hill) 1 1

Spes Militurf (Enrique) 3

Lauro

Hip Hop Conti (Astarabad) L

Roadlesstravelled (Presenting) 2

Le Havre

Chimichuri (Singspiel) L

Transatlantic (Lonhro)............................................ L

Linda’s Lad

L’Estran (Lesotho) 1

Lord du Sud

Heraliste (Alberto Giacometti) ...........................3

L’Eau du Sud (Walk In The Park) 1 2 2

Loup Breton

Real Steel (Monsun) ................................................3

Lucayan

Dumon Roclay (Nombre Premier) L

Magneticjim

Amfipaline (Cadoubel) 2

Mahler

Abuffalosoldier (Presenting) 3

Bill Joyce (Flemensfirth) 2

Gale Mahler (Presenting) ...................................... L

Gwennie May Boy (Robin des Pres) 2 3

Journey With Me (Bob’s Return) ........................2

The Real Whacker (Witness Box) 2

Malinas

Booster Bob (Presenting) .....................................3

Don’t Rightly Know (Classic Cliche) L L

Malaita (Sagamix) ....................................................2

Oscars Brother (King’s Theatre) L

Shecouldbeanything (Chevalier) .................. 3 L

Supreme Malinas (Sans Frontieres) L

Touch Me Not (Kotashaan) ..................................2

Yellow Car (Golan) 2

Maresca Sorrento Fou de Reve (Assessor) .......................................... L

Martaline

Ain’t Got Wings (Turgeon) L

General En Chef (Trempolino)............................3

Intense Raffles (Alberto Giacometti) 3

Jet Blue (Saint des Saints).....................................2

Juntos Ganamos (Turgeon) 3

Losange Bleu (Cadoudal) 1 1

Marble Sands (Poliglote) L

Martator (Ballingarry) 3

Martinborough Majborough (Lavirco) 1

Masked Marvel

Ital Conti (Saint des Saints) L

Kalypso’chance (Martaline).................................. L

Kif Kif Bourricot (Coastal Path) 3

Magic Marvel (Sagamix) ................................... L L

Marvel de Cerisy (Medaaly) L

Olympic Story (Kapgarde)................................ 3 L

Teahupoo (Sassanian) 1

Zephyr de Beaumont (Assessor) ....................... L

Masterstroke

Bon Garcon (Anabaa Me) L

Flying Chaser (Coastal Path) ................................1

Ginja des Taillons (Green Tune) L

Harmonie d’Ainay (Agent Bleu) L

Kopeck de Mee (Creachadoir) L

Master Nonantais (Divine Light) L

Maxios

Quilixios (Lomitas) 3

Uncheckable (Mastercraftsman) 3

Milan

Aruntothequeen (Flemensfirth) ........................ L

Backtonormal (Mountain High) 3

Better Days Ahead (Topanoora) ........................2

Brewin’upastorm (Husyan) 2

Honky Tonk Highway (Presenting) ................... L

Take No Chances (Pistolet Bleu) 2 L

Montmartre

Djelo (Balko)........................................................... 2 2

Kamaro d’Huez (Le Balafre) 3

Motivator

Game of Storm (Ultimately Lucky) ............... L L

Tounsivator (Sendawar) 2

Mount Nelson

Jacob’s Ladder (Milan) ...........................................3

Sober Glory (Milan) L

Muhaarar

Burdett Road (Galileo) 3

Muhaymin

Bahiosun (Red Guest) L

Muhtathir

Envoi Allen (Saint des Saints) 1

Inaya Jones (Majorien)........................................... L

Mustameet

History of Fashion (City Honours) L

Nathaniel

Charisma Cat (Oratorio) ........................................ L

Navajo Indy (Authorized) 3

National Defense

Policasta (Teofilo).....................................................2

Network

Fantastic Lady (Kadalko) 2

Gage de Reussite (Brier Creek) ...........................3

Nidor

Ever Forget Me (Riverquest) L

No Risk At All

de Vassy (Solon) 3

(Denham Red) 3 Kopek des Bordes (Cadoudal) 1 1

Moody Risk (Saint des Saints)

Mundi (Saint des Saints)

Dream

And Roll (Muhtathir)

Grandioso (Maresca Sorrento) ........................... L

Schiaparelli

Marsh Wren (Sir Harry Lewis) L Wyenot (Minster Son) ............................................ L

Scorpion

Nyiri (Desert Prince) 3 L

Sea The Moon

Opec (Sadler’s Wells) .............................................. L

Seabhac

Mr Mistoffelees (Shirocco) 3

Shokdor (Martaline) L Terra Bella (Peintre Celebre) L

Secret Singer

Fiston de Becon (Robin des Champs) L Gangster de Coddes (Dear Doctor) L

Shantou

Ashdale Bob (Bob Back) 3

Chianti Classico (Presenting) ..............................3

Embassy Gardens (Network) 3

Hey Sunshine (Soldier of Fortune).................... L

Minella Crooner (Monsun) L Pickanumber (Oscar) ..............................................3

Stellar Story (Bob Back) 2 Toscana du Berlais (Mansonnien) .....................2

Shirocco

Dedicated Hero (Revoque) 2

The Folkes Tiara (King’s Theatre) L

Sholokhov

Bob Olinger (Zaffaran) 1

Sounds Russian (Revoque) L

Sixties Icon

Soul Icon (Loup Solitaire) 2

Siyouni

Bacchanalian (Invincible Spirit) 3

Moujik (Montjeu) ..................................................... L

St Pancras (Nathaniel) L

So You Think

Natam (Dutch Art) ...................................................1

Soldier of Fortune

Chapeau de Soleil (Kayf Tara) L Favour And Fortune (Flemensfirth)..................2

Flying Fortune (Turbo Speed) 2

Fortunedefortunata (King’s Theatre) ............... L

World of Fortunes (Vinnie Roe) L L

Solskjaer

Found A Fifty (Gone Fishin) ......................... 1 2 2

Sommerabend

Pistache Dore (Kingsalsa) 1 L

Spanish Moon

Kibboutz (Turgeon) ................................................2

Moon D’Orange (Dylan Thomas) 3

Telescope

Some Scope (Oscar) 3

Telepathique (Smadoun) L

The Grey Gatsby Isis d’Inor (Great Pretender) 3 3 L L

Tiger Groom

Jango Baie (Kapgarde) ..........................................1

Tiger de Juilley (Kapgarde) L

Timos

Galopin des Champs (Marchand de Sable) 1 1

Tirwanako

Jasmin de Vaux (Grand Seigneur) 1

Too Darn Hot

Naturally Nimble (Areion) ....................................3

Triple Threat Sans Bruit (Teofilo) 3

Tunis

Ella Duchic (Balko) L

Kiss Langy (Voix du Nord) L Knoxville (Kadalko) 3

Turgeon

Hyland (Mansonnien) ............................................ L

King Turgeon (King’s Theatre) 3

Milanne (Milan) ........................................................ L

Pic D’orhy (Roli Abi) 1 2

Prince Palace (Linda’s Lad) ................................... L

Urban Poet

Sphagnum (Gold Well) L

Vadamos

Madrilene (Califet) ...................................................3

Valirann

Lecky Watson (Stowaway)................................ 1 3

Potters Charm (Shantou) 1 2

Val Dancer (Danehill Dancer) ..............................3

Virtual

Bushmans Pass (Blueprint) L

Vision d’Etat

Visionarian (Turgeon) ............................................2

Voiladenuo

Irish Vocation (Needwood Blade) 3

Waldpark

Kandy Park (Califet) 3 L L

Walk In The Park

Aurora Vega (Robin des Champs) 3

Bioluminescence (Old Vic) 2

Croke Park (Protektor) 1 1

Final Demand (Flemensfirth) 1

Gidleigh Park (Presenting) 2

Inothewayurthinkin (Califet) 1 1

Jetara (Milan) ......................................................... 2 L

Jonbon (Saint des Saints) 1 1 1 1 2

Master Chewy (Shantou) ......................................2

Monbeg Park (Stowaway) L

Nick Rockett (Flemensfirth) ............................. 3 3

Pink In The Park (Presenting) L

(Balleroy) .................................................

Tower (Duke of Marmalade)

(Montjeu)

Hello Neighbour: Harzand’s Grade 1-winning hurdler

photo finish: one photo tells the Champion Hurdle story

Jockey Paul Townend picks himself up after his fall on State Man at the last when the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle had been in the bag for the Willie Mullins-trained son of Doctor Dino.

Townend watches on as Golden Ace crosses the line 9l ahead of the runner-up Burdett Road for her unexpected a 25-1 Grade 1 championship victory, and the jockey is being passed by a loose Constitution Hill. The 1-2 favourite fell four out after standing off far too far from the hurdle – the talented son of Blue Bresil decided to take at least a stride out, unfortunately misjudged and came down, and galloped home alone.

By Debbie Burt

Conception publicitaire : Agence G

Photographies : Z. Lupa, Scoopdyga & Marc Ruehl