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Racing Post Thursday, February 13, 2020
BLOODSTOCK SPECIAL BREEDING ON A BUDGET
Royal Ascot star Soldier’s Call looks a safe bet to make his mark THE DIRECTORY James Thomas guides you through a selection of British and Irish stallions standing for £10,000/€12,500 or less New for 2020
Those looking for a horse who possessed brazen speed and knockout good looks need search no further than Soldier’s Call, who will stand alongside the ever-popular Dandy Man at Joe Foley’s Ballyhane Stud in County Carlow. The son of Showcasing – himself one of the stallions to progress from budget level to blue-chip status – was precocious enough to win the Windsor Castle Stakes, which makes him the only Royal Ascot juvenile winner to retire to stud in 2020 at less than £10,000/€12,500. He reaffirmed his class when he claimed the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes, before being beaten just a neck by Mabs Cross in the Prix de l’Abbaye. Soldier’s Call kept exalted company at three, most notably when he reached the frame behind Blue Point in the King’s Stand Stakes and
Battaash in the Nunthorpe. Upon his retirement he received glowing praise from his trainer Archie Watson, who said: “He showed brilliance right from the start and he was a joy to train. He’s such a goodlooking colt with a wonderful temperament and attitude.” The exploits of Kingman, Cable Bay and Australian champion I Am Invincible have suggested that Invincible Spirit is on the cusp of becoming an important sire of sires, and three more sons of the Irish National Stud linchpin have entered the more affordable end of the stallion market for 2020. Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud welcomes homebred Group 1 scorer Eqtidaar, who progressed from a smart winning two-year-old into a high-class sprinting threeyear-old, whose career highlight came when the Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt landed the Commonwealth
Cup at Royal Ascot. Not only is Eqtidaar by a burgeoning sire of sires, he is also the third foal out of Madany, a two-year-old winner by Acclamation whose other offspring are headed by the Group 2-winning Massaat. Yeomanstown Stud introduces Invincible Army, a five-year-old who boasted talent and toughness in equal measure. He won six races during three seasons in training with James Tate, most notably the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes at two – in which he handed out the first of two beatings to Eqtidaar – the Pavilion Stakes at three and the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes at four. Completing Invincible Spirit’s triumvirate is Inns Of Court, who begins his stallion career at Tally-Ho Stud in County Westmeath. Classy and precocious enough to win on debut at two, Darley homebred Inns Of Court was kept in training into his fiveyear-old campaign by Andre Fabre. He ran 18 times, winning seven races, including the Group 2 Prix du Gros-Chene over five furlongs, which he won by two and a half lengths. He also won a trio of Group 3s, and only narrowly missed out Continues page 10
EL KABEIR SCAT DADDY’S Gr.2 winning 2YO
Multiple Graded Stakes winner and Gr.1 placed EXCEPTIONAL FIRST CROP YEARLINGS 2020
SESSION TOPPER TATTERSALLS DECEMBER FOAL SALE 2019 Colt ex School Run
Colt ex Coursing
Colt ex Zenara
Fee: €8,000 Oct 1st Standing alongside: CAMACHO, GUTAIFAN, DARK ANGEL and INVINCIBLE ARMY
Soldier’s Call: was precocious enough as a two-year-old to win the Windsor Castle Stakes
Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland Tel: +353 (0)45 897314 E: yeomanstownstud@eircom.net www.yeomanstown.ie