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Breeding Stock Numbers Fall Again In 2020

It’s not a new phenomenon for a Flat stallion to switch to a National Hunt stud and suddenly find himself in strong demand and that was certainly the case this year for Maxios (GB), who moved from Gestut Fahrhof to Castlehyde Stud, where he covered 298 mares.

Weatherbys, which has just published its annual Return Of Mares, records the son of Monsun (Ger) as the busiest stallion of 2020 in Britain and Ireland, while the most in-demand freshman sire was Crystal Ocean (GB), who covered 280 mares at The Beeches Stud.

The book also shows a decline in the combined foal crops of the two countries to be 5%, falling from 13,443 in 2019 to 12,778. Weatherbys does, however, issue the caveat that foal registrations have been carried out later by some breeders owing to “the unique challenges presented by Covid”, and that could lead to a higher number of foals being registered between the end of September and next February’s Return Of Mares Supplement.

The registered shortfall for now is more pronounced in Britain, where the number of foals dropped by 9% to 4,236, the steepest reduction since a 16% drop in 2010. The numbers rose steadily during the middle of the last decade, to a recent high of 4,674 in 2017. In Ireland, the foal crop was down by 2.8% year-on-year to 8,542, the third consecutive small reduction since 9,044 foals were registered in 2017.

Similarly, the number of mares at stud in Britain dropped and is now 8,161 compared to 9,015 just three years ago, with almost 86% of those mares having been covered in 2020. The reduction in broodmare numbers in Ireland has been more modest and currently stands at 14,201 compared to 14,434 in 2017, with 89% having been covered.

The number of recorded coverings in 2020 was also down—to 19,961 from 20,819 in 2017. Ireland lost 20 stallions from its ranks in 2020 and now has 232, while Britain’s tally was down by just three to 149.

The Return Of Mares can be bought from the Weatherbys offices at Tattersalls or Goffs during the sales and can also be ordered online via this link.

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G1SW Magic Wand Retired After Foot Abscess Rules Out Australian Start

Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}-Prudenzia {Ire}, by Dansili {GB}), a winner of the 2019 G1 Mackinnon S., has been retired from racing and will join Coolmore Stud’s broodmare band in Ireland next year, Coolmore Australia tweeted on Thursday morning. The 5-year-old was due to defend her title in the Mackinnon S., but was withdrawn with a foot abscess prior to the race.

“Following a foot abscess as she was preparing for a second tilt at the Mackinnon S., Magic Wand has been retired and will join our broodmare band in Ireland,” the stud tweeted. “She has been a wonderful mare for Coolmore and our partners and much loved by her strapper Yvonne.”

Bred by Ecurie des Monceaux and Skymarc Farm in Ireland, the daughter of French listed heroine Prudenzia brought €1.4 million to top the 2016 Arqana August Sale and join Aidan O’Brien’s string at Ballydoyle. A winner of the 2018 G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot and Listed Cheshire Oaks, the bay rolled a pair of twos in the G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille and G1 Prix de l’Opera Longines prior to running fourth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf to end her sophomore season.

Wheeled back in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. in January of 2019, she was second to subsequent U.S. Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar (Giant’s Causeway). Her busy 2019 also included stops in Dubai and the UK (twice), as well as two other trips Stateside for a third in the GI Man o’War S. in May and another second to Bricks and Mortar in August’s GI Arlington Million S. She also made two journeys to Ireland for seconds in the G1 Pretty Polly S. in the summer and later in September the G1 Irish Champion S.

Despite all the travel, Magic Wand appeared to thrive and was making her ninth start of the year when fourth in last October’s G1 Cox Plate. Unplaced in the 2019 G1 Melbourne Cup, she claimed the Mackinnon just four days later on Nov. 9 for a thoroughly deserved Group 1 victory. The Aidan O’Brien trainee then missed by just a nose in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup in December.

After another second in the Pegasus World Cup Turf on Jan. 25, Magic Wand was unplaced in the inaugural $20-million Saudi Cup on dirt in February. Given four months on the bench, she saluted in the G2 Lanwades Stud S. on July 5. In three more 2020 starts in the UK and Ireland, her best performance was a fourth in the G1 Coral-Eclipse S. in July. The world traveler’s record stands at 28-4-9-2 and $4,702,433 in earnings.

A half-sister to Irish highweight and G1 Irish Oaks victress Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) who made €600,000 at Arqana August in 2011 and later sold for €6 million at the 2013 Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale, Magic Wand is also a full-sister to the 4-year-old filly G3 Prix de Royaumont third Je Ne Regretterien (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), a €950,000 Arqana August yearling.

Her dam’s 2017 colt Enemy (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) brought €420,000 two years ago at Arqana, while her 2018 Dubawi (Ire) filly Philomene (Ire) made €1.625 million last year. Her latest, a full-brother to Magic Wand, was her best sale yet. The colt was picked up by Coolmores MV Magnier for €2 million to top this year’s sale, which was incidentally held in September due to COVID-19.

Prudenzia is a half-sister to Wednesday’s Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale topper English King (Fr) (Camelot {GB}), who made 925,000gns and is en route to Australia, as well as GSW Pacifique (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Under the blue-blooded fourth dam Souk (Ire) (Ahonoora {GB}) are Irish highweight and G1 Epsom Oaks winner Alexandrova (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells), G1 Melbourne Cup hero Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}), G1 Cheveley Park S. scorer Magical Romance (Ire) (Barathea {Ire}), and the Classic-placed duo of Masterofthehorse (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) and Golden Sword (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}).

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Rathasker Stud Announces Reduced Fees

Rathasker Stud has released the 2021 covering fees for its four stallions, with all bar one having been dropped in price.

Bungle Inthejungle (GB), sire of this season’s G3 Cornwallis S. winner Winter Power (Ire), who has won four of her nine races in a busy juvenile campaign, will stand at €8,000, down from €12,000 in 2020.

The stud’s stalwart Clodovil (Ire) was represented by a new Group 1 winner this season in the Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Tiger Tanaka (Ire) and he has had his fee reduced from €8,000 to €5,000.

Clodovil stands alongside his son Gregorian (Ire), who has also enjoyed stakes success in France this year via G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte winner Plainchant (Fr), and he too will stand at €5,000, his fee having been dropped from €6,000.

Completing the quartet is Coulsty (Ire), a son of Kodiac (GB) whose first-crop runners this year have posted a strike-rate of 43%, and he remains unchanged at a fee of €4,000.

Commenting on his roster, stud owner Maurice Burns said, “We are very pleased to offer four proven stallions at Rathasker Stud for 2021. This year has been a difficult year for many breeders and in acknowledgment of this we have taken the step to reduce or maintain all our stud fees for 2021.”

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Equiano To Join Irish National Stud

Dual Royal Ascot-winning sprinter Equiano (Fr) will move from Britain to stand at the Irish National Stud in 2021.

The 15-year-old son of Acclamation (GB) has spent 10 seasons at Newsells Park Stud, during which time he has sired treble Group 1 winner The Tin Man (GB) and GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint victrix Belvoir Bay (GB) among 17 stakes winners.

Irish National Stud CEO Cathal Beale said, “We are delighted to offer Equiano to the Irish market at a time when solid, proven speed influences are ever more valued by breeders. He is an imposing individual with a great walk and, being completely free of Sadler’s Wells and Danzig blood, he is a great outcross option. Standing alongside Invincible Spirit, Equiano’s addition to our roster will mean we can offer Irish breeders two of the most prolific sources of speed available in Europe.”

Equiano started his racing career in Spain under the care of Mauricio Delcher Sanchez and soon progressed to group company in France before beating Takeover Target (Aus) in the G1 King’s Stand S. during his 3-year-old season. Switched to Britain and the stable of Barry Hills following his Royal Ascot success, he won a further three races in England as a 5-year-old, including a second King’s Stand. He was also runner-up in the G1 July Cup by a neck to Starspangledbanner (Aus). Through four seasons of racing he won seven of his 27 starts.

No fee has yet been set for Equiano, who stood at £6,000 for his last two seasons in Britain.

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