Six wildcard entries have been added to the Tattersalls Online October Sale, which will take place on Oct. 18-19 via the Tattersalls website, bringing the catalogue to a record of 96 lots.
The latest additions are headlined by three-time winner The City's Phantom (GB) (Free Eagle [Ire}) (lot 100), consigned by Richard Spencer's Sefton Lodge Stables. The 6-year-old gelding was second in a Class 3 at Newmarket last month and will be offered with an official rating of 80. The 15-year-old mare Ira Brevis Furor (Ire) (King's Best) (lot 98) has already produced a black-type performer and sells believed to be in foal to Rajasinghe (Ire) as part of the TS Equine consignment. Other wildcard lots include the 5-year-old gelding Grashopper Time (Ire) (Califet {Fr}) (lot 96); the 4-year old fily Braunton Burrows (GB) (Jack Hobbs {GB}) (lot 95), who will be offered in training by TS Equine; a yearling filly by Zoustar (Aus) (lot 97), consigned by Bearstone Stud; and the Devauden Court Stables-consigned Shabano (Ger) (Amaron {GB}) (lot 99).
To view the catalogue or register to bid, visit the Tattersalls Online website.
It is almost unimaginable to think that this year's Yorkshire Cup, Ascot Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup or Lonsdale Cup will be run without Stradivarius (Ire). His appearance in those races had become a near constant occurrence for the past number of years and in an industry where retiring a stallion prospect at two is not out of the question we should count ourselves lucky that we were able to witness the striking son of Sea The Stars (Ire)'s prowess on the racecourse for so long. Having now swapped Newmarket Heath for the green pastures of The National Stud, as he begins his stallion career, the draw of Bjorn Neilson's superstar has not been lost.
“Everybody across the world knew about Stradivarius,” says Joe Bradley, the recently appointed Head of Bloodstock Operations at the stud. “But here in Newmarket in particular, he was a huge personality on the heath and he's a very important horse to a lot of people.” It may seem a daunting task to take on a celebrity of the racing ranks and maybe even more so when a horse whose career like Stradivarius's may not necessarily be what every breeder is after but the team at The National Stud are confident in the horse, allowing his credentials to speak for themselves.
“We don't shy away from what he achieved,” said Bradley when reminiscing on Stradivarius's racing career. “We're proud of it. He finished races in a way that most horses couldn't. People understood the quality he has. He's by an amazing stallion, he's got a fantastic pedigree. He's got the race performance, and physically he's an exceptional animal.”
By allowing the facts to do the talking Stradivarius has been well received so far with “a range of breeders that provide mares from a range of distance, from six furlongs right up to a mile and a half,” booking a nomination. Given the mix of owner-breeders and commercial breeders that have expressed interest in Stradivarius, the team behind the horse have every reason to be optimistic for his future at stud with a book of over 100 mares coming together nicely.
“It's been such an interesting process and it's been great seeing the confidence that breeders have for Stradivarius,” Bradley added.
There is no doubt that launching a new stallion brings fresh enthusiasm and excitement, but it is hard to imagine that The National Stud has been lacking in those departments given the other stallions on their roster. Time Test (GB)'s first crop made a huge impression on the track and “he covered 160 mares in 2021.” There were a few key performers for the stallion last year with one of note in particular.
“He's got some leading horses for the big races in the summertime,” said Bradley. “What we're really looking forward to is Crypto Force (GB), who is with John Gosden now, making his seasonal return.”
Another on the roster who impressed with his first, albeit small, crop was Rajasinghe (Ire).
“He has been an amazing horse for Phil Cunningham,” said Bradley. “He won the G2 Coventry [S.] in the fastest time. And now, I think people are starting to connect those dots because he's had an amazing first crop with 80% winners to runners with horses that have really shown a good turn of foot.”
Rounding off the quartet is Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) who has his first crop of foals this year. Of course, that is not the only interesting fact about the son of Lope De Vega (Ire).
“Lope Y Fernandez is a horse that we're hugely excited by,” said Bradley. “We are in a great partnership with Nick Bradley and Whitsbury Manor. And what we're doing is combining what we have, to give him every chance to be a very successful stallion.”
Of his first-born foals, so far, Bradley remarked, “They are exactly what we thought they would be. We've been telling breeders that Lope Y Fernandez will put plenty of bone and quality into your mare and into the progeny and that's exactly what we've got.”
Like the stallions around him, Bradley seems very at ease in his new role which “incorporates a variety of things that are directly related to the farm and also dealing with clients, sales and nominations.”
Starting at a time with the promise of so much growth is not lost of the Irish native who cited it as “very poignant” to be working alongside the likes of Stradivarius. As both embark on what should hopefully be a long and fruitful career, perhaps going the distance isn't such a bad thing after all.
The National Stud's resident Rajasinghe (Ire) (by Choisir {Aus}) became the latest first-season sire to break through on Monday when his son Waiting All Night (GB) took the five-furlong maiden on Wolverhampton's Tapeta. Homebred by Phil Cunningham, the Richard Spencer-trained bay who traded at 12-1 travelled strongly tracking the leaders for James Doyle and when tackling Confederation (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}) a furlong out was soon in command to score by 3/4 of a length. The dam, who has a yearling full-brother to the winner, is a granddaughter of Poppy Carew (Ire) (Danehill) who captured the Listed John Musker S. and was placed in the G2 Sun Chariot S., G3 May Hill S. and G3 Prestige S.
2nd-Wolverhampton, £5,100, Mdn, 5-9, 2yo, 5f 21y (AWT), 1:01.81, st. WAITING ALL NIGHT (GB) (c, 2, Rajasinghe {Ire}–Goodnightsuzy {Ire}, by Azamour {Ire}) Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $3,402. O/B-Phil Cunningham (GB); T-Richard Spencer.
The 2022 roster and fees for The National Stud were announced on Tuesday. Featuring a young roster of six, first-season sires Time Test (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Aclaim (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) got off to a bright start with their first runners. The former will stand for £15,000, while Aclaim's fee will be £6,000.
Leading the way with more black-type winners than any other European first-season sire in 2021, Time Test is responsible for Group 3 winners Rocchigiani (GB) and Romantic Time (GB), while the filly Sunset Shiraz (Ire) was third in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. He also has listed winners Tardis (GB) and The King's Horses (GB). His current crop of yearlings made up to 400,000gns and averaged £50,466, almost six times the fee at the time they were conceived. In 2021, he covered 160 mares, of which 60 were black-type performers or producers.
Triple Group 1 winner Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) leads the roster at £25,000. A winner of the G1 Phoenix S., G1 Commonwealth Cup and the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, his first foals will go under the hammer next week.
New to The National Stud is the juvenile Group 3-winning Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), who will stand for £8,500. Placed five times at the Group 1 level, including the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, the bay also made the frame in the G1 Prix Jean Prat, G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, and the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at three. His final Group 1 placing was in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot this June.
Aclaim already has 26 juvenile winners to his credit, among them the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf fourth Cachet (Ire) and the group-placed Jacinda (GB). His progeny have made up to 150,000gns.
Expecting his first juveniles in 2022 is G2 Coventry S. scorer Rajasinghe (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) at £3,000. His first crop of foals averaged £30,975 off of a £5,000 fee. The final stallion of the sextet is G1 Irish St Leger-winning Flag Of Honour (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who, like Advertise, will cover his third book of mares in 2022. His fee will be £2,500.
Tim Lane, Director of The National Stud, said, “It is with a combination of pride and excitement that we unveil the 2022 covering fees for the National Stud stallions. The early achievements of our first-season sires Time Test and Aclaim have given us plenty to celebrate in 2021, and have also highlighted the abundant promise that exists across our six-strong roster.
“We are in a privileged position to be standing a range of promising young stallions and hope that breeders share in our optimism about the future for our sires. However, although we are confident there is much to look forward to, we remain acutely aware of the challenges recent times have presented. With that in mind, our fees have been designed to offer breeders what we feel is exceptional value for money.”
