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Value Sires Part III: 10,000 to 20,000

Stick or twist? That's the question faced by many breeders this year. Anecdotally, it appears that some will be pulling back and not covering certain mares, which is understandable after a tricky sales season, not to mention the constant reminders from racecourse managers regarding the “significant headwinds” faced by racing.

Unlike America, the foal crop in Britain and Ireland has been gently on the rise in recent years, up to 13,438 in 2023, compared to 12,778 in 2020, though within that combined number for last year, the Irish crop rose by 4% to 9,082 while the British number was down by 4% at 4,356. It will be interesting to see if that trend continues this year.

Those behind the stallions will be all too aware of the dilemma faced by some of their clients. In Monday's TDN, Coolmore's Mark Byrne said, “Now more so than ever breeders will need to steady the ship and use the good stallions that they can afford.”

As we discussed in Part II of this series, which looked at stallions under the £/€10,000 mark, for those attempting to breed commercially and second-guess which way the winds of fashion and favour will blow, it truly is a game of chance. As we go up another tier in price, we will try to offer some perspective on both up-and-coming and established stallions which could offer value. This will not include any of the stallions standing their first season this year who were dealt with in Part I of the series.

Proven sires

While for many breeders the Juddmonte high-flyers of Frankel (GB) and Kingman (GB) are out of reach, it is hard to look past two stalwarts of the roster in this division. Bated Breath (GB) had a quieter year in 2023 by his own standards but he has the offspring of his strongest crop on paper to run for him this year and he's a stallion we will surely be hearing plenty more from. Having spent a couple of years at £15,000, he is back down to £10,000 and when considering his yearling average in 2023, of £48,300 for 60 sold, this does look a very workable price for a horse who generally gets good-looking sprinter-milers.

Then there is his fellow resident Oasis Dream (GB), who has been a friend to the British breeding industry for 20 years now and last year had a yearling average of just over £55,000. Yes, he's 24, but at his lowest fee of £15,000 (his career high having been £85,000 ten years ago) he's a decent choice to get a young mare off to a good start. We all know what Oasis Dream can do: his best horses among his 18 Group/Grade 1 winners include his champion two-year-old son Native Trail (GB), who has recently retired to Kildangan Stud, the brilliant Midday (GB) and top sprinter Muhaarar (GB). Oasis Dream is versatile as a sire and increasingly influential as a broodmare sire – from brilliant juvenile sprinter Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) to talented stayer Quickthorn (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}).

And that brings us to Nathaniel, who some now seem to consider a National Hunt sire but that's sheer madness. With a Derby winner and an Oaks winner already in his portfolio, Nathaniel added another two Group 1 winners to his list last year in the Champion Fillies and Mares S. winner Poptronic (GB) and the aforementioned Quickthorn. Both of these horses raced for their breeders, and I guess Nathaniel has a proper owner-breeder profile, but look at how the Blunts and the Blyths have been rewarded for their patience: Poptronic was sold for 1.4 million gns after her Champions' Day success, having also racked up racecourse earnings of £459,815, and Quickthorn has earnings knocking on the door of £800,000.

Nathaniel's fee has gone up again a little this year. After spending three years at £15,000, he is now back at £17,500, but he's still worth it.

Golden Horn (GB) is another with a National Hunt label around his neck since his move to Overbury Stud but again, if you're an owner-breeder with a bit of patience, he really should not be forgotten. Admittedly, it remains a disappointment that from his early expensive books he has still not produced a Group 1 winner. That is surely coming, but it didn't happen soon enough to stop his fee dropping from £60,000 to £10,000 (having been at £8,000 last year when he covered 162 mares). Sure, plenty of breeders have had their fingers burnt, but he is now at a price which is workable. He had nine stakes winners in 2023, including three Group 2 winners, putting him ahead of some fairly big names, and he certainly should not yet be considered solely a jumps sire.

On the rise

Territories (Ire) is quietly compiling a decent record and is one who could easily be overlooked in the rush for the new stallions. He shouldn't be. Haydock Sprint Cup winner Regional (GB) became his second Group 1 winner last year after the Prix de l'Opera heroine Rougir (Fr), and he was represented by another seven stakes winners in Australia, Britain, Italy and Germany last year. His fee has been pretty consistent: £12,000 for his first four years and £10,000 for the next four. Territories is not necessarily flashy but, from the family of Shamardal and Street Cry (Ire), he has a solid feel to him.

There's a lot of love for Kodi Bear (Ire), particularly in our house, because he is from the family of Roy Rocket (Fr). But that pointless fact aside, he made a decent start with his first crop which included the Group 2 winner Go Bears Go (Ire) and Oaks runner up Mystery Angel (Ire). He needs to build on that, but he has some bigger and more expensive crops on the way through following his early success. This season's two-year-olds were conceived from his lowest fee of €6,000. He's been at €15,000 for the last two seasons and remains at that figure in 2024. Crucially, the market seems to retain faith in his stock.

Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) caught a few people by surprise with the early results of his first two-year-olds, his 18 winners including the G2 Vintage S. winner Haatem (Ire) and giving him a 36% winners to runners strike-rate. His fee for 2024 has been reduced by a third from his opening price of €15,000, and €10,000 seems a reasonable level for this good-moving Classic winner.

Heading into the second season

In France, Sealiway (Fr) was the busiest new stallion of 2023 and, a good juvenile himself, it would be no surprise to see him make a reasonably fast start with his runners. That won't be until 2026, but considering the leap his own increasingly popular sire Galiway (GB) has made, from €3,000 to €30,000, Sealiway's fee of €12,000 may look reasonable in years to come, and he has certainly been lent some support to get his career off to a decent start.

For his personalised breeder bonus scheme alone, which returns for his second year at stud, it is worth taking a chance on Stradivarius (Ire), who covered 120 mares in his first year and remains at £10,000. He's unlikely to get you the Brocklesby winner but if he sires horses in a similar mould to himself, there could be plenty of fun and rewards to be had down the line.

TDN Value Podium

Bronze: Gleneagles (Ire), Coolmore, €17,500

From a top-drawer family, Gleneagles had weighty expectations on his shoulders from the start. While he may not have quite lived up to that level, and his fee has come down accordingly, he has steadily proved himself to be more than useful and was represented by nine group winners last year, while his daughter One Look (Ire) was the easy winner of the Goffs Million on debut, having been picked up for €65,000 as a yearling. In the last two years another three of his daughters have sold for in excess of 500,000gns at the December Mares Sale.

Silver: Ardad (Ire), Overbury Stud, £12,500

Ardad could have a big year in store. From being the leading first-season sire in Britain in 2021, when his son Perfect Power (Ire) won the G2 Norfolk S., G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park S., his numbers dropped off keenly to just 18 foals in his third crop, but the success of his first runners meant that his book soared to three figures, and he has 101 two-year-olds in 2024, with 144 yearlings to follow those. From a lowest fee of £4,000 in 2021, he has since then stood at £12,500, which keeps him in a commercial bracket, with a yearling average last year of almost seven times his fee.

Gold: Study Of Man (Ire), Lanwades, £12,500

One of the best-bred stallions in Europe, this son of Deep Impact (Jpn) made a really promising start with his first two-year-olds last year and is another who could be set for a big season. His most obvious Classic prospect from his nine winners at a strike-rate of 35% is Deepone (Ire), winner of the G2 Beresford S., a race whose previous winners include Sea The Stars (Ire), Saxon Warrior (Jpn), and Luxembourg (Ire). But there are others who could well step up on impressive performances last season, including the French-trained Birthe (Ire) and Newmarket winner Sons And Lovers (GB). One would expect his stock to be progressive and there's a number of well-bred youngsters yet to make an appearance, not least a half-brother to the Derby winner Desert Crown (GB).

Breeder's perspective: Tom Whelan, Church View Stables

Gold: Kodi Bear (Ire)

Silver: Supremacy (Ire)

Bronze: Space Blues (Ire)

Breeder and pinhooker Tom Whelan says, “I've had great luck with Kodi Bear so I'd have to put him forward as being the best-value stallion in this bracket. He gets great-looking horses and they all have a great attitude and lovely size for a son of Kodiac (GB). He's just very hard to knock. I'm a huge fan.

“I have been very taken by some of the progeny of Supremacy. He looks to have a real chance. Another one who had his first foals last year was Space Blues and, while I might be a bit biased here because I got decent money for one, I'd be happy to use him going forward. I better give a mention to two others, Phoenix Of Spain and Lucky Vega (Ire), as they are producing the goods at this level as well.”

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Mutasaabeq: So Good They Named Him Twice

Transatlantic travellers will have to mind their suffixes when the first foals and yearlings of Mutasaabeq start appearing. 'Our' Mutasaabeq – note his (GB) suffix – is a son of the Irish National Stud's long-serving and influential Invincible Sprit (Ire) and has just retired to the National Stud in Newmarket.

In America, the other Mutasaabeq of the same vintage was bought by Shadwell for $425,000 and is by Into Mischief. Winner of the GII Bourbon S. and placed in the GI Hopeful S., he is about to embark on his first season at stud at Pleasant Acres Stallions in Florida.

But let's return to Shadwell's homebred Mutasaabeq (GB). His seven wins, including three Group 2s, from 17 starts tell of an honourable racing career for Charlie Hills. Not one at the absolute highest echelon, but admirable and consistent nonetheless, conducted over four seasons, during which he showed a distinctive love of Newmarket's Rowley Mile. Perhaps that was ingrained in his DNA, because Mutasaabeq is out of the record-breaking 1,000 Guineas winner Ghanaati (Giant's Causeway). Her half-sister Rumoush (Rahy) won the Listed Feilden S. at the track before running third in the Oaks, and half-brother Mawatheeq (Danzig) was beaten only half a length by Twice Over (GB) in the G1 Champion S. when it was still run at its rightful home of Newmarket.

It doesn't stop there, of course, because this is Shadwell's signature family, which blossomed for Sheikh Hamdan after his purchase of Ghanaati's granddam Height Of Fashion (Fr) (Bustino {GB}) from the late Queen more than 40 years ago.

Height Of Fashion's celebrated offspring include the stallions Nashwan, Unfuwain and Nayef, as well as Ghanaati's dam Sarayir (Mr Prospector), who also had a fondness for the Rowley Mile, where she won the Oh So Sharp S. Go back another generation from the multiple group winner Height Of Fashion and you find another 1,000 Guineas winner, Queen Elizabeth II's Highclere (GB) (Queen's Hussar {GB}). There is yet another one, King George VI's Hypericum (GB) (Hyperion {GB}), two generations back again.

Recent recruits to the global stallions ranks who share this family are the brothers Baaeed (GB) and Hukum (Ire). In short, Mutasaabeq is regally bred in every sense of the word.

“Mutasaabeq was raced by Shadwell, so we're very grateful to Sheikha Hissa to be able to have the opportunity to purchase a horse of his calibre,” says the National Stud's head of bloodstock Joe Bradley. “He was incredibly well performed, has a sensational pedigree, and for us, placing him at the right price point was was key to everything.”

That price is £6,500, and Mutasaabeq joins the stud at a time when expectations are high. Lope Y Fernandez (Ire), who had 40 of first foals sell for an average just shy of £22,000, roughly two and a half times his fee, has his first yearlings on show next year, while the first foals of Stradivarius (Ire) will start to appear from next month.

Mutasaabeq, who is rising six, did all of his racing between 7f and 8.5f, winning his only start at two – at Newmarket, where else? – and then landing a conditions race on his three-year-old debut before bouncing straight into the 2,000 Guineas, in which he finished midfield. His four-year-old season was speckled with group placings until he landed the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Joel S., a race he returned to win this year for the second time, having kicked off his final season in training with victory over Goldolphin's Classic winner Native Trail (GB) in the G2 Bet365 Mile.

Bradley says, “I think his record really speaks volumes for the horse. Invincible Spirit is such a sensational stallion that gets plenty of two-year-old winners. But really, I think if you look at profiles of his progeny, they always train on and that's vital to what we're doing here, and to the industry as a whole, to have that longevity. “He was a two-year-old winner who really came to the fore as an older horse. At four in the Joel Stakes, he made all that day, which became a trend in his races this year. On a seasonal debut in the Bet365 Mile Group, he beat Group 1 performers that day by three lengths. That was a sensational performance, if you look back on it.

“And to be able to finish his racing career with a group victory is something that that really stood out to us. His highest rating this year is 120, so he's really proved that he's one of the best colts of his generation.”

The National Studs of England and Ireland are both more than just stallion and boarding farms. Both are centres of excellence when it comes to providing tailored education for those wanting to work in the bloodstock industry. In Newmarket, the training courses have been reimagined of late in order to adapt to changing working practices. That includes a shift in the calendar for the 'Level 3' Stud Management and Sales Consigning course, which takes place over 26 weeks.

Anna Kerr, the chief executive officer of the National Stud, explains, “One of the biggest shifts in the last 18 to 24 months has been that we are consciously trying to make the education programme more flexible for people, because we are living in a world where there is a requirement to be more flexible. Previously our diploma students were leaving in June and would be going straight to the yearling prep and quite a few of them wouldn't have had done yearling prep before coming to us, which is quite a crucial part of the handling. So we moved the start date of the course forward to mid-September and it now runs to mid-April. The students come in, their learning curve is quite steep, but we always see that when students immerse themselves in the environment, they learn so quickly.”

She continues, “They all did paid work placements at the yearling sales or foal sales this year. Some employers were a bit nervous initially, but once they saw the calibre and the the standard that they were bringing, they were in very high demand then for December. A couple of them got offers to go to Goffs as well.

“The feedback has been really positive. When the students come in, they're not just mucking out for six months, they're immersed in that whole excitement of the sales season and seeing what the end product is and then going on and really having their skills honed during the breeding season. We're really pleased with how it's going thus far.”

There is even greater flexibility in the eight-week 'Level 2' Entry to Stud Employment Course, run in conjunction with the TBA, and after which students are guaranteed a paid placement with a stud over six to nine months.

“With Level 2, there isn't a dedicated start date for that in the same way that there was previously,” says Kerr. “So people can come in to that course any time. Again, that's working well. It's just so that if someone comes to us and wants to enrol in something you're not saying, 'Okay, that's great, come back to us in October.' You're actually saying, 'Yeah, you can start tomorrow.' We can get them in and get them going quite quickly.

“They work alongside the stud team, and there'll always be about three or four students at a time. When we had big groups of 15 to 20 coming through the attrition rate was high, but once you can get them through the training, the retention is very solid within industry. It's about 81% retention for the last five years of our graduates.”

She adds, “And all the qualifications are deliverable in the workplace. If there are employers who want to upskill their workforce, they can register with us and the training can be delivered in the workplace so they don't have to lose their staff to a residential course.

“We need people and we need to develop the workplace culture so that they're being looked after in the right way.”

Another new venture for the National Stud, or rather a return to previous ways, is its investment in a select number of broodmares.

“We want to be supporting our own stallions,”says Kerr, who recently bought the Le Havre (Ire) mare Sacred Valley (Fr) for the National Stud at Goffs for €52,000.

“We feel that we not only need to support our stallions, but we also need to be British breeders. They're not only our customers, but also our community. And with the number of British breeders contracting, we think it's ever more important that the National Stud is helping. We need active breeders.

“Last year we bought four and a half new mares, one in partnership with MyRacehorse.com. Our plan is just that each year we would buy at least one mare to support our stallions. Sacred Valley is in foal to Saxon Warrior and she'll be going to Mutasaabeq.”

The aforementioned mare owned in partnership with MyRacehorse is Blackbird Power (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who is one of the 120 mares in the first book of Stradivarius.

“She's carrying a colt and she's due reasonably early. We should have three Stradivarius foals at the stud so we're extremely excited by that,” Kerr notes.

The collective excitement building up to Blackbird Power's first foal is likely to be greater than any other imminent arrival in the country as there are 1,000 micro shareholders involved in the mare.

“The last Saturday of every month we have a My Racehorse tour. Joe does them and he loves it,” says Kerr.

Joe is likely to be very busy indeed when 1,000 owners are clamouring to see the mare's Stradivarius foal in January, but what a fantastic way to spread the excitement of breeding racehorses.

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Stradivarius Joins the Hall Of Fame

Bjorn Nielsen's star stayer Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) has become the third horse chosen by a public vote to be inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame.

This year, the public were invited to choose from a shortlist of five Long Distance legends shortlisted by the Hall of Fame's eight-strong independent judging panel and consisting of Ardross (GB), Le Moss (GB), Persian Punch (GB) and Yeats (Ire). More than 3,000 people voted online via the Hall of Fame website as well as through a special interactive screen installed within the Hall of Fame exhibition at the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket.

Connections of Stradivarius will receive a specially commissioned medal crafted by Asprey to mark the induction, which will be presented ahead of Tuesday's Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup, which Stradivarius won a record-breaking four times.

“It's an honour for Stradivarius to receive this award and to join the illustrious group of inductees that are already installed in the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall Of Fame,” Nielsen said.

“I'd like to thank The Hall of Fame, all his fans, as well as everyone who voted for him. Donna Vowles at Kiltinan Stud who foaled and weaned him, John Gosden who managed his career so brilliantly, and the staff at Clarehaven who were all instrumental in his success.

“I must also congratulate the other nominees and their connections. Ardross, Le Moss, Persian Punch and Yeats were all tremendous, legendary stayers and it was an honour for Stradivarius to be included in this list.”

Stradivarius was retired from racing at the age of eight to the National Stud in Newmarket, where he has recently completed his first season, covering more than 100 mares. He won a record 18 European group races made the frame in another ten. In addition to three successive Gold Cup victories at Royal Ascot and four Goodwood Cups, he won three Yorkshire Cups, three Lonsdale Cups, two Doncaster Cups, a QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup, a Sagaro Stakes and a Queen's Vase. He also twice won the Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers' Million bonus.

Hall of Fame judge and Racing Post Director Alan Byrne said, “Few horses have the talent to win group races. To compete in, never mind win, the highest-quality staying contests season after season, between the ages of three and eight, is an extraordinary achievement. Those hoping to see his deeds matched may need to live a long time.”

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First Mares Confirmed in Foal to Stradivarius

Seven-time Group 1 winner Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) has had his first mares scanned in foal at the National Stud.

“Stradivarius has taken to his new role extremely well.” said National Stud head of bloodstock Joe Bradley. “He has 11 mares scanned in foal and will cover well over 100 mares this year.”
Stradivarius claimed Group honours 18 times during his career retiring with total earnings of almost £3.5million, plus two individual £1million bonuses.

There are sizeable payouts on offer for breeders supporting Stradivarius, with £25,000 for his first ten 2-year-old winners. His first flat Group winners will boost their earnings by £100,000 for a Group 2/3 and £250,000 for a Group 1.*

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