“Zelzal, thanks to his ability to improve the small number of mares he covered in his early breeding years, was able to cover 189 mares in 2022 and 111 mares in 2023,” said Haras de Bouquetot nominations manager, Sebastien Desmontils. “Like many improving stallions, he is building his reputation the hard way, and we can only hope to see breeders who will use him in 2024 ride the wave of these two larger generations.”

Desmontils added that Wooded's first yearlings went through the auction ring this year with a good number selling to the international market.

Al Shaqab, a leading buyer of yearlings in France, will have at least ten of his offspring competing in their colours. New addition Lusail (Ire), the first son of Mehmas (Ire) to stand in France, will carry an introductory fee of €6,000.

“He has a very similar profile to his sire, both in terms of physical appearance and 2-year-old performances as a juvenile double G2 winner. [He is a] robust colt with excellent locomotion [who] is sure to catch the eye of breeders looking for speed and precocity.”

Joining Lusail at the price point is Thunder Moon (Ire), whose first foals will arrive in 2024. Romanised (Ire) will stand for €7,000 and was represented by first yearlings in 2023, whose average auction price of €34,000 was nearly five times his initial fee. Galileo Gold (GB) will also be at €7,000; Al Wukair (Ire) and Armor (GB) both stand for €5,000; and Olympic Glory (Ire) will see his fee arrive at €4,000.

The post Al Shaqab Stallions Reveals 2024 Fees, Digital Brochure appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The post St Lawrence Buys 2.4m Dubawi Filly During Saturday’s Arqana August Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

A 1/48th share in Grade 1-winning jumper Nirvana Du Berlais (Fr) (Martaline {GB}) (lot 10) has been added to the catalogue. The share gives the right to two coverings a year in 2023 and 2024, followed by one covering a year beginning in 2025. Standing at Haras de la Hetraie for €6,500 this season, his first foals are juveniles.

There is also a breeding right available in crack miler Ribchester (Ire) (lot 11). He is the sire of 12 stakes winners including Group 1-placed Flaming Rib (Ire). He is priced at €7,500 this year and the breeding right gives the buyer the right to one covering a year.

Rounding out the new additions is a half-share (1/100th) in G1 Prix de l'Abbaye hero Wooded (Ire) (lot 12). The son of Wootton Bassett (GB) has his first yearlings in 2023, and commands €12,000 at Haras de Bouquetot. The half-share grants the buyer the right of one covering a year, plus a bonus covering which may be used in 2023 or 2024.

The post Pair Of Shares And A Breeding Right Added To The Arqana Online Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Bred by Aidan and Annemarie O'Brien's Whisperview Trading, the colt was named a 'Rising Star' after his debut win at the Curragh and claimed the G1 National S. in his next outing before running third in the G1 Dewhurst S. Owned by Mrs. C C Regalado-Gonzalez, the Joseph O'Brien trainee was only a head shy of adding the G1 Prix Jean Prat to his resume at three, and he was also third in the G3 Gladness S. this term. He retires with a mark of 13-2-2-2 and $365,398 in earnings.

“Thunder Moon was defined by his natural class and strong turn-of-foot,” said O'Brien. “His performance in the G1 National S. really showcased this and his brilliance as a 2-year-old beating a field packed with Group 1 winners and future group performers. He also came within a whisker of winning the Prix Jean Prat the following year. We are really looking forward to training his progeny in the years to come.”

The son of Small Sacrifice is a half-brother to stakes winner Table Rock (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). His third dam is the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Trusted Partner (Affirmed), dam of GI Matriarch S. heroine Dress To Thrill (Danehill) and her full-sister, the blue hen Polished Gem (Ire) (Danehill), the dam of eight stakes winners.

Haras de Bouquetot's Stud Manager Benoit Jeffroy said, “We're delighted to welcome Thunder Moon at Haras de Bouquetot for 2023. He is a precocious horse of 1m60 (15.3 hh) who has shown plenty of speed winning the National S. like Dubawi (Ire), Danehill Dancer (Ire) and Teofilo (Ire) did before him. We were looking for a Group 1 winner at 2 excelling over seven furlongs, not dissimilar to the profiles of recent French successes Wootton Bassett (GB) and Siyouni (Fr).”

Leading the Haras de Bouquetot roster is Zelzal (Fr), who has sired three stakes winners led by multiple graded winner Dolce Zel (Fr) and GIII Sweet Life S. heroine Ouraika (Fr), and is priced at €15,000. G1 Prix de l'Abbaye hero Wooded (Ire) has his first yearlings in 2023 and is €12,000. As previously announced, Group 1 sire Galileo Gold (GB) has moved to Bouquetot in a joint-venture with his former home, Tally-Ho Stud, and he will stand for €7,000, the same price as G1 Irish 2000 Guineas victor Romanised (Ire), who has his first yearlings. Group 1 winner and stakes-siring Al Wukair (Ire), G3 Molecomb S. scorer and G1 Middle Park S. third Armor (GB) expecting his first foals, and multiple Group 1 winner Ectot (GB) will each command €5,000. Rounding out the roster is Olympic Glory (Ire), the sire of 13 stakes winner, at €4,000.

The post Group 1-Winning Juvenile Thunder Moon Retired To Haras De Bouquetot, As 2023 Roster Revealed appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Having kicked off at dawn from Chantilly, with bloodstock agent Tina Rau behind the wheel and her pair of dogs on the back seat, we arrived at 9 a.m. sharp for the first show at Haras de Bouquetot, having duly given the four-legged companions a little walk beforehand. They call it German precision.

Bouquetot is still to celebrate its first decade of operation, and yet it has been one of France's fastest-growing stallion stations with eight sires currently on the roster. All of them, bar the fresh arrival Armor (GB) (No Nay Never), are Group 1 winners, and two share the distinctive feat of having landed one of Europe's most competitive mile contest in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois. The first crop by Al Wukair (Ire) (Dream Ahead) included 15 winners at two and already two at three, including recent debut winner Hauran (Fr). Such a promising start has caused his fee to swing back to its initial level of €8,000.

Romanised (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who annexed the Marois on the back of a Classic triumph in the Irish 2000 Guineas, is still to have his first foal on the ground but he was the busiest stallion at Bouquetot last year with 127 mares. His starting fee of €7,000 has been maintained and seems excellent value, as Al Shaqab Racing's Sebastien Desmontils explained.

“Romanised is still owned 100% by Mr. Ng who raced him,” he said. “When stud plans were arranged, we offered him to syndicate the horse, arguing that it would guarantee him significant support. Mr. Ng, however, was keen to remain Romanised's sole owner but he suggested that we gave him a very affordable covering fee in order to make him an attractive proposition to breeders.”

Another stallion expecting his first foals is Wooded (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who ended a long drought for France when winning the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye. He joined Almanzor (Fr) as the second son of Wootton Bassett to stand at stud in this country and, at €15,000, is the joint highest-priced sire at Bouquetot. He shares top billing with the eye-catching Zelzal (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who was one of the sensations of 2021, notably through the achievements of his listed-winning daughter Zelda (Fr). He also boasts a 92% fertility rate and has seen his fee more than double from €6,000.

The latest addition to the Bouquetot roster is Richard Hannon's former charge Armor (GB) (No Nay Never), who won last year's G3 Molecomb S. and ran third in the Middle Park. Still two months from his actual third birthday, the dark bay will be offered at €5,000.

“The plan is to try to replicate the success story that Al Shaqab has experienced with Mehmas. French breeders are always looking for speed and precocity, so we think he is a great proposition,” said Desmontils.

A little deeper into the Norman countryside, Haras de Bonneval is busy celebrating the 100th anniversary of His Highness the Aga Khan's breeding operation. (Click for Emma and John Berry's excellent three-part feature: Part I, Part II, and Part III.) And could there be a better advertisement than the excellent performances achieved by Zarak (Fr)'s first 2-year-olds? After all, the powerful bay traces back, through his illustrious dam Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar), to Zahra (Ire) (Habitat), the sole daughter out of the champion Petite Etoile (GB) (Petition {GB}), herself a descendant of the “flying filly” Mumtaz Mahal (GB). One hundred years of breeding excellence summed up in one pedigree.

A son of Dubawi (Ire), Zarak has so far been represented by 18 2-year-old winners, the exact same number as his barn mate Siyouni (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) achieved with his first crop. And his best offspring to date is the G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac runner-up Times Square (Fr), who is, fittingly, out of a daughter of Siyouni. Such eye-catching results have had a major impact on the stallion's worth and he now commands a covering fee of €25,000, doubled from his €12,000 starting price.

“There has been huge interest in Zarak,” explained nominations manager Fanny Cyprès. “He has covered a full book every season, and for 2022 he has been full since last October. Mares are coming from Germany, from Ireland and from the UK for him. His value has increased quite dramatically, as shown by the evolution of his share price: when we syndicated him, a share cost €60,000, while at recent auctions on Arqana Online, shares sold for €350,000 to €380,000.”

Full credit where it's due: the now 15-year-old Siyouni remains France's most expensive stallion at €140,000 and is expecting another stellar crop of foals including full-siblings to Sottsass (Fr) and Dream And Do (Ire), as well as youngsters out of Group 1 winners Watch Me (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), Kitesurf (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and stakes winner Zarkamiya (Fr) (Frankel {GB}).

Cyprès added, “We have seen with Times Square that Siyouni is starting to make his mark as a broodmare sire, and we think he can follow in the footsteps of his own sire Pivotal in this respect.”

Larissa Kneip's Haras de Saint-Arnoult is steadily making a name as a source of affordable speed, and she currently has six stallions who all performed over middle to short distances. The good-looking Elarqam (GB) (Frankel {GB}) currently stands out as the sole son of Frankel at stud in France. The Group 2 winner will have his first foals on the ground this season and remains available at an attractive €5,000. The first crop by Seabhac (Scat Daddy) are now 2-year-olds, while Group 1-winning juvenile Mkfancy (Fr) (Makfi {GB}) is the newest recruit.

Only minutes away, Julian Ince's Haras du Logis is home to an impressive line-up of former Godolphin colourbearers, with the notable exception of the infamous globetrotter Tiberian (Fr) (Tiberius Caesar {Fr} ). For the coming season there has been another extremely classy addition to the roster in the dual Group 1 and Classic winner Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal). The handsome bay boasts a special pedigree as he is not only by 'sire of sires' Shamardal, but also from the family of Shamardal–he is inbred 3×3 to Helen Street. Victor Ludorum's placid demeanour and solid constitution guarantee him strong support at €15,000. Another popular young sire is Cloth Of Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), whose first yearlings sold extremely well and whose fee remains unchanged at €7,000.

Leaving Calvados for the Orne area, we reach Haras du Petit Tellier. Patrick Chédeville's historical farm stands the dual Classic winner The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (Masterscraftsman {Ire}), whose first crop already includes six winners and made him one of the 'talking horses' of the winter.

Driving back to Deauville, one notices a sign indicating where the Greenwich meridian crosses through Normandy. Indeed, this part of France should effectively follow the GMT schedule, and it is no wonder days are so dramatically short at this time of year, which make the Route des Etalons an inevitable rush as breeders try and see as many stallions as possible in a limited amount of time. It is a real shame to have to give the likes of Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), Le Havre (Ire) (Noverre), Galiway (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), Golden Horde (Ire) (Lethal Force {Ire}) or Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) a miss, and only minor solace comes from the existence of online stallion books.

The post Back on the Route appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

EB: Who have you identified as a first-year stallion at an appealing opening fee?

HH: Sottsass (Fr), at €30,000, is very good value for what he’s done; he was a very consistent horse. Also Wooded (Ire) was a good sprinter who was very well trained and he will get a good chance. He’s not too dear at €15,000.

EB: Best value proven stallion, and why?

HH: I am a fan of Make Believe (GB). I also think Mehmas (Ire) is good value, even though he’s now standing for three times more than he was. I think he will be a hell of a horse. In the U.S., I would also mention Summer Front, a son of War Front, who gets a lot of winners for the mares he has covered.

EB: Who would you consider to be an under-the-radar stallion?

HH: Here I would name two horses who have come to France who have been elsewhere before. Dream Ahead is not a commercial stallion but he is a very consistent stallion and I like him a lot. Lawman (Fr) is also still a very interesting horse who has been quite overlooked lately. On a much smaller scale, I would also say that Stormy River (Fr) has always been a good stallion who is underrated. It is hard for a horse if he isn’t getting the best mares. In this business a horse has to be good in the first two years otherwise he gets rejected.

The post From the Experts: Hubert Honore appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Wooded, who won the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines on Arc Day, also won May’s G3 Prix Texanita. Toronado (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), sire of G2 July S. hero Tactical (GB), is priced at €8,000, while Olympic Glory (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}), sire of four group winners including G1SW Watch Me (Fr) and G3 Solario S. victor Etonian (Ire) is set at €5,000. Another Group 1 sire, Ruler of the World (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will also command €5,000.

There are a trio of sires at Bouquetot with their first 2-year-olds in 2021, and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois hero Al Wukair (Ire) (Dream Ahead)’s fee is €6,000. That is equalled by Zelzal (Fr) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who landed the G1 Prix Jean Prat. Finally, MG1SW Ectot (GB) (Hurricane Run {Ire} will stand for €4,000 in 2021.

“We think we have a great variety of stallions this season again and that they will meet breeders’ demand,” said Bouquetot’s Benoit Jeffroy. “As breeders, we understand the current economic situation that the industry is facing and have adapted our fees accordingly to provide the best value as possible.”

The post Al Shaqab’s Bouquetot Releases 2021 Roster appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“Wooded stood out from the day he arrived for his good looks and ability and he was very sound, never missing a day’s work,” said trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. “In the G3 Prix Texanita he announced himself as a potential superstar and we were confident he would go close in the Commonwealth Cup. The difficulties of travelling this year made it impossible for him to run. As a racehorse he had so many qualities, class, courage and speed and he fully deserved his Group 1 win this year.”

A winner and placed in both the G3 Prix la Rochette and G3 Prix Thomas Bryon as a juvenile in the Al Shaqab colours, the bay did his best running at three. Successful in the G3 Prix Texanita, he was second in the G3 Prix du Petit Couvert three starts later in September prior to his Group 1 win facing elders on Arc Day. The Gestut Zur Kuste-bred €90,000 Arqana October yearling retires with a mark of 9-3-3-1 and $250,081 in earnings.

“Wooded has been a very special racehorse to us at Al Shaqab, winning such a prestigious sprint race as the Prix de l’Abbaye on Arc day, at 3-years-old and against much more experienced horses,” said Al Shaqab General Manager Khalifa Al Attiya. “He will now be starting a new exciting career at Haras de Bouquetot, and we feel confident that such a standout sprinter who performed at the highest level with such consistency at 2- and 3-years’-old will be very well received by the breeders.”

Out of a full-sister to SW & MGSP Fred Lalloupet (GB) (Elusive City) and a half-sister to SW & GSP Mon Pote Le Gitan (Thunder Gulch), Wooded is a full-brother to G3 Sovereign S. bridesmaid Beat Le Bon (Fr). His second dam, Firm Friend (Ire) (Affirmed), won at the listed level in France, and was also second in the G2 Italian 1000 Guineas and third in a further two French Group 3s.

Added Haras de Bouquetot Stud Manager Benoit Jeffroy, “We’re delighted to welcome a Group 1-winning son of Wootton Bassett to join the roster at Haras de Bouquetot for 2021. An athletic mover of 1m67 (16.2 hh), Wooded has outstanding looks, is a very balanced and correct horse with great depth. He’s always shown plenty of speed and we are confident he’ll be an attractive sort to the European market.”

The post G1SW Wooded Retired to Haras de Bouquetot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Campaigned solely over seven furlongs as a juvenile, Wooded opened his account at Deauville in August before finishing a short-head runner-up to Kenway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) in the G3 Prix la Rochette here in September and third behind the Charlie Appleby-trained duo King’s Command (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Royal Crusade (GB) (Shamardal) in the G3 Prix Thomas Bryon at Saint-Cloud the following month. After springing back to the fore in the Texanita, he was next seen finishing fourth in the G1 Prix Jean Prat back over seven at Deauville July 12 before running sixth in the 6 1/2-furlong G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest also there Aug. 9. Shortened up for the course-and-distance G3 Prix du Petit Couvert, he was runner-up to Air de Valse (Fr) (Mesnil des Aigles {Fr}) Sept. 13 and made the requisite improvement in the interim to turn that form around.

Graffard added, “I was upset, because I knew he was going to run very well in the Commonwealth Cup and there were no races for him over six furlongs over the summer. We have a nice sprinter on our hands and the only question was the ground. He is much better on fast ground and Pierre-Charles said he wasn’t the same horse on soft, but I wanted to toughen him up for next year. He went on it today because he’s a very good horse.”

Wooded is the second foal out of Frida La Blonde (Fr) (Elusive City), whose first was the talented G3 Sovereign S. runner-up Beat le Bon (Fr) also by Wootton Bassett. The second dam is the Listed Criterium d’Evry winner and G2 Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1000 Guineas) runner-up Firm Friend (Ire) (Affirmed) who also produced the Listed Prix Servanne and Listed Prix Cor de Chasse scorer and G3 Prix de Ris-Orangis runner-up Fred Lalloupet (GB) (Elusive City) and another Prix Servanne winner Mon Pote le Gitan (Thunder Gulch) who was also placed in the G3 Prix de Cabourg. The third dam Cherie Amie (Fr) (Gay Mecene) is connected to the G3 Cornwallis S. and G3 Norfolk S.-winning sire Magic Ring (Ire) who was third in this race. The dam’s 2-year-old filly is by Ajaya (GB), while she also has a filly by Intello (Ger) due to sell at the upcoming Arqana Deauville October Yearling Sale.

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX DE L’ABBAYE DE LONGCHAMP LONGINES-G1, €210,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-4, 2yo/up, 5fT, :58.52, hy.
1–WOODED (IRE), 136, c, 3, by Wootton Bassett (GB)
1st Dam: Frida La Blonde (Fr), by Elusive City
2nd Dam: Firm Friend (Ire), by Affirmed
3rd Dam: Chere Amie (Fr), by Gay Mecene
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€90,000 Ylg ’18 AROCT). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Gestut Zur Kuste AG (IRE); T-Francis-Henri Graffard; J-Pierre-Charles Boudot. €119,994. Lifetime Record: 9-3-3-1, €218,398. *Full to Beat Le Bon (Fr), GSP-Eng, $362,908. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Glass Slippers (GB), 133, f, 4, Dream Ahead–Night Gypsy (GB), by Mind Games (GB). O/B-Bearstone Stud Ltd (GB); T-Kevin Ryan. €48,006.
3–Liberty Beach (GB), 133, f, 3, Cable Bay (Ire)–Flirtinaskirt (GB), by Avonbridge (GB). (£16,000 RNA Ylg ’18 TASAYG). O/B-Phillip Wilkins (GB); T-John Quinn. €24,003.
Margins: NK, SNK, 1. Odds: 6.50, 1.70, 10.00.
Also Ran: Lady In France (GB), Keep Busy (Ire), Air de Valse (Fr), Batwan (Fr), Make A Challenge (Ire), Sestilio Jet (Fr), Archer’s Dream (Ire), Livachope (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Wootton Bassett’s Wooded Wins the Abbaye appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post