Seven Days: Bucanero Fuerte Times His Run to Perfection

Most normal people spend some of August at the beach. Bloodstock folk do too, though the spade work involves no bucket, just plenty of prowling around the Arqana sales ground looking at yearlings. There may be the odd oyster here and there at the hospitality suites of various consignors but, make no mistake, this is gruelling work.

It's curtain up this Friday for the European yearling sales season, and we all know what that means: Christmas is right around the corner. For breeders and stallion masters, results on the track are important at any time of the year, but they become ever more crucial in the coming weeks and months, with a fresh update providing the pedigree equivalent of gold dust when trying to sell a yearling.

There can be none fresher than the Group 1 victory on Saturday of Amo Racing's Bucanero Fuerte (GB) in the Keeneland Phoenix S. The colt, who is named after a brand of Cuban beer, no doubt prompted the imbibing of a similar product for those closely involved in his career, as he provided a first top-level win for Kia Joorabchian's outfit. He also became the seventh Group 1 winner for his sire, Wootton Bassett (GB). Remarkably, two of those have the same dam, Frida La Blonde (Fr) (Elusive City), with Bucanero Fuerte having followed his brother, the Prix de l'Abbaye winner Wooded (Ire), in snaring a Group 1 success.

When you look at their pedigrees and see the names of Wootton Bassett on top and Elusive City on the bottom line, it is not hard to come to the conclusion that all roads lead to Normandy's Haras d'Etreham, and this is indeed where Frida La Blonde is boarded by her breeder Maurice Lagasse of  Gestüt Zur Küste.

The Swiss-based operation has been behind a good deal of decent winners, most notably Teppal (Fr) (Camacho {GB}), the heroine of the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in 2018 on the same day that another Gestüt Zur Küste-bred, Dice Roll (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}), was third in the Poulains. The G2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier winner San Huberto (Ire) (Speightstown) won his first stakes race in his breeder Lagasse's colours before being part-sold to OTI Racing.

The pairing of Frida La Blonde, whom Lagasse bred in partnership with Pontchartrain Stud, with Wootton Bassett has also yielded the Group 3-placed Beat Le Bon (Fr), who was her first foal, but the 12-year-old mare has visited Dubawi (Ire) twice since foaling Bucanero Fuerte. Her yearling daughter by the Darley stallion is set to sell on Saturday as lot 214 from the Etreham draft.

I'm going to take a wild guess and say that the Amo team rather likes Wootton Bassett. Robson Aguiar was effusive in his praise of Bucanero Fuerte when he spoke to Brian Sheerin last week ahead of the Phoenix, and he can take much of the credit for presenting Joorabchian, who co-owns the colt with Aguiar's wife Giselle, with a commercial stallion prospect, having bought him last year at Arqana for €165,000.

Then there's the imposing King Of Steel, by the same sire, and surely a Group 1 winner in waiting following his runner-up finishes in the Derby and King George, which sandwiched his victory in the G2 King Edward VII S. The contrasting characteristics of these two colts speak to the versatility of Wootton Bassett as a stallion, with his top runners having struck from five furlongs to a mile and a half. Like their sire himself, a number of them are precocious: Al Riffa, Zellie and Bucanero Fuerte are all Group 1 winners at two, and this set may well expand on Sunday if the Coventry S. winner River Tiber (Ire) can extend his unbeaten record in the Sumbe Prix Morny. Wootton Bassett's record with juveniles was further enhanced over the weekend by the victory of Grey Man (Fr) in the G3 Prix Francois Boutin.

Though Wootton Bassett did not really make his mark beyond his own two-year-old season, he atoned for that from the off at stud as he got the European champion three-year-old Almanzor (Fr) from his tiny first crop born in 2013. His Breeders' Cup-winning daughter Audarya (Fr) excelled at four over 10 furlongs, the same distance over which Incarville (Fr) proved best in the Prix Saint-Alary.

After Almanzor's flamboyant start, there was a three-year wait for another Group 1 winner by Wootton Bassett, but let's not forget that his early crops numbered just 23, 18, 45 and 47. Since Audarya, who was foaled in 2016, there has been a Group 1 winner emerge from each of his five subsequent crops.

Almanzor's sterling work in 2016 meant that the following year there were 92 Wootton Bassett foals, a figure which held more or less steady until the three-figure mark was first breached in 2021, when there were 127 on the ground. That was the last batch conceived at Haras d'Etreham, whose Nicolas de Chambure must take great credit in helping to establish the son of Iffraaj (GB) as one of the most desirable stallions in Europe, so much so that he was bought by Coolmore and has stood at their Irish base for three seasons, commanding a fee of €150,000 for the last two years.

It is safe to say that Wootton Bassett has not been short of suitors in Tipperary. He is listed as having covered 229 mares in 2021 and 249 last year. Their names are as starry as they are abundant. Twenty-six members of his first Irish-conceived crop are catalogued for Arqana this week, among them a daughter of the Oaks winner Was (Ire), who is bred on the cross with Galileo (Ire) that has already yielded Al Riffa, who is set to run in Tuesday's G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano. We can expect to see plenty more of his runners bred this way.

With the increase in both the number and the quality of mares that Wootton Bassett has received in recent seasons, it will be a surprise if the exploits of his stock are not filling the racing pages for years to come.

Hot Forecast

Talking of timely updates, the former champion two-year-old Too Darn Hot (GB) was represented by his first group winner at the weekend with a determined performance from Steve Parkin's smart filly Fallen Angel (GB) in the G3 Sweet Solera S.

Simon Marsh, manager of Watership Down Stud where Too Darn Hot was bred, showed a smart turn of foot himself in getting to Newmarket's winner's enclosure to greet the Clipper Logistics colour-bearer, and he was quick to remind us that Too Darn Hot didn't appear on the racecourse until that same week in 2018. From his winning debut in mid-August, he collected a win in every group division to finish the season unbeaten and be crowned champion juvenile. He currently has eight winners from his 33 runners.

Fallen Angel already held the accolade of being her sire's first winner when making a successful debut back in May. She earned her first sliver of black type with a runner-up finish in the Listed Star S., and it would be no surprise to see her chart a similar path to her talented but somewhat ill-fated mother, Agnes Stewart (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), who won the G2 May Hill S. and was second in the G1 Fillies' Mile.

With injury hijacking Agnes Stewart's three-year-old season, and colic claiming her life after Fallen Angel, the last of her four foals, was born, it would certainly be pleasing for the team at Parkin's Branton Court Stud to welcome her daughter back there eventually. As a Group 3 winner, Fallen Angel has already earned her place in the broodmare band, but let's hope there's plenty more to come on the track first.

Up and Coming

It is the time of year when the juvenile races start to become much more interesting. One would question the wisdom of having the pretty much identical Group 1 contests of the Phoenix S. and the Prix Morny just eight days apart, but this coming Sunday's line-up should be pretty stellar, and will hopefully pitch Christopher Head's filly Ramatuelle (Justify) against the aforementioned River Tiber, whose trainer Aidan O'Brien opted for Deauville over the Curragh, and possibly the recent G2 Richmond S. winner Vandeek (GB). The latter's sire Havana Grey (GB) continues to go from strength to strength and was second in the Morny himself to his stable-mate Unfortunately (Ire).

Amo Racing have rarely been unrepresented in juvenile stakes races this season, and this weekend they could have the G2 Norfolk S. winner Valiant Force (Malibu Moon) in action for Bucanero Fuerte's trainer Adrian Murray as well as the Dominic Ffrench-Davis-trained G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. victrix Persian Dreamer (Ire) (Calyx {GB}).

The Irish National Stud's Phoenix Of Spain (Ire), who beat Too Darn Hot in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, has crept into the picture in the first-season sires' table. He's had just 17 runners to date, but six of them have won, including the G3 Vintage S. winner Haatem (Ire). Similarly, another European Classic winner, Lanwades Stud's Study Of Man (Ire), has made an encouraging start with three winners from just eight runners. His dual winner Deepone (GB), trained by Paddy Twomey, garnered some black type on Friday when a close second to Warnie (Ire) (Highland Reel {Ire}) in the Listed Coolmore Stud Churchill S.

It is also worth noting that City Light (Fr), Etreham's son of Siyouni (Fr), has eight winners from 19 starters, giving him a strike-rate just above 40%.

Inspiral Emulates Miesque

The Prix Jacques Le Marois has become something of a Gosden benefit in the last decade, with John, and later John and Thady Gosden, winning five of the last ten runnings, including four consecutive victories with just two horses: Palace Pier (GB), who is a son of the 2014 winner Kingman (GB), and now Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Cheveley Park Stud's four-year-old remained unbeaten as a juvenile  and is now a Group 1 winner in each of her three seasons.

Only one other filly, the great Miesque (Nureyev), has won the Jacques Le Marois twice, and in joining her, Inspiral provided Frankie Dettori with an emotional big-race success on his final ride at Deauville. She may yet give him a chance to shine at Santa Anita, with her trainers considering the Breeders' Cup Mile on the first weekend of November after Inspiral's 'win and you're in' success in Deauville.

Thousand Stars

While there was Group 1 action occurring just a stone's throw from his Deauville stable, Stephane Wattel crossed the border to Germany to notch his first win at the top level on Sunday with Simca Mille (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) in the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin.

Torquator Tasso (Ger) and Alpinista (GB) both went on to score in the Arc in the year after winning Hoppegarten's major prize. Perhaps that means we should be following Rebel's Romance (Ire) this year, and Simca Mille in 2024, though Wattel is already eyeing that prize for his four-year-old Haras de la Perelle homebred this season, and rightly so.

Simca Mille has run at Longchamp  on four occasions, winning two Group 2 contests, the Prix Niel and the Prix d'Harcourt, and twice finishing runner-up, in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris and G1 Prix Ganay. In fact, he has only ever been out of the first two twice in his 14 starts and it had long appeared to be only a matter of time before he claimed his own Group 1 triumph. Simca Mille also gave his young jockey Alexis Pouchin his second Group 1 victory in as many weeks, following the win of Mqse De Sevigne (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the Prix Rothschild a fortnight earlier.

Sweeping the Board

Croom House Stud's Sweepstake (Ire) is already a noted matriarch as the dam of the multiple group winners Broome (Ire) and Point Lonsdale (Ire), who are both sons of Australia (GB). Her two youngest racing offspring have both added to the 18-year-old mare's record since the start of August, with Saadiyat (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) having won at Vichy on Aug. 2 for Al Shira'aa Farms. The juvenile Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) followed suit when making a scintillating debut at the Curragh on Saturday to win his maiden by almost five lengths. He was awarded a TDN Rising Star for his efforts.

As a 2.4 million-guinea yearling, he is his dam's most expensive offspring to date, but his siblings haven't exactly been cheap. Sweepstake has certainly done her bit to help balance the Croom House books, as another eight of her offspring have been sold for six-figure sums as yearlings.

From the first crop of Acclamation (GB), Sweepstake became her sire's second stakes winner in the same week that Pencil Hill (Ire) beat her to the punch when holding off You'resothrilling (Storm Cat) to win a Listed contest at the Curragh. This duo emanated from the same crop that also produced the G1 Middle Park S. winner Dark Angel (Ire), who on Saturday was represented by his 100th black-type winner when Heredia (GB) landed the Listed Dick Hern S for owner/breeder Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock.

Fev Takes The Bev

It takes a little adjustment to get used to the Arlington Million and the Beverly D S. being run at Virginia's Colonial Downs rather than in Chicago, but both those Grade 1 contests last Saturday fell to familiar names on this side of the pond.

Juddmonte's Set Piece (GB), by the late Dansili (GB), took the Million. Winner of the Listed Hyde S. and third in the Craven for Hugo Palmer before joining Brad Cox, the seven-year-old gelding has been a solid performer in America with five graded stakes wins to his credit.

Not quite so advanced in years, the Manister House Stud-bred Fev Rover (Ire), now five, continued her admirable career with her first top-level strike in the Beverley D. The daughter of Gutaifan (Ire), who is by the aforementioned Dark Angel, claimed the first of her wins at two in the Listed Star S. for Richard Fahey, before landing the G2 Prix Calvados and finishing fourth in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac. She was third in the 1,000 Guineas the following May and though she didn't manage another win in Europe, she strung together enough impressive runs to ensure a 695,000gns price tag when she went through the Tattersalls December Sale and was bought by Tracy Farmer. She has rewarded her new owner and her trainer Mark Casse with victories in the GII Canadian S. and GII Nassau S. and two further Grade 1 placings prior to Saturday.

Fev Rover is out of the High Chaparral (Ire) mare Laurelita (Ire), and her three-parts-brother has been catalogued for the Goffs Orby Sale on Sept. 27, selling through breeder Luke Barry's Manister House draft.

Barry was understandably delighted with the latest important update for the family. He said, “We're chuffed to bits. It's becoming more and more important to breed good horses. It's the Group 1 winners that catch people's attention and we've had so many messages from well-wishers.

“She's actually the third Group 1 winner we've sold at Doncaster after La Collina (Ire) and Law Enforcement (Ire). That's always been a lucky sale for us.

“Laurelita's yearling colt was bred specifically to produce a racehorse–it's a good cross–and she is now back in foal to Starspangledbanner.”

 

The post Seven Days: Bucanero Fuerte Times His Run to Perfection appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Bucanero ‘The Best I’ve Ridden’ – Aguiar Sweet On Phoenix Stakes Favourite

Widely considered one of the shrewdest judges of equine talent on an international scale, Robson Aguiar has described Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB) as the best horse he has ever ridden and predicted the colt would be very hard to beat in Saturday's G1 Phoenix S. at the Curragh.

It was Aguiar who first spotted the potential in the Adrian Murray-trained Bucanero Fuerte as a yearling last year and went to €165,000 to secure the colt from Etreham at the August Sale at Arqana. 

Victory in the first juvenile Group 1 race of the year in Europe would guarantee Bucanero Fuerte's share price to sky-rocket well beyond that initial outlay, which would represent a huge result for the Brazilian native given his wife Giselle owns the colt in partnership with Amo Racing. 

“Bucanero is in top form,” the 41-year-old said on Thursday. “I'd say he has improved a good bit since his last run. I have ridden a lot of good horses in the past but this horse is really special. He is the best horse I have ridden. I rode very good horses when I worked in Ballydoyle and for Tally-Ho Stud as well. 

“I rode Camelot (GB), Excelebration (Ire), Perfect Power (Ire), Go Bears Go (Ire), Ardad (Ire), Persian Force (Ire)–a lot of good horses–but this horse is really special. He's a very quiet horse, has a good mind, is a brilliant mover–he has everything.”

Bucanero Fuerte beats Unquestionable in the Railway Stakes | Racingfotos.com

Bucanero Fuerte has already accounted for his main market rival on Saturday, Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), when the pair met in the G2 Railway S. at the Curragh last month. He is well on his way to fulfilling his stallion potential, being a classy brother to the Prix de l'Abbaye scorer Wooded (Ire), and Aguiar explained that the blooding of such types has become an important aspect of the Amo Racing model.  

He said, “We work very hard for this. We are working hard to make a stallion and have four good stallion prospects this year. There is New York Thunder (Nyquist), one of the best three-year-olds in America, King Of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Valiant Force and Bucanero Fuerte. Also, we still have Go Bears Go (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), who will retire at the end of this year. Hopefully he can win a Group 1 or Group 2 beforehand. 

“For the past few years, we have been working hard to try and find these horses. It's not easy to make a stallion and, until we get there, we won't be happy. We are on the right track but we are not there yet. Hopefully Bucanero can win on Saturday.”

The brother to Wooded, whose first yearlings will go under the hammer at the August Sale at Arqana next week, was a well-credentialed stallion prospect at the yearling sales. However, it wasn't Bucanero Fuerte's page that lured Aguiar in.

“He caught my eye straight away when I saw him at the sales. When they pulled him out of the stable, I said to my wife, 'I am going to buy this horse.' I didn't even look at his pedigree because, when I go to the sales, I watch all of the horses. I look at them walking and, if they interest me, I look at the pedigree. If I am not interested, I don't bother looking.”

Aguiar added, “I didn't know he was a brother to Wooded when I saw him first. He could have been related to nothing and I would have bought him still. But when I did see his pedigree, I thought I had no chance of buying him. I was lucky to be able to buy him.”

Buying the good models over a page is what Aguiar built his business on. When operating on a budget, he was able to turn cheaper yearling purchases into six-figure breezers. 

The bankroll behind the operation may be on a completely different scale now, helped by the backing of Amo boss Kia Joorabchian, but the principals and the work ethic remains the same.

“Look, I still buy colts without much of a pedigree for myself and I breeze them. I like to buy a racey-looking horse to breeze. But for Amo, I try to buy stallion prospects with a pedigree because Kia does not want to win a race. He wants Group winners and stallion prospects.”

Royal Ascot-winning juvenile Valiant Force, who is also trained in County Westmeath by Murray and being aimed at the G1 Prix Morny, is another stallion prospect that was found for Amo by Aguiar. 

Alongside Tally-Ho Stud's Roger O'Callaghan, Aguiar snapped up the son of Malibu Moon for $100,000 on the recommendation of bloodstock agent Ben McElroy at the September Yearling Sale at Keeneland. 

Like Bucanero Fuerte, Aguiar's wife Giselle retains a share of Valiant Force, as does O'Callaghan's wife Rachael, in partnership with Amo Racing. 

Valiant Force caused one of the biggest shocks in recent memory at Royal Ascot when winning the G2 Norfolk S. at odds of 150-1 and Aguiar is now charting a path back to America along with Murray for the Breeders' Cup with the colt. 

Recalling how he came to acquire Valiant Force, he said, “Ben McElroy told me to have a look at him. He bought him as a foal as part of a syndicate and they put him in Book 2 of the September Yearling Sale at Keeneland where he got a little bit lost. He is by Malibu Moon, who is not the most fashionable stallion but, when Ben showed me the horse, I really liked him. I got Roger to have a look and we bought him to breeze. We decided to race him and sold a little bit of him to Kia before Ascot.

“He's in good form and I'd say he has improved since Ascot as well. He's gotten bigger and stronger. For me, he will be a proper dirt horse but I'm going to run him once more on turf in the Prix Morny in France. My plan is to go to the Breeders' Cup for the dirt race because he works very good on it.”

Joorabchian has earned himself a reputation as being a hard-nosed businessman who is not afraid to move his horses around. It is a results-based business at the end of the day and nobody is more aware of this than Aguiar, who has a very clear vision about what success looks like for the Amo Racing chief.

 Aguiar: “I want to be the best – I don't want to be just another person in the game.” | Tattersalls 

“We are not there yet,” he admitted. “For me, I want to get a few Group 1s over the line and produce a good stallion. We have spent a lot of money and I will be proud when we start to bring more money back into the business [through a good stallion].”

In order to fulfill his ambitions in racing, Aguiar shared that he would be bidding to emulate the achievements of the O'Callaghans at Tally-Ho Stud, for whom he has a long and fruitful association working alongside. 

He explained, “I joined Tally-Ho when I left Ballydoyle and they help me and I help them. We still do a lot of business together and I am very good friends with Roger, Henry and Tony O'Callaghan. We are friends and we also respect each other. Any favour they ask me to do, I do it for them. They would also do anything for me. We are like family.

“They work very hard. Roger is a good person to buy and sell a horse and everybody trusts Tony. They will always help people who need to get a mare covered and will always try and do a deal for you even if you don't have the money there and then. 

“Kodiac (GB) brought them to the next level and now Mehmas (Ire) is doing the same. Everything that retires there, they do a great job for the stallion and they reinvest every year in new mares and facilities.”

He added, “Everything that I make, I put it back into building stables and buying my own mares. I do a lot of pre-training for Amo and I still have a few racehorses myself who I couldn't sell. 

“My business is starting to grow and hopefully I can keep on improving every year just like Tally-Ho has. I want to be competitive at the top level. I don't spend my money on anything else. I always invest, invest, invest. I want to be the best–I don't want to be just another person in the game.”

For those reasons, victory on Saturday would mean the world to Aguiar and he has full confidence in Bucanero Fuerte delivering the goods. 

“If everything goes right in the race, I think he should win. You can think this but you can never be sure. I bought the horse, I broke him and I ride him every day so it would give me a lot of pleasure if he was to win his Group 1 on Saturday. I sold a Group 1 winner already, Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) in America, but I think this horse can bring me to the next level of the business.”

The post Bucanero ‘The Best I’ve Ridden’ – Aguiar Sweet On Phoenix Stakes Favourite appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The Leading Sires-Of-Sires In Britain And Ireland? The Stats Will Surprise You

Which stallion does the data say is the outstanding sire-of-sires in Britain and Ireland? The answer will surprise you.

We often hear chat about a stallion's ability as a sire-of-sires being bandied about, but it is less common to see it examined in a more detailed and data-driven manner.

First and foremost, my personal opinion is that using a stallion's record as a sire-of-sires is one of the most brutally harsh measures in all of bloodstock on which to judge a horse. In short, the reality is that the vast majority of stallions do not prove to be long-term commercial successes. 

Consider this. I recently conducted a study to answer the question of what percentage of Flat stallions are a commercial success in the long run. It included every stallion that commenced their covering careers in Britain and Ireland from 2002 to 2014 inclusive and monitored the fluctuations of their published nomination fee. For the purpose of this study, long-term commercial success for a stallion was defined as standing for the same or a higher nomination fee in their 10th year at stud as they had in their first season.

The study included a total of 186 stallions ranging from those that started from as low as £3,000 all the way up to Frankel who began covering at a fee of £125,000. What percentage of that sample qualified as a long-term commercial success by the above definition? Just 17.7% of them. To hammer it down further, only 8% of them stood their 10th season at double their initial fee or higher. Just 3.8% of them stood at four times or more their initial fee in year 10. 

So, for a stallion to do enough to be considered even a reasonably good sire-of-sires is extremely difficult from a statistical perspective. With the very best sires tending to produce the most sons that are given a chance at stud, a top-class sire becoming considered a capable sire-of-sires can be something of a self-fulfilling prophesy. In comparison, even very successful stallions outside of the elite may only get a handful of opportunities for their sons to advertise their father's ability as a sire-of-sires, so the odds are very much stacked against them doing so.

Mind, when one examines the rarified air of stallions that stood for €50,000 or more in Britain and Ireland in 2023 in search of the most notable sires of sires, there is a surprise in store.

Just two stallions are responsible for two or more individual sire sons that feature on this list of the best of the best.

The first is Dubawi through his top-class sire sons New Bay and Night Of Thunder. This won't be a major surprise to anyone given that Dubawi is one of the greatest sires of recent decades. He already has over 50 individual Group/Grade 1 winners to his name and more than 25 of his sons have been given a chance as stallions.

But, who is the other? It must surely be Galileo, Shamardal, Invincible Spirit or some other highly-credentialed star stallion?

No. 

It is Acclamation, via his exceptional sire sons Dark Angel and Mehmas.

The pride of Rathbarry Stud has been a wonderful sire for so many breeders since starting his stallion career at a fee of €10,000 in 2004. However, in terms of producing top-class runners, he doesn't have the numbers to compare to the very best sires around. He has had six Group/Grade 1 winners in his career to date, which is a wonderful tally judged against all other stallions, but it is a relatively small number in the context of the very best sires in Europe. For example, Galileo, Dubawi, Shamardal and Invincible Spirit have had over 200 individual Group/Grade 1 winners between them.

The performance of Acclamation's sons on the track has translated to just seven of his sons being given the opportunity to stand at stud in Britain or Ireland over the years. When one looks at them in more detail, the magnitude of what Acclamation has achieved as a sire-of-sires starts to become clear.

Despite just two of his seven sire sons having achieved RPRs of 120 or higher on the track and the seven of them having started their stallion careers at an average nomination fee of around €12,000, this group of sires have punched incredibly well above their weight. 

Five of the seven have produced at least one Group 1 winner. Four of them have produced multiple Group 1 winners. Of the two that haven't produced a Group 1 winner, it should be noted that Expert Eye's oldest progeny are just three-year-olds this year so it is still early days for him.

However, the real story of Acclamation as a sires of sires is that his sons Dark Angel and Mehmas have risen to elite status as stallions. They both rank up amongst the very best in Europe as sires of sprinter/milers and are members of the very exclusive club of stallions that have risen to a fee four times or more of their initial fee. Dark Angel has had 14 individual Group/Grade 1 winners as a sire and 10 of his own sons have already been given the chance to stand as sires in Britain and Ireland. Despite Mehmas's oldest progeny only being five-year-olds, he has sired four individual Group/Grade 1 winners and four of his sons are already standing at stud in Britain and Ireland. 

All told, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe Acclamation's record as a sire-of-sires as being a statistical sensation.

While Acclamation is still going strong at Rathbarry Stud at the age of 24, whether he can produce another stallion son to further enhance his incredible record as a sire-of-sires remains to be seen. If we have already seen the last son of Acclamation retire to stud, Dark Angel and Mehmas are well on their way to continuing his remarkable legacy as a sire-of-sires. What a legacy it is.

The post The Leading Sires-Of-Sires In Britain And Ireland? The Stats Will Surprise You appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘I Wouldn’t Bet Against John Magnier’ – Mare In Foal To Wootton Bassett Heads July Sale

The opening session of the four-day July Sale at Tattersalls revolved around the well-bred mares on offer and Mick Donohoe of BBA Ireland was once again on hand to take home the top lot when going to 350,000gns to secure Galileo (Ire) mare Sweet And Lovely (Ire) for 350,000gns from WH Bloodstock. 

In foal to Wootton Bassett (GB), one of the most exciting sires in Europe, Sweet And Lovely (lot 212) is a full-sister to Aidan O'Brien's Irish and Lancashire Oaks winner Seventh Heaven (Ire). 

The sale marked a memorable week for Violet Hesketh, who along with Mimi Wadham, runs WH Bloodstock, given she wedded Henry Lascelles recently.

Sweet And Lovely hails from the same family as Over The Rainbow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) (lot 143), who Coolmara Stables pushed the boat out to secure at 270,000gns earlier in the afternoon, and it was this pedigree that was described as one of the most attractive in the sale by Donohoe. 

The leading buyer of the afternoon said, “To be fair to the lads in Coolmore, they are really banking on the Wootton Bassett cross and I wouldn't bet against John Magnier in making a stallion. We'll see what the foal is like but Wootton Bassett could be on the cards next year.”

Donohoe confirmed the top lot was purchased for an existing client, who operates in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, although couldn't divulge the name. Donohoe, one of the most familiar judges in the business, has bought a series of fillies/mares for Yulong over recent years. He is the operation's bloodstock advisor in Europe.

 

The leading agent was out on his own as the leading buyer on the afternoon with seven lots purchased for a total sum of 1,343,000gns. That included Different Light (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 192), offered by The Castlebridge Consignment at 330,000gns and fellow Galileo mares Evening Hush (Ire) (lot 264) and Divintus (Ire) (lot 145) for 250,000gns and 235,000gns, respectively.

 

Of the 215 lots offered on Tuesday, 188 sold at a 87% clearance rate. The aggregate stood at 7,179,300gns for an average of 38,188gns while the median was 16,000gns.

First Flat Foray For Coolmara With 270k Dubawi Mare

Coolmara Stables is best known for producing top-class National Hunt stock, which was evident at the major store sales in Ireland this spring, but there has been a conscious effort on the farm to branch out on the Flat.

There were few better foundation mares for the County Cork men to target at the July Sale for such a venture than Over The Rainbow (Ire) and they duly delivered. 

The Dubawi (Ire) daughter of Irish and Lancashire Oaks winner Seventh Heaven (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was knocked down to Paul McGrath, the farm manager at Coolmara Stables, for 270,000gns.

McGrath admitted afterwards that such a price was as strong as he was prepared to go for Over The Rainbow, but described himself as thrilled to have secured the well-bred broodmare prospect, who is in foal to St Mark's Basilica (Fr). 

He said, “This is a new division for us-we have been talking about getting a Flat broodmare band together for some time. We decided we'd make a start this week. She was not easily bought and went for a bit more than we thought, but we are delighted to have her.”

Coolmara Stables is home to classy National Hunt broodmares Petite Parisienne, Line Mexia (half-sister to Vautour), Tocororo, Ainsi Va La Vie, Reine De Whitfield and more. It is owned by farmer and breeder Kieran Mariga but it was McGrath who was representing the operation on Tuesday. 

He added, “Over The Rainbow is a foundation Flat broodmare, she has a good covering and she has a good pedigree–it's hard to get. We will make stallion plans once we have got the foal from her. 

“We want to keep the quality up and we will take it one step at a time with regards to developing a Flat band of mares. We will be aiming to operate on a commercial basis.”

 

 

'Kingman Has Been Good To Me – But This Mare Didn't Fall Through The Cracks!'

Noel O'Callaghan | Tattersalls/Laura Green

Noel O'Callaghan of Mountarmstrong Stud had his brothers Gay and Tony to thank for making Kingman (GB) filly Divine Spirit (Ire) (lot 155) expensive on him.

Part of the quality Godolphin draft, Divine Spirit was sold in foal to Cracksman (GB) to bloodstock agent Matt Coleman on behalf of the Mountarmstrong Stud operator for 210,000gns. 

Speaking outside the sales ring afterwards, O'Callaghan threw his head in the direction of the Yeomanstown Stud and Tally-Ho Stud maestros and commented, “put it this way, she didn't fall through the cracks–I wasn't the only family member on her! It's a public auction, they're there for everyone.”

He added, “To be honest, she's very good-looking. She could be a tad bigger but hopefully Cracksman will suit her. She'll be covered by a big stallion next spring but I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to which one until February or March. 

Kingman has been very good to me. I got 850,000gns for a yearling by him and sold another for 450,000gns, so he's been good to me. He's in the elite stallion bracket.”

O'Callaghan, whose famous white and navy silks have been carried by Group 1 winners No Speak Alexander (Ire) (Shalaa {Ire}), Alexander Goldrun (Ire) (Gold Away {Ire}) and Alexander Tango (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), admitted to having found the trade on the opening day of the July Sale to be strong.

He said, “They are making their value here. The nice ones are making their value. The market is very resilient for the good ones.”

Coleman was well versed on Divine Spirit. He was involved in the buying of the filly as a yearling for 95,000gns here in November 2018. 

Divine Spirit was later sold by Tally-Ho Stud to Godolphin for 850,000gns at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale and, after winning a maiden and achieving Group 3 black-type for Charlie Appleby, everything turned full circle on Tuesday. 

Coleman explained, “I know the filly well–I bought her with Roger O'Callaghan as a yearling to breeze and then Anthony [Stroud] bought her as a breezer for Godolphin. She is a filly I have known for a while. She was a very good-looking yearling and breezed very well, she was very fast. 

“I think she has a lot of Green Desert to her–she is medium sized, is a very good walker and is very strong. Her brother Manaccan (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) has done fantastically well this year and the pedigree has really exploded since she was bought as a yearling. It is a very happening pedigree.”

As well as being a half-sister to Manaccan and Raucous (GB) (Dream Ahead), Divine Spirit is out of the 2009 G2 Queen Mary second Shyrl (GB) (Acclamation {GB}). It's a speedy pedigree and one that will fit in well at Mountarmstrong Stud, according to Coleman. 

He said, “Noel likes these fast mares and he was keen to buy her. I think there was a bit of family competition for her! She obviously suits what the O'Callaghan family are renowned for breeding, [which is] fast horses. Fingers crossed she breeds some good foals for Noel. She had a good walk as a yearling and she has kept that walk.”

  • The Godolphin draft was the main attraction on day one with 30 lots sold for over 2 million gns. Along with Divine Spirit, Whispering Romance (Ire) and Pomology broke the 200,000 gns mark. Whispering Romance, another daughter of Kingman, was sold to Justin Casse on behalf of Magnolia Mares for 220,000gns while Sam Sangster snapped up Pomology (Arch) for the same figure.
  • Galileo may be gone but the demand for mares by the legendary stallion remains as strong as ever. Seven sold on Tuesday to the tune of 1,289,000gns at an average of almost 200,000gns which made him the most successful stallion of the opening day's trade. 

Basil Martini The Toast Of Haras du Thenney

Etienne Drion of Haras du Thenney made a flying visit to Newmarket for the July Sale with the aim of sourcing a classy broodmare prospect for the Deauville farm and left home for France a very happy man after buying Basil Martini (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) (lot 191) for 190,000gns.

A Group 3 winner for Joseph O'Brien as a juvenile last season, Basil Martini formed part of a small but select list for Drion, who made the visit a productive one. 

He said, “We came over this morning with 15 mares on our list. By the time we'd finished looking, we had five. All the other mares made too much money. She's a Group 3 winner at two and, while it's early days with regards to picking a stallion, she is an exciting mare for the farm. We'll go to a proven sire, I'd say, and we're happy with her.

“It's a young farm and we are building our broodmare band. We're slowly trying to get better quality mares. She's the only thing we bought today–that and a sandwich!”

Luckily for Drion, the sandwich didn't cost as much as Basil Martini, but he revealed how he thinks the latter could prove to be good value at 190,000gns. 

“We said we'd give it a go and we're happy to have gotten her. When we saw what the other mares were making, we didn't think we'd get her so, listen, you always want to pay less but there were so many people on the same mares, we knew we'd have to fork out a bit.”

The post ‘I Wouldn’t Bet Against John Magnier’ – Mare In Foal To Wootton Bassett Heads July Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights