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Tag: Irish stallions

  • Coolmore’s 2025 Fees Reviewed.

    The return of mares data showed almost 2800 mares covered by Coolmore’s 21 flat stallions in 2024 ranging from 4 for Magna Grecia to 273 for Calyx. The average number of mares covered by a Coolmore flat sire was 133 so they are busy boys. Their Irish flat roster for 2025 comprises 20 stallions following 4 departures and 3 new arrivals. Dropping off the roster were Ten Sovereigns, Arizona and Magna Grecia who had failed to make an early impact and Sottsass who was sold to Japan despite it being too early to fairly assess his merit. The new arrivals are a pair of Derby winners in Auguste Rodin and City of Troy and a first son of Dubawi in Henry Longfellow. Wootton Bassett is now top dog but he lacks the dominance of some of his predecessors in that role.

    Below is my assessment of their published fees for 2024, starting with the priciest sires.

    Stallion €2025 fee (€2024 fee)

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    1. Wootton Bassett €300,000 (€200,000) (2008 Iffraaj ex Balladonia by Primo Dominie)

    Verdict: A good year but it didn’t warrant a €100,000 price increase

    Coolmore will be well satisfied with their investment in Wootton Bassett. I’m not convinced that he warranted the big fee hike but if people have €300,000 to spend on a covering fee they probably don’t tend to shop around for bargains. Four Group 1 winning two year olds (Camille Pissarro, Henri Matisse, Tennessee Stud and Twain) were backed up by six other Group winning two year olds. He ate the lunch of his stud mate No Nay Never and only the winner machine that is Mehmas challenged him for primacy in the European two year old rankings.

    His highest rated two year old, Henri Matisse is rated 113 by Timeform which is the joint 10th highest rated by Timeform. They were good horses but not memorable performers. Commercially his yearling median in 2024 was €250,000 which was less than his fee for next season. He finished 8th on the overall European prize money list but he can expect to improve upon that in the coming years with the offspring of big books due to emerge.

    In my elite sire rankings, I would have him behind Frankel, Dubawi and Sea the Stars. Lope de Vega, Night of Thunder and Kingman offer as much for lesser fees. Wootton Bassett was hard to pigeon hole as a sire after making his name with such diverse types as Almanzor, Audarya, Wooded and King of Steel. However, it’s as a two year old sire that he now seems to be thriving and he is pricey for a two year old sire so he will need to get more classic types to warrant that blockbuster fee.

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    2. No Nay Never €125,000 (€150,000) (2011 Scat Daddy ex Cat’s Eye Witness by Elusive Quality)

    Verdict: Still overpriced, Mehmas is €70,000

    There is a slow release of air from the No Nay Never bubble rather than a sudden popping. Whistlejacket (a full brother to Little Big Bear) won a Prix Morny but was beaten in three other Group 1’s. Bubbling and Truly Enchanting both won Group 2’s but his runners didn’t achieve enough to justify his fee. His yearling median was €128k so there was no profit for breeders who had paid €125k. His sire sons Arizona and Ten Sovereigns were dropped from the Coolmore roster as people cool on a sire who is a noted two year old sire but limited in his accomplishments with his older horses and whose progeny can be ‘hot’. His stud mate Wootton Bassett overshadowed him with two year olds and Mehmas looks better relative value.

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    3. City of Troy €75,000 (€na) (2011 Justify ex Together Forever by Galileo)

    Verdict: A bargain if you believe the hype, fully priced based on his actual achievements
    A cracking good two year old, he fluffed his lines in the Guineas. He was good in the Derby, woeful despite winning in the Eclipse, decent again in the Juddmonte and then nowhere near good enough for the dirt specialists. That would still be a lovely cv but he is not ‘Frankelesque’ and he generated hype and praise from Aidan O’Brien and connections that was substantially out of kilter with what he demonstrated on the track. He will be the first son of Justify to stand on these shores. Coincidentally, we also witnessed an extraordinary level of guff spoken about the merits of Justify as a sire in the past year including Aidan O’ Brien saying that as a sire Justify could be ‘the best ever’. Spoiler alert he wont be the best ever, but there will be a glut of offspring by Justify out of Galileo mares running in Europe in the coming seasons and presumably quite a lot of high class performers. Is €75,000 a fair price for City of Troy?Looking at my crystal ball (actually just highlighting what is the standard operating system), I think he will be popular at that fee, he will drop by degrees over the coming years before his first runners hit the track , there will be other competing sons of Justify on the market and then he will find his place in the world. His dam won the Fillies Mile and is a full sister to an Oaks winner. He is a well balanced horse, his size was a subject of some commentary with Aidan insisting that he was in fact a giant beast more akin to a shire horse (officially 16.1). He will generate plenty of stud fees over the coming years (presumably he will shuttle as well) , he will have big books of well credentialed mares and he will have every opportunity to succeed. With varying influences for speed and stamina and his own mixture of precocity and three year old performances its hard to predict where his progeny will excel but he should be a conduit for class and he is a welcome addition to the stud ranks but it is no penalty kick that he will succeed and his fee is no bargain.

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    4. Camelot €75,000 (€50,000)- (2009 by Montjeu ex Tarfah by Kingmambo)

    Verdict: A great result in the Arc, but that doesn’t make him a great sire

    An annus mirabilis saw a fee hike back to his 2022 level. The Prix de l’Arc saw him sire the winner (Bluestocking), 3rd Los Angeles, and 5th placed Sevenna’s Knight. Bluestocking really blossomed at four and Los Angeles lifted the Irish Derby and Luxembourg won a Coronation Cup to make it a good year for Camelot. . His yearling median increased to €125,227 and an Arc winner gives him the sort of kudos that should insulate him from any dips in the coming season. His operates at around 6% stakes winners to foals of racing age which are respectable but not exceptional stats. I think the 2024 Arc may prove to be the high water mark of his career but he has earned his place among Europe’s better middle distance sires, even if he is not entirely reliable.

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    5. Starspangledbanner €45,000 (€45,000) (2006 Choisir ex Gold Anthem by Made of Gold

    Verdict: Flagging
    In Europe, Puchkine caused an upset in winning the Prix Jean Prat. In Hong Kong both Beauty Eternal and California Spangle won Group 1’s. Overall though he didn’t really do enough to enhance his reputation. His yearling median was €48,818 off a €35,000 covering fee. He is operating at a modest 4% stakes winners ratio and he is more than fully priced.

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    6. St Mark’s Basilica €40,000 (50,000) (2018 Siyouni ex Cabaret by Galileo)

    Verdict: Prayers required

    Will have his first runners in 2025 so using him this season will be a leap of faith. Predictably his fee has been shaved. His half brother Magna Grecia made no impact and has been moved onwards. Sottsass, another son of Siyouni was sold to Japan from the roster. St Mark’s Basilica was top class on the track and he may prove equally adept as a sire but I’d rather wait and see than risk €40,000.

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    7. Sioux Nation €30,000 (€27,500) (2015 Scat Daddy ex Dream the Blues by Oasis Dream)

    Verdict: Big reservations
    His yearling median held up at €40,000 despite over 100 yearlings going through the ring. A pair of Group 2 winners in Europe (Ocean Jewel and Sioux Life) didn’t set my pulse racing. 246 mares covered in 2024 follows on from 289 in 2023 and 221 in 2022. If you wanted an argument for maximum book sizes then the number of mares covered by this ordinary sire would make a strong argument in favour of restrictions. He is in no way worthy of this level of support at that fee.

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    8. Auguste Rodin €30,000 (€na) (2020 Deep Impact ex Rhododendron by Galileo)

    Verdict: No masterpiece
    16 runs for 8 wins including 6 Group ones. A Group 1 winner at two in the Vertem( aka Racing Post/Futurity/Observer Gold Cup) and a dual Derby winner at three. Better still he finished his three year old campaign with a win in the Irish Champion Stakes and the Breeders Cup Turf. On the downside, his four year old campaign saw just a single victory in a substandard Prince of Wales from 6 starts. He was 13-8 for the Guineas when finishing 12th of 14 and he finished last in the King George at three and fifth as a four year old. Coolmore reportedly turned down big offers from Japan for this son of Deep Impact and the decision to keep him in training seemed a rare mis-step. His dam was top class but was known to bleed and some of her son’s performances were dire but he typically bounced back. Saxon Warrior is bred on a similar cross and hasn’t delivered as a sire but Study of Man has done in well in Lanwades. I wouldn’t be rushing to take a chance on him at the fee.
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    9. Paddington €25,000 (€55,000) (2020 Siyouni ex Modern Eagle by Montjeu)

    Verdict: A tough station
    A huge drop in fee after just one season tells you that things aren’t straightforward. He covered 145 mares in 2024 and it will be interesting to see how many foals result. He ran up a sequence of Group 1’s in the Irish Guineas, the St James Palace, the Eclipse Stakes and the Sussex Stakes and he was clearly tough and top class. If his fertility is ok, he would be attractively priced.

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    10. Churchill €25,000 (€30,000)- (2014 by Galileo ex Meow by Storm Cat)

    Verdict: A Toothless bulldog
    Survie won a Group 2 and was runner up in the Prix de Diane but it was another very underwhelming year on the track for Churchill. The memory of the achievements of Vadeni is fading as he produces lots of dross. 192 mares visited him in 2024 and he doesn’t deserve such patronage. He has sired 25 stakes winners from his 597 foals now aged three or more, a very ordinary 4% stakes rate. He had a yearling median of €42,000 for a crop conceived at €25,000 which was better than I expected. However, he is a limited sire and for me he is best avoided as he doesn’t deliver enough stakes horses.

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    11. Little Big Bear €20,000 (€27,500)- (2020 by No Nay Never ex Adventure Seeker by Bering)

    Verdict: Might be a Boo- Boo
    His brother Whistlejacket won the Prix Morny in 2024 but that wasn’t enough to prevent a decrease in stud fee. Two sons of No Nay Never (Ten Sovereigns and Arizona) were moved on from the Coolmore roster and there is a finite market for sons of NNN. Little Big Bear was very impressive in the Phoenix Stakes and trained on to an extent with a victory in the Sandy Lane Stakes and he was runner up in the Commonwealth Cup. He attracted 156 mares in 2024 and it will be interesting if he attracts a similar sized book in 2025. He wouldn’t be my cup of tea but he is aimed at commercial breeders and he is approaching a sensible price.

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    12. Gleneagles €20,000 (€17,500) (2012 Galileo ex You’resothrilling by Storm Cat).

    Verdict: Has escaped from the rough

    Highlighted his versatility by siring a July Cup winner in Mill Stream, a German Derby winner in Palladium and a top 10 furlong horse in Calandagan. He has managed to regain a degree of respectability in the marketplace and attracted a book of 162 mares in 2024. His yearling median climbed to €32,000 off a €15000 covering fee. His progeny stay better than would have been predicted and many need time to improve, but at the money he is a much better sire than Churchill. He has 40 stakes winners from 582 foals aged 3 or more which is a credible 6.8%. He is not particularly cheap but he does bring something to the table and is Coolmore’s best son of Galileo.

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    13. Blackbeard €17,500 (25,000)- (2020 by No Nay Never ex Muirin by Born to Sea)

    Verdict: No hidden treasure
    Notably quirky on the track his reputation won’t have been helped by the relative lack of success of Ten Sovereigns and Arizona. He attracted 171 mares in 2024 following 195 in 2023. To repeat what I said last year, as a temperamental sort from an unexceptional female line I wouldn’t be in a hurry to use him at his current fee.

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    14. Saxon Warrior €15,000 (€25,000) (2015 Deep Impact ex Maybe by Galileo)

    Verdict: A bloody disaster
    The only reason he is still on the roster is presumably that it would be a slap in the face to exile him with so many foals and yearlings still to face the marketplace. He attracted just 37 mares in 2024 and in truth he is dead commercially after failing to produce anything like enough top performers. He had an Italian Derby winner in Borna in 2024 but he is simply a poor sire who won’t be retained for much longer.

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    15. Henry Longfellow €15,000 (€na) (2020 Dubawi ex Minding by Galileo)

    Verdict: Was more prosaic than poetry
    It feels strange seeing a son of Dubawi on the Coolmore roster. However it makes perfect sense for Coolmore to fill a gap on their roster and market this Group 1 winning son of the great Minding. Dubawi is compiling an impressive record as a sire of sires with Night of Thunder, New Bay, Zarak and Too Darn Hot all standing for chunky fees. Henry Longfellow was best at two winning the Futurity and the National Stakes (when City of Troy was a late withdrawal). I would have thought with his pedigree that he would have improved at three but he failed to win in five starts. His best runs were a runner up spot in the St James Palace to Rosallion and a somewhat distant third in the Prix Moulin. As an aside, for all his genius, Aidan O’Brien has never seemed at his best training Dubawi’s. His opening fee is around where I expected it to be. He brings a lot of pedigree to the table and Dubawi is sexy as a sire of sires. He was short of being truly top class but he should prove popular.

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    16. Calyx €12,500 (12,500)- (2016 Kingman ex Helleborine by Observatory)

    Verdict: Overused
    I wrote last year that I thought he might have been a bit of value but it was still astonishing to read that he covered 273 mares in 2024. No sire is worthy of a book that size and this fellow certainly wasn’t either. He has a good winners/runners percentage and he has virtues as a sire but he has only sired 4 stakes winners to date. A yearling median of €26,250 off a €12,500 fee was fine but that was for 21 yearlings sold and the market may feel more saturated when a multiple of that amount are all vying for buyers attention. For commercial breeders, he may be a victim of his own popularity.

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    17. Australia €10,000 (€17,500)- (2011 by Galileo ex Ouija Board by Cape Cross)

    Verdict: Gone South

    A deep cut to his fee probably wont be enough to reverse the slide in popularity. Attracted just 60 mares in 2024 and whilst a yearling media of €36,000 seems impressive those were off a €35,000 covering fee. Port Fairy won a Ribblesdale and he had seven stakes winners but he has lost the love of the market. His career stats are actually respectable running at 43 stakes winners from 780 current three year olds + (5.5%). His detractors will say his progeny tend to need time and generally lack a potent turn of foot . He is not going to become commercially attractive any time soon but at his new revised fee he might not be a bad option for owner/breeders not worried about the sales ring.

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    18. Footstepsinthesand €8,000 (€8,000) (2002 Giant’s Causeway ex Glatisant by Rainbow Quest)

    Verdict: Will leave no trace
    Thankfully coming to the end of his career. Covered 19 mares in 2024, his yearling median was €17,719 and that is too much for this very ordinary sire.

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    19. Holy Roman Emperor €8,000 (€8,000) (2004 Danehill ex L’On Vite by Secretariat)

    Verdict: A decent sire at this level
    The Coventry winner Rashabar served as a reminder that he is still a useful sire. However his median dropped alarmingly to €9987 from 11 sold. Appoaching the end of his career but not a bad sire (5%) stakes winners for the money.

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    20. The Antarctic €5,000 (€6,000) (2020 Dark Angel ex Anna Law by Lawman)

    Verdict: Leaves me cold
    Dark Angel reached the top of the summit this year to be crowned Champion Sire in the UK and Ireland. To date he has yet to strike oil with a good sire son (Harry Angel probably the best to date). The Antarctic was no more than a Group 3 winner and the exploits of his brother Battash are probably the primary reason he found a slot at stud. He attracted 126 mares in 2024 but he is a long shot to make an impact.

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    Final thoughts: Horses are a herd animal and unfortunately for the good of the breed many Irish and UK breeders also seem to blindly follow the herd. The worst examples above are the book sizes of Calyx and Sioux Nation which are completely divorced from their respective merits as sires. Coolmore isn’t unique in having huge books and there is a wider industry problem. Alas there seems to be no official or regulatory will to tackle the issue or even push for voluntary caps on book numbers and we are losing stallion and genetic diversity due to mega-sized books for ordinary sires.

  • Coolmore’s 2024 fees (Part 1-stallions from €200k to €20k)

    2023 was a good year on the track for Ballydoyle with 20 Group/Grade 1 winners. Results weren’t nearly as impressive for Coolmore’s stallion roster. Their best placed stallions on the GB/Ire sires table were Galileo in 5th and No Nay Never in 10th. Disappointment with their Irish sires, will have been tempered somewhat by the performance of the Ashford based Justify. He impressed with 4 Group/Grade 1 winning two year olds this year, in a second crop that was considerably better than his first crop. It would be intriguing to see him spend a few seasons in Tipperary but that doesn’t seem to be on the cards.

    The Irish roster now comprises 21 stallions. During the year we saw two departures in US Navy Flag and Circus Maximus (even before he had runners) and three new arrivals in Little Big Bear, Paddington and The Antarctic . Coolmore may never reclaim its dominance of the past few decades but it is still a formidable roster that covers a large percentage of Irish broodmares. There are no bargains at the published fees but presumably bar the most popular stallions there is room for negotiation which may make them better value.

    Below is my assessment of their published fees for 2024, starting with the priciest sires. As the Beatles are once again in the charts I have also included a Beatles lyric that seems apt for each sire.

    Stallion €2024 fee (€2023 fee)

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    1. Wootton Bassett €200,000 (€150,000) (2008 Iffraaj ex Balladonia by Primo Dominie)

    Verdict: Repaying their investment but no upside at price
    Beatles Lyric Verdict: I’m fixing a hole
    Wootton Bassett had a good year on the track. The imposing King of Steel (ex Eldacar by Verglas) was runner up in the Derby and subsequently triumphed in the Champion Stakes. His 131 two year olds featured Group 1 winners Bucanero Fuerte (ex Frida la Blonde by Elusive City) and Unquestionable (ex Strawberry Lace by Sea the Stars) and Group 2 winner River Tiber (ex Transcendence by Arcano).

    His current career tally is 40 stakes winners from 620 foals of racing age (6%). This is not an elite sire percentage but he has covered large books of better credentialed mares (particularly Galileo mares) since his move to Ireland. He has 205 two year olds of 2023 and 170 yearlings waiting in the wings. In 2023 he covered he covered a mammoth book for 221 mares, including 49 of Coolmore’s own mares. With these crops to come,we can expect him to improve significantly on his 11th position in the sires table this year. He is a difficult sire to pigeon hole as his runners vary across the precocity and distance spectrum and he has worked with all sorts of broodmare sires. A €200,000 fee is steep for a sire who had a median of €220,000 this year (95 sold) -albeit off a €100,000 covering fee. Galileo was irreplaceable. Wootton Bassett is a stopgap who is being given every support. However, he is not that attractive as a commercial proposition and his stakes winning progeny percentage is modest, making him overpriced at his new fee.

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    2. No Nay Never €150,000 (€175,000) (2011 Scat Daddy ex Cat’s Eye Witness by Elusive Quality)

    Verdict: Overpriced and definitely not Danzig
    Beatles Lyric Verdict: I’m coming down fast, but don’t let me break you

    No Nay Never (NNN) had a marvellous season in 2022 with 3 Group 1 winning two year olds. In 2023, he had no Group 1 winners but he had three Group 2 winners (Les Pavots, Lake Forest and Matrika) and two Group 3 winning two year olds. In 2022, he seemed set to dominate the two year old sire rankings for a number of years. This no longer seems likely as that space has become much more crowded. He now faces competition from his stud mate Wootton Bassett, breakthrough sires like Havana Grey (£55,000) and Mehmas (€60,000) and 2023 first season sires like Blue Point (€60,000) and Too Darn Hot (£65,000). His yearling median was €157k off a €125k cover fee so his risk/reward ratio for commercial breeders is not appealing. Six figure fees are typically the preserve of potential classic sires and despite Meditate placing in the Irish Guineas this year, he is still (correctly) perceived as a two year old/sprinter sire. His career record is now 57 stakes winners from 958 foals of racing age (6%). He was unwisely compared with Danzig last year (18% stakes winners) but there is no comparison. There is also a view that his progeny can be ‘hot’ and difficult to handle. He attracted 190 mares this year with 101 of them being black type mares so there will be plenty of well bred representatives over the coming years. Coolmore is approaching saturation point with four of NNN’s sons on the roster (Arizona, Blackbeard, Little Big Bear and Ten Sovereigns) and its hard to think we need any more. As a two year old/sprinter sire he is overpriced relative to his competitors and he should be closer to €100k.

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    3. Paddington €55,000 (na) (2020 Siyouni ex Modern Eagle by Montjeu)

    Verdict: Would need to tick a few more boxes at that price
    Beatles Lyric: “You say you got a real solution, Well, you know, We’d all love to see the plan”

    This time last year he was just the winner of a back end Curragh maiden. He started 2023 in a handicap, before going on an unbeaten run that took in the Tetrarch Stakes, the Irish Guineas, the St James Palace, the Eclipse Stakes and the Sussex Stakes. At that stage he was inviting comparisons with Giant’s Causeway but his career finished tamely with defeats in the Juddmonte International and the QE2 Stakes.

    Paddington cost €420,000 as a yearling. His dam was a Listed winner and granddam was runner up in the Prix De Diane (French Oaks) but its not a page that overly excites. He was undoubtedly high class and tough. On the other hand, his lack of precocity, the loss of prestige by his final two defeats and reservations about his pedigree mean that he is at a higher starting price than I expected. They are advertising him as being comparable on the track to Giant’s Causeway but he didn’t quite have that same toughness/constitution. St Mark’s Basilica offers a better package of performance and pedigree at a slightly cheaper price.

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    4. St Mark’s Basilica €50,000 (65,000) (2018 Siyouni ex Cabaret by Galileo)

    Verdict: a well credentialed but expensive gamble
    Beatles Lyric: All I can tell you brother is you have to wait
    A predictable dip in his fee for his third season and now facing internal competition from another son of Siyouni in Paddington for high end mares. Covered 173 mares this year and 160 in 2022 and his 10 foals sold had a median of c€94k so the market is still sanguine on his prospects. As I said in previous years he has a lot to recommend him on performance and pedigree and looks. I’d rate him as better relative value than Paddington but he is still a high risk and expensive gamble. Time will tell.

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    5. Camelot €50,000 (€60,000)- (2009 by Montjeu ex Tarfah by Kingmambo)

    Verdict: The quest for the holy grail continues
    Beatles Lyric: Don’t You know that you can count me out
    His fee has gone into reverse in the past few seasons after reaching €75,000 in 2022. Luxembourg added another Group 1 (Tattersalls Gold Cup) to his collection and Los Angeles picked up a late season Group one in the Criterium de Saint Cloud to give some respectability to his season. Blue Stocking went close in the Irish Oaks and overall there were 9 stakes winners this season. His yearling median increased to €98,451 albeit off a €60,000 fee so there was little room for error. His career stats are now 59 black type winners from 947 foals of racing age a ratio of 6%. He is undoubtedly a useful sire but as I said in previous years, I think his progeny flatter to deceive.

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    6. Starspangledbanner €45,000 (€50,000) (2006 Choisir ex Gold Anthem by Made of Gold

    Verdict: Pricey given his black type percentages
    Beatles Lyric: Get back, Get Back to where you once belonged
    I would have expected a greater reduction after a modest year on the track. Group 2 Rockfel winner, Carlas Way was the best of his European results and his career stats are now just 37 stakes winners from 869 foals of racing age (a very modest 4%). His yearling median in 2023 was almost unchanged at €60,000 which was a good return from a €22,500. However the value is now well gone for commercial breeders.

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    7. Saxon Warrior €25,000 (€35,000) (2015 Deep Impact ex Maybe by Galileo)

    Verdict: Disappointing and the battle seems lost
    Beatles Lyric: Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight.

    Breeders flocked to him after a strong end to 2022 by his first two year olds and he covered 264 mares. I can safely say he wont be attracting anything like those numbers this season after a very underwhelming year on the track. His best results were a Group 2 win for Lumiere Rock and a Group 3 for Greenland. His yearling average stayed respectable at €40,000 but he is a very hard sell at his current fee.

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    8. Churchill €30,000 (€30,000)- (2014 by Galileo ex Meow by Storm Cat)

    Verdict: A two hit wonder but loads of dud tracks
    Beatles Lyric: Oh dear, what can I do?
    Blue Rose Cen added three Group 1’s to her tally this year but Vadeni failed to add to his stellar 2022 season. Churchill is not a good sire but these two top performers have glossed over an otherwise very modest stud career. His current statistics show 201 winners from 677 foals of racing age and a woeful 14 stakes winners (2%). He still has large books in the wings having covered 227 mares this season, 108 in 2022 and 198 in 2021 so there could be more good horses to come but for me his limitations are such that he is well overpriced.

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    9. Sioux Nation €27,500 (€17,500) (2015 Scat Daddy ex Dream the Blues by Oasis Dream)

    Verdict: Don’t follow the herd on this
    Beatles Lyric: “Well you can celebrate anything you want”
    He has somewhat outperformed expectations and had a good year on the track with 3 Grp 2 winners and 5 Group three winners. He lacks a real superstar with the classic placed and Challenge Stakes winners Matilda Picotte being his best runner to date. His sales results have been encouraging with a yearling average of over €45k in 2023 so you can see why Coolmore were tempted to increase his fee. However, he will have his smallest crop of two year olds next season, so he may go a little quiet next season. His stakes winning percentage is currently 4% (13 from 301 foals) which is nothing special. He started out marketed as a sire of cheap speed/precocity but at his new fee he will have to start throwing his share of Group 1 winners. There are big crops to come after he covered an insane 289 mares in 2023 and 221 in 2022 and I think he will struggle with these loftier expectations.

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    10. Little Big Bear €27,500 (na)- (2020 by No Nay Never ex Adventure Seeker by Bering)

    Verdict: Like Paddington, another overpriced bear
    Beatles Lyric: “Roll up, for the mystery tour”

    An impressive two year old who put up a top performance in winning the Phoenix Stakes by 7 lengths along with three other victories. Trained for the Guineas, he ran no sort of race before redeeming himself somewhat in the Grp 2 Sandy Lane Stakes. He was runner up in the Commonwealth Cup to Shaquille before ending his career with a flop in the July Cup. He has an interesting pedigree as his third dam is the great middle distance mare All Along. His dam is by Bering and was best over 10 furlongs but ran respectably over 12. None of these maternal influences seem to have had much bearing (or Bering :)) on Little Big Bears aptitudes which mirrored his sires profile linked to speed and precocity. Its impossible to say if he will succeed as a sire but we can predict big crops, a gradual reduction in fee over the next few years, early crops to sell better than later crop, limited support from Coolmore themselves and then the performances of his first runners determining if he has a future or not. The market likes speedy two year olds and he was very good in that capacity but he is more than fully priced.

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    11. Sottsass €25,000 (25,000) (2016 Siyouni ex Starlet’s Sister by Galileo)

    Verdict: One for gamblers but a reasonable bet
    Beatles Lyric: “Let it be”

    Sottsass has his first runners in 2024 so anyone using him this season will quickly have a fair idea of their fate,albeit his progeny would be expected to improve at three. He was a top racehorse winning an Arc, Ganay and French Derby out of a Galileo mare who is proving to be a top producer. Her record includes 7 time Grp 1 winner Sistercharlie, Grp 1 placed My Sister Nat and now Sottsass’s full brother Shin Emperor emerged as one of the top two year olds in Japan. With three sons of Siyouni on their roster, Coolmore will be hoping that he makes a mark as a sire of sires. His fee hasn’t officially dropped for the 2024 season but anecdotally they are willing to negotiate more than with some other fees. I think he is the best value (in relative terms) of their sons of Siyouni.

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    12. Blackbeard €20,000 (20,000)- (2020 by No Nay Never ex Muirin by Born to Sea)

    Verdict: Doubt he is a source of treasure
    Beatles Lyric: “Where do they all belong”

    Ran 8 times and won 6 times including a pair of Group 1’s in the Prix Morny and Middle Park. Noticeably quirky, he was odds against improving his record at three and was dispatched to stud. His dam Muirin is by a disappointing sire in Born to Sea but she was 4th in the Moyglare. Despite these reservations, he attracted 195 mares in 2023. Coolmore have 4 sons of No Nay Never on their books and you have to wonder if Ireland is repeating the mistakes of Australia. In 2019, Plusvital published research that showed a halving in the number of horses with stamina markers (TT horses) and a 70% increase in horses with C:C speed indicators. With the huge numbers of mares being bred to these speed sires these worrying trends are gathering momentum. As a temperamental sort from an unexceptional female line I wouldn’t be in a hurry to use him at his current fee.

  • Coolmore Fees 2023- Part One- The big guns reviewed

    2022 was a disappointing year overall for Coolmore’s Irish sires. No Nay Never did well, but no other sire really enhanced his reputation. Coolmore lost their 30 year grip on the UK/Irish sires championship in 2021 and they seem unlikely to reclaim that championship anytime soon. Their best placings in the sires table were the irreplaceable Galileo in 4th and No Nay Never in 10th.

    Ballydoyle was light on top three year old colts so the only addition to the roster was the temperamental two year old Bluebeard. The roster saw the departure of Highland Reel (to Japan) and Rock of Gibraltar (to horsey heaven) leaving a roster of 21 sires for next year. In terms of pricing, they were conservative with only minor tweaks. The best mares in Europe are now earmarked for Frankel/Dubawi/Sea the Stars/Siyouni rather than Coolmore sires, but Coolmore is still the destination of choice for a significant proportion of the Irish and UK broodmare band. .

    Below is my assessment of their published fees for 2023, starting with the priciest sires.

    Stallion 2023 fee (2022 fee)

    1. No Nay Never €175,000 (€125,000) (2011 Scat Daddy ex Cat’s Eye Witness by Elusive Quality)

    Verdict: Had a very good year but he is no Danzig

    No Nay Never (NNN) was the real bright spot of the year for Coolmore. A stellar crop of two year olds conceived at €100k included three Group 1 winners in Little Big Bear, Blackbeard and Meditate and Group 2 winners in Aesop’s Fables and Trillium. The four year old Alcohol Free added the July Cup to her haul, so his offspring can also train on. MV Magnier was reported as saying his father was comparing NNN with Danzig. NNN is now 6% stakes winners to foals of racing age (45 stakes winners from 809 foals of racing age), a figure which will improve in time. In an era of much smaller books, Danzig sired 198 stakes winners from 1099 foals (18%) and almost 50 Grp 1 winners. No Nay Never has to date sired 7 Grp 1 winners so in truth the comparison is very much a case of wishful thinking. A closer comparison is probably Danzig’s son War Front (11% stakes winners) who also rose from a modest opening fee to the top ranks of sires.

    I previously wrote that to justify his six figure fee he needed to produce 2-3 Group 1 winners each year. He succeeded admirably in that regard this year. He covered a book of 178 mares this year and 183 mares last year so he won’t be short of well bred representatives on the track in the coming years. Commercially he remains in the high risk category. Despite his results on the track, his yearling median this year was €153k- from a 2020 covering fee of €175k. Sprinters/two year olds are simply never going to attract the same blockbuster yearling prices as elite middle distance sires. Coolmore will be hoping that Little Big Bear will train on to become a Guineas winner as he will need to start producing classic milers to alter the perception of him as a two year old/sprinter sire. No Nay Never is going to be a big player for Coolmore/Balldoyle in the coming years but despite his qualities he is not attractively priced for outside breeders.

    2. Wootton Bassett €150,000 (€150,000) (2008 Iffraaj ex Balladonia by Primo Dominie)

    Verdict: Little upside at that price

    Coolmore’s faith in No Nay Never was repaid on the track this season. Big money signing Wootton Bassett still has to deliver for them but he is being given huge support.

    His first 8 crops led to 488 foals. In contrast, he has covered 249 mares in 2022 and 244 mares in 2021. It must have been a relief for Coolmore to see Al Riffa win the National Stakes as his dam is by Galileo and he has covered an abundance of Galileo mares in the past seasons. On the track, the supporting cast wasn’t that exciting with Group/Grade 2’s for Chindit and Speak of the Devil the best of them. His yearling median in 2022 was €150,000 which was a good out-turn for a crop conceived at €40,000. At €150,000 he will need to deliver 2-3 new Group 1 winners each year and produce classic contenders. He may well do so but I wouldn’t be rushing to invest at this stage as he is priced as if he has already delivered on the potential shown by his earlier crops.

    3. St Mark’s Basilica €65,000 (65,000) (2018 Siyouni ex Cabaret by Galileo)

    Verdict: a well credentialed but expensive gamble

    Kept at the same fee for his second season after attracting 176 mares this year. He has lots to recommend him as a top class racehorse at two and three who won a Dewhurst, two French classics and a high quality renewal of the Irish Champion Stakes (albeit the stewards should have reversed the placings with Tarnawa in that race). He was a 1.3 million Guineas yearling and he is a half brother to Magna Grecia . With a strong book of mares he will be given every chance of succeeding but history tells us that most sires don’t live up to expectations. On the basis of historical probability rather than a reservation about his individual merits I would rate him as too risky at that price.

    4. Camelot €60,000 (€75,000)- (2009 by Montjeu ex Tarfah by Kingmambo)

    Verdict: Flatters to Deceive

    There was a lot of expectation around Luxembourg this year but he had mixed year. He was 3rd in a Guineas, missed the Derby, won the Irish Champion Stakes and finished 7th in the Arc. He remains in training to embellish his record before presumably retiring to Coolmore for the 2024 season. In contrast Sammarco won the two German group 1’s with little fanfare. Waterville won a Ceaserwitch which wasn’t the plan early in the season when he was touted as a classic contender. That for me is the story of Camelot, he flatters to deceive a little- with horses like Sir Dragonet, Santa Barbara, Pink Dogwood and English King all disappointing in classics when fancied . His yearling median somehow reached €160,000 in 2021 before dropping back to €90,000 this year. I suspect the market may continue to cool on him in the coming years and he makes little commercial appeal at that price.

    5. Starspangledbanner €50,000 (€35,000) (2006 Choisir ex Gold Anthem by Made of Gold

    Verdict: Pricey given his black type percentages

    His fee has risen steadily over the past five seasons from €15,000 in 2018 to a heady €50,000 next year. He has gone from being a value sire to an overpriced sire. He made his name as good sire of sprinters/two year olds but surprisingly his two Group 1 winners in 2022, Aristia and State of Rest both triumphed over 10 furlongs and he has just had a third group 1 winner in the Hong Kong Mile victor California Spangle. His fertility has improved markedly from his early days but his percentages have gone in reverse. He is now showing 25 Stakes winners from 722 foals of racing age, a rather modest 3%. His yearling median in 2022 was just over €60,000 which was a good return from a €22,500. However I’m not sure he will rise much further. He is a sire I liked and his recent Grp 1 winners are changing perceptions of him but the price increases were overdone.

    6. Saxon Warrior €35,000 (€20,000) (2015 Deep Impact ex Maybe by Galileo)

    Verdict: Interesting but overpriced

    Victoria Road got up on the line to win the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf by a nose. I suspect if the photo finish had gone the other way, Saxon Warrior would be listed at 25k for next year and that would be a more realistic fee for him. He had three stakes winners with Grp 3 winners Moon Ray and Lumiere Rock joining Victoria Road. He also sired Gan Teorainn who was runner up in the Prix Marcel Boussac and was later sold for a cool million. In total he had 22 first crop winners which was a decent outcome given that his progeny can be expected to do better at three. His yearling median was just over €40k so the market wasn’t entirely bowled over by his first crop. He was an admirable horse winning a Guineas and Racing Post Trophy and losing out narrowly to Roaring Lion over 10 furlongs. His pedigree is top notch being a son of Deep Impact and his dam was a Moyglare winner so there is plenty to like about him but the price increase was overdone.

    7. Churchill €30,000 (€25,000)- (2014 by Galileo ex Meow by Storm Cat)

    Verdict: A poor sire despite Vadeni

    Vadeni showed that Churchill can sire a really top horse. His two year olds included Prix Marcel Boussac winner Blue Rose Cen and Royal Lodge winner The Foxes. Yet despite those successes Churchill is not a good sire. He has covered huge books throughout his career – 211 mares in 2018, 214 mares in 2019, 250 mares in 2020, 198 in 2021 and 108 in 2022. His yearling median dipped slightly to €50,000 so the market hasn’t abandoned him yet. However his overall record (8 stakes winners and 96 winners) is far from impressive and for me he is one to avoid.

    8. Sottsass €25,000 (25,000) (2016 Siyouni ex Starlet’s Sister by Galileo)

    Verdict: Fairly Priced

    Sottsass race record of an Arc, Prix Ganay and French Derby is impressive. His pedigree is impressive with the dam also producing 7 time Gr. 1 winner Sistercharlie and Gr. 1 placed My Sister Nat. St Mark’s Basilica is the more high profile son of Siyouni but at their respective prices Sottsass is better value.

    9. Australia €25,000 (€35,000)- (2011 by Galileo ex Ouija Board by Cape Cross)
    Verdict: Slightly overpriced (should be €20,000)

    Had a new Grp 1 winner in Ocean Road and Nachtrose won the Oaks D’Italia. However, overall it was an underwhelming year on the track. At this stage in his career we have a fair idea of the true merit of Australia. He is a decent sire of 5% stakes winners but he has his limitations. He has covered 173 mares in 2022 and 162 in 2021 with many of these reportedly foal shares. His yearling median dropped back to €33k this year and I suspect he will struggle to regain the love of the commercial market.

    10. Blackbeard €25,000 (na)- (2020 by No Nay Never ex Muirin by Born to Sea)
    Verdict: Overpriced– Ten Sovereigns is better relative value

    Ran 8 times and won 6 times including a pair of Group 1’s in the Prix Morny and Middle Park. He was an early two year old, debuting in April, winning a Listed race in early May and a Group 3 later that month. His dam Muirin won at two and was 4th in the Moyglare but never won again in five later career starts. Blackbeard cost 270,000 guineas as foal and following his exploits his sister cost an eye popping €2.6 million as a yearling. Blackbeard was also notably quirky (see video of his antics below https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JirvdmHzh84&t=9s) and it was hard to envision him improving his record at three. The fact that Little Big Bear was kept in training and Blackbeard retired is a good indicator of who they perceive as being the better horse/better prospect. Taking everything into account, I think he is well overpriced. If you really want to use a son of No Nay Never at Coolmore then Ten Sovereigns is standing at €17,500 and he was both a better horse than Blackbeard and he trained on at three.


  • Tally-Ho Stud- leading the chasing pack?…

    Coolmore and Darley dominate the Irish flat stallion ranks and there is quite a gap back to the chasing pack. Tally- Ho stud has made significant progress in recent years and now has claims to be the ‘best of the rest’ in terms of their stallion roster. Their roster would be even more impressive if they hadn’t prematurely lost Red Clubs and Society Rock.

    The stud was founded by Tony and Anne O’Callaghan (a sister of John Magnier). They are commercially astute and know how to maximise their assets. The covering figures for 2021 illustrate that point with Mehmas covering 292 mares, Kodiac 239, Inns of Court 184 and Cotai Glory 113…. A portion of these numbers can be accounted for by foal shares and their own band of mares but they are also clearly very good at sourcing, pricing and making stallions that the market desires.

    Below is my review of the seven stallions on their roster for 2022.

    1.Cotai Glory €8,500 (€5,000) (2012 Exceed and Excel ex Continua by Elusive Quality)

    Verdict: Overpriced (slightly)

    Stayed in training until he was five and retired with a record of 4 wins from 30 starts. He never won above Group 3 level although he did everything but win the Flying Childers (Grp2), as he swerved and unseated his jockey just before the line. He was also only beaten a neck by Profitable in the Kings Stand as a four year old. He cost 75,000 guineas as a yearling which was below the median for Exceed and Excel that year and indicates that he comes from a relatively ordinary distaff line.

    He retired at €6,000 and had 126 foals in his first crop. At the time of writing he has had 84 runners and 34 winners headlined by Atomic Force who won the Grp 2 Prix Robert Papin. He also had an Italian Listed winner and Eldrickjones who was runner up in the Coventry. His good results on the track saw his yearling median jump from €10,894 to €29,216. There are quite a few sons of Exceed and Excel all at stud for under 10k including Bungleinthejungle, Buratino, Kuroshio, James Garfield and Burwaaz. The expectation with them is that they will produce speed and precocity and these are popular traits in the market. Cotai Glory has delivered so far and to be fair, his results warranted a price increase and his yearling median did likewise. My slight quibble is that although he got plenty of winners, I’d have liked to see a bit more quality. He has a smaller crop of two year olds for 2022 (69) and I’m not sure he will still be as in demand when selling yearlings in 2024.

    2.Galileo Gold €7,000 (€5,000) (2013 Paco Boy ex Galiciux by Galileo)

    Verdict: Good Value

    I thought he had an excellent first crop that exceeded expectations. Ebro River won the Phoenix Stakes, Oscula who cost just €4,000 as a yearling won a Grp 3 and System won a Listed race. In addition, there were 3 other horse who picked up placed black type. At the time of writing his record stood at 24 winners from 61 runners from a total crop of 108 foals conceived off a €15,000 opening fee. He will have a smaller second crop of 62 two year olds in 2022 conceived at €10,000.

    His sales returns rebounded after his first crop success with his yearling median increasing from €16,350 to €26,240.

    Galileo Gold won the Vintage Stakes at 2 (Grp 2) but was better at three winning the Guineas on his reappearance and later adding a St James Palace. He was kept in training at four but he managed only one disappointing start in the Lockinge.

    The big concern about Galileo Gold was his pedigree or more particularly his sire Paco Boy . Paco Boy was banished to Turkey and with only 3% stakes winners no tears were shed at his departure.

    Galileo Gold’s female line is solid. He is out of a Galileo mare and Goldream is under his second dam. His fourth dam is Floripedes, the dam of Montjeu.

    Paco Boy didn’t stop Galileo Gold being a top class horse and he doesn’t seem to be stopping him as sire. I think he is underrated and represents good value.

    3.Inns of Court €5,000 (€5,000) (2014 Invincible Spirit ex Learned Friend by Seeking the Gold)

    Verdict: Undecided

    A useful sort from 5 furlongs to a mile, he won his only start and two, stood up to 4 seasons of training and compiled a decent looking record of 7 wins and 7 places for 18 starts. His best runs were probably when just touched off in the Prix Jacques le Marois (8f) as a three year old and in the Prix de la Foret (7f) as a four year old. He won the Prix du Gros-Chene (Grp 2) over 5 furlongs as a five year old so he was clearly versatile regarding trip. His female line is good, with his grand-dam Lune D’Or winning the Premio Lydia Tesio when it carried Grp 1 status and she in turn was dam of top class Japanese performer Fierment.

    There are no shortage of sons of Invincible Spirit to choose from in Europe (19 listed on stallionguide.com). Invincible Spirit is described as a successful sire of sires based on Kingman and I Am Invincible in Australia but he has had his fair share of disappointments as well (Born to Sea, Charm Spirit, Shalaa) and others who were somewhere in between (Lawman, Mayson). Just as it would be a mistake to dismiss Galileo Gold because of Paco Boy, it would also be a mistake to assume a son of Invincible Spirit will succeed. I certainly don’t think as an unproven sire he warranted 184 mares this year but arguably such demand shows he is competitively priced.

     4. Kessaar €5,000 ( 5,000) (2016 Kodiac ex Querulous by Raven’s Pass size 15.3h

    Verdict: Fairly Priced

    Retired at the end of his two year old career. He ranks as one of the better sons of Kodiac on the track winning the  Grp 2 Mill Reef Stakes and the Grp 3 Sirenia Stakes. His overall record was three wins from 7 starts and he was 4th on his only run in a Grp 1 (the Criterium International).

    Sons of Kodiac are very fashionable right now with Ardad, Kodi Bear and Coulsty all delivering good results and he does seem to have a better strike rate with his sons than many other sires (including the previously mentioned Invincible Spirit). This may account for Kessaaar’s yearlings selling well in 2021 with a median of €28,152 off an €8,000 initial fee. Kessaar will have his first runners in 2022 so there is added risk/potential reward to using him next year . He come from an unremarkable female line but so are many of the early sire sons of Kodiac. If you think he is going to be the next son of Kodiac to out-perform then the fee he probably represents a fair bet at the price.

    5. Kodiac €65,000 ( €65,000) (2001 Danehill ex Rafha by Kris size 16. 0 1/2h

    Verdict: Overpriced

    The Kodiac story/fairytale is well known now. He never won a stakes race, raced until he was five and only got his chance at stud because of the first crop success of his half brother Invincible Spirit. He started at €5,000 and was available at €4,000 in his third and fourth seasons. Despite this, he has become the golden goose that has brought Tally-Ho stud to new heights. He is an ultra reliable sire of two year old winners and he is now acquiring a reputation as a sire of sires. He has attracted very large books at €65k since 2019 and €50k since 2017.

    The downside is that his percentages are not great for a horse at his fee. He has now had 1586 foals of racing age and 77 Stakes winners, working out as a modest 5%. His tally of only 6 Group 1 winners is underwhelming and to me he has plateaued despite getting better mares. Commercially, if anyone is paying the list price and not on a foal share then there is not a lot of profit in him at his listed fee. His yearling median was €92,850 in 2021 but was only €54,766 in 2020. He will be 21 in the next covering season and I would have thought something around €50k would be more appropriate at this stage.

    6. Mehmas €50,000 ( €25,000) (2014 Acclamation ex Lucina by Machiavellian size 16.0 h)

    Verdict: Overpriced

    He stood at €7,500 in 2020 so the hike to €50,000 tells you that he has made a very impressive start to his stud career. He has obvious parallels with Dark Angel, both being by Acclamation out of Machiavellian mares and retired at the end of their two year old career. Dark Angel won a Middle Park (Grp 1) and Mill Reef Stakes (Grp 2) , Mehmas won the Richmond and July Stakes (Grp 2) and was third in the Middle Park. Comparing stats and accounting for book sizes, Mehmas has made a more impressive start. He has two Grp 1 winners in his first crop (Supremacy and Going Global) and an impressive 12 Stakes winners from the 141 foals in that crop. He has continued the good work with his two year olds of 2021 which included three Grp 2 winners (Lusail, Malvath and Caturra) .His yearlings median in 2021 jumped to €65,242 a great return off a €10,000 fee.

    He has a smaller crop of two year olds next year 57 foals so his star may dim a little . I thought he deserved a chunky hike but felt that €40k might have been better. Commercially the massive/excessive crops (292 mares covered this year ) are bound to have an impact at the sales and I don’t see huge upside at his €50k price. To move to the next level commercially he will have to start showing he can get classic prospects rather than just two year olds/sprinters and a wait and see approach might be more prudent at his new price.

    7. Starman €17,500 ( na) (2017 Dutch Art ex Northern Star by Montjeu size 16.0 h)

    Verdict: Overpriced

    Unraced at two, ‘only’ and only a Listed winner at three he showed his best form at four. This year he won a Duke of York Stakes (Grp 2)before an impressive performance in the July Cup that earned him champion sprinter status. He failed to follow up that success though, finishing 3rd in the Prix Maurice De Gheest and a short head second to Emaraaty Ana in the Haydock Sprint Cup. His final career stats were 8 runs, 5 wins and two places.

    His pedigree is reasonable with its share of black type but Starman is easily the best in the family. His dam was a modest winner over 10f at Bath who also produced a stakes performer by Kodiac. The second dam was unraced but produced two Stakes horses.

    Dutch Art at times promised to be an important sire through the likes of Slade Power, Garswood and Mabs Cross but he proved unreliable both with his fertility and with his runners on the track. His sire son Garswood failed to make the grade as a sire and was sold for just 40,000 guineas this summer and previously a first crop son Caspar Netscher suffered fertility issues.

    With doubts over his lack of precocity, his relatively modest page and his unproven sire line I think he is too risky at that price…

    Final Word:

    With Kodiac entering the twilight of his career, Tally-Ho are fortunate to have another money making machine emerge in Mehmas. One criticism of the stud is that they don’t participate in the ITM Irish Stallion Trail. It’s obviously an inconvenience to open the doors but it’s the right thing to do to help showcase the industry to racing and bloodstock fans. It’s disappointing that Tally-Ho have opted out as they could well afford it…..