There are 9 stallions at Kildangan for 2023. Belardo (Bearstone Stud) and Ribchester (Haras du Logis) have departed and Naval Crown has landed. There are four sons of Dubawi, two sons of Shamardal and one each for sons of Galileo, Invincible Spirit and Elusive Quality. Five of the sires have yet to have runners and overall the Irish roster is weaker in quality and quantity than the 12 sires in Dalham stud. Dubawi’s growing reputation as a sire of sires has worked in their favour. It also helps that Dubawi’s sons are often a good outcross option for an Irish broodmare band saturated in crosses ..read more

Since I published my initial review of Coolmore stallions, Gustav Klimt has been exiled. This leaves ten sires standing for €20k or less. It’s a mix of the young and old, proven and unproven, pretenders, contenders and wannabees. Luck is a huge factor in successful breeding. Building on this insight, I incorporated a fortune cookie generator to help with my sire reviews. Initial results are promising and it seems more credible than some of the ‘expert analysis’ available in the trade press who simply regurgitate press releases/puff pieces. The Gods have spoken and who are we to disagree? 1. Gl ..read more

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 hor ..read more

Whitsbury Stud were quick off the mark with their fees for 2023. The stud was founded by the bookmaker William Hill in the 1950’s and is now run by Ed Harper. Their website https://www.whitsburymanorstud.co.uk/index.html is surprisingly basic but they are fortunate that their stallions progeny are doing the business on the track and they don’t need flashy websites Below is my assessment of their published fees for 2023.. Stallion 2023 fee (2022 fee) Showcasing £45,000 (£45,000)- (2007 Oasis Dream ex Arabesque by Zafonic) Verdict: Slightly Overpriced Showcasing retired for a fee of £500 ..read more

Alan Sweetman is proposing that the Irish Derby should become a 10 furlong race. He argues that it is now a diminished sporting and social occasion. He is right that it is a diminished occasion. He is wrong that dropping the distance by two furlongs will address the problems. The main problems with the Irish Derby lie with the Curragh management. They spent €80 million redeveloping the Curragh but don’t know how to attract crowds. The Irish Derby as a social occasion has completely lost its way. As a student, I remember attending when it gave those of us in baggy jumpers a chance to admire th ..read more

The 2020 accounts of the Irish National Stud can be viewed at https://irishnationalstud.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/INS-CONSOL-FY20-Financial-Statements.pdf . The accounts themselves don’t contain too many surprises but there are a few interesting revelations contained within the notes to the accounts: The Directors of the Stud during that period included Jessica Harrington and Mark Weld. They were each paid €8,100 for attending 5 meetings- so it’s a nice gig. As the above note shows, Jessie Harrington and Dermot Weld were selected to train horses owned by the INS in 2020 or 2019. Jessie a ..read more

If you’ve waited with Bated Breath, for me to cast my Expert Eye over Frankel to check if he is now the King-Man of European stallions, well you are in for treat. This is no mirage or Oasis Dream, this is my review of the Juddmonte sire fees for 2022… 1.Bated Breath £15,000 (£12,500) (2007 Dansili ex Tantina by Distant View) Verdict: Overpriced He was unraced at two, a progressive handicapper at three, before coming into his own at four and five. He won the Group 2 Temple Stakes and was four times a runner up in Group 1’s. Dansili’s progeny having an average winning distance of 9.7f and ..read more

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 Roger 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 ..read more

Godolphin are enjoying a resurgence of success on the track. Their European trained tally of Group/Grade 1 wins (17 by Charlie Appleby) almost matched Ballydoyle’s total for the year (18). I’m not sure how those numbers make Charlie Appleby ‘the best trainer in the world’ but that’s another debate.. Success on the track, ensures a pipeline of new stallions for the Darley operation. Darley will stand 10 stallions in Kildangan for 2022. Over the past two years they have dropped/lost Shamardal, Slade Power, The Last Lion, Buratino, Dawn Approach, Exceed and Excel, Fast Company, French Navy and Fu ..read more

2021 was a challenging year for Coolmore. Galileo died, and for the first time since 1990, a stallion outside their roster became the champion sire in Ireland/UK. None of their younger stallions made a significant impact. It felt like watching Man Utd in the post Alex Ferguson era (of all people). The elite sires of Europe are no longer in Coolmore with that status now belonging to Frankel and Dubawi. Wootton Bassett is in the middle of a chasing pack that includes Sea the Stars, Kingman and Siyouni. There will be 22 stallions on their roster for 2022, a reduction on the 26 that stood in 2021 ..read more