Pedigree Pointers: Cassie Tully on proven sires

OK, we are one week into this bright new year, which has quite the dark cloud blocking the light at the moment with all of the... well, we don’t need any reminders.

But while we are locked away, it is also the busiest time of the year for this season’s mating plans and bookings, ie clean slates and the blueprint for creating the next superstars.

Now, regardless of whether you have eight figures appearing on your bank statement or whether there are significantly fewer, this column has discussed time and time again, the ability of Group One winners to emerge from mares that a) were not good racehorses or did not race themselves, and b) did not cost an arm and a leg in the sales ring.

So success can come from any mare at any time with the right mating. But what about the stallions?

The greatest chance of producing excellence is obviously to use the most proven producer of Group One winners, but let’s be real, we don’t all have six to eight figures glowing on our banking apps, so where do we go?

While shiny and fresh in our minds, the first-season sires appear the most exciting and appealing road to success, but unfortunately the majority of those beasts will never stand for a fee as high as his first one again.

Our aim is to produce a winner of the highest-level regardless of budget, and when the ultimate goalposts are on the racecourse not the sales ring, there is quite the pleasant list of budget-friendly, proven options standing at stud.

In 2021, there will be 49 stallions standing in Britain and Ireland that have produced at least one Group One winner on the flat (not including those now standing National Hunt). Britain is home to 20 of those sires while the other 29 are in Ireland.

Eight stand at 100,000£/€ or more, there are nine in the 30,000-80,000 price range and underneath is where some serious value can be found.

In fact, nine of Europe’s individual Group One winners in 2020 were bred off a fee of €/£10,000 or less.

20,000-30,000 price range

Mehmas, Australia and Zoustar (who technically is unproven in Europe yet but created quite the storm and was Champion first-season sire in Australia), feature within this price bracket but are still relatively young in comparison to a number of heavyweights that are available for the same figure.

Oasis Dream stands for ‘just’ £20,000 at Juddmonte, and I use that adverb with purpose because he is the sire of seventeen individual Group One winners including Midday, Muhaarar and Goldream. As well as being the broodmare sire of five more including two (Siskin and Tawkeel) in 2020. That is double the amount that many of his much more expensive rivals have or will produce. The top-class sprinter who also yields middle-distance winners, once commanded £85,000 in his hay-day. But turning 21 this year, this outcross for many is not as in-vogue as he once was, and one man’s loss is another man’s treasure.

Iffraaj is amazingly not a Group One winner himself and again I use this particular adverb because when hearing his name what comes to mind is his exciting son who through one of the most high-profile stallion purchases this generation, now commands €100,000 at Coolmore Stud. Wootton Bassett is not the only string to Iffraaj’s bow however, we also think of his four-time Group One winning son Ribchester who will have his own first runners this year; amongst eight other winners at the highest level. One could do worse with £20,000 than tapping into some of these seemingly strong genes.

Starspangledbanner is an interesting one. Standing at €22,500 in Coolmore, Starspangledbanner had initially retired to stud there in 2011 after four Group One wins ranging from 5½ furlongs to one mile in both Australia and Ireland. But after initial fertility issues he did not return to Ireland from Down Under after his second season. That first Irish crop however, yielded 28 runners including Group One Prix Morny winner The Wow Signal, Group Two Queen Mary heroine Anthem Alexander and seven more Stakes winners. Starspangled’ returned to Ireland in 2016 with normal fertility and that first crop back yielded another star in Cheveley Park Stakes winner, Millisle. While the following crop (three-year-olds this year) gave rise to Group Two winner and Phoenix Stakes placed Aloha Star. With just 146 runners to date Starspangled’ is perhaps lacking in quantity of soldiers on the ground but is far from lacking in quality.

10,000-15,000

Mastercraftsman. A dual Group One winning juvenile and Classic and St James’s Palace Stakes winning three-year-old who also had the misfortune of racing at the time as Sea The Stars and Fame And Glory and retired at the same time as the former.

The sire of 15 winners at the highest level in total, Mastercrafstman is responsible for a number of tough performers including Alpha Centauri, Amazing Maria, The Grey Gatsby, Kingston Hill and Technician.

At €15,000, this is the first time in seven years that he has been priced under €25,000 and perhaps due to not being a fashionable juvenile type producer, is completely under the radar of many, but if you’re interested in producing a top-class prospect, then he must be considered one of the best value sires in Europe.

Nathaniel. £15,000 at Newsells Park Stud, his lowest fee to date. OK, so we don’t really need to introduce the stallion that gave us Enable in his very first crop. But some points to note here is that the King George and Eclipse winner’s fee has never been dramatically expensive and along with Enable, he has also produced two other top-level winning fillies including French Oaks heroine Channel. The filly bias is clear to see, but who wouldn’t want an Enable or a Channel? One would have to imagine that he attracted some fine mates after Enable’s exploits whose progeny have yet to hit the track. Is this season the one to grasp value?

£ 10,000

Elzaam, Mayson and Havana Gold all appear in this price bracket and have all produced a Group One winner off notably low fees meaning one should most definitely not ignore their presence. But again, there are several heavyweights standing at a similar price...

Shadwell’s Tamayuz who won two races at the highest level in France, is standing for €8,000 in their Derrinstown Stud this year. He has ten crops of racing age and four top-flight winners including Mustashry and G Force, but what is surprising is that is from just 338 starters. He stems from the family of Urban Sea and his impressive strike rate can also be boosted by his son Sir Prancealot’s record at stud from small fees as well – American Oaks winner Lady Prancealot and 2020’s rags to riches fairy-tale, Miss Amulet. There are strong genes to be found in here.

Sons of Danehill are becoming a certain age now, but three proven sons of his can all be found in Ireland at a steal of €5,000 this year. The first is the seven-time Group One winning hero Rock of Gibraltar. 22-years-old this year, ROG has produced 16 top-level winners throughout his career including high-class sprinter Society Rock and Eclipse Stakes winner Mount Nelson. It is the lowest fee he has ever been available for and appears a bargain within this price bracket.

Clodovil is the now 21-year-old French Guineas winner who stands at Rathasker Stud. He has done quite well with fees fluctuating from €6,000 to €12,000, over the years from just 539 runners. He has produced three Group One winners including Falmouth Stakes winner Nahoodh and he was back in the limelight last year with Prix Marcel Boussac winner Tiger Tanaka.

Camacho is the third son of Danehill at this price and stands at Yeomanstown Stud. 19 years of age, his best performers to date have been French Guineas winner Teppal and Queen Mary winner Signora Cabello. And, similar to Clodovil, from just 502 starters to date.

We know that we are in a fickle business where fashion accounts for much of the market. But when attempting to breed a horse that can improve your mare’s page and subsequent profits, then one is far from devoid of options who have proven themselves worthy.