Arizona Blaze (right) wins at the Curragh

Bloodstcok world in focus: Sergei Prokofiev

By Laura Joy

17:43 · SUN May 26, 2024

Laura Joy takes a look at Sergei Prokofiev given the freshman stallion has made a startling start to his career at stud with his first crop.

Perhaps I am showing my age, but Sergei Prokofiev was not a household name in my book by any means until quite recently.

Everyone will have their own story as to when the Russian composer’s namesake announced his arrival on their radar, whether it was his short-head defeat at prohibitive odds on his April juvenile debut at the hands of G1 winner Skitter Scatter, or maybe his commanding (seven and a half lengths) Conditions success next time out at Navan.

His first start in stakes company went off with minimal fuss and his apparent army of supporters at odds on never had any cause for concern as he took the Listed Rochestown Stakes by a facile four lengths. He found only Calyx and Advertise too good in the G2 Coventry Stakes and added the G3 Cornwallis Stakes to his record by the time the curtains came down on a busy juvenile career. Three year old sprinters, particularly those who specialise over the minimum trip, notoriously find life hard in their Classic season and Sergei Prokofiev was no exception.

With no age restricted Group One options over five furlongs in the pattern book, he was forced to take on seasoned campaigners Blue Point, Battaash and Mabs Cross to name just three sprinting stars he found too fast, each five years old and two years his senior. To his credit, he did manage to win the Listed Cork Stakes against his elders on his seasonal reappearance, but that was the final time he entered the winner’s enclosure.

A good racehorse without being dazzling but a yearling does not bring $1.1 million from MV Magnier on behalf of the Coolmore partners without a serious pedigree and physique behind him. Not only is he a fast Group winner by sire of sires Scat Daddy who is proving a lamentable loss following his early death aged just eleven, but he out of a mare by Tapit, three time Champion Sire in North America and a genuine contender for Champion Broodmare Sire in the future with 102 stakes winners for a 4% stakes winners to foals record to date including Classic winners Arcangelo (Arrogate) and Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) and last year’s Horse Of The Year Cody’s Wish (Curlin).

Those illustrious bloodlines coupled with the speed and precocity as well as oft underappreciated soundness in his fourteen starts was more than enough to warrant a place at stud. Easy to say now – the negotiations and interest in the horse upon retirement will remain privy to a select group of people, but the victor Ed Harper of Whitsbury Manor Stud certainly had the track record to believe he could do right by a horse of his profile. From Showcasing to Havana Grey, the Whitsbury roster has (unintentionally) developed an affinity with fast, precocious stallion prospects and this young sire is showing promising signs he will maintain the status quo.

The early signs were good and even more so because of the sheer volume of progeny traded from his first crop. Of his 121 first crop foals, no less than 60 were sold as foals with a remarkable 84 traded as yearlings. Bred off a fee of £6,500, a foal average of £25,683 and median of £21,500 represented a healthy return on investment. The same crop stepped up a gear as yearlings yielding £36,545 and £25,000 average and median respectively.

Notably, four colts and one filly broke the six figure mark and at the hands of renowned judges of early promise, enough to settle the Whitsbury Manor nerves to some degree as the breaking season began. 220,000gns was the joint highest price paid for a pair of colts, one is out of the Pastoral Pursuits mare Squash already responsible for G3 winning sprinter Motorious (Muhaarar). The other is out of the maiden mare Music Lesson (Dutch Art) from the extended family of Canford Cliffs.

He is named Seven Symphonies and listed as in training with Ollie Sangster having been signed for by Coal County Equine. The highest priced filly out of was knocked down for €145,000 to Aoshiba Shoji and is a half sister to G3 Sirenia Stakes winner Eve Lodge. She has been named Time Goes On and is listed as in training in France with Satoshi Kobayashi. None of his top five yearlings through the ring have ran to date.

At the risk of a pun, Sergei’s 121 foals of racing age have hit the ground running and at present, he leads the first season sire list at every turn. Sales prices are merely an indicator, albeit a solid one, of future performance and nothing is guaranteed, but it is worth noting that none of his winners to date broke any sales records. Ranging from 7,000gns Book 3 purchase Sergio Parisse to the most expensive £82,000 G3 Marble Hill winner Arizona Blaze, if the prices above are indicative of anything, the best should be yet to come.

Arizona Blaze has been busy since making his winning debut at the Curragh’s season opener and his record shows he has improved with every start. As long as he maintains that trajectory, he will be the one to beat wherever he shows up in June at the Royal meeting.

On a tally of six winners to date, he has double his nearest rivals Sands Of Mali and Earthlight, both with three winners apiece. His prize money of €166,984 is more than triple his nearly rival Van Beethoven who has the advantageous French prize money on his side, and he is the sole first season sire to have a stakes winner and indeed the only one with two black type earners on his record. Opportunities for two year olds are few and far between at this very early stage, but the signs are undeniably promising.

The Listed National Stakes boasts a smart roll of honour including Whitsbury Manor’s shining star Havana Grey. This year’s victor Enchanting Empress won’t be following in his footsteps given she is a filly, a fact that only augments her achievement in beating a field of colts bar one. Amo Racing’s filly looks a bargain buy now having cost 62,000gns at Tattersalls revamped Somerville yearling sale and emphatically double stamped her Royal Ascot ticket following up a five furlong Conditions race at the track itself on her second start. Now three from three, the G3 Albany Stakes has been nominated as her next target and with her experience and ability shown to date, she should be the one to beat.

It is early to be lauding such praise on a new sire, but early is the name of the game according to the market and a good start goes a long way to solidifying a favourable perception. The future certainly looks promising for Sergei Prokofiev. Whether he becomes the household name his namesake may have occupied in the early nineteen hundreds is yet to be seen but he is certainly the only name on breeders and bloodstock enthusiast’s lips right now.

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