Following Darley’s acquisition of crack sprinter Slade Power, another new addition to the stallion ranks for 2015 has been announced with Gale Force Ten having been signed to stand at the Irish National Stud.
The son of Oasis Dream, now four, made headlines before he even started his racing career when he topped the DBS Premier Sale of 2011. He was sold by Stowell Hill Stud to Coolmore’s Eddie Fitzpatrick for £280,000.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Gale Force Ten won his maiden in the June of his two-year-old season, just less than a fortnight before he finished three-quarters of a length behind Reckless Abandon when runner-up in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was placed in both the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Poule d’Essai des Poulains the following year before a return to the Royal Meeting saw him land the Group 3 Jersey Stakes from Montiridge with recent Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Garswood back in fourth.
Bred by Bob McCreery’s Stowell Hill Stud, Gale Force Ten is the first foal of the Kirkwall mare Ronaldsay, the winner of the Warwickshire Oaks who was also Listed-placed on five occasions and won four or her 24 starts for Richard Hannon.
Sons of Oasis Dream are starting to prove popular at stud, with Mickley Stud’s Captain Gerrrard having been the leading freshman in Britain last season while this year Showcasing, Arcano and Approve have each been represented by decent numbers of first-crop winners.
Gale Force Ten will stand alongside another representative of the Green Desert line, the Irish National Stud’s flagship sire Invincible Spirit, on the roster of 11 stallions.
