Few sectors of the market are scrutinised as intensely as first-crop sires, and for many of them that begins with the foal sales. This year’s collection are a deep group headlined by champion Baaeed while in the US, Keeneland and November play host to the first foals by Horse of the Year Flightline.
Interestingly, many of the stallions in question are extremely well represented this year, meaning that it likely won’t take long for the market to make its judgement.
Group 1 stars
BAAEED
Sea The Stars – Aghareed
Stands at Beech House Stud
162 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of £80,000
No European first-crop stallion will be as eagerly watched this season as Baaeed, a champion backed up by the famous Height Of Fashion family. Officially rated the best horse since Frankel on a figure of 135, the Shadwell homebred swept six Group 1 races – the Prix du Moulin, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Juddmonte International – and covered a star-studded first book of mares as a result, among them the Group 1 winners and/or producers including Deirdre, Galicuix, Nazeef, Search For A Song and The Fugue.
Baaeed’s first foal to hit public auction, a colt out of North American Grade 3 winner Fahan Mura, realised the equivalent of $320,000 at the JRHA Select Sale in Japan in July. That’s a high bar to match but there’s no doubt that the 11 representatives across Tattersalls and Goffs will undergo intense scrutiny, especially as they include those out of Group-winning mares such as Realtra and Waliyak.
BAYSIDE BOY
New Bay – Alava
Stands at Ballylinch Stud
134 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of €15,000
Having cultivated New Bay’s stud career to such good effect, Ballylinch Stud now turns its attention to one of his best sons Bayside Boy.
The Kilkenny operation actually bred Bayside Boy and campaigned him in partnership with Teme Valley, in whose colours he won the Champagne Stakes as a two-year-old and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on his swansong at three. One of the best two-year-olds of his generation who developed into a Group 1-winning miler at three, Bayside Boy was understandably well supported in his first season, particularly by his home base who sent him around 15 mares.
BLACKBEARD
No Nay Never – Muirin
Stands at Coolmore Stud
195 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of €25,000
Blackbeard was the busiest first-year stallion in Europe of 2023 and as such is well represented across Goffs and Tattersalls thanks to 38 entries.
There are no fewer than 24 lots catalogued to Goffs, among them the half-brother to this season’s Flying Scotsman Stakes winner Benevento and Grade 2 scorer Eternal Hope, and a filly out of the Classic-placed Princess Sinead. Another 14 in Tattersalls include the half-siblings to stakes-winning two-year-olds Beckford and Enchanting Empress.
Blackbeard, of course, was a hard-knocking, precocious two-year-old who captured the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes for Aidan O’Brien. From the ever-popular Scat Daddy sire line via No Nay Never, he possesses many of the ingredients to capture the commercial imagination.
MINZAAL
Mehmas – Pardoven
Stands at Derrinstown Stud
161 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of €15,000
At 140,000gns, Minzaal was the second most expensive yearling to sell from the first crop of Mehmas, an outlay that he went on to justify for Shadwell when winning the Gimcrack Stakes as a two-year-old and Haydock Sprint Cup at four.
Minzaal was a driving force behind the early rise of Mehmas, today regarded as a premier source of juvenile talent. It’s a sire line currently going from strength to strength, something which should stand Minzaal in good commercial stead. As it is, he has plenty of opportunity to get the industry chatting as the sire of 54 foal sale entries in Britain and Ireland; 34 in Goffs and another 20 in Tattersalls. They include the half-siblings to Prix Jean Romanet winner Aristia (a filly) and Prix Robert Papin winner Atomic Force (a colt), both of whom are catalogued to Goffs.
NAVAL CROWN
Dubawi – Come Alive
Stands at Kildangan Stud
119 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of €15,000
Naval Crown was an extremely quick son of Dubawi who landed his Group 1 victory in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. Also second in the July Cup, he was also a versatile performer who was Group 3-placed at two and fourth in the 2,000 Guineas over a mile at three.
From the famous Kilfrush Stud family of Truly Special also responsible for last year’s Oaks heroine Soul Sister, Naval Crown attracted the support of a range of commercial breeders in his first season and is duly well represented at the foal sales, particularly at Goffs where his 24 entries include a half-brother to the Prix de l’Abbaye winner A Case Of You.
PERFECT POWER
Ardad – Sagely
Stands at Dalham Hall Stud
133 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of £15,000
This admirable son of Ardad was a busy and early two-year-old for Richard Fahey who won the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot on his third start before pulling off the Prix Morny – Middle Park Stakes double. He wasn’t just a two-year-old, however, since he returned at three to win the Greenham Stakes over 7f on his seasonal debut before switching back to sprinting to take the Commonwealth Cup.
A fast and precocious horse, Perfect Power is a typical product of the Kodiac line, one of the most commercial of its time, all of which should make him popular with pinhookers; indeed, he has 26 entries in the Tattersalls December Sale.
SEALIWAY
Galiway – Kensea
Stands at Haras de Beaumont
157 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of €12,000
Launched by young operation Haras de Beaumont, Sealiway was the busiest new stallion in France of 2023. Such a response was off the back of a racing career that featured an eight-length win in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and victory in the Champion Stakes at Ascot, in which he defeated the Classic winners Mishriff and Adayar.
Also playing in his favour is the fact Sealiway is the first son to stud of Galiway, an ascendant stallion under both codes. His immediate family has also been enhanced in the past year or so by the exploits of his full-brother, the Group 1-winning two-year-old and Classic-placed Sunway.
STATE OF REST
Starspangledbanner – Repose
Stands at Rathbarry Stud
115 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of €25,000
Few horses have clocked up as many miles in their racing careers as State Of Rest – and then thrived off it. Trained in Ireland by Joseph O’Brien, the hardy son of Starspangledbanner won the Saratoga Derby in the US before heading to Australia, where he captured the Cox Plate against older horses. At four, he returned to land the Prix Ganay in France ahead of the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, in which he defeated Bay Bridge. Indeed, he is the only horse to even win three consecutive Group 1 races on three different continents.
State Of Rest has the backing of a powerful group that includes Rathbarry Stud, the China Horse Club and SF Bloodstock. Between them, Rathbarry and the China Horse Club sent around 25 mares to the horse in his first season while another eight came from his breeder Tinnakill House Stud. There is a particularly well-related group of foals on offer at Tattersalls including a half-brother to Japan Derby winner Deep Brillante and a filly who is closely related to this season’s Prix de Diane runner-up Survie.
STRADIVARIUS
Sea The Stars – Private Life
Stands at The National Stud
120 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of £10,000
There will be plenty of opportunity for onlookers to feast their eyes on the first foals by this iconic performer given he possesses 15 entries in the Tattersalls December Sale, among them a half-sister to Group 2 winner Tour To Paris and a half-brother to Listed winner Biographer who is a grandson of blue hen Korveya.
Stradviarius was a remarkable horse over the course of six seasons for his breeder Bjorn Nielsen and trainer John Gosden. He won no fewer than 18 Group races, more than any other European horse, of which seven came at the highest level. That septet included three Ascot Gold Cups, an achievement that placed him among the pantheon of great stayers.
Such a race record is testament to his physical and mental durability while he is backed up by an excellent Wildenstein pedigree that goes back to the Oaks and King George heroine Pawneese. As if that wasn’t enough, he comes with a number of lucrative bonuses attached; for instance, the breeder of any first-crop Group 1 winner in Britain, Ireland or France will receive £250,000 while the breeders of any Group 2 and Group 3 scorers will each be rewarded with £100,000.
THUNDER MOON
Zoffany – Small Sacrifice
Stands at Haras de Bouquetot
47 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of €6,000
Thunder Moon was an excellent two-year-old for Joseph O’Brien who scaled Group 1 heights when winning the National Stakes on his second start. Subsequently third in the Dewhurst Stakes, Thunder Moon added a further Group 1 bracket to his record the following year when second in the Prix Jean Prat.
A son of the much-missed Zoffany, he is a member of the Moyglare Stud Farm family of Trusted Partner showcased to such good effect again this year by Kyprios.
Thunder Moon has been very much the domain of French-based breeders to date so expect him to be well represented at the Arqana December Sale.
TORQUATOR TASSO
Adlerflug – Tijuana
Stands at Gestut Auenquelle
85 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of €20,000
Three-time Group 1 winner Torquator Tasso is arguably the most exciting horse to retire to stud in Germany for many years. A son of Adlerflug, who was just gaining a belated appreciation by the wider bloodstock world at the time of his death in April 2012, Torquator Tasso’s racing record was underpinned by a class and durability that saw him win six of 16 starts headlined by the Arc, in which he flew home to defeat Tarnawa and Hurricane Lane.
Also making him of interest is the fact he hails from the Allegretta clan made famous by the deeds of its stallion representatives such as Galileo, Sea The Stars and Tamayuz. Given that Adlerflug is a grandson of Allegretta’s sister Alya, Torquator Tasso is actually inbred to the family. With all that in mind, perhaps he will be the one to perpetuate the Adlerflug line.
Class speed
CATURRA
Mehmas – Shoshoni Wind
Stands at Overbury Stud
109 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of £6,500
From the team that developed Ardad comes another fast, commercially-bred horse in Caturra.
A precocious and tough two-year-old, Caturra was saddled by Clive Cox to win the Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster and Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury while at three, he acquitted himself well against older sprinters when third in the King George Stakes.
He has been well supported by both his connections, who bought a number of mares specifically to go to the horse, as well as British breeders and he duly has a good-sized collection of 31 lots to represent him at Tattersalls.
DUBAWI LEGEND
Dubawi – Lovely Pass
Stands at Starfield Stud
122 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of €6,500
An affordable yet high-class Dubawi option, Dubawi Legend backed up an impressive winning debut for Hugo Palmer by running second in the Dewhurst Stakes to Native Trail. That performance made him the second highest rated two-year-old of his generation and he added further to his record the following year when successful in a German Group 3 sprint.
He’s supported by a strong pedigree, as you would expect for a son of Dubawi, and was understandably one of the more popular Irish-based sires of his generation.
PERSIAN FORCE
Mehmas – Vida Amorosa
Stands at Tally-Ho Stud
133 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of €10,000
Having developed Mehmas into an international force, Tally-Ho Stud now offer one of his best sons in Persian Force. The Mehmas breed tend to be tough, precocious individuals and that perfectly sums up Persian Force, whose juvenile campaign spanned from March, when he won the Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster, to November, when he ran fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland. In between he emulated his sire by winning the July Stakes and also filled the placings in the Prix Morny, Phoenix Stakes and Coventry Stakes.
Persian Force has the backing of his owner AMO Racing and Tally-Ho Stud but outside breeders also threw their weight behind him judging by the entries to the Goffs November Sale, where his 44 representatives include the half-brothers to Italian Oaks winner Tomiko and Group 3-winning sprinter Extortionist.
SPACE TRAVELLER
Bated Breath – Sky Crystal
Stands at Starfield Stud
186 mares covered in 2023 at a fee of €6,500
Space Traveller stood his first season at Ballyhane Stud, where covered close to 190 mares including plenty belonging to Rathbride Farm, the Irish arm of Steve Parkin’s Clipper Logistics.
Space Traveller carried Parkin’s colours to victory in five of 25 starts headed by the Solonaway and Jersey Stakes during an excellent season at three. Later transferred to the US, he went on to run Grade 1-placed twice, notably when second in the Frank E Kilroe Mile.
A member of the successful Crystal Spray family, Space Traveller is particularly well represented at Goffs where he has 35 entries.
American market ready to take flight
Breeders are spoilt for choice when it comes to first-crop sires in North America. The bloodstock world will be watching the reaction to the first Flightline foals but even without his presence, it is still an extremely deep group that ranges from fellow champion Epicenter to Classic winners Early Voting and Mandaloun.
Flightline retired to Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky as one of the iconic racehorses of the recent era. That reputation was earned despite the fact that the son of Tapit ran just the six times. Yet he was brilliant, reeling off four consecutive Grade 1 victories for trainer John Sadler capped by an eight-and-a-half length romp in the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland. Six lengths was his smallest winning margin in Grade 1 company while his eight-and-a-quarter length victory in the Classic over fellow Grade 1 winners Life Is Good, Rich Strike, Olympiad and Happy Saver is the widest margin ever recorded in the race.
Shortly after his Breeders’ Cup romp, a 2.5 per cent fractional interest in the horse was put up for auction at the Keeneland November Sale. Until then, various industry estimates had placed Flightline’s value at $50 – 75 million. The sale of the interest changed all that, with Fred Seitz’s winning bid of $4.6 million on behalf of an undisclosed client setting the horse’s value at an astronomical $184 million.
Flightline stood his first season for $200,000 and mares in foal to him averaged $946,429 at last year’s Keeneland November Sale.
A $1 million yearling himself, expect to see fierce competition for his representatives this month at Fasig-Tipton, where he has three foals catalogued, and Keeneland, where there are six.
As it is, Flightline has already again hit the headlines this year thanks to the sale of two foals to sell for the equivalent of $1.3 million at the JRHA Select Sale in Japan.
It promises to be a big year for Coolmore’s Ashford Stud division with no fewer than four young horses – all of them Grade 1 winners – to launch commercially.
The busiest of the quartet was the Uncle Mo horse Golden Pal, a brilliantly fast turf sprinter for Wesley Ward whose eight stakes victories included the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. He covered close to 300 mares at a fee of $30,000 in his first season and is duly represented by no fewer than 54 entries to the Keeneland November Sale.
Travers Stakes winner Epicenter, a son of the hugely popular Not This Time who also ran second in the Kentucky Derby, was another popular horse at his first year fee of $45,000 as the recipient of 262 mares, as was the multiple Grade 1-winning sprinter Jack Christopher ($45,000), whose debut book featured 247 mares. The latter stands alongside his venerable sire Munnings, to whom he bears a close resemblance.
The quartet is rounded out by a champion two-year-old in Corniche, a son of Quality Road who stood his first seasons for $30,000.
Coolmore also launched the Preakness Stakes winner Early Voting, a son of the red-hot Gun Runner. He was popular with breeders at $25,000 but ran into fertility problems bad enough to prompt his removal from service. Taylor Made Stallions have since taken a chance on the stallion and have seemingly been rewarded, given his second book consisted of 77 mares. Despite the issues with his debut season, he still has 29 entries to the Keeneland November Sale.
Flightline wasn’t the only six-figure new stallion of 2023. Flamboyant front-runner Life Is Good was well received at $100,000 in his first season at WinStar Farm off the back of a career that featured four Grade 1 wins led by the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. A well-bred son of champion sire Into Mischief, he has an eye-catching collection of 17 foals catalogued across Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland.
Juddmonte Farms, meanwhile, offers another son of Into Mischief in Mandaloun, winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby on the disqualification of Medina Spirit. Another to break the 200-mare barrier in his first, in his case as the recipient of 211 at a fee of $25,000, he hails from the Juddmonte’s Daring Diva family currently in the news courtesy of Bluestocking.
Meanwhile, Gainesway Farm, which is currently on a high via the deeds of its exciting young stallion McKinzie, compiled a book of 228 mares for the first book of its next horse in the pipeline, Olympiad ($35,000). A good-looking son of Speightstown who commanded $700,000 as a yearling, Olympiad gained his Grade 1 win in the Jockey Club Cup and also ran second to Flightline in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. With 44 entries to the Keeneland November Sale, there will be plenty of opportunity for him to make an early commercial mark.
Spendthrift Farm is never far away from the action and in Grade 1 winners Jackie’s Warrior ($50,000), the first horse to win Grade 1 races at three consecutive Saratoga meetings, Arkansas Derby and Haskell Invitational scorer Cyberknife ($30,000) and Belmont Stakes hero Mo Donegal ($20,000), they launched three extremely popular horses. Cyberknife, another top son of Gun Runner, has already supplied a sale-topping youngster in a colt who sold for $210,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Sale.
Darley’s Speaker’s Corner ($20,000) also promises to be popular as a well-bred son of Street Sense who won the Carter Handicap.
