This article first appeared in the March edition of Owner Breeder magazine
Breeding has never been a pursuit for the faint hearted. And given rising costs, a polarised marketplace and a trend towards imports from France, National Hunt operators in Britain have found the challenge that bit greater in recent times.
But, by the same token, breeders rarely lack resolve or optimism. And if your glass is half full then you tend to feel the ends justify the means. So given the rewards on offer are as highly coveted as ever, be that on the racecourse or in the sales ring, plenty will be looking to pull some smart moves this breeding season.
Those scanning the ranks of British jumps sires have the best part of 40 names to conjure with in 2025. These range from new retirees to proven producers, there are budget options, blue-chip operators and one or two that continue to fly under the radar. To help navigate the crucial mating plans process, we profile the full roster below.
Ocovango tops Alne Park Stud quartet
Grace Skelton’s Alne Park Stud in the heart of Warwickshire is home to four stallions in 2025, including Dink (£3,000). The 21-year-old is the only son of major jumps influence Poliglote standing at stud, and is best known as the sire of Dan Skelton’s high-class two-mile chaser Nube Negra.
The upcoming breeding season will be Dink’s fifth in Britain after he moved from Haras de la Bareliere in France. Although he has had an incredibly limited amount of racecourse representation in Britain and Ireland, that is set to improve over the coming years having covered a combined total of over 100 mares in the four seasons since arriving from across the Channel.
The other proven name on the Alne Park roster is Ocovango, who made the switch from the Beeches Stud in 2023. The son of Monsun is the only British-based sire inside the top ten of the current jumps sires’ table, primarily on account of Sara Bradstock’s progressive stayer Mr Vango landing the London National and Peter Marsh Chase. Ocovango tops the Alne Park roster at a fee of £4,500.
The stud welcomed newcomers in both 2023 and 2024, with Midnights Legacy, the only son of Midnight Legend at stud, first to join the ranks, followed by Gold Cup hero Subjectivist 12 months later. Midnights Legacy, who standing for £3,000, has covered small books in his first two seasons, while Weatherbys records Subjectivisit, who is standing is £4,000, as serving a debut book of 33 mares.
St Leger star arrives at Chapel Stud
The roster at Roisin Close’s Chapel Stud has been boosted by the arrival of St Leger hero Eldar Eldarov. The well-bred son of Dubawi hails from the same prolific Kirsten Rausing family as Arc heroine Alpinista, and cost owners KHK Racing £480,000 when purchased by Oliver St Lawrence from Norman Williamson as a breeze-up two-year-old.
Trained by Roger Varian, Eldar Eldarov won his first start at two and his first two starts at three, including the Group 2 Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot. He tasted Classic glory later that season when running out a two-length winner of the St Leger. He further highlighted his talents at four when he dismissed champion stayer Kyprios by no less than three and a half lengths in the Irish St Leger.
He was set to resume racing in 2024 but those plans were scratched in cruel circumstances when he suffered a life-threatening neck injury after rearing and striking his head in the gates after a rival kicked his stall in the moments before the Dubai Gold Cup. He underwent surgery and showed the same toughness he displayed on the racecourse to make a full recovery. He is being introduced at £5,000 and will cover a limited debut book.
Eldar Eldarov is standing alongside Bangkok, the tough Group 2-winning son of Australia is standing a fourth consecutive term at £3,000. The line-up is completed by Planteur, who is available at a fee of £4,000. The son of Danehill Dancer is best known as the sire of Group 1-winning Trueshan, but he has also produced an elite winner over jumps too in the shape of Grand Steeplechase de Paris scorer Gran Diose.
Wells Farhh Go relocates to Nunstainton
A stone’s throw from Sedgefield racecourse sits the Dawson family’s Nunstainton Stud, which is home to Cannock Chase, Dragon Dancer, Kingston Hill and new recruit Wells Farhh Go (left).
Cannock Chase was a notably high-class racehorse. He continued a family tradition by winning at Royal Ascot, and his Tercentenary Stakes success was followed by an even bigger victory in the Grade 1 Canadian International. Despite limited opportunities in his relatively short stud career he has already come up with one classy performer in Cannock Park, who finished third to Jango Baie in the 2023 Tolworth Hurdle.
Dragon Dancer is best remembered for finishing a short head second to Sir Percy in the 2006 Derby. He retired to stud in France, where he sired the likes of Rebecca Curtis’s useful performers Haiti Couleurs. Cannock Chase and Dragon Dancer both stand at £2,000, while headline act Kingston Hill is available at £3,000.
The grey son of Mastercraftsman certainly had an affinity with the north during his time on the track as he won two Group 1s at Doncaster, namely the Racing Post Trophy at two and the St Leger at three. Kingston Hill began his second career under the Coolmore banner, with his second crop containing Grade 2-winning hurdler No Looking Back. He has come in for his share of support since relocating to Nunstainton in 2022, having covered over 170 mares in the last three years.
Wells Farhh Go has joined the roster for 2025, taking the place of Falco, who has been sold to Turkey. The son of Farhh won two Group 3s during his time on the track, namely the Acomb Stakes at two and the Bahrain Trophy at three, and was backed by his trainer Tim Easterby during his two seasons at Norton Grove Stud.
Overbury applying midas touch to Golden Horn
Overbury Stud has long been a seat of National Hunt power. The Gloucestershire farm was home to Kayf Tara, a leading light of the British jumps breeding scene responsible for stars such as Carruthers, Edwardstone, Special Tiara and Thistlecrack. That mantle appears to have been taken up by the new golden boy of the British National Hunt ranks, Golden Horn.
It is perhaps a sign of the times that jumps breeders have access to Golden Horn at all, as the Derby and Arc hero has proved particularly adept at siring classy Flat talents. His record features 53 Flat stakes performers, including the British Champions Long Distance Cup scorer, and Gold Cup runner-up, Trawlerman, Queen’s Vase winner Gregory, and Italian Derby victor Goldenas.
But the toughness of his stock has also been highlighted by a burgeoning roll of honour over jumps, which includes the dual Grade 2-winning juvenile hurdler East India Dock, Grade 2 novice chase scorer Mark Of Gold and Golden Ace (right). The latter got the better of Brighterdaysahead to win the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, and added this year’s Kingwell Hurdle to her tally of victories (Golden Ace later won the Champion Hurdle following the publication of this article).
All this augurs well for what lies in store once more of his jumps-bred stock come on stream. It is worth noting that his 2024 book of mares included the dam of none other than Constitution Hill, as well as the dams of other significant talents such as Burrows Saint, Guard Your Dreams, Le Milos, Navajo Pass, Santini and The New Lion. Among the classy racemares in his latest book were Annie Mc, Buildmeupbuttercup, Casablanca Mix, Dolcita, Echoes In Rain, Happy Diva, L’Unique, Misty Whisky, Pilaster and Urban Artist.
At £10,000, Golden Horn is the most expensive sire on this list. But when you see the likes of Willie Mullins paying up to 330,000gns for his progeny, and given the immense potential highlighted by his early racecourse results, it is hard not to conclude a bright future makes such a fee seem entirely justified.
There is also growing momentum behind another Overbury resident in Jack Hobbs (£4,000). The son of Halling’s first crop may have only just turned six but he has already sired a healthy number of winners on the track and between the flags.
The esteem buyers hold Jack Hobbs in is illustrated by his offspring fetching a slew of chunky prices. His most expensive sales graduate is Intense Approach, a £210,000 purchase by John McConnell who has now won six times under Rules, as well as finishing runner-up in the Persian War Novices’ Hurdle. He has enjoyed notable support from within the point-to-point sector, including some of the major Irish operations such as Warren Ewing and the Doyle family of Monbeg Stables. And with sizeable crops in the pipeline, there is every reason to believe he can maintain his upwardly mobile profile.
The elder stateman of the roster is the ever-reliable Schiaparelli. The 22-year-old son of Monsun has now won four consecutive Horse & Hound Cups at the TBA National Hunt Awards for being the leading British-based stallion for steeplechase winners. His leading performers include the high-class Ronald Pump, Cheltenham Festival scorer Indefatigable and dual Listed winner Marsh Wren. This season he has been represented by the progressive Wyenot, winner of the Listed Doncaster Mares’ Hurdle. Schiaparelli is again standing at £2,000.
The Overbury line-up is completed by Frontiersman, the son of Dubawi and Ouija Board, and therefore a half-brother to Derby hero turned Group 1 sire Australia. With his first crop still only five we are yet to see what Frontiersman is fully capable of as a National Hunt sire, although there are encouraging signs as he has already thrown the Grade 3-placed juvenile hurdler Dodger Long as well as the 104-rated Flat performer Asian Daze, who was sold on to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for £200,000. He also has some fair-sized crops in the pipeline, all of which could make a £2,000 fee look like money well spent in the years to come.
Logician the thinking man’s option at Shade Oak
Another Classic-winning racehorse whose offspring have been the subject of positive whispers is Shade Oak Stud’s Logician, a son of Frankel from a typically deep Juddmonte pedigree.
Logician more than upheld family honour during a racing career that was cut cruelly short by illness. He won his first six starts, including the Great Voltigeur Stakes and, more importantly, the St Leger. He not only won the season’s oldest Classic, but set a new course record in the process.
That profile has not gone unnoticed, as his first three seasons at stud have resulted in books numbering 183, 169 and 112 mares, figures that are underpinned by a high percentage of quality names to boot. Although the Logician foals that have hit the sales have recorded some perfectly reasonable results, the softening of the market means the exact sums involved probably underplay the respect he is being afforded.
Instead, it is perhaps more illustrative that renowned judges the Bleahen brothers have been just about his stronger supporter in the sales ring, while the likes of Gerry Hogan, John O’Connor and Peel Bloodstock have also purchased youngstock by the stallion. Those names alone could prove a powerful set of allies for anyone thinking of using Logician at a reduced fee of £3,500.
The other stallion on the Shade Oak roster is Dartmouth (£2,500), who carried the Queen’s colours to victory in the 2016 Hardwicke Stakes and the following year’s Yorkshire Cup.
The well-bred son of Dubawi received royal support in his second career as the late Queen Elizabeth II bred Naval College, a Flat novice winner for Dartmouth’s trainer Sir Michael Stoute who went on to land a brace of Listed contests having transferred to Australia. With his first crop having just turned six, there is still time for Dartmouth to come up with similar talents over obstacles.
Postponed another potent force for Yorton Farm
Yorton Farm’s four-strong line-up is led by Postponed (right), who is entering into his second season at the Welshpool stud at an upgraded fee of £6,000. The two-time European champion has come up with the Group 2-placed Night Sparkle on the level, and has impressed with the limited number of runners he has fielded over obstacles.
His jumpers include Familiar Dreams, a 4,000gns horses-in-training buy who realised €310,000 after winning a Grade 3 bumper at Punchestown, and other useful types such as Majestic Jameela and Zestful. Although it is still early days, a National Hunt black type performers to runners ratio of 14 per cent catches the eye in a major way.
Pether’s Moon may not have the flashy profile of Postponed, but the son of Dylan Thomas has posted some similarly taking statistics. His 20 winners in the 2023-24 season came at a clip of 39 per cent, which puts him very much in the top bracket of stallions by winners to runners. He has already surpassed that tally of winners and is maintaining a similarly high strike rate in the current season too.
Admittedly he lacks the kind of headline performer that stallions need to really put their name in lights, but having gone about his business with proficiency, and with reasonable numbers in the pipeline, a fee of £3,000 looks fair value.
Ito makes obvious appeal on pedigree being a son of Adlerflug out of the German Oaks winner Iota, making him a full-brother to German Derby hero and Beeches Stud stallion In Swoop.
Ito also won a Group 1, claiming the Grosser Preis von Bayern, and duly began covering Flat mares in his native Germany, where he sired the Group 2-placed Theodora, among others. He joined the Yorton ranks in 2023, meaning we are yet to see his stock really test their mettle over jumps. But if he can convert his paper credentials into racecourse performance, he looks a name to note at a fee of £3,000.
The Yorton stallion with the deepest stud record is Gentlewave (private fee), the 22-year-old son of Monsun who initially retired to Haras du Thenney back in 2007. His Graded winners include Charlie Hall Chase scorer Gentlemansgame and Kerry National victor Poker Party. Gentlewave also hit the headlines in recent years as the sire of Easysland, a runaway winner of the Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Yorton is also involved in the ownership of Arrigo (£2,000), the Shirocco half-brother to Adlerflug who is spending his second season at Bullbrook Farm in Somerset under a lease agreement with Chloe Roddick.
Plenty of options for value seekers
Breeders on a budget could do a lot worse than Yorgunnabelucky, who is standing at Mickley Stud at a fee of £2,500. The brother to Shamardal has come up with some big results from relatively limited opportunities, including the high-class two-mile chaser Libberty Hunter, a winner at Cheltenham and runner-up in the Game Spirit Chase, as well as the progressive Newbury novice hurdle winner Rubber Ball.
Fans of King George hero Hewick have access to his sire Virtual, who stands at Etheridge Farm and Stud in Dorset at a fee of £750. Langaller Farm sits on the edge of Dartmoor National Park and is home to Forever Now (£600), a Listed-winning Galileo brother to black type trio Gan Amhras, Shantaram and To Eternity.
Vauterhill Stud is in a similar neck of the woods and offers breeders three value options in 2025, namely German Derby winner Nutan, Sans Frontieres, sire of the classy Jason The Militant, and Top Trip, whose flag has been flown this season by Willie Mullins’ upwardly mobile chaser Sa Majeste. Fees are available on application.
March Hare Stud is home to the LM Stallions roster, which features Teofilo’s dual Group 2-winning son Diplomat (£1,500). Groomsbridge Stud is also standing a son of Teofilo, with the seven-time winner and multiple Group-placed Mildenberger available at £1,000. Withyslade Farm in the Nadder Valley is home to Eastern Anthem, the blue-blooded son of Singspiel who won the Dubai Sheema Classic. He is standing for £1,250.
Mogul brings ‘x-factor’ to Willow Wood Farm
Cheshire-based Willow Wood Farm has doubled its number of stallions for the 2025 breeding season, with the well-credentialled Mogul (right) recruited from the Beeches Stud in Ireland. The son of Galileo hails from a superb family, being out of Newsells Park Stud’s blue hen Shastye.
This means he is a full-sibling to four black-type performers, including Juddmonte International hero Japan.
Their sister Secret Gesture not only won the Group 2 Middleton Stakes herself, but has helped the pedigree progress at a rate of knots having bred four stakes performers from her first five foals, including the star-crossed Chester Vase scorer Hidden Law. Mogul is also bred on the famed Galileo-Danehill cross that has yielded the likes of Frankel, Galiway, Highland Reel, Kyprios and Teofilo, to name but a few.
This top-class pedigree, allied to some stunning looks, helped Mogul realise 3,400,000gns to the bid of Coolmore’s MV Magnier when he changed hands at the 2018 renewal of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
It was a case of blood will out once Mogul went into training with Aidan O’Brien as he developed into an elite performer over the course of three seasons in training. The most notable of his five victories came in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris, in which he beat In Swoop by two and a half lengths, before he showcased his talent on the international stage by running out a commanding winner of the Hong Kong Vase.
Mogul has been introduced to British breeders at £2,500, and will stand alongside Irish Derby and St Leger hero Capri, who is available at the same fee.
Taking up the story of how Mogul came to stand at Willow Wood Farm, the stud’s Stuart Ross says, “I saw Robert McCarthy [of the Beeches Stud] up at Doncaster when I was selling a mare and was chatting to him and Albert Sherwood, and they asked how I was going with Capri. A week or so later Robert phoned me up and said a deal for Mogul to go to France had fallen through and would I be interested.
“I said I’d have a think about it and get back to him. The only thing I really had to consider was standing two sons of Galileo, because when you only have two stallions it’s a bit like putting all your eggs in one basket. However, when I sat down and thought about it, I thought Coolmore have just asked me if I would like a two-time Group 1 winner who cost 3,400,000gns as a yearling, and had rave reviews as a racehorse and when he first went to stud. The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t talk myself out of it.”
After winning two Group 1s on the track, Mogul retired to the Beeches Stud in 2022 and duly covered 168 mares, a number that increased to 202 the following year, according to Weatherbys records. Ross acknowledges that the prices Mogul’s foals achieved at the sales could have been stronger, but not unreasonably suggests this may say more about the state of the National Hunt market at present, rather than the horse himself.
“I know his sales results have been a little disappointing, but hasn’t every National Hunt stallion been in the same boat, with the exception of about four of the big boys?” he says. “When he had his first foals selling I had a look at those and I certainly didn’t see anything to put me off. I also saw some of his stock when I was at the Beeches, they showed me a couple, and they were both great looking. Once I’d agreed the contracts got sorted very quickly and I went over and picked him up myself. Robert McCarthy and the lads who’d handled the horse couldn’t have been more helpful.”
Mogul has been at his new residence since early February and has reportedly made himself right at home.
“I think he would settle anywhere,” says Ross. “He’s got one care in the world, and that’s: has he got enough food! I’ve walked him around a yard full of mares and he’s very well mannered, he stands up tall and proud but he doesn’t shout and scream. But when the feed cart goes around in the morning, that’s when he screams and shouts!”
Asked to describe Mogul’s looks, Ross chuckles and says, “I’ll quote Robert McCarthy when I asked him. I said ‘I haven’t seen him in the flesh, is he good looking?’ And Robert said ‘He cost 3,400,000gns as a yearling.’ So I said ‘But is he good looking?’ and Robert said ‘I’ll repeat, he was 3,400,000gns as a yearling!’ At that point the penny dropped.
“He’s absolutely stunning. He’s a really strong horse; it’s that mixture of strength from Danehill but the class of Galileo. When he stands up in the yard, it’s hard to see what anyone could ever pick fault with. To me, he’s really got that x-factor.”
Ross’s excitement at Mogul’s arrival is palpable, and he hopes breeders will share in his enthusiasm for the horse.
“If you’d have said to me three years ago that I’d be standing two stallions of this calibre, one dual Classic winner and one dual Group 1 winner, both with impeccable pedigrees and great models, I wouldn’t have believed it,” he says.
Support growing behind Batsford Stud’s ‘cool, calm and collected’ new recruit Kew Gardens
Batsford Stud’s four-strong roster features two National Hunt names, including a promising newcomer in Kew Gardens (left).
The well-bred son of Galileo is best remembered for running out a decisive winner of the 2018 St Leger, in which he got the better of the likes of Lah Ti Dar, Dee Ex Bee and Old Persian.
That was not his only Group 1 triumph though, as he also landed the Grand Prix de Paris earlier that season. And if those efforts highlighted Kew Gardens’ class, his final race showed he had the toughness to go with it.
His racecourse swansong came in the Group 2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup, in which he bowed out with a defeat of no less an adversary than Stradivarius. The pair engaged in a tooth and nail battle inside the final furlong, and Kew Gardens achieved what few others could by out battling the supreme stayer for a hard-fought victory.
Although Kew Gardens showed plenty of tenacity on the track, his custodians at Batsford report the new recruit to be a perfect gentleman in his new role.
“He arrived in October and he settled straight into the routine,” says the stud’s Tim Varey. “He’s such a nice-mannered horse that he settled straight into how we do things here. He’s very cool, calm and collected and feels like part of the furniture already. He’s a very well put together horse; he has a really good shoulder, nice hind limbs and stacks of bone. He stands at 16.2, so he’s a good size, and he’s certainly got the temperament to match.”
Kew Gardens retired to Coolmore’s Castlehyde roster in 2021, meaning his oldest crop are three this year. With the vast majority of his offspring still being at least a year away from hitting the racecourse, he remains firmly in the ‘could be anything’ category.
“The reception has been very, very good,” says Varey. “Everyone who’s come to inspect him has been really pleased with what they’ve seen. Obviously people have seen the videos of his walk, but to actually see him in the flesh is another thing. He’s such a nice stamp of a horse that I don’t think photos and videos really do him justice. It doesn’t matter how good they are, it’s only once you’ve seen the horse in the flesh that you really get a sense of how good he is.”
Explaining how the deal was done to stand the promising young sire, Varey says, “We spoke to Coolmore and said we’d like to throw our cap in the ring if they were thinking of doing any stallion movements. First they said they’d consider us, then we got another call saying we would be getting a stallion but they hadn’t quite decided what they were doing in terms of new recruits. Then we got a very surprising phone call that they’d like us to stand Kew Gardens for them. That was the kind of offer you can’t refuse.”
Kew Gardens covered a three-figure number of mares in his first two seasons at stud, including a debut book that stood at 198. This gives him plenty of ammunition with which to make his mark over the coming years.
“We’ve seen a few of his progeny and what we’ve seen we’ve liked,” says Varey. “And we’ve had good reports from Ireland from breeders who’ve got his stock too. He’s still a young horse, he’s a very nicely bred son of Galileo, and he’s got the confirmation to go with it, so it’ll be really exciting to see his youngsters run in another 12 months or so. He’s been well received here and we’re happy with the amount of mares he’s already got booked in. It’s fantastic to have him.”
Kew Gardens is joined by the redoubtable Passing Glance, for whom this will be a 20th season on stallion duty. The son of Polar Falcon has compiled a stud record that would be the envy of many stallions who have covered bigger books at flashier fees.
His three Grade 1 scorers are headed by the popular veteran Dashel Drasher, a prolific winner whose Ascot Chase victory in 2021 contributed a tidy sum to career prize-money earnings of over £450,000. Passing Glance also sired the Manifesto Novice Chase victor Millers Bank and Olly Murphy’s Liverpool Hurdle winner Strong Leader.
Batsford’s social media accounts recently shared a video of Passing Glance showing off his well being with an acrobatic display in the stud’s lunge ring.
“The old boy is 26 but he still thinks he’s a two-year-old!” says Varey. “He’s still so athletic and can still pull some real shapes. He’s extremely well, he’s in ever better condition than he was last year. We keep him very fit because of his age and because of the job we’re asking him to do, and he takes it so well. He really thrives on the job.
“Understandably breeders might back off him a little because of his age, but you just have to come and have a look at him and see how well he looks. He was still very fertile last year so we’ll just keep going with him for as long as we can. He’s still producing some really nice winners.”
Both Kew Gardens and Passing Glance will stand at a fee of £3,000.
Connections ready to go the extra mile for Coolagown Stud’s latest recruit
Stallion movements across the Irish Sea have gone both ways in 2025, with Group 1-winning Dubai Mile swapping Marlborough’s Manton Park for Coolagown Stud in County Cork. He is best remembered for his gutsy win in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, in which he got the better of Boardsmill Stud recruit Arrest.
And the five-year-old boasts pedigree as well as performance, as he is the highest-achieving offspring of the star-crossed Roaring Lion, whose loss has been brought into sharp relief by the exploits of high-class runners such as Middle Earth, Queen Of The Pride and Running Lion. In turn, Roaring Lion is a son of Kitten’s Joy, whose stock as a sire of sires has risen in no uncertain terms thanks to the exploits of leading freshman Kameko.
Dubai Mile’s damside holds just as much appeal, as he is out of Beach Bunny, who won the Listed Dance Design Stakes and came within a short head of denying the brilliant Dar Re Mi in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes.
Beach Bunny has proved similarly adept at paddocks as Dubai Mile is one of three black-type performers she has bred, along with stakes winners Naadirr and Beach Belle. It is also worth noting that Beach Bunny is a daughter of High Chaparral, a fixture in pedigrees of top-class performers under both codes, including the likes of Altior and Penhill over jumps.
Given this profile, it stands to reason that Dubai Mile would be on the radar of both Flat and jumps breeders.
“We’re standing him as a dual-purpose horse and he’s already attracted some very nice mares,” says Coolagown’s David Stack. “We’ve over 100 mares already booked, and the funny thing is almost half his book are British-based mares that are following him over.
“There’s a huge appetite for him because he’s something a bit different in terms of pedigree. He was a top-class racehorse himself, as was his sire, Roaring Lion. There’s High Chaparral high up in his pedigree, he’s getting big winners left, right and centre. Kitten’s Joy is in there as well. He’s got a huge mix in his family and his damline is one of the best in the book, going back to a Classic winner in Miss France. There’s class right the way through his pedigree.”
Dubai Mile has been at Coolagown since last year and is already up-and-running for the 2025 covering season. “He arrived over with us in September and has settled in and has really let down into a lovely stamp of a horse,” Stack reports. “He was very popular during the Irish Stallion Trail. If anyone wasn’t sure what to expect from him, I’d say they were won over when they saw him then. He’s 16.1, a very strong, imposing individual with super movement who really fills the eye.”
Breeders considering sending a mare to Dubai Mile can do so safe in the knowledge that connections are firmly behind the horse. Plenty of Coolagown’s own mares will be visiting Dubai Mile, who can also call upon the support of former joint trainer Mark Johnston and, more significantly, his owner Ahmad Al Shaikh.
“Ahmad Al Shaikh is sending all his mares to Dubai Mile, so he’s going to be very strongly supported,” said the owner’s bloodstock agent Federico Barberini, who went on to highlight some of the notable names among the 2025 book. “There’s a Listed winner by Iffraaj called Blhadawa, she’s already foaled to him and is going back this year. There’s a Group winner and Group 1 second called Zghorta Dance, she’s carrying to him and will go back also. Princess Salamah bred the Group 3 winner Al Shabab Storm with her first foal. She’s already foaled a lovely filly by Dubai Mile and is another going back this year.”
It is not just at stud that Al Shaikh will be behind Dubai Mile. Barberini continues, “He’s looking to buy foals by him too when the time comes, which means his stock will be going into very good yards when they go into training. He really wants to give the horse the best chance possible because he really believes in him.
“He went out and bought mares last year to support him, and that support is going to continue this year, especially because we’re so happy with the foals we’re seeing. He’s had three foals so far and all three are out of black type mares. We’re treating him as a Flat horse, but given his profile, and given that he stayed so well, he will inevitably attract National Hunt mares as well, which are more than welcome. It’s all about giving him a good start with a good number of quality foals and good support.”
Dubai Mile is standing at a fee of €4,000 with filly concessions. He is joined on the Coolagown roster by Kenway, the only son of Galiway standing in Britain or Ireland, the up-and-coming Storm The Stars and Way To Paris, a Group 1-winning son of Champs Elysees.
