Sires To Watch: Europe's New Fathers

Highland Reel

With a top class group of racehorses going to stud around Europe in 2018, it’s no wonder breeders are looking forward to seeing what this foaling season brings. 

From Ireland to France, we look at 10 stallions who are catching the eye – and the imagination – this foaling season.

Aclaim – The busiest new flat sire in England in 2018 was Aclaim (Acclamation) with 160 mares covered. The winner of the Group 1 Qatar Prix de la Foret, Acclaim’s dam  is a half-sister to Group 1 Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Again (Danehill Dancer) with their dam a half-sister to champion Montjeu (Sadler’s Wells). His sire has sons such as Dark Angel and Equiano proving he can have success as a sire-of-sires, boding well for the 6-year-old’s future. Aclaim stands for £9,500 at the National Stud in England this year.

Almanzor – One of the most successful horses to retire in 2018 was Almanzor (Wootton Basset), Europe’s Cartier Champion 3-Year-Old Colt. Winning three of his starts as a 2-year-old, including a listed stakes, the colt burst into the spotlight the following year. He won three Group 1 races as a three-year-old, beating horses such as Found, Minding, Jack Hobbs, and Zarak. Not surprisingly, the stallion proved to be popular with 140 mares covered including  United States exports and Group 1 producers Eversmile (Theatrical) and Glittering Tax (Artax). Almanzor stands for €35,000 at Haras d’Etreham in 2019.

Caravaggio – An accomplished and fast son of Scat Daddy, it is no surprise Caravaggio was the most popular stallion in Ireland with 217 mares covered in 2018. Among his seven wins in 10 starts were two Group 1 victories and two Royal Ascot wins (one being a Group 1) with six of those coming in stakes. Caravaggio covered a who’s who of broodmares with Airwave, Peeping Fawn, and Yesterday among his mates. He stands for €35,000 at Coolmore this year.

Decorated Knight

Decorated Knight – A son of the great Galileo from the sire making family of Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat), it wasn’t a surprise Decorated Knight received an accomplished book of mares. The stallion hit the board in his only start at two and went on to place in the top three in all five starts at three before getting his first stakes win at four. But it was five when he showed his true talent, winning Group 1s in Dubai and Ireland and finishing second in a Group 1 in England. Some of the mares included in his first book were Mastercraftsman’s sister Maid To Master (Danehill Dancer), Rose of Miracle (out of a half to Goldikova), Group 1 placed Princess Noor (Holy Roman Emperor), and Order of St George half-sister Arwa (Holy Roman Emperor). He stands for €12,000 at the Irish National Stud.

Highland Reel – One of the most popular and accomplished stallions to join Coolmore Stud in 2018 was Highland Reel (Galileo). A Group 2 winner at two, Highland Reel went on to win seven Group 1 races from three to five, including two Hong Kong Vases, and finished in the top three in six other Group 1s. With his dam a sister/half-sister to two champions and from the extended family of champion Starspangledbanner (Choisir), Highland Reel has the pedigree and race record needed to attract breeders and proved to be popular with 167 mares. He stands for €17,500 this year.

Jack Hobbs – A two-time Group 1 winner, including the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, Jack Hobbs (Halling) bred both flat and National Hunt mares for 168 mares in his first book. The 7-year-old is a half-brother to a Group 3-placed gelding and the grandson of a Group 2 winner. Included in Jack Hobbs’ book was a winning sister to the great Annie Power (Shirocco) and a daughter of Grade 1 Santa Maria Handicap winner Race The Wild Wind (Sunny’s Halo). Jack Hobbs stands for the extreme bargain fee of £4,000 at Overbury Stud.

Mondialiste – Winning Group 1s at eight and 10 furlongs and second to Tepin (Bernstein) in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, Mondialiste (Galileo) proved to be a versatile sort. But just like other stallions on this list, his pedigree is even better than his race record. His dam is a French champion and his Group 3 winning half-sister is the dam of Group 1 winner Intello (Galileo) with two other stakes winning half-siblings and one other dam of a Group winner in his immediate family. Under his third dam is also four champions, including fellow first crop sire Ribchester (Iffraaj). Mondialiste stands for £6,000 at Elwick Stud.

Mondialiste winning the Arlington Million

Postponed – A European champion, when Postponed (Dubawi) was in form, he was one of the top horses on the turf. He was a good horse at two and three but stepped up at four to win his first Group 1 among his two wins and three placings. At five, he went even further up the talent levels to win three Group 1s in England and Dubai and ended his career with a third in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic – the same race he won the year before. A half-brother to a Group 1 winner in God Given (Nathaniel) and from the family of two-time Group 1 winner Simply Perfect (Danehill), Postponed backs up that race record with a strong pedigree and covered 112 mares in his first book including Group 2 winner Souter’s Sister (Desert Style), Wells Farhh Go’s (Farhh) half-sister Red Raven (Raven’s Pass), and I Can Fly’s (Fastnet Rock) half-sister All Of Me (Teofilo). Postponed stands at Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud for £15,000.

The Grey Gatsby – One of the most popular horses of his generation was The Grey Gatsby (Mastercraftsman), who was also accomplished on the track. Second in the Group 2 Doncaster at two, The Grey Gatsby won the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club and Group 1 QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes at three while also second in the Group 1 Juddmonte International in his best season. The following year, he was second in three Group 1s and third in one other before earning his final stakes placing as a 5-year-old in the Group 2 Prince of Wales’s Stakes. He covered 99 mares in 2018 and stands at Haras du Petit Tellier for €7,000 in 2019.

Zarak – By one of the best stallions at stud in the world and out of a two-time champion, who also won the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Zarak (Dubai) already had the pedigree needed to be a stallion. But he added to those credentials and assured himself a spot at stud when he become a Group 1 winner at four after placing second to Almanzor in one at three. His dam is already proving to be a good producer to follow her outstanding racing career with her 4-year-old filly Zarkamiya (Frankel) a Listed winner who was third in a Group 1. Zarak started his career in France and remains there this year when standing for €12,000 at Haras de Bonneval after receiving 134 mares in 2018.