Home » Stallion Update
Stallion update
January 2008
Dear Breeder,
The 2008 Breeding Season is already proving to be our busiest yet, numerous stallions with limited books have already filled up and this is having a knock on effect for other stallions. As such, numerous breeders (many who would only now be considering suitable mates) have already booked in their mares using our service.
The amount of nominations that we have already booked for 2008, means that we have a good feel for the popularity of most British based stallions and are confident of continuing to achieve the keenest prices on behalf of our customers. The purpose of this latest ‘stallion update’ is to bring your attention to a variety of stallions, that we believe offer good value and have widespread appeal.
It is with great anticipation that we await the first foals of the exciting ARAAFA. He was a very high class horse winning the Irish 2000 Guineas in 2006 (beating George Washington) in addition to the St James Palace Stakes and was second in the Queen Elizabeth 11 Stakes. He is extremely well bred being a grandson of Danzig out of a full sister to Pivotal. Last year ARAAFA was supported by some of the countries leading breeders and mares in foal to him realised up to 110,000gns (averaged over 50,000gns – 8 sold) at the December Sales. His fee for 2008 is £12K and is a stallion worthy of the closest consideration.
After just 2 crops of runners, the Breeders Cup Mile winner VAL ROYAL is showing exceptional promise, considering that he did not attract either a great quality or quantity (just 120 foals in his first 2 crops) of mares. In his first crop he is responsible for the dual 2000 Guineas winner Cockney Rebel (who has not received the credit he deserves) and the high class American filly Valbenny (winner of a Gr 2 and two Gr 3’s and second in 2 Gr 1’s). His fee for 2008 has been raised to £10K, but in light of how well his progeny have performed, this is still excellent value.
HALLING is an established sire and provides breeders with an exceptional opportunity to breed a very high class horse. He himself was a very high class racehorse and since retiring to stud in 1997 he has sired 10% Stakes Winners to Foals. He had an excellent 2007 with the Gr2 winning 3 year olds Coastal Path (unbeaten in 4 runs and also won a Gr 3), Boscobel (winner of the King Edward at Royal Ascot and 4th in the Irish Derby) and Harland. All are progressive and will improve further this year. After covering 103 mares in 2007, his fee has been reduced from £20K to £12K for 2008 and he now represents exceptional value.
For breeders with a smaller budget for their mares, there are a number of stallions that catch the eye, and three of them are likely to appeal for different reasons. PICCOLO was a Group 1 winning sprinter and a dual Group 1 sire. Since retiring to stud in 1996, he has been a prolific and reliable source of quick racehorses and his progeny consistently find favour in the sales ring. In 2007 he was responsible for the unbeaten 2yo Winker Watson (winner of the Gr3 Norfolk Stakes and Gr 2 July Stakes), who is very highly regarded by his trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam and is as low as 10/1 for the 2000 Guineas. PICCOLO has moved to Newmarket for 2008 (previously at Lavington in Sussex) and his advertised fee is £5K.
Breeders willing to take a chance on a stallion may wish to consider MONSIEUR BOND, the reason I use the word ‘chance’, is because he has his first crop of 2 year old runners this year. MONSIEUR BOND, is a good looking son of Danehill Dancer and was a high class racehorse who excelled over 6 and 7 furlongs (Gr2 and Gr3 winner). Since retiring to stud, he has largely appealed to commercial breeders, whose main aim is to breed fast 2yo runners. Two of his yearlings made fancy prices (240,000 euros and £193,000) last autumn, but the true test of a stallion such as MONSIEUR BOND is how well his yearlings sold at the St Leger Sale – the answer is incredibly well with the 11 sold averaging over eight times his fee. He is likely to have plenty of winners and if all goes well for him, his fee of £3500 could look attractive by the end of the year.
ICEMAN on the other hand is ready to embark on his second season at stud, having covered 129 mares in 2007. He is a good looking horse with plenty of presence and he has the advantage of sharing his sire (Polar Falcon) with his illustrious stud companion Pivotal. ICEMAN was more precocious than Pivotal, impressively winning the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, he was also 2nd in the Champagne Stakes (Gr2), 3rd in the Middle Park (Gr1) and 4th in the Dewhurst (Gr1). As well as attracting a large quantity of mares, ICEMAN covered some speedy and choicely bred mares. His fee for the coming season is £5K.
Future updates will include a focus on National Hunt stallions, however if you are wanting to finalise mating plans for any NH mares in the coming weeks you may wish to consider the established and prolific sires ALFLORA and OVERBURY who both stand at £3500, choose a stallion that is starting to fulfil his potential such as DOUBLE TRIGGER (£2500) or one that has huge future potential such as GRAPE TREE ROAD (£2500).
R&B Bloodstock Service provides a totally independent, professional service and works with breeders to find the most suitable stallions for their mares. We will use our knowledge, contacts, experience and our buying power to negotiate the lowest fee available either to one of the stallions featured in this update or any other that may be suitable for your mares. Simply contact me (office 01304 822068, mobile 07894 603301 or by email simonhanson123@ntlworld.com) for a no obligation conversation, we can talk through the options available and even do a mating analysis. If you respond to this update our service is absolutely free as we will not charge you our standard £100 booking fee.
Yours sincerely
Simon Hanson
R&B Bloodstock Services