First-Crop Sire Analysis

With the foal sales at Goffs and Tattersalls in the books, there is now opportunity to make some judgements on the performances of first-season foal sires.

The two most expensive horses of this sire crop are Classic winners Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and Gleneagles (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who each entered stud in 2016 at a fee of £/€60,000. Golden Horn, winner of the Group 1 Investec Derby, Coral-Eclipse, Irish Champion S. and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe during his Classic campaign, stands at Darley's Dalham Hall in Newmarket and has had 14 foals offered at Goffs and Tattersalls. According to TDN Sales Statistics, nine have sold for an average of $247,347/£183,645/€208,670, second-best among first-season sires, and a crop-best median of $284,600/£211,285/€240,098. He is also responsible for the highest price thus far this season for a first-season sire; a colt out of Elegant Shadow (Ger) (Shamardal) bought by Godolphin last week for 325,000gns.

“I've liked what I've seen of the Golden Horns particularly so far,” said Tom Goff. “He was a brilliant racehorse so I'll be amazed if he's not a good stallion.”

Gleneagles, a dual Guineas winner by Galileo out of a full-sister to Storm Cat (and one of the hottest current families in Europe) had 14 sold from 18 offered for an average of $140,549/£104,318/€118,579 and a median of $149,418/£110,927/€126,061, good for third in both those categories. Those already sold include a half-sister to this year's G1 Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) bought by the Florida-based Exclusive Equine Investments at Tattersalls for 240,000gns, and Gleneagles has two still to sell at Arqana this weekend.

The leading first-crop sire by average through Goffs and Tattersalls has been Shadwell's champion sprinter Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who stands for £30,000. The winner of four straight Group 1 sprints at three in 2015, Muhaarar has had 12 through the ring and 11 sold for an average of $282,600/£209,747/€238,405 and a median of $277,864/£206,221/€234,427. Those include the highest-priced sale for a first-season sire at Goffs, a €340,000 colt bought by Shadwell.

Agent Hugo Lascelles had high praise for Muhaarar.

“Muhaarar has outstanding stock, they're fantastic,” he said. “I'd be very, very keen on him. He'd be different gravy from everything else I've seen.”

Mick Flanagan said, “China Horse Club bred a Muhaarar that we sold last week at Goffs that made €200,000, and €200,000 is a good price for any [first-crop sire]. He was out of a listed-winning Shamardal mare and there were lots of players on him. I think on the whole the Muhaarars are quite good and he should be very popular over the next few years.”

Keith Harte said, “Muhaarar would be the standout. They're nice and strong and they all look the same, good walks, good minds.”

Darley's Night Of Thunder (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who bested eventual Horse of the Year Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the G1 2000 Guineas and added the G1 Lockinge S. the following year, stood his initial season at Kildangan in Ireland for €30,000. He was dropped to €25,000 last year, and this year he moves to Dalham Hall, where he will stand for £15,000. Night Of Thunder has caught the eye of a few judges, and Tom Goff said, “Night Of Thunder was quite clearly not a stellar yearling because he only made 42,000gns, and for me they've been a very pleasant surprise; they're athletic, quality horses and they've got a great step to them as well.”

Sam Hoskins added, “Night of Thunder was a 2000 Guineas winner and I've always had a fond spot for him; he was a very tough racehorse. I thought there was no fluke about him winning the 2000 Guineas and his stock I feel are quite good-moving horses. He himself has a Dubawi walk and he's got some nice stock on the ground.”

Night Of Thunder has had 30 through the ring and 19 sold for an average of $72,467/£53,773/€61,126 and a median of $56,821/£42,179/€47,928. Those include a colt bought by Jamie Railton last week for 200,000gns. He has six still to be sold at Arqana.

The best numerically represented first-crop sire at this year's foal sales is Gutaifan (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) with 70 representatives (Rathasker Stud's Anjaal comes next with 50). Yeomanstown's speedster was retired after a 2-year-old campaign that yielded four wins, including the G2 Prix Robert Papin and the G2 Flying Childers S., and a second in the G1 Prix Morny.

“The standout from Goffs and so far this week is Gutaifan, who for me is throwing more class and quality than Dark Angel can often throw you,” said Tom Goff.

Indeed, 60 of those 70 foals have thus far been offered, with 49 sold for an average of $57,471/£42,661/€48,478 and a median of $42,241/£31,351/€35,631.

“The standout would be Gutaifan, I think,” said Ross Doyle. “They're very consistent and very like himself, very strong and very good walkers and with great temperaments. He stamps his stock extremely well and I'd be hugely positive about his foals.”

Another sprinter drawing some good reviews is Darley's Brazen Beau (Aus), who is by the highly successful Australian son of Invincible Spirit (Ire), I Am Invincible (Aus). Brazen Beau won Australia's G1 Coolmore Stud S. and G1 Newmarket H. before just being touched off by Undrafted (Purim) on the opposite side of the track in the 2015 G1 Diamond Jubilee S. He entered stud at Dalham Hall last year for £10,000. Brazen Beau has had 17 sold from 26 offered for an average of $47,049/£34,921/€39,683 and a median of $42,455/£31,511/€35,808.

“Brazen Beau has caught my eye quite a bit as well,” said Ross Doyle. “They're very strong. I haven't seen as many of them on the ground as Gutaifan numbers-wise, but the ones we've seen we like a lot.”

Alex Elliott added, “He was a very quick horse himself and he's getting fast types of horses to look at.”

Brazen Beau just edges out Ballylinch's dual Group 1-winning miler Make Believe (GB) (Makfi {GB}) by average. Make Believe, winner of the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and the G1 Prix de la Foret, has had 28 offered and 25 sold for an average of $46,647/£34,625/€39,343 and a median of $44,036/£32,688/€37,141.

Alex Elliott said, “I bought a Make Believe [on Thursday]; I liked him as a racehorse, he is a very good-looking horse himself and I'm impressed with the type of models he's getting.”

There are still some opportunities to get stuck into the first-season foal sires this weekend at Arqana, with French-based sires the best represented there. Haras du Logis shuttler Sidestep (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), a dual Group 2-winning sprinter, has eight catalogued, as does Haras de Montaigu's dual Group 1 winner Prince Gibraltar (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}). Sidestep's Logis barnmate Hunter's Light (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), a Group 1 winner in Dubai and Italy, has seven to represent him.