Ashford Newcomers Have Global Appeal

When breeding sheds officially open in Kentucky this week, Coolmore's Ashford Stud will have two new champion 2-year-olds on its roster. Coolmore is well accustomed to standing top-rated juveniles, having stood five of the last six 2-year-old champions in the U.S. retired to stud. What is significant about 2017 is that its two new juvenile champions come from Ireland and Australia.

Air Force Blue (War Front–Chatham, by Maria's Mon), the Cartier champion 2-year-old of 2015 and Europe's highest-rated juvenile of that year, starts out at $25,000, while Vancouver (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro–Skates {Aus}, by Danehill), the 2015 G1 Golden Slipper winner and champion Australian 2-year-old, shuttles from Coolmore's Australian satellite. He stands for $15,000. While both horses raced overseas, American breeders will be able to find plenty of familiarity in their pedigrees. That is especially true of Air Force Blue, who was bred by Arthur Hancock's Stone Farm and bought by MV Magnier for $490,000 at Keeneland September in 2014. He is out of the stakes-placed Chatham, and his second dam, the unraced Circle of Gold (Seeking The Gold), is a full-sister to champion 2-year-old filly Flanders, herself the dam of another champion filly in the four-time Grade I winner Surfside (Seattle Slew).

Air Force Blue won four of his five starts at two, his only loss coming when second in Royal Ascot's G2 Coventry S., and he promptly bounced back to add the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S., G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. and G1 Dubai Dewhurst S. As such, the bay could have undoubtedly found favour with European breeders, but Ashford's Scott Calder said his pedigree, combined with the popularity of his sire line, prompted the decision to stand him in Kentucky.

“Air Force Blue is rated as one of the best 2-year-olds to have raced in Europe in nearly 20 years, so that would obviously have opened doors for him in Ireland, but he also has a lot of connections to Kentucky,” Calder said. “He's by one of the best sires in America, is from an Overbrook family and was bred and sold by Stone Farm. War Front stands for $250,000 and is very sought after, so the opportunity to stand his best 2-year-old was very appealing.”

Air Force Blue joins another Kentucky-bred son of War Front, Declaration Of War, at Ashford. Declaration Of War stood one season at Coolmore in Ireland and is preparing for his third season at Ashford, where he will stand for $35,000.

“We were overrun with people wanting to breed to Declaration Of War when he relocated, so we expected there to be demand for Air Force Blue too,” Calder added. “Air Force Blue is also a great fit for the mare population here. His dam is by Maria's Mon so he's open to a lot of the sire lines that have been successful with War Front. A.P. Indy, Mr Prospector, Sadler's Wells, Storm Cat, all those major lines are open to him so there are a lot of options to work with.”

Retired in late summer last year, Air Force Blue has had plenty of time to settle in at Ashford, having arrived in October.

“We've had a number of top 2-year-olds retire here in recent years and they all seem to have very good temperaments,” Calder said. “He's settled in very well and hasn't turned a hair since day one. Physically he's all quality and is a great mover; a lot of people have commented that he has more size and scope than they often expect from a War Front too. It seems like you get a premium at the sales for horses that walk well, and he was a standout yearling himself so if he passes that on we will be in good shape.”

Despite his expatriation to America, European breeders haven't forgotten about Air Force Blue. Calder said he is getting strong support from overseas, and he noted Coolmore will support the horse as well.

“We'll be getting behind him with our own mares in addition to the outside support he's getting,” Calder explained. “No doubt some of those foals will end up back in Europe so he's likely to have a representation over there regardless of the fact he is standing in Kentucky. He has Group 1 winners from both sides of the Atlantic booked into him along with the dams of horses like [Grade I winners] Stormy Lucy and Watsdachances as well. He's getting support from a wide range of top breeders from both here and abroad so it will give him every opportunity to put his best foot forward.”

Vancouver was similarly well supported in his first season Down Under last year. He finished the season with 80 stakes performers or producers in foal, including Group 1 winners Headway (Aus) (Charge Forward {Aus}), Pasadena Girl (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}), Precious Gem (Aus) (Econsul {NZ}) and Miss Mossman (NZ) (Mossman {Aus}), as well as the dams of Group 1 winners Japonisme (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}), Albany Reunion (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}).

“One benefit of standing a stallion from Australia is that he already has a season under his belt so that is a nice luxury to have with a first-year stallion; there will be no questions marks about him taking to the job,” Calder said.

It seems Vancouver has taken to his second job just as well as his first. Named a 'TDN Rising Star' when winning the Listed Breeders' Plate on debut early in his 2-year-old campaign for trainer Gai Waterhouse, he added the G3 Canonbury S., G2 Todman S. and G1 Golden Slipper S. before his juvenile season was out. Vancouver spent a stint at Ballydoyle with Aidan O'Brien but ultimately didn't start in Europe after an unsatisfactory blood picture ruled him out of Royal Ascot.

While reverse shuttling from Australia has been well tested in Europe with quite a few success stories–including Coolmore's own Fastnet Rock (Aus), Choisir (Aus) and his son Starspangledbanner (Aus) (the latter two were familiar to European breeders being Group 1 winners at Royal Ascot)–the phenomenon has been tried fewer times in the U.S. All American (Aus), the sire of standout filly Yankee Rose in Australia, shuttled to Darby Dan in Kentucky early in his career without making much of a splash, but Darley had more success with its champion Australian sire Lonhro (Aus), and his son Denman (Aus) later shuttled for a season. Spendthrift currently shuttles G1 Spring Champion S. winner Hampton Court (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) to its Kentucky headquarters.

Coolmore has added dual Australian Group 1-winning juvenile Pride Of Dubai (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) to its Irish roster this year, but Vancouver will be its first reverse-shuttler to the U.S.

Calder said, “When it was announced we would be standing an Australian champion by Medaglia d'Oro it created a lot curiosity from breeders, but it is fair to say it is his looks that have really sold him. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and he has created a real buzz since he got here. He's got real presence when he stands out in front of the barn, he's got great size and strength and is very correct. If anyone has been on the fence about breeding to him, seeing him in the flesh has been the deciding factor.”

The case for Vancouver's pedigree will be helped by the fact that he is by a leading American sire and out of a mare by Danehill, a universally influential shuttler. The bottom of his pedigree is decidedly Australian, however. His second dam is G1 Doncaster H. winner Skating (Aus) (At Talaq), also the dam of stakes-winning turf sprinters Murtajill (Aus) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), Bradbury's Luck (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) and Sunset Run (Aus) (End Sweep), the former two also going on to be useful sires.

In addition, Vancouver has a pair of stakes-winning siblings by American sires: Group 1-winning filly Juste Moment (Aus) (Giant's Causeway) and listed winner Captain Coltish (Aus) (Fusaichi Pegasus).

“Even though he comes from an Australian family his pedigree is actually very easy for breeders here to relate to,” Calder noted. “His sire obviously needs no introduction and his dam is by Danehill, who is by one of the best stallions ever to stand in America [Danzig]. He also has a Group 1-winning half-sister by Giant's Causeway and a stakes-winning half-brother by Fusaichi Pegasus. It's a very good pedigree from top to bottom and there are many names in there that are familiar to breeders here.”

“It's great to see him get such a positive reception,” Calder added. “With the support he is getting in year one it will give him a big chance to make a name for himself up here. The horse business seems to be getting more and more international so it will be exciting to see what he can do on the world stage.”