Wootton Bassett (GB) has been given a rapturous reception in his first season in Ireland at Coolmore, where he covered 244 mares, including 61 daughters of the late Galileo (Ire).
The figures for the 2021 covering season have recently been made available on Weatherbys Bloodstock Reports online. They show that Galileo, who died on July 10, covered 45 mares this season, though with a number of those having also visited other stallions, his final crop is likely to be very small.
The same cannot be said for Wootton Bassett, who made the bloodstock world sit up and take notice when siring the European champion 3-year-old Almanzor (Fr) in his first crop which contained only 17 foals. During nine seasons in France at Haras d'Etreham, Wootton Bassett's profile continued to grow, with his leading performers including Breeders' Cup heroine Audarya (Fr), G1 Prix de l'Abbaye winner Wooded (Ire) and G1 Prix Saint-Alary victrix Incarville (Fr).
Audarya's dam Green Bananas (Fr) (Green Tune) paid Wootton Bassett a return visit this year, along with the dams of Group 1 winners Channel (Ire), Golden Horde (Ire), Harry Angel (Ire), Immortal Verse (Ire), Limato (GB), Line Of Duty (Ire), Mabs Cross (Ire), Mukhadram (GB), One Master (GB), Sioux Nation, Tepin, Zoustar (Aus) and this year's standout 3-year-old filly Snowfall (Jpn).
His book also featured an impressive list of Group/Grade 1 winners, headed by the Arc winner Found (Ire) and including Albigna (Ire), Alexandrova (Ire), Awesome Maria, Bracelet (Ire), Clemmie (Ire), Curvy (Ire), Deirdre (Jpn), Fancy Blue (Jpn), Miss Yoda (Ger), Nickname, Peeping Fawn (Ire), Proviso (GB), The Fugue (GB) and Was (Ire). Along with the 61 Galileo mares, another 13 in his book were maternal grand-daughters of the multiple champion sire.
Wootton Bassett's fee rose to €100,000 this year, up from €40,000 in his final season at Etreham which in itself was a significant rise from his opening fee of €6,000 in 2012. In 2014 and 2015 he covered for just €4,000.
Figures released by Weatherbys focusing on the Coolmore stallions show that of the five sons of Galileo currently standing in Fethard, Churchill (Ire), who has so far sired 15 first-crop winners and four black-type performers, was the busiest of the quintet. He covered 198 mares this year, including the Arc winner Danedream (Ger). Australia (GB) was sent 162 mares, including Sweepstake (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), the dam of two of his stars of this season, Broome (Ire) and Point Lonsdale (Ire).
Camelot (GB)'s book of 170 mares included the dam of Aclaim (Ire), which presents some interesting inbreeding to Floripedes (Fr) (Top Ville {Ire}), the dam of Montjeu (Ire). Sparrow (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), the dam of Camelot's G1 Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet (Ire), has made a return visit and another mare of note among Camelot's 2021 suitors is Maria Lee (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), the dam of Poetic Flare (Ire).
In his first season at stud, the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) covered 132 mares, while No Nay Never, whose best runners this year include the high-class Alcohol Free (Ire), was sent 183 mares and his Group 1-winning son Ten Sovereigns served 152 mares in his second season.
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