First-Season Sire Series: Sadler's Wells Line

With almost 30 stallions likely to have first-crop runners in Europe this season, the TDN has compiled a four-part feature to assess the merits of each. We've split this feature into four parts and will deal initially with those sires from the Sadler's Wells line. As he's never known what it's like not to come first, we'll start with a horse for whom expectations are impossibly high, and deservedly so.

FRANKEL (GB) (Galileo {Ire}–Kind {Ire}, by Danehill)

2013 fee: £125,000 (Banstead Manor Stud)

First crop: 111 to race

Yearling sales average: 423,483gns/€573,608 for 23 sold

Emma Berry: Frankel's first crop were in the spotlight before they were even conceived. Never before has the fringe world of bloodstock benefited from a 90-minute stallion documentary on the major sports channel BBC Radio 5 Live, but the cult of Frankel led to just such a scenario on the eve of him covering his first mare and the furore has been stoked with every sale which has included one of his offspring ever since then.

His racing record is unimpeachable, his sire, dam, and two grandsires are similarly desirable attributes, and then there are his first dates. Midday (GB), Dancing Rain (Ire), Danedream (Ger), Dar Re Mi (GB), Finsceal Beo (Ire), Zomaradah (GB)–the list goes on. The one caveat, to steal an old trainer's cliche, would be 'anything he does this year is a bonus.' Don't expect him to have lots of early runners, but we will all hope and pray for some classy types at the back-end of the season when 2-year-old racing matters most.

Yes, for those of us who spend a lot of time at the sales, Frankel fever may have turned to Frankel fatigue, but that's not his fault. He is justifiably the most exciting stallion prospect in living memory.

Bill Oppenheim: His record as a sire will be the greatest demonstration ever of the correlation between racing class and the breeding shed. Those of us in, as Emma describes it, “the fringe world of bloodstock” will be hanging on every result. It could go either way.

NATHANIEL (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}–Magnificient Style, by Silver Hawk)

2013 fee: £20,000 (Newsells Park Stud)

First crop: 118 to race

Yearling sales: 95,179gns/€128,921 for 70 sold

EB: Nathaniel appeared on and departed from the racing scene at the very same time as Frankel, finishing second to him on their mutual debut at Newmarket on a rain-sodden August day and then third in the G1 QIPCO Champion S. on their swansong.

In between, their careers took divergent paths, with Nathaniel breaking his maiden as an April 3-year-old before claiming the 'Ascot Derby'–the G2 King Edward VII S.–for his first stakes victory en route to greater glory at the Berkshire track in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. the following month. He failed by only a nose to retain his title in the following year's King George, but added vital versatility to his record for a future stallion career when coming back to 10 furlongs to win the G1 Coral Eclipse S. at four.

His positioning at Newsells Park Stud gives him as much chance of success as do his illustrious bloodlines. His dam, the celebrated Magnificient Style, was 15 when she produced Nathaniel but had already provided the Sangster family's Swettenham Stud with the Sadler's Wells black-type trio of Percussionist (Ire), Playful Act (Ire) and Changing Skies (Ire), as well as Echoes In Eternity (Ire) (Spinning World) and Petara Bay (Ire) (Peintre Celebre) before she switched to the broodmare band of Lady Rothschild, for whom she has also produced Nathaniel's Irish Oaks-winning full-sister Great Heavens (GB).

Nathaniel has been given a great vote of confidence by a range of owner-breeders and we can expect to see some nicely bred individuals racing during the second half of this season, though he is likely to feature more prominently once his first crop turn three.

BO: His form behind Frankel gives him a big shot, and his yearlings were well-liked by the Judges. Nobody expects him to sire early 2-year-olds, but he's getting a real shot.

SO YOU THINK (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}–Triassic {NZ}, by Tights)

2013 fee: €17,500 (Coolmore)

First crop: 68 to race

Yearling sales: 35,674gns/€48,321 for 33 sold

EB: The death of High Chaparral in December 2014 cut short the career of a stallion whose worth was never fully appreciated in his lifetime, but the likes of Free Eagle (Ire) in the Northern Hemisphere and Contributer (Ire) in Australia have continued to illustrate how big a loss he was. Ironically, given the relative lack of popularity of the Sadler's Wells line in Australia at the time, it was in the Southern Hemisphere where High Chaparral first properly made a name for himself, and the very best of some decent progeny from his shuttling days is So You Think. The dark brown stallion with the wildly long mane was the toast of Bart Cummings's stable during the first half of his racing career, which saw him win five Group 1 races, including the Cox Plate twice. His switch north to Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle may have been the cause of some angst for his Australian fans at the time, but he proved more than equal to the challenge, adding another five Group 1s to his name and beating the likes of Derby winner Workforce (GB) and dual Oaks heroine Snow Fairy (Ire) in doing so.

So You Think's first covering season at Coolmore's Irish base had a delayed start after he injured a hock, so he will be at a disadvantage numerically this season, but his 2-year-olds have found their way into some powerful stables. His first Southern Hemisphere crop has already produced the G2 Matamata Breeders S. winner Gold Rush (NZ) in New Zealand as well as Flemington listed race runner-up Conscious (Aus) from just a handful of runners.

BO: Has the best credentials of any Australasian-bred to stand 'up north' in many years, winning 10 Group 1's and running RPR's between 127-129 in 10 of his last 11 turf starts. Not especially commercial but if he passes along his toughness, durability, and class he'll make a sire.

JUKEBOX JURY (IRE) (Montjeu {Ire}–Mare Aux Fees {GB}, by Kenmare {Fr})

2013 fee: €5,500 (Gestut Etzean)

First crop: 54 reported foals

Yearling sales: 18,708gns/€25,341 for 33 sold

EB: Winning over seven furlongs on his August debut at two, Jukebox Jury, a €270,000 yearling at Arqana's August Sale of 2007, jumped to the fore just eight weeks later when overhauling Cityscape (GB) to land the G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge S. before finishing runner-up to Crowded House (GB) in the G1 Racing Post Trophy. The likeable grey remained in training throughout four seasons for Mark Johnston, adding three more Group 2 victories to his name before finally earning top-level honours when dead-heating with Duncan (GB) in the G1 Irish St Leger. His first-crop yearlings to make their way into sales in Britain, France and Germany were largely well received and though he won't be able to match the numbers of some of his speedier contemporaries, he is a young stallion to follow with interest.

BO: He was a Group 2 winner at two, three, four, and five, and won two Group 1 races, running peak RPRs of 119-120 on five different occasions. He was a €270,000 yearling so must have always looked the part, and with a proper French bottom line, he could be suited by German mares.

FAME AND GLORY (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}–Gryada {GB}, by Shirley Heights {GB})

2013 fee: €5,000 (Grange Stud)

First crop: 144 to race

Yearling sales: 14,489gns/€19,626 for 18 sold

EB: The writer's stubbornness has led to the inclusion in this list of Fame And Glory, who, despite standing at Grange Stud effectively as a National Hunt sire, really does deserve consideration by flat breeders.

A sole yearling, a colt out of a half-sister to the G2 Yorkshire Cup winner Franklins Gardens (GB), went through Book 1 of Tattersalls' October Sale, fetching a bid of 65,000gns from Peter and Ross Doyle and is now listed as in training with Richard Hannon.

Unbeaten at two himself in only two starts, including the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, Fame And Glory notched 14 victories from his 26 starts across five seasons. His Group 1 successes included the 2009 Irish Derby and came over the 10 1/2 furlongs of the Tattersalls Gold Cup to the 2 1/2 miles of the Ascot Gold Cup.

His pedigree, too, resonates with flat class, with his sister Yummy Mummy (Ire) having produced the high-class G1 QIPCO 1,000 Guineas winner Legatissimo (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

BO: A seriously good racehorse who won the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at 10 1/2 furlongs, the Irish Derby and Coronation Cup at 12 furlongs, and the Ascot Gold Cup over 2 1/2 miles. That stubborn Emma is right that he could make a flat stallion, and if he gets a few flat runners who show something, he will be.

BULLET TRAIN (GB) (Sadler's Wells–Kind {Ire}, by Danehill)

2013 fee: $7,500 (Crestwood Farm, USA)

First crop: 46 reported foals

Yearling sales: 11,378gns/€15,355 for 23 sold in the US and Europe

EB: Sadler's Wells retired from stud duties the year after Bullet Train was born, making the latter almost certainly the last of his sons to retire to stud. Winner of the G3 Lingfield Derby Trial S., Bullet Train's destiny was to play the role of the most celebrated pacemaker ever seen, to his extraordinary year-younger three-parts brother Frankel. Though clearly not as talented, the fact that he nursed his sibling through every training session and major racecourse appearance bears testament to his mental and physical soundness which, along with his breeding, makes him worthy of his place at stud. We'll see few of his offspring race in Europe, though three of his yearlings were sold here for an average of 22,818gns.

BO: A Group 3-winning three-quarter brother to Frankel whose race record is muddied by the fact he was Frankel's pacemaker for the best part of three years. He's in really good hands in the States and at least has enough foals on the ground that he's getting a chance.

Foal crop and sales statistics provided by Weatherbys Bloodstock Reports.

Next installment: Danehill-line sires.

How They Bet…

Only one bookmaker, RaceBets, actively promotes the first-season sire market, thanks to the in-depth bloodstock knowledge of its representative Joseph Burke. This season, Burke has seen greater interest than ever in a whole range of sires. He says, “In an amazing market, RaceBets has now laid 17 of the 20 stallions, which is unprecedented in my 14 years of betting on this market. In my view this is probably an indication that this year's freshmen might just prove to be a vintage crop of sires in time, so it will be very exciting to see how it all pans out. RaceBets will, as always, be betting on this competition throughout the season.”

Leading First-Season Sire Betting

By number of Individual winners UK & Ireland from Mar. 20 to Nov. 5, 2016

2 Harbour Watch (from 5)

3 Frankel (from 2)

7/2 Excelebration (from 3)

4 Casamento (from 6)

9 Bated Breath (from 7)

12 Power (from 16)

14 Sir Prancealot

20 Born To Sea (from 14)

20 Nathaniel (from 14)

20 Sepoy

25 Foxwedge

25 Mayson

33 Dragon Pulse (from 20)

33 Elzaam (from 25)

40 Helmet (from 25)

40 Requinto

66 Delegator

100 Famous Name

100 Sayif

100 So You Think

Full betting on www.RaceBets.com