Stallion Studs Welcome Breeders In Newmarket This Week

A Sunday of no action in the ring at Tattersalls offered breeders the chance for a spot of stallion-viewing as final decisions are made on next year's matings.

Unlike France and Ireland, Britain has no formal stallion weekend, but plenty of studs make the most of the fact that breeders from around the world are in town for the sales and throw open their doors through the week.

The National Stud is likely to be extra busy this covering season with four new stallions on the books alongside Marcel (Ire) and Gregorian (Ire). The two Southern Hemisphere recruits Tivaci (NZ) and Spill The Beans (Aus) won't arrive in Newmarket until Dec. 20 but the stallion yard is already receiving plenty of visitors thanks to the arrival of Aclaim (Ire), who bowed out from a 15-race career with a perfect final victory in the G1 Prix de la Foret in October, becoming in the process the first Group 1 winner for his trainer Martyn Meade.

The laidback 4-year-old, who offers breeders another option to tap into the sireline which has given us Acclamation (GB) and Dark Angel (Ire) in recent years, has been at the National Stud for the last month and is already letting down well. Last week it was announced that Phoenix Thoroughbreds have bought into Aclaim in his second career and it will be interesting to see what level of support they give him through mare purchases this week.

The former Roger Charlton trainee and Royal Ascot track-record breaker Time Test (GB) has recently returned from a stint in America with Chad Brown and only arrived at the National Stud on Wednesday but has already taken to the role of posing for breeders.

“He's settled in really well and is certainly taking it all in his stride. It's great finally to have him here and to be able to show him off,” said National Stud manager Tim Lane, who was formerly involved with Time Test's old stablemate Al Kazeem (GB) at Oakgrove Stud. “I remember Time Test very well from his days at Beckhampton and I know Roger Charlton thought the world of him.”

Time Test was just one of four sons of Dubawi (Ire) on show on Sunday morning, along with the great sire himself, who is now 15 and, as usual, has made sure to grow a great winter coat for himself despite the heat lamps in his stable at the luxury stallion spa that is Dalham Hall Stud.

Darley always save the best until last at any stallion parade and Dubawi concluded a decent line-up at the farm which included the new boys Postponed (Ire), Profitable (Ire), Barney Roy (Ire) and Ribchester (Ire). Postponed is the latest son of Dubawi to retire to Darley and is already looking the part at Dalham Hall, where he was shown with another two of Dubawi's Group 1 winners, Poet's Voice (GB) and Night Of Thunder (Ire). The latter has had his first foals on sale in the last few weeks, as has Golden Horn, whose six foals sold at Tattersalls through the week returned an average of 203,333gns.

Shadwell have brought their Nunnery Stud residents Mukhadram (GB) and Muhaarar (GB) to their Newmarket wing at Beech House Stud for the week and they have been joined there by Adaay (Ire), the Shadwell-owned son of Kodiac (GB) who stands at Whitsbury Manor Stud.

Shadwell's Tom Pennington reported that their stallions' books would be capped at 120 mares in keeping with Sheikh Hamdan's wishes and Ed Harper added that this is a similar case for Adaay, who covered his first book of mares in 2017.

“We limited him to 125 and that's exactly the number he covered this year,” Harper said. “Shadwell and Whitsbury have the same ethos when it comes to stallions. Adaay had the best book of mares and support from breeders that we've ever had for a first-season sire, even Showcasing (GB). We couldn't have a better partner than Shadwell.”

Shadwell's head stallion man Ron Lott is a very familiar face to anyone who has visited the stallion yard there over the last few decades. When pushed, he'll admit that Nashwan was his favourite, but he may well soon have a new favourite in champion sprinter Muhaarar, a grandson of Nunnery stalwart Green Desert, whom Lott looked after for many years.

He said, “I've never done it before but I'll definitely be having a bet on Muhaarar to be leading first-season sire. He's such a lovely horse to look after.”

It would seem that plenty of foal buyers at Goffs and Tattersalls over the last fortnight would agree with Lott as Muhaarar's 11 foals sold in Britain and Ireland to date have changed hands at an average of 210,909gns.

Adaay may have been the first son of Kodiac to stand in Britain but from next season he will be joined by another as the G2 Flying Childers S. winner Ardad (Ire) has recently retired to Overbury Stud but has returned to Newmarket for this week to be show at Crockfords Stud, which is opposite the back gate of Tattersalls.

As we called in on him, the stallion man had just taken a lunch break but Overbury's multi-talented deputy manager Jo Brown stepped into the breach to show Ardad.

“It proves how easy he is if I can show him,” she laughed. “He's been absolutely lovely to deal with so far and breeders have been quick to show interest in him. We're delighted to have him.”

The dual-purpose Overbury Stud is best known as the home of Britain's champion National Hunt sire Kayf Tara (GB) and it has added another new stallion to its ranks for next season who should appeal to flat and jumps breeders alike. The G1 Irish Derby and G1 Dubai Sheema Classic winner Jack Hobbs (GB) is not in Newmarket this week but his name has been in the news again as his Dubawi half-sister topped the Tattersalls Foal Sale at 750,000gns for her breeders Willie and Elaine Carson of Minster Stud.

Another of Ardad's stablemates has made the trip from Gloucestershire, however. The Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup winner Dunaden (Fr), who will have his first runners next season, can be viewed until Wednesday at Longholes Stud with one of the leading freshmen of this season, Havana Gold (GB), and Hot Streak (GB), another whose first foals have been finding favours with buyers over the last fortnight.