Almanzor

Almanzor (Fr), Europe's champion 3-year-old of 2016, was represented by his first black-type winner on Sunday when Dynastic (NZ) won the Restricted Listed Karaka Million at Ellerslie. Dynastic was also the first winner Down Under for Almanzor, who shuttles to Cambridge Stud from his base at Haras d'Etreham in Normandy. Almanzor's first New Zealand-conceived crop numbers 101 foals, and he has thus far had five runners, which also include the G2 Wakefield Challenge S. third Andalus (NZ). Dynastic, who is owned by Te Akau Racing and trained by Jamie Richards,...

Three stallion shares and a breeding right were offered during Arqana's Online sale on Thursday, and it was a 1/50 share in France's soon-to-be-crowned champion first-season sire Zarak (Fr) that topped the sale on a bid of €380,000 from Martin Schwartz Racing. Schwartz is based in New York but has had plenty of success racing fillies purchased in France, including the likes of GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Zagora (Fr), the Classic-winning Stacelita (Fr), GI Garden City S. winner Alterite (Fr) and GI Spinster S. scorer Asi...

Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), the sire of a pair of stakes horses from his eight winners to date, will stand the 2022 breeding season for a fee of €30,000, officials at Haras d'Etreham announced Saturday. The best son of the in-demand Wootton Bassett, Almanzor is already the sire of winners in Ireland, England, the USA and France, where his three first-crop winners include the filly Queen Trezy (Fr), a three-length maiden winner at Lyon-Parilly Sept. 8 and a latest runner-up in the G3 Prix des Reservoirs at Deauville who...

The ownership group of Scuderia Cocktail and Carlo Borsani secured the two top-priced yearlings at the SGA Yearling Sale on Saturday: a Sea The Stars (Ire) colt (lot 93) for €120,000, and a Almanzor (Fr) filly (lot 65) for €90,000. Offered by Razza Del Velino, the May-foaled Sea The Stars colt is out of the multiple listed-placed March Madness (GB) (Noverre), and therefore a half-brother to G3 Premio Tudini victor The Conqueror (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}) and G3 Premio Elena E. Sergio Cumani scorer Candy Store (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire})....

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a half-sister to a champion and young sire. 1.30 Kempton, Novice, £6,500, 2yo, f, 8f (AWT) NATASHA (GB) (Frankel {GB}) bids to go one better than her debut when runner-up to her owner-breeder George Strawbridge's Speak (GB) (Sea the Moon {Ger}) over this course and distance...

With the 2-year-old season now officially underway, we continue to survey the judges and learn who the most anticipated first-season sires are. Today, Hubie de Burgh shares his thoughts. He says, "all the chat is about Churchill (Ire), who has the numbers. He had some very nice stock. The horse I like is Profitable (Ire), who also has plenty of stock to run for him. I bought two by him which both trainers like very much. The other horse I like is Almanzor (Fr). He threw a really good- looking,...

Continuing our assessment of the prospects of first-season sires with runners in 2021, bloodstock agent and breeder Liam Norris shares his view on this year's crop. He says, "Ardad (Ire) was such a good 2-year-old. We sent mares to him and from what I saw of his stock at the sales, they looked forward and racy types. I'd be disappointed if they don't pop out of the traps with huge precocity.  "I was always a huge fan of Highland Reel (Ire) as a racehorse. It's important not to forget that...

SF Bloodstock is one of the largest and most successful investors in stallions in the Thoroughbred business worldwide. So when SF throws it support behind a young sire, it's worth taking notice. SF owns stallions in the U.S., Australia and Europe, and this year the group will find out if its backing of the 2016 champion 3-year-old Almanzor (Fr) will bear fruit, with that three-time Group 1 winner soon set to be represented by his first runners. Meanwhile, SF has continued its patronage of the French breeding business, and in...

Continuing our series featuring feedback on the European stallion with first runners this year, bloodstock agent Ghislain Bozo of Meridian International shares his view with a particular focus on the French scene. He said, "Generally speaking it is always tough to get a strong idea of the first-season sires at this stage but of course we are always keeping our ears open. I'm always a little but careful when the talk is too hot but this time there has been no strong word like we might have had in the...

The wait is very nearly over for the young pretenders we will examine in this fourth installation of our multi-part Value Sires series: stallions with their first runners in 2021. While the full verdicts must be delayed until these are given a fair shake with their first full seasons with 2- and 3-year-olds, the reality is that the first juvenile races in the coming months will be akin to a perpetual Christmas morning in the bloodstock world, with each of us eager to unwrap the packages we have been examining...

It has been a year of change at Haras d'Etreham. In August it was announced that the farm's flagship stallion Wootton Bassett (GB) had been sold to Coolmore. The dominant Irish operation was wise to catch a rising tide but it is Etreham, and in particular Nicolas de Chambure, who must be credited with establishing the increasingly popular stallion.  If we accept the conservative estimate that only one in ten stallions really make it, then it is clear that finding Wootton Bassett's replacement will be no easy task. Perhaps Etreham...

More than ever, in the commercially unforgiving world of bloodstock, getting off to a fast start is crucial. Wootton Bassett (GB) did that twice, both as a racehorse and as a stallion. And in a particularly noteworthy year for his runners, the 12-year-old arrived in Ireland on Sunday to start the second phase of his stud career, having been bought by Coolmore from the farm that started him off so successfully, Haras d'Etreham. The standard-bearer for the first crop of his popular sire Iffraaj (GB), Wootton Bassett sailed unbeaten through...