Bated Breath

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Heads In Beds at Del Mar. Hello Youmzain Filly Wins At Del Mar    Heads In Beds (Hello Youmzain) broke her maiden at Del Mar for Phil D'Amato on November 28 (video). Owned by Bridlewood Farm, e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables and Michael Dubb, the three-year-old filly was bred by Mette Campbell Andenaes. Mandore International Agency bought the winner on behalf of...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This column is highlighted by the victory of Silawi at Woodbine. Dubawi Gelding Claims The Canadian International Wathnan Racing's Silawi (Dubawi) earned his first top-tier win in the Canadian International Stakes at Woodbine on October 4 (video). Bred by Wertheimer and Frere, he is trained by Hamad Al Jehani. Sold for €380,000 out of the Arqana Arc Sale in 2023, the five-year-old gelding is also a winner of the G3 Winter Hill...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Wimbledon Hawkeye at Kentucky Downs.   Kameko Colt Hits The Target In Kentucky The consistent Wimbledon Hawkeye (Kameko) made his first American foray a winning one when scooping a $1 million-plus payday at Kentucky Downs in the GIII Nashville Derby Invitational Stakes on August 30 (video). Bred by owners the Gredley family's Stetchworth and Middle Park Studs, the James Owen trainee had won...

"Always the bridesmaid, never the bride" is perhaps an apt way of describing the racing career of Calandagan thus far, even if he does have a Royal Ascot victory to show for his efforts, having been a runaway winner of last year's G2 King Edward VII Stakes. Since then, the son of Gleneagles has been campaigned exclusively at the top level and it's been a case of close but no cigar, with four consecutive runner-up finishes in the Juddmonte International, Champion Stakes, Dubai Sheema Classic and Coronation Cup. Beaten just...

There are doubtless decisions still to be made and deals to be struck for this year's matings with many breeders taking to the roads since the start of this new year for both the official stallion trails and informal stud visits. For this last part in our series on value sires for 2025 it is worth restating that value is very much subjective and depends on a number of different factors, including whether the buyer of the nomination is breeding to race or to sell.  This final chapter, for stallions...

Juddmonte has released its stud fees for the upcoming breeding season, with Frankel set to stand for £350,000 once again.  Frankel's fee was raised to a career-high of £350,000 in 2023 and, following another successful season with 24 individual black-type winners in 2024--of which 15 are Group winners--, he heads the roster.  Kingman enjoyed another excellent season consolidating his position as one of the Northern Hemisphere's elite sires with two new Classic winners--Elmalka and Sparkling Plenty.  He sired 18 individual stakes winners and 11 Group winners and is joint-leading sire...

Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is set to visit Dubawi (Ire) for the third year in a row,  according to plans released by Juddmonte for its European broodmare band. The 11-time Group 1 winner's dam Concentric (GB) (Sadler's Wells) will be covered by Frankel (GB) after foaling to Dubawi. Enable's first foal, the two-year-old colt by Kingman (GB) named Encompass (GB), will be trained by John and Thady Gosden at Clarehaven Stables, the former home of both his sire and dam. Enable's two-year-old full-brother Concert Tour (GB) has not yet been...

Outside the boxes of the foaling unit at Banstead Manor Stud are Juddmonte's versions of the blue plaques one sees across Britain on the former homes of famous people. Here, of course, the plaques are a subtle green, but when it comes to equine celebrities there can be no bigger name than Frankel (GB).  He was born in one of the old brick boxes which should be granted special sporting heritage status on February 11, 2008. It is hard to believe that his 16th birthday is looming. Backing on to...

Stick or twist? That's the question faced by many breeders this year. Anecdotally, it appears that some will be pulling back and not covering certain mares, which is understandable after a tricky sales season, not to mention the constant reminders from racecourse managers regarding the "significant headwinds" faced by racing. Unlike America, the foal crop in Britain and Ireland has been gently on the rise in recent years, up to 13,438 in 2023, compared to 12,778 in 2020, though within that combined number for last year, the Irish crop rose...

Frankel (GB), who is set to become champion sire for the second time at the end of this year, has had his fee increased to a career high of £350,000 for 2024. Along with Dubawi (Ire), this makes him the joint-highest-priced stallion in Europe. Juddmonte has released the fees for its five European stallions, with Kingman (GB) remaining unchanged at £125,000 after a year in which his leading runners have included the top sprinter Kinross (GB) along with French Group 1 winners Sauterne (Fr) and Feed The Flame (GB). Kingman...

As we move into the third tier of our examination of stallions by yearling profitability, the name at the top of the list for those standing between the equivalent of £10,000 and £19,999 perhaps provides an example of how rarity drives demand. On paper, the Dalham Hall Stud-based Farhh (GB) has an awful lot going for him. A son of Pivotal (GB) out of a dual Group 1 winner over a mile and a half, he was lightly raced, with just one winning appearance in each of his two- and...

The reigning champion sire Frankel (GB) has had his fee increased to £275,000 for the 2023 breeding season. In another stellar year, the Juddmonte stallion has been responsible for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Alpinista (GB) along with the Classic winners Westover (GB), Nashwa (GB) and Homeless Songs (Ire), and the Dewhurst S. winner Chaldean (GB). A statement released by Juddmonte on Wednesday read, "Following on from an exceptional 2021 season, we have seen Frankel further strengthen his reputation as a world-class sire with nine individual Group 1...