Mohaather

Seventy years ago, Queen Elizabeth II won the fourth running of the race named in honour of her parents, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, at her own racecourse, Ascot. Aureole was a hugely appropriate winner, having been bred by King George VI in 1950, two years prior to the monarch's death. The horse's victory was widely welcomed, not least because he had been beaten a year earlier by his conqueror in the Derby, Pinza.  The 'King George' provides ones of the key pivot points in the season,...

Eighty-five years and a number of equine generations ago, Nearco (Ity) embarked on his stallion career at Beech House Stud. The year was 1939 and, understandably given the age, a bomb shelter was constructed by order of the stud's owner Martin Benson to protect its most prized resident. Benson had bought the unbeaten Nearco, winner of the Grand Prix de Paris and Derby Italiano, from his breeders Federico Tesio and Mario Incisa della Rochetta for a then-record £60,000 (the equivalent of just over £5 million today). To note that the...

There will be a change of scene for Shadwell's British-based stallions, who will move from Nunnery Stud to be located at the historic Beech House Stud in Newmarket for the 2024 breeding season. As previously announced, the dual Group 1 winner Mostahdaf (Ire) joins the roster for next year and will be introduced at a fee of £15,000. The son of Frankel (GB) is rated joint-second in the world rankings with Arc winner Ace Impact (Fr) on a mark of 128, just a pound lower than  Equinox (Jpn). Shadwell's star...

DONCASTER, England--A serious tempo was set to the European yearling sale season at Arqana last week with strong trade recorded in the August and V2 sales. If the momentum is to continue into the Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale this week, Goffs could be in for a productive week.  G3 Princess Margaret S. winner Sacred Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was sourced here 12 months ago for £52,000 while similarly smart two-year-old Jasour (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) cost £85,000.  Both juveniles have flown the flag for the Donny yearlings with their...

For this final part of the series, we are looking at stallions who have retired to stud since 2021 and will thus have either first foals or yearlings at the sales this year or are about to cover their first book of mares. There is plenty to digest from three years' intake and of course prices can often drop after a stallion's first year at stud, so there could be some value to be found for breeders willing to roll the dice on a stallion about to embark on his...

Speaking in the TDN's Conversations series last month, Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold reiterated the fortuitous appearance of Baaeed (GB) on the global stage so soon after the sad death of his breeder Sheikh Hamdam Al Maktoum. "I don't think it could be overstated how important Baaeed coming along, and the timing of it, was," Gold told Brian Sheerin. Baaeed's significance as a racehorse was exemplified by his recent ratification as the top-rated turf horse in the world in 2022, his mark of 135 making him the clear leader among...

NEWMARKET, UK--A pair of colts by the young Darley and Shadwell stallions Masar (Ire) and Mohaather (GB) shared the top spot on the final day of foal trade at Park Paddocks which brought the curtain down, not just on a record week for weanlings but also a record year for Tattersalls--and that's before the Mares Sale even begins. The average and median for the fourth session were both up on last year, with a total of 2,267,750gns added to the overall tally from the sale of 150 foals. For the...

NEWMARKET, UK--With a hundred extra foals catalogued for this year's December Foal Sale, a lengthy opening session conducted in bursts of driving rain then bright sunshine kicked off the four days of trade in a largely positive manner. Both the average and median were up, as was turnover, albeit from a larger number offered and sold this year. Only the clearance rate, at 70%, was down, from 84% last year. The median of 13,000gns represented a 30% rise, while the average was up by 8% at 16,552gns. With 18 more...

The insatiable demand for foals was evident in the figures recorded at Goffs last week with turnover rising 16% to €29,561,000 and the average climbing 16% to €40,110. At the top end of the market, Kingman (GB) dominated with three foals by the Juddmonte-based stallion selling for a combined €1,540,000 and one of Europe's leading pinhookers Philipp Stauffenberg signing for the €550,000 top lot by the sire.  Tally-Ho Stud may be best known for being sellers but they pipped Stauffenberg for the biggest spenders title by signing for 19 foals...

Connections of six-time Group 1 winner Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}--Aghareed, by Kingmambo) have confirmed that he will join the stallion roster at Shadwell's Nunnery Stud in Norfolk for 2023. Sheikha Hissa described herself and her family to be "so proud" of Baaeed's achievements on the track and thanked trainer William Haggas for managing the career of one of the greatest horses of the modern era. Although the fee at which Baaeed will stand for in his debut season has yet to be announced, Angus Gold, Shadwell's racing manager,...

Raabihah (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a group winner at three and four for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget in the Shadwell blue, is among the fillies to join the Shadwell broodmare band this year; the 5-year-old will be bred to Dubawi (Ire). The winner of three of her first four starts in 2020, including the G3 Prix de Psyche and the Listed Prix de la Seine, Raabihah was second to Tarnawa (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the G1 Prix Vermeille before finishing fifth behind Sottsass (Fr) in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de...

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. British-based breeder Greg Saveall-Green shares with us the mating plans for his three-horse broodmare band, which he boards at Elusive Bloodstock's Hundred Acre Farm. CAPE LIBERTY (m, 7, Cape Cross {Ire}-Sharqawiyah {GB}, by Dubawi {Ire}) A winner for Simon Crisford and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, Cape Liberty was purchased by Saveall-Green for 1,000gns at Tattersalls December in 2020 barren after being covered by Ribchester (GB). Cape Liberty, who is...