National Stud

From Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel to James Ingram and Michael McDonald, the personal playlist of Phil Cunningham, carried in the names of many of his horses over the years, has provided the perfect accompaniment to some memorable days on the turf.  In fact, back in 2007, legendary singer/songwriter Steve Harley, who died last year, was spotted among the merry throng after Cunningham's Cockney Rebel (Ire) sprang a 25/1 surprise in the 2,000 Guineas. He would go on to complete a Classic double at the Curragh three weeks later.  On...

The National Stud in Newmarket has reopened its doors for guided tours for the season. Through Discover Newmarket, visitors can visit the 500-acre site in the heart of Britain's racing and breeding community with a chance to meet the mares, foals and four resident stallions, including the great stayer Stradivarius (Ire) and new arrival Bradsell (GB). Living legends such as Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere (Ire) and top sprinter The Tin Man (GB) are also spending their retirement at the stud. Tours run from March to October every Friday, Saturday,...

The National Stud certainly cannot be accused of lacking variety in its stallion ranks. The champion stayer Stradivarius (Ire) has been the kingpin of the stallion yard for the last two seasons but now he will have to make room for another much-loved star in Bradsell (GB), the champion sprinter in Europe in 2024. It didn't take long for Bradsell to make his presence felt. Having been sold at the Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale by Mark Grant to Tom Biggs and Archie Watson, he made his debut exactly a month...

Time Test (GB) has been sold by the National Stud to continue his stud career in Turkey. A statement released by the Turkish Jockey Club on Friday read, "Another successful name, purchased by the Turkish Jockey Club, is coming to our country to serve our breeders starting from the 2025 breeding season. Time Test, whose import operations are ongoing, will stand in our country in 2025." A dual Group 2 winner in Britain for his owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms and trainer Roger Charlton, Time Test, by Dubawi (Ire) out of the Group...

It's probably now just about safe for the TDN team to leave our desks briefly without fear of another stallion fee announcement dropping into the inbox. So, now that the numbers are in, here is a little further investigation as to who's going where and for how much. There were cautionary notes among last year's stallion fee announcements, just as there have been again this time around, which is no surprise given that the foal crop in Britain and Ireland has dropped again, this time by six per cent, to...

Mutasaabeq (GB) will be leaving the National Stud in Newmarket after one covering season, having been sold to stand at stud in India.  The Shadwell-bred son of Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Classic winner Ghanaati (Giant's Causeway) won back-to-back runnings of the G2 Joel Stakes at Newmarket, where he also won the G2 Bet 365 Mile in the year it was transferred from Sandown. He retired at the end of his five-year-old season and covered 52 mares this spring. Explaining the difficult decision to sell one of the National Stud's five...

DONCASTER, England--Clive Cox might not have a degree in mechanical engineering, but it's fair to say that there have been few better trainers than him over the years when it comes to masterminding the career trajectory of a 'Donny Rocket'. Think Harry Angel (Ire), the July Cup and Sprint Cup scorer bought by Cox for just £44,000 at the 2015 edition of the Goffs UK Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale, or the Prix de l'Abbaye heroine Gilt Edge Girl (GB) (Monsieur Bond {Ire}), his very first Group 1 winner who he'd...

Over the next fortnight, board members of the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) will participate in a new exchange program, which features an intensive tour of hallowed racing sites in Ireland and England. "The new program is a continued effort by the ORI to exchange tradecraft and weigh how integrity is protected in different countries across the world," said ORI's immediate past chairman Jason Klouser. The small group, which includes Klouser, Tyler Durand, J.C. Jaramillo, Juan Estrada and David Duncan, will make stops at The Curragh, Leopardstown and Coolmore. Fellow...

Transatlantic travellers will have to mind their suffixes when the first foals and yearlings of Mutasaabeq start appearing. 'Our' Mutasaabeq - note his (GB) suffix - is a son of the Irish National Stud's long-serving and influential Invincible Sprit (Ire) and has just retired to the National Stud in Newmarket. In America, the other Mutasaabeq of the same vintage was bought by Shadwell for $425,000 and is by Into Mischief. Winner of the GII Bourbon S. and placed in the GI Hopeful S., he is about to embark on his...

Super Sunday for bloodstock enthusiasts is fast approaching, with stallion farms in Newmarket set to open their doors for breeders on the quiet day between the end of the foal sale and the start of the mares sale at Tattersalls. In addition to those based in Newmarket, there will be a few visiting stallions in town throughout the week, and the viewing is by no means restricted to Sunday, as the guide below shows. Dullingham Park The brand new stallion yard at Dullingham Park is now home to the dual...

Everybody loves a bargain, especially in January in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. The latter may barely have affected the bloodstock sales so far, but a knock-on effect may be felt if smaller or syndicate owners start to reduce their racing investment, which in turn would surely have a bearing eventually on the lower end of the yearling market. The top tier generally takes care of itself, while the middle market has been given a great boost by increased international participation, though that in itself is not necessarily a...

The micro-share syndicate MyRacehorse is branching into the world of breeding  with a syndicate involving star stayer Stradivarius (Ire) and in partnership with the National Stud. Through the latter the group purchased the Dark Angel (Ire) three-year-old Blackbird Power (GB) at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale. A six-furlong winner for Andrew Balding, she will be sent to Stradivarius next season, with shares of both the mare and her resulting foal will be sold before both are reoffered at the Breeding Stock Sale at the end of 2024. "When The National...