Avenue A Growing Force In Stallion Market

From a first taste of the stallion market through Aclaim (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in 2018, the team at Avenue Bloodstock has increased its representation three-fold in recent weeks with the announcement that Lancaster Bomber (War Front) and Rajasinghe (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) will also join the ranks at the National Stud for next year.

While the operation is a relatively new name in the bloodstock world, the faces behind it are not. Former Godolphin chief executive John Ferguson teamed up with another long-term member of the Godolphin/Darley staff, Mark McStay, and Sam Haggas, son of leading Newmarket trainer William Haggas, last year. The company, which takes its name from the organisation's Newmarket base in The Avenue, right outside Tattersalls, offers a range of bloodstock and sales-related services, with stallion management an area which is clearly a fast-growing concern.

“I went out on my own last year and myself and John got working together pretty much from the start,” says McStay, whose personal achievements in the bloodstock world include being co-breeder with Hugo Merry of the G1 Irish Oaks winner Covert Love (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}). “We formalised the Avenue banner in the spring and it's been going very well. We couldn't have wished for a better or more productive year on the business front. And, obviously, we started off managing Aclaim this time last year.”

Providing Martyn Meade with a first Group 1 victory when landing last season's Qatar Prix de la Foret, Aclaim then moved across Newmarket to the National Stud and is managed by Avenue Bloodstock for his owners Dermot Farrington, Canning Downs and Phoenix Thoroughbreds, who bought into the 5-year-old ahead of the start of his stallion career.

“Thankfully nomination sales and managing stallions are things I've had a lot of experience with,” McStay says. “We're very grateful to the horses' owners and of course the management team at the National Stud.”

Thirty breeding rights were sold in Aclaim, who covered 160 mares this spring and has 135 in foal from his starting fee of £12,500.

“He's had the support of some very good breeders from both England and Ireland,” McStay continues, “and we've decided that for 2019 we'll be lowering his fee to £9,500, which I think is going to be very competitive.”

“The National Stud is an ideal location for us to standing stallions. It's in Newmarket and it has a wonderful team, led by Tim Lane and James Berney, and they've recently added Joe Callan. They did a fantastic job with Aclaim for us last year, and with Rajasinghe and Lancaster Bomber they're fully behind the project and trying to achieve a full book of mares.”

Lancaster Bomber, a half-brother to fellow Group 1 winner and stallion Excelebration (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), becomes only the second son of Claiborne Farm's acclaimed War Front to stand in Britain and will cover his first season at a fee of £8,500. Runner-up in both the G1 Darley Dewhurst S. and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at two, he returned at three to chase home his half-brother's first Group 1 winner, Barney Roy (Ire), in the G1 St James's Palace S. and notched two further runner-up finishes at the highest level at Woodbine and Del Mar, the latter back at the Breeders' Cup in the Mile. The colt who had appeared to be the perennial bridesmaid was finally rewarded with his own Group 1 success earlier this year when beating Cliffs Of Moher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by two lengths in the Tattersalls Gold Cup.

“John Ferguson met Aidan O'Brien last weekend at Newmarket and spent nearly 15 minutes just talking about the horse,” says McStay of Lancaster Bomber. “What Aidan conveyed to John was how talented the horse was and how tough he was. He was a horse that danced every dance, and thankfully he's got the looks to boot. And of course the War Front line is one that's proven itself to be very effective in Europe on the turf.”

On the same day that Lancaster Bomber was placed at Royal Ascot, Rajasinghe burst onto the scene on only his second start to win the G2 Coventry S. for his young trainer Richard Spencer and Phil Cunningham's Rebel Racing team. Rajasinghe failed to turn that good early 2-year-old form into Classic success this season, but Cunningham has already been involved with a dual Guineas winner, Cockney Rebel (Ire) (Val Royal), who also started his stallion career at the National Stud.

“Rajasinghe was your real Royal Ascot 2-year-old and he's from a sireline that is just pure speed, so he's appealing to the broader base of breeders who want to breed for the speed-orientated market. He's going to stud at £5,000 and will be supported by his owner, Phil Cunningham. I think he's going to go down very well,” McStay says.

As well as a burgeoning stallion roster, the two-legged team at Avenue Bloodstock has also increased with the recent appointment of Amy Lanigan as bloodstock manager.

“We were absolutely thrilled the day Amy decided to join us full time,” McStay says of the graduate of the inaugural Darley Flying Start course who is married to trainer David Lanigan and is a talented equine photographer. “She's been helping us all through the year and brings a lot to the team. She's very, very good in dealing with people as well as marketing of the stallions and communications. Hopefully, as our roster of stallions continues to expand, Amy's role is going to grow the same in strength. She's somebody who is going to be very helpful in dealing with the breeders and trying to help them achieve their goals.”

Breeders heading to the December Sales at Tattersalls will have ample opportunity to view both Lancaster Bomber and Rajasinghe in their new home.

“The plan is for both horses to be on show during the December sales and we encourage people to get in touch with myself, Amy Lanigan, John Ferguson or the National Stud team to come to see the horses and speak to us about the opportunities available to get involved with the breeding rights. Breeding rights afford breeders the opportunities to get involved with a horse in the early days. If that horse suddenly goes up in value and the stud fee goes up, they're able to be in from the get-go and have a good opportunity to make some money.”