Bill Oppenheim: European Value Sires

STALLIONS STANDING BETWEEN 10K AND 20K

One difference between the European and American stallion populations is that the European population, combined, is a lot smaller, which tends to put more of a premium on proven stallions, especially the few true up-and-coming, affordable European stallions not named Frankel. This year there are four stallions debuting in Kentucky at fees of $30,000+ (Frosted, Nyquist, California Chrome and Exaggerator), while in Europe the two highest-priced retirements are Shalaa (Invincible Spirit, €27,500 at Bouquetot in France) and The Gurkha (€25,000 at Coolmore).

There is a strong corps of new stallions, including these six which will be standing for €10,000-€20,000 (five in Ireland, Bobby's Kitten in England): Ireland's Ballylinch Stud has two good prospects, Juddmonte-bred and -raced New Bay (Dubawi), reportedly done in a similar partnership scenario to Juddmonte's Flintshire to Hill 'n' Dale in Kentucky; and Newton Anner Farm's Fascinating Rock, a multiple Group 1 winner from the first Northern Hemisphere crop by Fastnet Rock. New Bay ran second to Make Believe (Makfi), also a Ballylinch stallion, in last year's G1 Poule D'Essai des Poulains – French 2000 Guineas, then racked up three straight wins in the G1 Prix du Jockey-Club – French Derby, the G2 Guillaume D'Ornano at Deauville, and the G2 Prix Niel before running third to Golden Horn in the 2015 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

New Bay didn't really get the rub of the green this year, but he proved his point at three, and breeders will love having a Dubawi they can breed to who is not already, as is Night of Thunder, out of a Galileo mare. He'll stand for €20,000. Fascinating Rock, who was trained by Dermot Weld for his owner-breeder, was a dual Group 1 winner at around 10 furlongs (the British Champion S. and the Tattersalls Gold Cup), defeating Found both times, and both times on ground with some cut in it. He was a very tough customer and deserves to be well supported at just €10,000; his owner has reportedly been buying mares to help support him, so this horse might have more commercial support than one might think at first glance.

Dermot Weld also trained the dual G1 Epsom and Irish Derby winner Harzand (Sea The Stars), who retires to his owner-breeder The Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud in Ireland at the eminently reasonable price of €15,000. He won four races, including two Derbies, in three months between the end of March and the end of June, and not without some well-publicized training dramas along the way. But when he was right he was good enough to win two Derbies, convincingly. Because he didn't come back and win big races in the autumn there's a chance he'll be commercially underrated, and he shouldn't be.

New Bay and Fascinating Rock were 10-furlong horses, and Harzand a 12-furlong dual Classic winner. Here are three at the other end of the spectrum. I would not be an expert on Australian horses, but people I respect rave about a horse who is reverse shuttling to Coolmore; ironically, he's called Pride of Dubai, and he's by Street Cry. He won Group 1's at six and seven furlongs as a 2-year-old in Australia, and his dam is a full sister to Kodiac and three-quarter sister to Invincible Spirit, plus he's said to be gorgeous; he's €15,000. Kirsten Rausing has landed another interesting horse for Lanwades, in England: Bobby's Kitten, a son of Kitten's Joy who got up to beat No Nay Never (we'll come back to him in a minute) in the 2014 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita. After a so-so 4-year-old year in 2015 the Ramseys sent Bobby's Kitten to–who else?–Dermot Weld, in their continuing quest to make Kitten's Joy in Europe. He actually only ran once in 2016, in a listed race at six furlongs in heavy ground at Cork at the end of March; he won easily but never ran again. The little-known fact about his form is that when trainer Chad Brown dropped him in to the Turf Sprint as a 3-year-old, Bobby's Kitten had actually never run shorter than a mile. He'd been showing speed and running out of gas around two turns, but in the Turf Sprint he lagged behind and came from the clouds to nail No Nay Never. I suspect that is really good form. Bobby's Kitten will stand for £12,500.

Our sixth 'good value' European retiring stallion in this price range is Tally-Ho Stud's Mehmas, a son of Acclamation trained by Richard Hannon for Al Shaqab Racing, who will stand for €12,500. I'm not a big fan of the current fashion of retiring horses after their 2-year-old year to cash in on them standing at stud at three instead of racing. It's one thing if it's forced upon them, like Kantharos and Run Away And Hide in America (through injury), or Teofilo in Europe, and some do quite well– but it has got to be a bit of a fashion since Dark Angel became the poster boy for retiring them on purpose after their 2-year-old year. Interestingly, Mehmas is bred very similarly to Dark Angel, as he is also by Acclamation out of a Machiavellian mare. Dark Angel was a Group 1 winner (the Middle Park), whereas Mehmas is not; but arguably, Mehmas's form is nearly just as good. He was second to Caravaggio in the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot, then won the G2 July S. at Newmarket and the G2 Richmond S. at Goodwood before running second to Churchill in the G1 National S. over seven furlongs at the Curragh. He was beaten by The Last Lion in the G1 Middle Park S. in his final career start, but Mehmas's form had been established, and his reputation made, long before that blip. We like him.

Now, we return to No Nay Never, the first Scat Daddy that Wesley Ward unleashed as a Royal Ascot 2-year-old, when he scorched home in the G2 Norfolk S. over five furlongs at Royal Ascot in 2013. Ward brought him back to Europe in August, when he won the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville. Sparingly raced thereafter, No Nay Never was made favourite for the 2014 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, and would have won it, too, had it not been for Bobby's Kitten. Especially after Caravaggio came along this year as a second rocket 2-year-old Scat Daddy, No Nay Never is quietly gaining admirers; don't be surprised if he becomes a kind of 'buzz horse' at the yearling sales next year. He stands for €17,500 at Coolmore.

I can't claim to be unbiased in the case of the Gestut Fahrhof stallion Maxios either, but it must be conceded that Fahrhof, and all those connected with the horse, have done a fantastic job in making him probably the first commercially viable horse ever to stand in Germany. From the time they had the brilliant idea to bring him to Newmarket and show him off at the 2014 December Sale, they have given him a real shot to succeed. As a son of Monsun who is a half-brother to 'Arc' winner Bago, out of a Nureyev daughter of champion Coup de Genie, herself a full sister to Machiavellian, he has a great pedigree, and he was a group winner at two and arguably best at a mile. He remains at €10,000 for 2017.

Finally, another Ballylinch sire, Dream Ahead, who drops to €12,500 for 2017. Among European second-crop sires, Almanzor's sire, Haras d'Etreham's Wootton Bassett, and Coolmore's Zoffany are the standouts. Dream Ahead ranks third among this group, both by 2016 and by cumulative progeny earnings, and what does look good is his nine black-type horses, seven of them graded, this year. Look for his name to be more in the news in 2017.

Wootton Bassett, as everyone now knows, sired Almanzor, who is not only Europe's top 3-year-old but just about a superstar, from a crop of only 18 foals. Those days are over. Etreham has priced him right at €20,000 and all serious breeders are going to be signing up for the sire of Almanzor at that price.