First-Season Sires: Green Desert Line

One of the first sons of Danzig to stand in Europe, Green Desert made an impact at stud right from the start by becoming the leading first-season sire of 1990. His influence will be felt for some time yet, as he only died last year at the age of 32 and was still covering up until his 28th year.

Among his sons at stud, the recently retired Cape Cross (Ire), Oasis Dream (GB) and Invincible Spirit (Ire) can be deemed to have earned their places in the ranks of the European elite. Both Cape Cross and Invincible Spirit were the leading freshmen of their year, while Oasis Dream was second to Acclamation (GB) in 2007. Invincible Spirit and another son of Green Desert, Kheleyf–the leading first-season sire numerically in 2008-jointly hold the record for the highest number of 2-year-old winners in a season (42).

As you can see, the Green Desert line has major bragging rights when it comes to precocious youngsters.

Power (GB)
Oasis Dream (GB) – Frappe (Ire) (Inchinor {GB})
Fee in 2013: €12,500 (Coolmore)
First crop: 96 to race
Yearling sales average: 33,523gns/45,408 for 62 sold

Emma Berry: An Irish 2,000 Guineas winner by a world-class sire and out of a half-sister to a Guineas winner and successful sire Footstepsinthesand (GB), Power has plenty to recommend him on paper, which doubtless helped him to attract a large first book of mares. His offspring can be deemed to have been 'commercial ' so far, with his yearlings returning an average price which represented a near four-fold increase on his initial stud fee. Flash Conroy's Glenvale Stud sold his two most expensive yearlings-a 180,000-guinea daughter of Tarfshi (GB), now named Poppit (Ire), who was bought by South Africa's Mayfair Speculators, and a colt out of Al Ihithar (Ire) who cost 160,000gns and has been named Ghayyar (Ire). He is in training with Richard Hannon for Al Shaqab Racing. Wesley Ward is listed as the trainer of the filly Love The Power (Fr), a €170,000 foal purchase at Arqana's December Sale by Gatewood Bell.

Bill Oppenheim: Winner of the G2 Coventry S., the G1 National S., and the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas; those are all top races, and he has the pedigree to make a sire, too. A very 'lively outsider' with very good credentials.

Born To Sea (Ire)
Invincible Spirit (Ire) – Urban Sea (Miswaki)
Fee in 2013: €10,000 (started at Rathasker Stud, now at Gilltown Stud)
First crop: 87 to race
Yearling sales average: 40,120gns/€54,343 for 71 sold

EB: While Born To Sea has plenty to live up to when it comes to following his illustrious half-siblings Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire) into the stallion ranks, it's fair to expect him to be siring stock that may well come to hand a little sooner than those of his brothers, giving him the chance to carve a niche all of his own.

Forward enough to win a listed race over six furlongs on his debut at two, he also showed he wasn't short of stamina, despite his faster sireline, when second to Camelot in the Irish Derby, with his best performances coming on notably soft ground.

As the final foal of the extraordinary Urban Sea, he of course owns an impeccable pedigree, and deserves the support he has received, both from commercial operators and his owner/breeders Ling and Christopher Tsui, first through two years with Maurice Burns at Rathasker and now at the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud, where he keeps Sea The Stars company in the palatial stallion barn.

BOPP: Well, it is what you call an impeccable pedigree, and his stock have sold well. Not many Classic-placed Listed winners make sires, but with the widespread commercial support he's enjoyed, it's not out of the question.

Mayson (GB)
Invincible Spirit (Ire) – Mayleaf (GB) (Pivotal {GB})
Fee in 2013: £8,000 (Cheveley Park Stud)
First crop: 72 to race
Yearling sales average: 28,717gns/€38,897 for 48 sold

EB: Mayson, who is standing alongside his maternal grandsire Pivotal, was runner-up in the listed Ripon Champion 2YO Trophy to his close relation Bathwick Bear (GB) in a six-race juvenile career, but it was his exploits at four which really elevated his appeal.

He made full use of a very wet turf season in 2012 to be regarded as one of the best sprinters in Europe with his victories in the G1 Darley July Cup, G3 Palace House S. and listed Abernant S., plus a quarter-length second to Wizz Kid (Ire) in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye.

The team at Cheveley Park has the experience of having made homebred Pivotal into a world-class sire from a relatively humble beginning at stud, and was also responsible for the leading freshman sire of 2011, Dutch Art (GB). They'll be hoping for a similarly bright start from Mayson, and will be aided in this cause by his former trainer, Richard Fahey, who has at least nine of his offspring in training at his hugely successful Yorkshire stable.

BOPP: Winner of the July Cup and second in the Abbaye as a 4-year-old in 2012 (both on heavy ground). Besides the Cheveley Park connections he is of course by Invincible Spirit, who would now have every chance of becoming a sire of sires. Lawman is his most prominent sire son so far 'up north', I Am Invincible in Australasia, but with such great promise about to arrive via Kingman, Charm Spirit, Cable Bay, and Territories (eventually) he could just be getting started as a sire of sires.

Sayif (Ire)
Kheleyf – Sewards Folly (GB) (Rudimentary)
Fee in 2013: £3,000 (Llety Farms)
First crop to race: 36
Yearling sales average: 13,710gns/€18,570 for 19 sold

EB: Sayif will be flying the flag for both Kuwait and Wales with his first runners this season. His owners, Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar, for whom he won the G2 Diadem S. at Ascot as a 3-year-old, opted to stand their handsome stallion at David Hodge's Llety Farms in Carmarthenshire and bought a decent number of mares with which to support him in his debut season. They have 11 homebreds to run for them this year, their trainers including Marco Botti, Johnny Murtagh and Sayif's former conditioner, Peter Chapple-Hyam.

He is likely to struggle against some of his counterparts through having a smaller number of representatives than many, but it is worth bearing in mind just what a good 2-year-old he was himself, despite not shedding his maiden tag until he was three. Highly tried from an early stage, Sayif answered the call admirably, being beaten a short-head in the G2 July S., finishing a close-up third in both the G2 Vintage S. and G2 Mill Reef S., and then second to Bushranger (Ire) in the G1 Middle Park S.

The Diadem remained his biggest win, but he also notched some American black type when running second in both the GIII Oceanport S. and GIII San Simeon H. when switched to the stable of Patrick Biancone as a 5-year-old and racing on until he was six.

BOPP: By Kheleyf out of a mare by Rudimentary; suffice to say his pedigree does not send pulses racing. But, as Emma says, he did have some good, respectable form, and at £3,000 the price is right. One big plus is the support of his owners, that can make all the difference, and at his fee breeders won't have so much capital tied up.

Foal crop and sales statistics provided by Weatherbys Bloodstock Reports.