By Brian Sheerin
King Of Change (GB), the 2019 QEII winner and 2000 Guineas runner-up in that same campaign, has relocated to Micheál Orlandi's Starfield Stud after standing for two full seasons at Derrinstown Stud.
He will be the second son of Farhh (GB) to join the roster at Orlandi's up-and-coming Starfield Stud on the outskirts of Mullingar, County Westmeath, joining speedster Far Above (Ire), whose first foals will go under the hammer next month.
Orlandi revealed that he tried to strike a deal to stand King Of Change upon his retirement from racing and his eventual arrival at Starfield Stud after a two-year pursuit is something the young stallion man says he's extremely excited about.
He said, “We inquired about him when the decision was made that he was going to stud. At the time, he was going to stand under the Godolphin banner and I know my great neighbours at Tally-Ho were also interested in him as well. To cut a long story short, he ended up at the late Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum's stud in Derrinstown but we have always kept a close eye on this horse.
“The owner, Mr Ali Abdulla Saeed, and his advisors came to visit us here at Starfield Stud during the summer and asked if we would be interested in creating a partnership to stand the horse. The deal was jointly orchestrated by Mr Anthony Stroud and we're really excited to finally have him here.”
Orlandi added, “With him being a Group 1 winner and a Guineas runner-up, he boasts some great performances on the racetrack and he has a super physical to go with that. He also has an excellent pedigree and I feel he has the credentials to be a successful stallion.
“From looking at his foals that have arrived here at Starfield Stud and having visited farms and spoken to the breeders who have used him, people are very positive about the foals they have by him. This gave me more confidence that he is producing good types that are similar to himself.”
King Of Change covered 72 mares in his first full season followed by 49 this term and Orlandi is hopeful that he can build on those numbers next year.
He explained, “We've discussed a few marketing strategies and plan to support him and the breeders who have used him already in the sales ring. We also plan to increase the broodmare band of his racing owner, Mr Ali Abdulla Saeed, and support the horse with as many good mares as possible from 2023 onwards.
“We will also be releasing breeding rights to him next year, which we find is a good way to support a stallion with a bedrock of mares. Off the back of the foal sales, I would be disappointed if we cannot record a record book with him in 2023, with the help of breeders and supporters of the horse.”
Along with Far Above, King Of Change will stand alongside Kuroshio (Aus), Smooth Daddy and Galileo Chrome (Ire) at Starfield Stud, with Orlandi reporting his other son of Farhh to have recorded some impressive numbers in his first two seasons.
He said, “We covered 142 mares with Far Above in year one and 117 this year. His foals are exceptional as is Farhh, the sire of Far Above and King Of Change. I'd be very confident that the Pivotal (GB) line, which has been so successful with Siyouni (Fr) and Farhh, will continue on with his sons Far Above and King Of Change. A fee for King Of Change will be announced in due course.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
