Sire Class Of 2011 Making Its Mark

Such is the obsession with all that is new and shiny in the bloodstock world, every season there are generally over a dozen new stallions that attract significant numbers of mares in Europe. History tells us that the vast majority of these new sires are destined to be failures, but most years see one or two of those new stallions make the grade to one extent or another and enjoy commercial success in the years that follow.

Inevitably, there will be good and bad years for new stallions, but based on the evidence of the first two-and-a-half seasons that we have seen their representatives on the track, the group of stallions that covered their first mares in 2011 appear to be a vintage class.

It would be fair to describe this as being a surprise, as when one examines their credentials as a group, they seemed just a typical bunch of new stallions on paper without any standout prospect amongst them at the time they retired (i.e. no Sea The Stars or Frankel). Indeed, only four of over 20 new stallions stood their first season for five-figure nomination fees, namely Makfi (£25,000), Rip Van Winkle (€20,000), Starspangledbanner (€15,000) and Lope De Vega (€15,000). However, they have very much outperformed the expectations of them and their feats are worthy of closer examination.

If success is measured by the level to which a stallion's fee has subsequently risen, the star of the class of 2011 has been Lope De Vega (stands at Ballylinch). The son of Shamardal made an immediate impact with his 2-year-olds in 2014, with him being represented by nine horses that achieved Racing Post Ratings (RPRs) of 90 or over, three of which rose above 105, including the G1 Dewhurst S. winner Belardo. Such was the impression he created, his fee increased from €12,500 to €40,000 for 2015. However, as good a start as that was, his progeny achieved positively spectacular results in 2015, with 35 more of them achieving RPR90+ with eight of them hitting RPR105+, including the Group 1-placed pairing of Consort and Endless Drama.

Lope De Vega continues to impress with his older horses in 2016 and with him having covered 112 mares in 2013 and 99 mares in 2014, he can be expected to keep progressing for the next couple of years. However, what many will really be looking forward to will be his offspring from the higher quality and quantity crops of mares he covered in 2015 and particularly in 2016. He covered 187 mares in 2015 and one can only imagine he was very busy indeed this year, so it is fair to assume that the best is very much to come from this highly-promising young stallion.

In any other year, Lope De Vega would be a standout amongst the new sire ranks, but 2011 has produced another major commercial success in France in the shape of Siyouni. A son of Pivotal that was unusually precocious and fast for one bred by the Aga Khan, he proved to be popular when retired to Haras de Bonneval at a nomination fee of €7,000. However, even his most optimistic of supporters are likely to have been surprised at just how much of an impact he made with his first runners.

Despite having fewer runners than Lope De Vega in 2014, Siyouni matched his performance in producing nine RPR90+ performers, three of which hit RPR105+. His star was undoubtedly the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Ervedya, with her winning a Group 3 and finishing in the frame in two Group 1 races as a juvenile. The performance of his first 2-year-olds resulted in his fee rising from €7,000 to €20,000, and all of a sudden he was considered the hottest young sire in France.

While Siyouni's progeny couldn't match the sensational performance of Lope De Vega's progeny in his second year with runners, he produced more smart 2-year-olds and his 3-year-olds trained on very well. His highlight was once again the exploits of Ervedya, with her winning the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at Longchamp, the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot and the G1 Prix du Moulin at Longchamp in what was a sensational campaign. Thanks to her in the main, Siyouni's fee took another jump up to €30,000 for 2016.

Given his red-hot status in France in the last two years, it seems sure that Siyouni's best days are very much ahead of him, but the likes of the Francis Graffard-trained Volta and the Alain de Royer-Dupre-trained Trixia should help keep his name up in lights until the first of those improved crops hits the track in 2018.

The two stallions discussed in detail thus far stand in Ireland and France, respectively, but not to be outdone, the class of 2011 has also thrown up a significant commercial success in Great Britain in the shape of Showcasing (stands at Whitsbury Manor). Expectations were slightly lower for the son of Oasis Dream, given his fee in his first season was just £5,000, but his first runners soon made that look a bargain.

The performance of his first batch of 2-year-olds in 2014 was quite similar to Lope De Vega's, with him producing nine RPR90+ horses, two of which got to the 105 mark, namely the Group 2 winner Toocoolforschool and the Group 3 winner Cappella Sansevero. His good start continued in 2015, with him producing 13 new RPR 90+ horses, no less than seven of which hit the RPR105+ mark.

While his performance had been excellent up to the end of 2015, the one item that was lacking from his CV was a star performer that could fly his flag at Group 1 level. However, his wait for such a performer may well be soon over, as the Karl Burke-trained Quiet Reflection stamped herself as a potential Group 1-winning sprinter in the making when bolting up in Group 2 company at Haydock in May.

Showcasing's fast start has seen his fee jump from £4,500 in 2014 to £15,000 in 2015 and up to £25,000 for 2016, thus the best is very much ahead of him. While he covered a smaller book of 63 mares in 2013, word of the speed of his 2-year-olds had clearly got out at the beginning of the 2014 season as he covered 111 that year, which should mean that he has plenty of 2-year-olds to keep his momentum going through 2017. Given that he covered 130 mares at his much-increased fee in 2015 and was presumably very busy again this year, the anticipation for his higher quality crops reaching the track in 2018 and beyond is only likely to grow in the years ahead.

While Lope De Vega, Siyouni and Showcasing achieved enough with their first runners in 2014 to grab all the headlines in any other year, both of them were eclipsed in terms of column inches generated by the remarkable exploits of Starspangledbanner (stands at Coolmore). A top-class sprinter in both Australia and Europe, he retired to Coolmore at a fee of €15,000 in 2011, but it soon became clear that he was subfertile, siring just 33 foals in his first season in Ireland and 30 foals when shuttled to Australia later that year. With his problems by then common knowledge, Starspangledbanner only covered 22 mares back in Tipperary in 2012 and with that, he was returned to training in Ballydoyle, but failed to win in six starts. With little left to lose, Coolmore allowed him to return to Australia to his part-owner Anthony Mithen's Rosemont Stud for one last throw of the dice, which resulted in 24 mares going in foal to him down there in 2013.

At this stage, most people had all but forgotten about Starspangledbanner, writing him off as just another stallion with fertility issues that was too much of a risk to support. Then his first runners hit the track in 2014.

From his first Irish crop of just 33 foals, Starspangledbanner made a simply stunning start. His first three runners all won and two of them, The Wow Signal and Anthem Alexander, proved to be amongst the best 2-year-olds of their sex that season. The Wow Signal won the Coventry S. at Royal Ascot and the Prix Morny at Deauville, whilst Anthem Alexander won the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot and was just touched off in the Cheveley Park S. Since then, that small first crop has yielded eight more RPR90+ performers in Europe, including two more RPR105+ horses, most notably the Group 3 winner Home Of The Brave.

Unsurprisingly, Coolmore were very keen to get Starspangledbanner back in Tipperary for the 2015 season, but in another dramatic turn of events, a bout of colic prevented him from doing so and it was decided he would remain at Rosemont Stud in Australia for the 2015 Southern Hemisphere breeding season. He covered 32 mares, getting 16 in foal, prior to returning to Tipperary late last year for the 2016 breeding season.

While his book will remain carefully managed, recent reports from Coolmore suggest they may have found the key to Starspangledbanner, as he reportedly has 78 mares in foal thus far in 2016. Such strong numbers are sure to encourage breeders to send even higher-quality mares to him next year and it appears that despite his numerous setbacks over the years, Starspangledbanner is going to have every chance to be a commercial hit as a stallion after all. It will be a long wait to see the 2-year-olds that are born from this covering season on the track, but based on his stunning results thus far, they are likely to be worth the wait.

Those four stallions may well be the three biggest commercial hits from the class of 2011, but the remarkable depth of that group of stallions is illustrated by the fact that no less than four other members of it have produced Group 1 winners.

The most recent sire to join that group was Fast Company (formerly of Rathasker Stud and Overbury Stud) courtesy of the win of the Adrian Keatley-trained Jet Setting in the G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas. He also gained a new Group 2 winner on the very same card thanks to the success of Devonshire in the Lanwades Stud S. The son of Danehill Dancer started his stallion career at a fee of €5,000 and had established himself as a solid sire prior to his headline-grabbing day at The Curragh with a total of 18 RPR90+ performers. With him having got the call to relocate to Kildangan Stud for the 2017 breeding season, he seems sure to attract increased numbers of mares and his best days are likely to be ahead of him.

Another member of the class that got off the Group 1 mark in a Classic this year was Paco Boy (Highclere Stud), with his son Galileo Gold winning the 2000 Guineas for Hugo Palmer. Having started his stallion career at a fee of £8,500, he has established himself as a solid sire with 21 RPR90+ performers, an impressive nine of which achieved RPR105+. Mind, prior to Galileo Gold's victory, breeders seemed to be in two minds about him, with him producing just 31 foals and covering 70 mares in 2015. Galileo Gold's exploits coupled with the promise of the likes of Imperial Aviator, Mitchum Swagger and Garcia should ensure that he is in much more demand in 2017.

Makfi (formerly Tweenhills Farm, now Haras de Bonneval) was the most expensive first-season sire of 2011 at £25,000 and has established himself a solid sire in the years since, producing just over 40 horses that have achieved RPR90+. His star performer has unquestionably been the Andre Fabre-trained Make Believe, the winner of the G1 Poule D'Essai Des Poulains and the G1 Prix de la Foret who retired to stand at Ballylinch Stud this year. Makfi was relocated to France in 2015 and looks to be a valuable addition to their stallion ranks.

Rip Van Winkle (Coolmore Stud) was the second most expensive first-season sire in 2011 at a fee of €20,000 and while he had a first-crop Group 1 winner with Dick Whittington in the Phoenix S. at The Curragh, he has perhaps not quite come up to the lofty expectations of him just yet, with him siring just over 25 RPR90+ performers to date. Mind, he did cover 139 mares at €20,000 in 2014 and 120 mares at €25,000 in 2015, so his supporters can retain some hope that he may yet deliver on his early promise.

Mention must also be given to Zebedee (Tally Ho) and Equiano (Newsells Park), as while they have yet to sire a Group 1 winner, they have achieved more than enough to secure their place as commercial stallions on these isles for the foreseeable future. Indeed, Zebedee came within a nose of joining the Group 1 sire club courtesy of Ivawood in the Middle Park S. While that colt has been retired to stand at Coolmore, Zebedee has the Group 2 winner Magical Memory to represent him at the highest level this year.

Equiano was inches away from joining the Group 1 sire club himself last year with Strath Burn going down by just a short-head in the Haydock Sprint Cup. As well as having Strath Burn to represent him again this year, he also has the highly-progressive sprinter The Tin Man, who could well be a contender in Group 1 sprints.

For seven stallions in any one crop to produce Group 1 winners in their first two-and-a-half seasons with runners is remarkable. That two more of them came within inches of being added to that list just enhances the view that the stallion class of 2011 is truly out of the ordinary. With more than a couple of members of the class very much having their best days in front of them in terms of the quality and quantity of their future crops, their legacies are only likely to grow in the years to come.