Dubawi

Value is relative. A homebred yearling by a lowly stallion who goes on to reap rich rewards on the track, or one by a more fashionably expensive name who brings a bonanza return in the sale ring could each be considered to have offered 'value' for their breeders. In a slight departure from the norm for this annual series, we will be looking at the profitability of stallions in four key price brackets according to their yearling sales returns of 2022 set against their fees at the time of covering,...

Having provided the winners of this year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Prix de Diane, Prix Jacques le Marois, Grand Prix de Paris and Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Frankel (GB), unsurprisingly, has been named the champion sire of France in 2022. He ceded his position as champion in Britain and Ireland to Dubawi (Ire), whom he finished in front of when it comes to overall European earnings. Of the winners of the above named Group 1 races--Alpinista (GB), Nashwa (GB), Inspiral (GB) and Onesto (Ire)--all bar Alpinista remain in training...

The recent football World Cup featured a few surprises, with several high-profile teams losing out to supposed lesser lights. That situation is not a mirror of what happened in the General Sires' Table of Great Britain and Ireland in 2022, when the established stars held their position so well that the first five in the 2021 table are the first five in the 2022 table, albeit in a different order. The most notable change in the order is one which many observers will applaud: Dubawi (Ire) has gained his deserved...

A native of upstate New York, Kelsey Lupo spent summers at Saratoga learning to read the Form. With a degree in Animal Science from the University of Massachusetts, she has lived all of over the world working for stud farms in places like Kentucky, Ireland, Australia, England, and France. Bolstering her resume, she completed the Kentucky Equine Management Internship and the Irish National Stud Breeding Course. As the principal for Atlas Bloodstock, she advises on a wide range of services, while utilizing her extensive experience with all things bloodstock. Racing...

Covering numbers are more an indication of fashion than of success but, this being, as we so often hear, "a numbers game", it is worth having a closer look at the Flat stallions in Britain and Ireland who have been gifted books into three figures this year. We will also be looking in more depth at the French covering numbers in the coming days. According to the statistics recently published by Weatherbys in the annual Return of Mares, there were 62 stallions who covered 100 or more mares in 2022,...

For the second straight year, Newmarket-based trainer Charlie Appleby was honored with the Derby Award as 2022's champion flat trainer by the Horserace Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA). The 47-year-old Appleby so far this year has been represented by 150 winners and 225 seconds from 478 starters-a 31 percent win rate-and his runners have earned £6,225,397. Among those victories were 18 European Group winners-three Group 1s-including a one-two finish in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas with Coroebus (Dubawi [Ire]) and Native Trail (Oasis Dream {GB}), a first victory for the...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Insights features a daughter of G1SW Romantica (GB). 15.35 Deauville, Debutantes, €27,000, 2yo, f, 7 1/2f (AWT) AMBOISE (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) takes the eye on debut, being a daughter of the track's G1 Prix Jean Romanet heroine Romantica (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) who was in turn a daughter of...

By Brian Sheerin and Emma Berry   After a hectic few months perusing this year's foal and yearling crops, we asked the buyers to share their thoughts on the young stallions with first foals and yearlings.  Dermot Farrington, agent: "If you look at the list of people who have bought yearlings and foals by Advertise, it's a long time since a young stallion has attracted the who's who of the bloodstock world, and that's exactly what he has done. Whether it be yearlings to breeze, yearlings to race or foals...

Group 3 winner Thunder Drum (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}--Great Heavens {GB}, by Galileo {Ire}) has been added to the Arqana Vente d'Elevage catalogue. The sale begins Dec. 3 and continues through Dec. 6. Offered as Lot 210 during the initial session of the sale, the winner of Chantilly's G3 Prix de Royaumont is out of G1 Irish Oaks heroine Great Heavens, a full-sister to MG1SW Nathaniel (Ire) (Galileo) and Group 1 scorer Playful Act (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). For more information or to view the complete catalogue, click here.

Dubawi (Ire), the champion sire-elect in Britain and Ireland in 2022, will stand at his highest fee yet of £350,000 next year, making him the most expensive stallion in Europe. For the past six seasons, a nomination fee for the 20-year-old sire has been priced at £250,000. Dubawi is set to be crowned champion this season with more than £1 million in progeny earnings ahead of the reigning champion Frankel (GB), through those places are reversed in the European table. Darley also introduces two new stallions in Britain and Ireland...

Kirsten Rausing has dropped a firm hint that her Arc heroine Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) could visit Dubawi (Ire) in her first season at stud next year. Though not confirming or naming Darley's 20-year-old stallion, who looks on course to be champion sire for the first time this year, the breeder told the Nick Luck Daily podcast on Tuesday, "Obviously there are a few horses she could visit, and one in particular who is not getting any younger, but nothing is written in stone yet so therefore I can't really...

Well, that was one even I managed to see coming. With sterling bleeding at the bottom of the stairs, the most expensive yearling transaction of 2022 was duly enacted at Tattersalls this week. It was always going to be a wild market: Keeneland had shown the big spenders to remain impervious to war and inflation, while the local currency had been set aflame after new leaders sent home the babysitter and started playing with fiscal matches. Sure enough, Book I catapulted to giddy new heights, recording surges of 45 percent...