Isfahan

If having the winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe counted as a breakthrough moment for Siyouni (Fr) in 2020, his reputation climbed higher still as his son St Mark's Basilica (Fr) romped through his Classic year, winning the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, Prix du Jockey Club, Eclipse S. and Irish Champion S. on his way to becoming the top-rated horse in the world in 2021. Both he and Sottsass are now residents of the Coolmore stallion barn, where they will be given plenty of opportunities to attempt to...

The strongest catalogue in the three-year history of the Goffs UK Yorton Sale resulted in a record set of figures for the Welsh sale of jumping stock. From 43 offerings, 41 were sold for £1,138,000, at an average of £27,756 and a median of £26,000. Topping trade was a 2-year-old gelded son of Isfahan (Ger) (lot 15) who was picked up by Lew House Stables for £80,000. Also proving popular within the ring attended by buyers from the UK, France and Ireland was lot 33, a gelded 2-year-old son of...

SANKT WENDEL, Germany--Among the current batch of second-crop stallions in Europe, only two thus far have sired a Group 1 winner. The all-conquering Mehmas (Ire), last season's record-breaking champion freshman, has two, while the other name on the list may be less familiar to those outside Germany. Isafahan (Ger) (Lord Of England {Ger}), bred by his trainer Andreas Wohler, won the G1 Deutsches Derby of 2016, and five years later his first-crop Sisfahan (Fr), also chestnut and bearing the same green and pink colours of Darius Racing, emulated his father...

A fortnight to go, apparently, until England casts aside all restrictions following the 16-month weirdness of the pandemic era. 'Freedom day', as it has been dubbed by those of Boris Johnson's government who are not currently serving time on the naughty step, has unfortunately not come in time for the regular 'July week' festivities in Newmarket. There will be racing with a reduced crowd and a sale taking place pretty much as normal, but without any of the parties and stallion parades that have become the staple of the town's...

It is only a decade since the most expensive stallion at stud in France was Elusive City at €15,000. Yet to have runners at that stage were Le Havre (Ire) and Kendargent (Fr), who entered stud in 2010, followed by Siyouni (Fr) in 2011 and then Wootton Bassett (GB) the next year. Those are the four names who dominated the French sires' championship in 2020 and can take a large part of the credit for an increasingly dynamic stallion scene in France. Siyouni, who now commands a fee of €140,000...

One day after racing resumed in Britain on June 1, Mehmas (Ire) notched his first winner in the country less than an hour after he had recorded his first ever winner, in Italy. From thereon, the Tally-Ho Stud resident was pulling double all season, opening up an easy lead over his fellow European freshmen and bossing his way to a new first-season sire record which, with 56 winners, was 17 clear of that previously held by Iffraaj (GB). It is, frankly, a staggering tally, with 101 of his 121 named...

Dr Stefan Oschmann, owner of Isfahan (Ger), Germany's champion first-season sire of 2020, has announced that the son of Lord Of England (Ger) will stand for €4,500 next year. The winner of the G1 Deutsches Derby in 2016 for Oschmann's Darius Racing when trained by Andreas Wohler, Isfahan stands at Gestut Ohlerweiherhof. From his 10 first-crop runners he was represented by five winners, including Isfahani (Ger), who landed the G3 Premio Guido Berardelli in Rome on her debut for Henk Grewe. Dr Oschmann remarked, "It was a very good first...