Protectionist

It is very clear how important the Melbourne Cup is within Australia. Observers at Tattersalls last week were left in no doubt of that. A large proportion of the most expensive lots were bought to head Down Under, with the Melbourne Cup repeatedly mentioned as the ultimate target. It is now, though, a major race both within Australasia and internationally, its global appeal having increased dramatically 30 years ago in the 3 minutes 23.43 seconds which it took Vintage Crop (Ire) to take the prize on the first Tuesday in...

Dr Christoph Berglar's homebred 4-year-old distaffer Amazing Grace (Ger) (Protectionist {Ger}--Amabelle {Ger}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who finished 3/4-of-a-length behind G1 Deutsches Derby hero Sammarco (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) when second in July's G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis at Munich in her latest start, is set to dine at the top table again after annexing Saturday's G2 T Von Zastrow Stutenpreis at Baden-Baden. Connections immediately nominated both G1 Preis von Europa and GI E. P. Taylor S. as possible destinations after she defeated stablemate India (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) in a hot renewal of...

It seems harsh, when the British and Irish Classics have so far have been split two apiece between Jim Bolger and Aidan O'Brien, to suggest that this season is all about Bolger. But, let's face it, it is.  Plenty has been written about Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) and Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) and the fact that both sides of their families are very much ingrained in the Bolger breeding and training academy. What is equally admirable, especially in the case of Mac Swiney, is the fact...

There can be no better breeding home run than for a mare to produce a Derby winner as her first foal. In the case of Gestüt Röttgen's homebred Wellenspiel (Ger) (Sternkoenig {Ger}), this auspicious entree to her stud career happened not once but twice, with her first two foals both becoming winners of the G1 Deutsches Derby. Windstoss (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}) and his half-brother Weltstar (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) are the product of nine generations of Röttgen breeding, stretching back to the purchase of one of the stud's first mares,...

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...

Group 1 winners Reliable Man (GB) and Protectionist (Ger) will each be available at Gestut Roettgen in 2021 for €6,500 free return. Reliable Man returns to Roettgen after two years in France. In four years with runners Reliable Man has left 22 stakes winners, headed by the Southern Hemisphere Group 1 winners Miami Bound (NZ) and Miss Sentimental (NZ). His best Northern Hemisphere runners is the G2 Diana Trial scorer Hypnos (Ger). Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist is the sire of two stakes-placed horses from his first crop of 2-year-olds this...

BADEN-BADEN, Germany—A new record was set at last year's BBAG Yearling Sale when a Sea The Stars filly bred by Gregor and Julia Baum at Gestut Brummerhof sold for €820,000 to Godolphin. On the sales ground on Thursday, another filly by the Aga Khan Studs stallion was receiving plenty of attention at the Gestut Gorlsdorf draft, which was no surprise considering lot 61 is a full-sister to wide-margin Deutsches Derby winner Sea The Moon (Ger), who is now one of the most popular young stallions in Europe. Already named Sea...

Royal Applause (GB), a stalwart of the Royal Studs who has been retired from covering duties since 2014, has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years largely thanks to his son Acclamation (GB) and grandson Dark Angel (Ire). Numerically, Gutaifan (Ire) led the first-season sires' list last season and he is one of at least eight sons of Dark Angel at stud in Europe. In 2020, two of those will have their first runners, but it is a son of Dark Angel's sire Acclamation who is tipped for the...