Siyouni

Trainer Aidan O'Brien has "backed off" five-time Group 1 winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) after the 3-year-old once again exhibited soreness in the area of a minor injury he sustained this summer. St Mark's Basilica missed the G1 Juddmonte International at York last month after a cut on a hind leg caused by a thrown shoe became infected, and although the dual French Classic and G1 Eclipse S. winner returned to win the G1 Irish Champion S. 10 days ago, he has since been sore in the area...

Just as the illustrious Pivotal (GB) was retiring from stud duties at the age of 28, Siyouni (Fr), who can certainly now be regarded as his most significant sire son, was reaching the peak of his powers with his first French championship. He finished last season by adding a Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner to his burgeoning CV, and this year Siyouni is currently responsible for the joint-top-rated horse in the world in the dual French Classic and Eclipse S. winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr). At the age of...

French champion sire Siyouni (Fr) provided the second millionaire of the Arqana August Yearling Sale when Ecurie des Monceaux's colt out of Cercle de la Vie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 152) fetched €1.5-million to the bid of Oliver St Lawrence on behalf of Fawzi Nass. Cercle de la Vie is a full-sister to Group 1 winners Highland Reel (Ire) and Cape Of Good Hope (Ire), and her current 2-year-old, who was a private purchase at €120,000 by Jamie McCalmont in Deauville last summer, is Angel Bleu (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}),...

In February, the inevitable announcement came that Pivotal (GB) was to be pensioned at Cheveley Park Stud at the age of 28. David and Patricia Thompson's homebred son of Polar Falcon has been one of the great British breeding stories of the last few decades and the sturdy chestnut has been a great friend to small and major breeders alike through his magnificent stud innings.  As he continues his retirement, so does his legacy gain momentum. A few months before Pivotal was retired, his son Siyouni (Fr) had been crowned...

In addition to its resident sires including lynchpins Siyouni (Fr) and Sea The Stars (Ire), the Aga Khan Studs will lend support to the likes of Lope De Vega (Ire) and Frankel (GB), as well as unproven sires Too Darn Hot (GB) and Ghaiyyath (Ire), with its European broodmare band in 2021. One of the stars of the Aga Khan Studs broodmare band is undoubtedly the unbeaten G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe victress Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar). She is currently in foal to Siyouni and will visit Lope De Vega....

Osarus has unveiled the catalogue for its Breeze Up Sale at La Teste Racecourse on Apr. 27. The breeze will take place the day prior from 2:30 p.m., and will be broadcast live on France Sire TV with individual videos available after on the Osarus website. There are 65 2-year-olds catalogued for the sale, including a Siyouni (Fr) colt out of the two-time winner Letthemusictakeus (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) (lot 17), a half-sister to the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and G1 Coronation S. winner Immortal Verse (Ire) (Pivotal...

Pivotal (GB) (Polar Falcon-Fearless Revival {GB}, by Cozzene), the Group 1-winning sprinter who has excelled as both a sire and broodmare sire, has been pensioned from stud duty at Cheveley Park Stud at the age of 28. The chestnut had remained in service at his birthplace up until last year, covering reduced numbers of mares in recent years, and will live out his remaining life at the Newmarket nursery. Bred by David and Patricia Thompson's Cheveley Park Stud, Pivotal was a member of the first crop of the G1 Sprint...

The Route des Etalons was established in 2010 in an attempt to stimulate a flagging French stallion scene. A little over a decade on, it could be said that it's 'job done'. That doesn't mean that the annual open weekend of Normandy studs has been shelved. Its popularity has grown year on year for breeders and bloodstock pilgrims alike, and it is only a global pandemic that has stopped it run in 2021. It will, however, be staged online across this weekend, with videos of the 108 stallions involved shown...

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...

In a temporarily upside-down world, a comforting air of normality can be found in a perusal of the end-of-year stallion tables. To Benjamin Franklin's certainties of death and taxes, in this smaller world we can add just about the only sure thing in racing and bloodstock: Galileo (Ire) is champion sire. Perhaps the greatest compliment that can be paid to the King of Tipperary is the fact that, even at his home at Coolmore, the operation which naturally has free-flowing access to the supersire via some of the best mares...

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. Today's Observations features a half to a young Group 1-winning sire. 11.25 Deauville, Debutantes, €22,000, 2yo, c/g, 7 1/2f (AWT) VERDERON (IRE) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is a notable newcomer for Godolphin and Andre Fabre on the Polytrack, being a 500,000gns Tattersalls December Foal Sale purchase. The half-brother to...

Sea The Stars (Ire), whose 14 group race winners in 2020 included Group 1 stars Stradivarius (Ire) and Miss Yoda (Ger), heads the Aga Khan rosters in Ireland and France and will stand once again for €150,000 at Gilltown Stud in 2021. Sea The Stars, whose standouts this year also included Group 2 winners like Fanny Logan (Ire), Terebellum (Ire) and Valia (Fr), is siring 12% stakes winners to runners and 66% winners to runners. Standing alongside Sea The Stars at Gilltown is his dual Derby winning son Harzand (Ire),...