Whitsbury Manor Stud

On December 3, 1995, the G1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle was won by the Aidan O'Brien-trained Thats My Man (Ire). It is unconfirmed, but those may well have been the words uttered by John Magnier when he decided to appoint O'Brien to uphold the good reputation of his surname at Ballydoyle. This he has done with aplomb. From that December day at Fairyhouse until Sunday at the Curragh, A P O'Brien has been the name printed alongside 400 Group or Grade 1 winners. From his roots in National Hunt, he...

Havana Grey (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) notched a one-length tally in the 2017 renewal of Sandown's Listed Racehorse Lotto National S. and the second-crop sire left his mark on the contest once more after his Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum-owned son Elite Status (GB) powered to a hugely impressive success in the five-furlong dash. The 5-2 favourite had opened his account with a three-length triumph in his May 6 debut over the same trip at Doncaster and jumped to the head of ante-post betting lists for Royal Ascot's G2 Norfolk...

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's 3-year-old colt Cold Case (GB) (Showcasing {GB}--Killermont Street {Ire}, by Dream Ahead) closed his six-race juvenile campaign with victories in Doncaster's £300,000 Weatherbys 2-Year-Old S. and Redcar's Listed Two-Year-Old Trophy and came back off a 214-day break to register a game success in Wednesday's G3 British Racing School 40th Anniversary Commonwealth Cup Trial S. at Ascot. The 5-1 chance was in the squat position as the gates flew open and recovered to race on the front end after the initial strides. Scrubbed along when headed...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Belouni (Fr) (Fast Company {Ire}) in the Woodhaven S. at Aqueduct.   Belouni Finds His Haven at Aqueduct Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Michael Kisber and William Rucker's Belouni ran out a 1 1/2-length winner of Aqueduct's Woodhaven S. last Saturday (video). The son of Vienna View (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}) was making his second U.S. start. Bred by Le Thenney and offered by Arcadia...

Wednesday's G3 Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn S. at Newmarket was a wide-open affair beforehand, but became a full-on dress rehearsal for HQ's G1 1000 Guineas as Amo Racing's Mammas Girl (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}--Mamma Morton {Ire}, by Elnadim) delivered a devastating turn of acceleration in the closing stages to pulverise her 14 rivals in the seven-furlong staging post. The 16-1 chance had previously debuted with an impressive two-length triumph over course and distance in October and was immediately quoted at odds as low as 6-1 for the Rowley Mile Classic...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column covering Mar. 15-21, is highlighted by the victory of new 'TDN Rising Star' Preliminary (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in a maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park. Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables already celebrated the victory of Equitize this past week, and the white-and-red-striped colours were back in the limelight with the 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy performance of Preliminary in the ninth race in Hallandale Beach on Thursday for trainer Chad...

There is no denying that the stallion market is becoming increasingly difficult with appetites for stud prospects growing. There is also no questioning that the support a young stallion receives in their first few years is paramount to their success. Most stallions are an easy sell in their first year with many being oversubscribed and then numbers falling off in the years leading up to that first crop hitting the track. However, one stallion whose numbers and support could very likely stay consistent throughout those primitive years is Lope Y...

Yakushima (GB), the first and only runner in Japan for his 2022 European, British and Irish Champion Sire, became the sixth stakes winner for Havana Grey with a speedy score in the Listed Crocus S. at Tokyo on Saturday. Third choice in the field at 3-1, the Godolphin colourbearer was part of the early pace discussion and shadowed From Dusk (Bolt d'Oro) and Smooth Velvet (Jpn) (Discreet Cat) through splits of :23.50 for the quarter and :47.30 for the half mile. He remained in shouting distance of the leaders and...

Not only did Havana Grey (GB) record more individual winners and total wins than any of his first-season sire rivals in Great Britain and Ireland, but he also broke the £1-million marker for total earnings, which is why he deservedly wears the champion freshman stallion crown. Those earnings were propped up by big sales race winners Shouldvebeenaring (GB) and Eddie's Boy (GB), with the latter going on to bag a Group 3 before selling for 320,000gns at the Tattersalls horses-in-training sale in October. Havana Grey had 36 winners for 76...

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin NEWMARKET, UK--It wasn't too hard to imagine that a Kingman (GB) half-sister to this season's leading juvenile Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) would steal the show at Tattersalls, and with shades of two years ago it was Juddmonte that swooped for the weanling from Whitsbury Manor Stud's increasingly influential broodmare Suelita (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) at an even million gns. This time though Juddmonte's general manager Simon Mockridge was forced to stake almost double the amount it took to buy Chaldean, and that is largely...

Taking the lead at Tattersalls on Friday, was a bay filly by Kingman (GB) (lot 1025), who sold for 1 million gns to Juddmonte Farms. That outfit had already struck for Friday's previous top lot, lot 928, a filly by Lope De Vega (Ire), for 500,000gns earlier in the session. Offered by breeder Whitsbury Manor Stud, the daughter of the winning Suelita (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) is a half-sister to G1 Dewhurst S. hero Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and G2 Mill Reef S. victor-turned-sire Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), as well...

NEWMARKET, UK--"If we don't believe in our stallions, who will?" So said breeder and consignor Ed Harper after topping the second day of foal trade at Tattersalls, though in the case of lot 793, the sire in question, this season's leading freshman Havana Grey (GB), has already garnered the support of plenty of breeders and buyers. But to justify the day's top price tag of 250,000gns at this stage of his young life, the colt had to have plenty more going for him, and his half-brother Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable...