Angel of Life

LEADING SIRES

What an oddly equable British and Irish sire table it was this season. More often than not, one big name pulls well clear of the opposition: last year, for example, Frankel was crowned the champion by a margin of more than €3.3m in progeny earnings, the measure that traditionally decides the title.

But this time around, the lead changed constantly throughout the year thanks in part to Frankel being relatively quiet by his own very high standards, and up to mid-November little more than €3.6m covered the whole of the top 20.

Dark Angel looked assured of a first championship, though, with a lead of more than €435,000 over his nearest rival Dubawi. The brilliant miler Charyn was his highest earner, while Khaadem contributed more than £500,000 to the pot for winning the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and My Mate Alfie became a bit of a cash machine, winning the valuable Bold Lad Handicap and a hat-trick of black-type races at the Curragh and Naas.

Dark Angel fully deserves the title. He has been a wonderfully consistent source of two-year-olds, sprinters and milers since he retired to Yeomanstown Stud in 2008. Remarkably, considering he retired before racing at three, his stock has become a byword for toughness, durability and versatility.

Dalham Hall Stud patriarch Dubawi, champion in 2022, is booked for his tenth consecutive top-three finish in the table. He delivered a fourth 2000 Guineas winner, with Notable Speech scoring on his turf debut at Newmarket in May, and broke new ground with a first Epsom Classic winner when Ezeliya blew apart her rivals in the Oaks later that month.

Galileo, who headed the table in 2008 and in every year from 2010 to 2020, has fewer runners these days, with only around a dozen two-year-olds in his final crop, and so it seemed safe to assume that his championship days were over.

However, the late Coolmore phenomenon staged an unlikely assault on a 13th title in the autumn, when Kyprios won the Irish St Leger and British Champions Long Distance Cup, and Jan Brueghel and Illinois finished first and second in the St Leger. He was in third position in November, and looked likely to remain there.

Reigning champion Frankel languished towards the bottom of the top ten for much of the year, not helped by many of his highest earners in 2023 – the likes of Chaldean, Mostahdaf, Soul Sister, Triple Time and Westover – having been retired and a few others who remained in training, including Inspiral, Nashwa and Ylang Ylang, failing to recapture their best form. However, Frankel flew at the finish of the British and Irish champion sire race, with Lake Victoria establishing herself as the best two-year-old filly in town by taking the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Cheveley Park Stakes, and The Euphrates striking in the lavishly endowed Irish Cesarewitch.

The Juddmonte stallion was in fourth place up to mid-November, but only around €100,000 in front of Lope De Vega in fifth. The Ballylinch Stud flagbearer seemed to sire elite winners in every corner of the globe this year – Look De Vega and Rouhiya struck in French Classics, Carl Spackler and Program Trading took US Grade 1s and Duke De Sessa won the Caulfield Cup in Australia – and he kept the home fires burning with Middle Park and Dewhurst Stakes scorer Shadow Of Light.

The British and Irish sire championship is historically significant, and because of that holds a certain prestige, but of course the European table gives a wider view of stallion performance in the last 12 months.

The only problem with the European table, when ordered by progeny earnings, is that it is often distorted by the result of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, with its enormous riches. So it proved again this year, with Camelot sitting pretty at number one thanks to his daughter Bluestocking’s victory at Longchamp.

Camelot was far from a one-hit wonder in 2024, though. Los Angeles won the Irish Derby and ran third in the Arc, Luxembourg struck in the Coronation Cup, and Sevenna’s Knight scored in three group races at Longchamp and finished runner-up in the Prix Royal-Oak and fifth in the Arc. Lope De Vega is poised in second in the European table, one place ahead of Sea The Stars in third. The Gilltown Stud stalwart’s headline acts were Grand Prix de Paris victor Sosie and Prix de Pomone winner Aventure, who finished fourth and second in the Arc – meaning he and Camelot sired all of the first five home in the 12-furlong spectacular.

Sea The Stars’ other big-hitters this year included group winners Emily Upjohn, Hanalia, Ottoman Fleet, See The Fire and Sweet William, and he is responsible for the 2000 Guineas and Derby favourite The Lion In Winter, unbeaten in two starts including in the Acomb Stakes. Dark Angel occupied fourth place in the European table, with Kingman in fifth. The Banstead Manor Stud stallion notched two fillies’ Classic winners, Elmalka in the 1000 Guineas and Sparkling Plenty in the Prix de Diane, with another daughter, Friendly Soul, prevailing in the Prix de l’Opera. He also provided two new Group 2 scorers in Celandine and Quddwah, while his evergreen son Kinross continued to prove one of the best seven-furlong performers in training. Prizemoney customarily decides sire championships, but that is of course not always the most reliable measure of success, with those sires who have larger crops or winners of a handful of highly valuable races gaining an unfair advantage.

Strike rates are a more satisfactory metric, and for the record the best ratios of winners to runners among the top sires in Europe belonged to the Dubawi sons, Zarak and Night Of Thunder, on 56% and 55% respectively.

Dubawi himself fielded the best strike rate of black-type winners to runners among the table-topping sires in Europe in 2024, on an outstanding 13.87%. Justify, whose selected Kentucky-conceived representation in Europe included champion-elect City Of Troy and fellow Group 1 winners Opera Singer and Ramatuelle, was second best on 12.2%.

Rounding out the top ten by this score, which is all-important for illustrating the depth of quality in a sire’s output, were Zarak (11.27%); Galileo (9.7%); Frankel (8.82%); Night Of Thunder (8.51%); Wootton Bassett (7.69%); Sea The Stars (7.29%); Lope De Vega (6.44%); and Havana Grey (6.21%).

Mohaather

LEADING THIRD-SEASON SIRES

Havana Grey is quite something, isn’t he? He is managing to keep pace with those premium-brand stallions with his first three crops bred from mostly mediocre mares at fees of £6,000 to £8,000 at Whitsbury Manor Stud.

Unsurprisingly, then, the son of Havana Gold led the third-season sire table in Britain and Ireland by most measures apart from prizemoney, where Justify outpointed him thanks to City Of Troy and co.

Among the other sires at that stage of their careers who impressed throughout 2024 were the late Roaring Lion, who gave more cause to regret his death after one year in the breeding shed by fielding 7.89% black-type winners to runners, including the high-class fillies Queen Of The Pride and Running Lion, and Sioux Nation, whose status as a consistent source of smart two-year-olds and sprinters is confirmed by his mark of 3.33% black-type winners.

Another third-season sire that deserves mention is Harry Angel, who has gained a reputation as a reliable source of winners. He has produced a commendable 40% winners to runners and 3.16% black-type winners to runners in Britain and Ireland this year. He could arguably do with a bona fide superstar, but Irish 1000 Guineas second and Falmouth third A Lilac Rolla wasn’t far off being one.

LEADING SECOND-SEASON SIRES

Blue Point and Too Darn Hot dominated the 2023 British and Irish first-season sire table, suggesting they could be future breed-shapers, and they confirmed that impression with another strong showing in the sophomore standings.

Blue Point was out on his own in terms of winners (65 up to mid-November) and prizemoney (just shy of €3.6m), and his figures of 41% winners to runners and 3.75% black-type winners to runners were strong. His standouts were Irish 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes hero Rosallion and British Champions Sprint winner Kind Of Blue.

CAMELOT

Too Darn Hot was a clear second to Blue Point by winners (56) and prizemoney (nearly €2m), and was tied with his fellow Darley stallion for the best tally of black-type scorers, at six-all. Too Darn Hot did it with fewer runners, though, and therefore achieved the best ratio of black-type winners to runners among the British and Irish second-season sires, at 4.76%. Irish 1000 Guineas winner Fallen Angel and Futurity Trophy scorer Hotazhell were his highlights.

Study Of Man showed promise in last year’s freshman table, especially when it was obvious his progeny would improve for turning three, and he duly delivered on it this year. Lanwades Stud’s son of Deep Impact produced a high strike rate of black-type winners, headed by British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes heroine Kalpana, already being talked of as an Arc hope for 2025.

LEADING FIRST-SEASON SIRES

This year’s first-season sire championship was, like the overall one, unusually even. There was no clear leader up to mid-November by prizemoney, with less than €200,000 covering the top five – Sergei Prokofiev, Sands Of Mali, Pinatubo, Mohaather and Kameko – and nor by number of winners, with Mohaather and Sergei Prokofiev on 16, and Pinatubo and Sands Of Mali on 15.

Hello Youmzain won admirers for his 50% winners to runners in Britain and Ireland and his French Group 3 scorers Electrolyte and Misunderstood, while Sands Of Mali caught the eye with 5.71% black-type winners to runners, encompassing a one-three in the Windsor Castle Stakes by Ain’t Nobody and Aviation Time and success in the Radley Stakes for Ellaria Sand.

In truth, though, no freshman of 2024 can really claim supremacy over his peers. It will just have to be a case of wait and see, which will make next year’s sophomore tables essential reading.

LEADING SIRES OF 2YOS

Irish-based sires Mehmas and Wootton Bassett performed miracles with their two-year-old runners this season.

Tally-Ho Stud hotshot Mehmas supplied 49 individual juvenile winners in Britain and Ireland, admittedly from an enormous pool of 122 runners conceived in the wake of his excellent first season with runners, but his winners-to-runners strike-rate held up at 40%.

The son of Acclamation, who broke his studmate Kodiac’s record of 61 two-year-old winners in a season, showed he does quantity as well as quality, with Magnum Force, Scorthy Champ and Vertical Blue all winning at the highest level.

A hat-trick of two-year-old Group/Grade 1 winners from a single crop is pretty impressive but Wootton Bassett said ‘hold my beer’ when his first generation conceived at Coolmore after his big-money transfer there yielded four – Camille Pissarro, Henri Matisse, Tennessee Stud and Twain.

Wootton Bassett also put a record-breaking 13 two-year-old stakes winners on the board, not including Dewhurst runner-up Expanded and Middle Park third Dash Dizzy. We could be looking at a future champion sire here.

Mehmas and Wootton Bassett are clearly powerful forces in juvenile racing but they were actually outdone by several sires in terms of black-type winners to runners in Britain and Ireland.

No Nay Never was operating at 13.21% up to mid-November, his seven stakes winners from 53 runners led by Prix Morny hero Whistlejacket and Rockfel Stakes scorer Bubbling; Frankel was on 11.43% (four from 35), including Lake Victoria; and Night Of Thunder came in at 10.34% (three from 29), headed by unbeaten Fillies’ Mile victress Desert Flower.

LEADING BROODMARE SIRES

The usual suspects figured prominently in this year’s European broodmare sire table, with Galileo, Dansili, Shamardal, Oasis Dream, Invincible Spirit, Pivotal, Dubawi, Kodiac, Montjeu and Teofilo comprising the top ten by maternal grandchildren’s progeny earnings.

Frankel is just starting to make a significant impact in this department. His daughters produced 48% winners to runners and a highly encouraging 7.61% black-type winners to runners in 2024. Sparkling Plenty became the first Classic winner to boast the dual world champion as damsire.

Frankel’s old sparring partner Zoffany is perhaps a more surprising name to make a mark in the European broodmare sire table. He was represented by 38 winners to runners and 3.3% black-type winners to runners up to mid-November, with Sun Chariot Stakes heroine Tamfana the best runner out of one of his daughters. His mares could be one for bargain-hunting breeders.

LEADING NH SIRE

All the top-class racemares and producers, and well-related mares, who have visited Walk In The Park since he joined the Coolmore roster in 2016 resulted in a first British and Irish national hunt sire championship for the son of Montjeu in 2023/24 – and by a long chalk, with his progeny earnings of €3.81m for the season nearly €1.5m more than those of Fame And Glory.

Jonbon, from Walk In The Park’s last French-conceived crop, was his highest earner after landing the Tingle Creek, Melling Chase and Celebration Chase, but the majority of the sire’s 17 black-type winners were Irish-breds, including Blow Your Wad, Inothewayurthinkin, Limerick Lace, Master Chewy and Spillane’s Tower.

French sires claimed the best black-type winners-to-runners ratios thanks to their highly selected representation in Britain and Ireland – Saddler Maker (20.45%), It’s Gino (15.79%), Saint Des Saints (11.94%), Authorized (9.09%), Doctor Dino (8.93%), No Risk At All (8.82%), Masked Marvel (7.89%) etc – which means it takes a bit of digging to find the biggest statistical overachiever on these shores.

Honours are shared by three sorely missed sires who stood in Ireland: Shantou on 5.26%, Jeremy on 4.76% and Fame And Glory on 4.48%.

LEADING YOUNG NH SIRES

Stallion Guide online features a table of leading NH sires who retired to stud after 2014. The highest winners-to-runners strike rates in that category in Europe belong to Triple Threat, who died after serving his first book of mares at Capital Stud this year, on 52%; Zarak, the elite flat sire who has provided top-class hurdlers Nietzsche Has and Zarak The Brave, on 48%; and Prince Gibraltar, a son of Rock Of Gibraltar who stands at Haras de Cercy, on 47%.

Zarak, whose sons will surely be firmly in the crosshairs of national hunt stud owners now, also boasts the highest strike rate of black-type winners among these younger sires, on 14.29%. French compatriot Galiway, source of Willie Mullins’ Grade 1-winning hurdlers Gala Marceau and Vauban, came in at a very creditable 7.41%.

HAVANA GREY