Blaze of Glory

AESTERIUS (IRE)

2022 b Mehmas – Jane Doe (Hallowed Crown)

Race Record: 4 wins including G2 Flying Childers Stakes

A smart juvenile sprinter who was unplaced in his three starts at three, he is among the growing list of stallion sons for the hugely popular Mehmas, sire of nine Group/Grade 1 winners including 2025 black-type freshman Supremacy and 2026 freshman Minzaal, whose initial yearlings made up to 550,000gns in Newmarket. Aesterius was a £380,000 breeze-up graduate, his granddam was a triple US Grade 3 winner at around nine furlongs, and he comes from a branch of the family of Tenby. Likely to get sprint winners in all age groups and potentially some who stay a mile.

Bearstone Stud

ARIZONA BLAZE (GB)

2022 b Sergei Prokofiev – Liberisque (Equiano)

Race Record: 6 wins including G1 Flying Five Stakes

First-crop son of a speedy son of the much-lamented, influential international Classic and speed source Scat Daddy, he won the opening Irish two-year-old race of his year, pipped Camille Pissarro in a Group 3 at the Curragh before being placed at Royal Ascot and was top-level placed in Ireland and California before going on to become a Group 1 victor at three. His stakes-winning granddam comes from a branch of the family of Group 1 winners Houmayoun and Flag Of Honour, although Arizona Blaze’s connections to them is remote. He is likely to be very popular in his new role and a source of sprinters and milers in addition to the inevitable juvenile winners.

Irish National Stud

BEAUVATIER (FR)

2021 b/br Lope de Vega – Enchanting Skies (Sea The Stars)

Race Record: 6 wins including G2 Challenge Stakes

A juvenile Group 3 scorer who lost his unbeaten record when third to Rosallion and Unquestionable in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, this son of the sire of recently crowned Classic sire Belardo (New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner Romanoff) and 2025 Group 1 sire Phoenix of Spain (Prix du Cadran scorer Caballo de Mar) looks sure to be popular in his new role. He was best at six and a half and seven furlongs, missed out on further Group 1 black-type when fourth in the Group 1 Sprint Stakes at Ascot, and rounded off his career with an impressive win in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket in October. His stakes-placed dam is a half-sister to German Group 1 victor Empoli, with Classic-winning triple Group 1 heroine Elle Danzig also in the family. Likely to get sprinters, milers, and some middle-distance horses.

Haras d’Etreham

CAMILLE PISSARRO (IRE)

2020 br Wootton Bassett – Entreat (Pivotal)

Race Record: 3 wins including G1 Prix du Jockey Club, G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère

Champion 2YO male in France and a Classic winner there last season, this Irish-trained son of the late, soon-to-be-crowned European champion sire is by the stallion responsible for Almanzor and Wooded – both the sire of at least one Group 1 winner – and he is a half-brother to the Group 1-winning sprinter and young blacktype sire Golden Horde. His granddam is a half-sister to US champion Serena’s Song, so he comes from a branch of the family of a long list of notable winners including top-level scorers Sophisticat, Honor Code, Zabeel Prince, Rizeena and Field Of Gold. He is likely to be popular, a source of smart autumn juveniles and with the potential to get plenty who fare well from 7-12 furlongs at three and older.

Coolmore Stud

DELACROIX (IRE)

2020 b Dubawi – Tepin (Bernstein)

Race Record: 6 wins including G1 Irish Champion Stakes, G1 Eclipse Stakes

A juvenile pattern scorer who was a nostril away from Group 1 success at two, this son of one of the all-time great sires plus a brilliant female US miler looks set to receive a tremendous amount of support in his new role. His handful of siblings include the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu winner Grateful, his dam’s prolific gelded half-brother Vyjack was a Grade 1-placed multiple Grade 2 scorer at around a mile, and there is a Grade 3-winning sprinter and minor blacktype sire in the third generation of the pedigree. The better juveniles by this potential Classic sire will likely tend to be seen in the second half of the season.

Coolmore Stud

DIEGO VELAZQUEZ (IRE)

2021 b Frankel – Sweepstake (Acclamation)

Race Record: 6 wins including G1 Prix Jacques le Marois

By the great Frankel, whose early stallion sons Cracksman, Gidu and Without Parole each have a first Group/Grade 1 winner on the board, this leading seven- and eight-furlong horse is a half-brother to the middle-distance Group 1 victor Broome (stands in Turkey) and multiple Group 1-placed Group 2 scorer Point Lonsdale (stands in South Africa). Smart sprinter Elite Status (reviewed below) appears under a branch of the second generation of his pedigree, while the late Group 1 winner and Classic sire Zoffany appears under a branch of the third. He looks sure to be popular, with his better juveniles coming in the autumn and his progeny proving effective mostly in the broad seven-to-fourteen-furlong range.

National Stud

ELECTROLYTE (IRE)

2022 b Hello Youmzain – Bibury (Royal Applause)

Race Record: 2 wins including G3 Prix Eclipse

First-crop representative of a Group 1-winning sprint son of Kodiac, he was a talented two-year-old who ran just once at three. He is a half-brother to Group 3 Earl of Sefton Stakes winner Steel of Madrid (aka Calderon) and out of a winning half-sister to Group 1 Gold Cup victor Rite of Passage. The brilliant racehorse and great broodmare Dahlia is his fourth dam, so in addition to her four Group/Grade 1-winning offspring – Dahar, Dahlia’s Dreamer, Delegant, Rivlia – his relations include her Classic-winning grandson Nedawi, a notably successful sire in Brazil. Likely to get sprinters and milers, with some who stay a bit farther.

Norton Grove Stud

ELITE STATUS (GB)

2021 b Havana Grey – Dotted Swiss (Swiss Spirit)

Race Record: 5 wins including G3 Hackwood Stakes, G3 Prix de Cabourg

An early juvenile stakes winner who was placed at Royal Ascot and went on to beat Sajir in the Prix de Cabourg, he beat Lake Forest and Kind of Blue when adding the Hackwood Stakes at three. He is among the early sons of the hugely popular Havana Grey, represents a cross of Teofilo’s branch of Galileo over Invincible Spirit’s branch of Green Desert, and he is another likely to be busy in his new role. A likely source of sprinters in all groups, along with some capable milers.

Whitsbury Manor Stud

HENRI MATISSE (IRE)

2022 b Wootton Bassett – Immortal Verse (Pivotal)

Race Record: 6 wins including G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains, G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf

By the sire of Group 1-siring stallions Almanzor and Wooded and out of the dual Group 1-winning miler whose offspring also feature champion and dual Group 1 heroine Tenebrism, this horse was a top-level winner at two and Classic victor at three. The long list of Group/Grade 1 winners that appear under the third and fourth generations of his pedigree feature the standout sprinter-miler Last Tycoon, an influential international sire. It will be disappointing if he fails to make an impact in his new career given he has obvious potential as a Group 1 and Classic sire.

Coolmore Stud

INISHERIN (IRE)

2021 b Shamardal – Ajman Princess (Teofilo)

Race Record: 4 wins including G1 Commonwealth Cup

One of the last sons of his late, great sire, he is by the stallion that gave us Lope De Vega and Blue Point and out of the Group 1-winning half-sister to Group 1 victor Triple Time, a string of other stakes winners, plus the unraced dam of Classic ace Rosallion. Both those celebrity relations are also on the roster at Dalham Hall, which speaks volumes for the strength of belief in this family’s potential. Triple Time’s first foals arrived in 2025, whereas Rosallion is reviewed below, and while that pair excelled over a mile, Inisherin was best at six furlongs. It will be fascinating to see how the records of all three compare in the years to come.

Dalham Hall Stud

INTERNAUTE (IRE)

2021 b Sea The Stars – Solemia (Poliglote)

Race Record: 2 wins including Listed Prix de la Porte de Madrid

Triple pattern-placed stakes winner whose parents both won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, he comes from a prolific black-type family and looks sure to be very popular with National Hunt breeders. Given the demand for French-breds in the jumping sector, it is a fair bet that we will see plenty of his offspring make their way to Ireland and Great Britain in the coming years.

Haras de la Hetraie

LEAD ARTIST (GB)

2021 b Dubawi – Obligate (Frankel)

Race Record: 4 wins including G1 Lockinge Stakes

Group 1 star at a mile but also effective at nine and ten furlongs, this son of the great Dubawi is out of a mile Group 2 scorer and granddaughter of Hasili. That older stakes winner became one of the all-time great broodmares, with Group/Grade 1 winners Banks Hill (dam of Romantica plus successful sire Ideal World), Cacique (sire of Group 1 winners), Champs Elysees (Classic sire), Heat Haze (dam of Mirage Dancer) and Intercontinental, plus Group 1-placed, Group 2 victor and hugely influential stallion Dansili among her offspring. Lead Artist was unraced at two but could certainly get talented performers of that age in addition to the expected successful three-year-olds and older horses, and with his pedigree and connections there is every reason to hope that he may have a significant career ahead of him.

Banstead Manor Stud

LOS ANGELES (IRE)

2021 b Camelot – Frequential (Dansili)

Race Record: 7 wins including G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, G1 Irish Derby, G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud

Derby and Arc-placed Classic star who was among the leading middle-distance horses in recent seasons, this grandson of Montjeu is being marketed to the National Hunt sector, so he can be expected to receive huge books of mares. Flat breeders looking to produce potential middle-distance horses of note could, therefore, have a relatively inexpensive option with this horse. He is the best of three black-type earners for his dam, his grandam is a half-sister to Anabaa Blue, his third dam is a half-sister to Urban Sea, and so he comes from the direct family of Galileo, Sea The Stars, and King’s Best, among many others of note.

Castlehyde Stud

MAGNUM FORCE (IRE)

2022 b Mehmas – Tropical Rock (Fastnet Rock)

Race Record: 2 wins including G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

Five-furlong specialist by one of the most popular young stallions in Europe, he is the grandson of a Group 3-placed sprint stakes winner who comes from the family of Sri Pekan. That former juvenile star, who won the Champagne Stakes, Richmond Stakes, and Coventry Stakes, was a leading sire in Italy and Turkey and his stakes winners featured the dual US Grade 1 heroine Amorama and Group 1 Derby Italiano victor De Sica. Having a successful stallion in the family is always a good sign, and he is likely to prove popular with those seeking speed.

Newsells Park Stud

MARANOA CHARLIE (FR)

2022 b Wootton Bassett – Koubalibre (Galileo)

Race Record: 6 wins including G1 Prix de la Foret

Although an eight-length Group 3 scorer over a mile at two, he went on to excel over seven furlongs, notching up a trio of group wins in 2025 that culminated in the Prix de la Foret. He ranks highly among the exceptional 2022 crop by his much-lamented and soon-to-be-crowned European champion sire, and he is out of a half-sister to the juvenile Group 1 heroine Tiggy Wiggy. US Grade 1 victress Going Global also appears under the first few generations of his pedigree, while his fifth dam is the Classic-placed mile stakes winner Dabaweyaa.

Tally-Ho Stud

MARHABA YA SANAFI (IRE)

2020 b Muhaarar – Danega (Galileo)

Race Record: 5 wins including G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains

Classic-winning miler who was third in the ten-and-a-half-furlong Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby), he was a winner at two, raced until the age of five, and is by a sprint-star-son of Oasis Dream whose offspring seem best suited to going a mile and upwards. His grandam Danelissima won the Group 3 Noblesse Stakes at Naas, third dam Zavaleta was a stakes winner at Leopardstown and the Curragh, and it’s a branch of the family of Group 1 stars such as Intense Focus (black-type sire), Skitter Scatter, Consent, Sholokhov (Classic and NH sire), and Soldier of Fortune (Grade 1 Flat and NH sire). He is an intriguing prospect whose best seem likely to do well aged three and upwards.

Haras de Castillon

ROSALLION (IRE)

2021 b Blue Point – Rosaline (New Approach)

Race Record: 5 wins including G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, G1 St James’s Palace Stakes, G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère

First-crop son of a brilliant sprinter-son of Shamardal, this leading juvenile was a Classic-winning miler at three and unlucky not to have struck at the highest level again at four. He is out of an unraced half-sister to the Group 1-winning miler Triple Time (also at Dalham Hall Stud) and ten-furlong Group 1 heroine Ajman Princess (dam of Group 1-winning sprinter and new Dalham Hall Stud stallion Inisherin), and he looks sure to be very popular in his new role. Like his two close relations, he has the potential to become a sire of note.

Dalham Hall Stud

ROYAL SCOTSMAN (IRE)

2020 b Gleneagles – Enrol (Pivotal)

Race Record: 3 wins including G2 Richmond Stakes

Originally slated to stand at Haras du Taillis in France, this smart two-year-old was only beaten a head by Chaldean in the Dewhurst and finished third to that same colt in the following season’s 2000 Guineas. He was an impressive Group 3 scorer over the extended mile at Epsom at four, is by the sire of 2025 Group 1 victors Calandagan and Arrow Eagle, and he is a half-brother to a dual nine-furlong Group 3 scorer in Hong Kong. His speedy, stakes-placed dam comes from the family of Bakharoff and Emperor Jones, and he seems likely to get his best mostly in the six-to-twelve-furlong range.

Genesis Green Stud

SCORTHY CHAMP (IRE)

2022 ch Mehmas – Fidaaha (New Approach)

Race Record: 2 wins including G1 National Stakes

Seven-furlong Group 1 winner at two but unplaced in all his starts beyond that trip at three, he is among a growing number of sons at stud for one of the most popular Irish stallions. A full brother to Group 2 winner Malavath and Group 3 victor Knight, he comes from a prolific black-type family whose most notable member is the brilliant Derby winner Shergar, a Group 1 sire from just one (by today’s standards) very small crop. He will be popular with those looking for two-year-old form and potential sprinters, while also likely to get some who stay a mile to ten furlongs.

Barton Stud

SHADOW OF LIGHT (GB)

2022 ch Lope de Vega – Winters Moon (New Approach)

Race Record: 4 wins including G1 Dewhurst Stakes, G1 Middle Park Stakes

He achieved a rare Group 1 double on his way to being crowned European champion two-year-old and went on to be Classic-placed at three. By the sire of Belardo and Phoenix of Spain – both with a Group/Grade 1 winner to their name at stud –he is a half-brother to the dual juvenile Group 1 star and young black-type sire Earthlight. His dam is a stakes-placed half-sister to the Group 1 winners Mandaean and Wavering, 2025 juvenile Group 1 heroine Venetian Sun appears under a branch of that generation of the pedigree, and if you go back farther on the page you will find the ill-fated Derby hero and black-type sire Golden Fleece. Likely to be busy in the pursuit of producing sprinters of all ages plus eight-to-ten-furlong horses that could feature some Classic contenders.

Kildangan Stud

TOPGEAR (FR)

2019 bl Wootton Bassett (GB) – Miss Lech (Giant’s Causeway)

Race Record: 7 wins including G2 Challenge Stakes

Unbeaten six-furlong Group 3 winner at two, placed at that level over a mile, but ultimately a seven-furlong specialist who ran away with the Group 2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket in 2024. He is among the growing number of Wootton Bassett’s sons going to stud, he is out of a winning daughter of a multiple champion sire, while his third dam is a sprint stakes-winning half-sister to the high-class middle-distance pair Majorien and America, the latter also notable as being the dam of Melbourne Cup victor Americain.

Capital Stud

TRIBALIST (GB)

2019 ch Farhh – Fair Daughter (Nathaniel)

Race Record: 10 wins including G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp

Classic-placed mile Group 1 star by a top racehorse whose sons include black-type sires King of Change, Far Above, and Fa Ul Sciur, he is out of a half-sister to Classic-placed juvenile Group 1 scorer Crowded House, so is from the family of Group/Grade 1 winners such as Beauty Eternal, Brando, Ticker Tape, and Reckless Abandon – and those are just the ones who descend from his grandam, Wiener Wald. Go back a little farther on the page and you will find the major international sires Royal Academy and Storm Cat, among others of note. He is an intriguing prospect with the potential to become a Classic sire in France.

Haras de Castillon

TUNNES (GER)

2019 ch Guiliani– Tijuana (Toylsome)

Race Record: 5 wins including G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern

Half-brother to Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Torquator Tasso (2yo in 2026), he won his Group 1 by ten lengths over twelve furlongs on heavy ground at Munich shortly after an eight-length score in the Group 3 Deutsches St Leger, and he was also a Group 3 scorer at the age of two. He comes from a prolific black-type family, is inbred 3x3 to Turbaine (dam of his paternal grandsire Tertullian), so he has a 4x4 duplication of Allegretta, the dam of Urban Sea. This makes him related to Galileo, Sea The Stars, and King’s Best, among many others of note, so he has the potential to make an impact in his home country.

Gestüt Etzean

UNQUESTIONABLE (FR)

2021 b Wootton Bassett – Strawberry Lace (Sea The Stars)

Race Record: 2 wins including G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf

A leading international juvenile whose subsequent career was restricted to just a handful of starts, he missed out on further black type when finishing fourth in both the Irish 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes. He is by the much-lamented sire of Almanzor and Wooded – both have sired a Group 1 winner at stud – his fourth dam is the US Grade 1-placed Grade 2 heroine Didina and so he represents a branch of the hugely influential Best In Show family. Successful stallions on the page who are closer to this recruit include Bated Breath and Cityscape – both the sire of Grade 1 winners – while the long list of those much farther back include El Gran Senor, Redoute’s Choice, Try My Best, Xaar, and former Rathbarry Stud-based Group 1 sire Taufan.

Rathbarry Stud

WHISTLEJACKET (IRE)

2022 ch No Nay Never – Adventure Seeker (Bering)

Race Record: 4 wins including G1 Prix Morny

Group 1 winner over six furlongs at two and a Group 3-placed sprint stakes winner at three, he is a full brother to juvenile champion Little Big Bear, a Coolmore-based stallion whose first foals made up to €155,000 in 2025. Their sire’s early stallion sons feature sprint ace Ten Sovereigns, now based in Turkey but the sire of Balantina (trained by Donnacha O’Brien), Lush Lips, and Zulu Kingdom – all Grade 1 winners in the USA. Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and multiple Group/Grade 1 star All Along is his third dam. Likely to prove popular with those looking to produce two-year-olds plus sprinters and milers.

Haras de Grandcamp

ZARAKEM (FR)

2020 b Zarak – Harem Mistress (Mastercraftsman)

Race Record: 6 wins including G2 Prix d’Harcourt

Among a growing number of sons of his regally related sire to go to stud, this talented ten-furlong horse stayed a bit farther too and looks likely to prove popular with National Hunt breeders. His stakes-winning half-sister Rabbit’s Foot was third in the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu in October, his stakes-placed grandam has a string of stakes-winning relations including US Grade 2 heroines Little Treasure, More Chocolate, and Rhythm of Light, and you will find the multiple mile Group 1 star Bigstone farther back on the page.

Haras de la Tulierie

*Dr Sieglinde McGee is a widely published thoroughbred pedigree analyst and author of the comprehensive Best Racehorse annuals that offer a comprehensive view of each racing year and are available to purchase online.