Andrew Caulfield, April 13, 2004–European Scene (Freshman Sire Edition) E UROPEAN SCENE winning the Middle Park S., he is well-qualified to sire plenty of winners among his 80 youngsters. Several are BY ANDREW CAULFIELD in training with David Loder and Mick Channon, two specialists in speedy juveniles. As so often these days, last year's race for freshman There will be a lot of interest in the first runners by sire honors developed into a battle between the might King's Best, a spectacular winner over Giant's of the Coolmore and Darley camps, with both being Causeway in the 2000 Guineas before being injured on able to claim victory. Although the Coolmore-based his next start. As a classic winner by Kingmambo, from comfortably headed the European prize-money a red-hot family, King's Best received strong support table, it was Darley's Cape Cross who came out on top and he has a first crop of 109. They sold for up to on the important Anglo-Irish table. 775,000 guineas and many of them appear to be in the Another heavy-weight contest between the two right hands. The 775,000-guinea colt is one of six camps looks likely this year, with Coolmore relying juveniles that Sir Michael Stoute has by his former star, largely on the hard-hitting Giant's Causeway and while , David Loder and Jeremy Noseda all to triumph over Darley's power-packed pair of have five each, and Mick Channon has four. and King's Best. Coolmore must be hoping that it is third time lucky Giant's Causeway commanded a fee of with Montjeu, who follows Entrepreneur and King of IR100,000gns in his only season in Ireland, where he Kings as the third classic-winning son of Sadler's Wells covered nearly 180 mares. The universal admiration he to have stood at Coolmore/Ashford. The first two generated on the track didn't extend to all of his first disappointed but Montjeu was a much better racehorse yearlings, with some judges complaining that he hadn't than either of them. His six G1 wins included the Arc stamped his stock. I recall similar complaints about two and impressive victories in the Prix du Jockey-Club and other stallions. One, Caerleon, became sire in , with rating him 137 at three and 1988 with only two crops on the track, and the other, four. Montjeu proved popular in the sales ring, with his Warning, headed a strong team of new sires in 1993! yearling sons in particular being well received. Even I expect Giant's Causeway to silence his critics in the allowing for the fact that Montjeu won both his starts best possible way. With over 130 youngsters, he has at two, anything that his progeny achieves this year numbers very much on his side and he has every right will surely be just a prelude to bigger things in 2005. to sire quick-maturing individuals, having won all three Montjeu isn't the only outstanding middle-distance of his juvenile starts, beginning in July. horse making his bow in 2004. also won two The question is whether he can become the first Derbys and the Arc, suffering defeat only once in eight major stallion son of . You would have to starts. The fact that Sinndar's fee has fallen from hope so, judging by the 1.8 million guineas paid for his 30,000 euros in 2003 to 20,000 this year is an weanling filly out of the Arc winner in 2002 indication that his yearlings didn't all sell as well as and the 1,250,000 guineas paid by John Magnier for expected. However, one of his fillies made 470,000 his daughter out of Colorsnap. euros. It's in his favour that ten of his 72 Sheikh Mohammed has placed his faith in the one representatives are owned by the Aga Khan, including and only crop by his magnificent but ill-fated Dubai sons of the top-class racemares Ebadiyla and Timarida. Millennium: no fewer than 28 of the 56 members of I've got my fingers crossed that Sinndar will prove an this crop are listed among Godolphin's team, currently excellent replacement for his sire , who is at Al Quoz stables in Dubai. Dubai Millennium's death also responsible for two other new sires in Raise a at such a young age virtually guarantees that he will Grand and . prove an excellent stallion and the omens have received This top-notch miler has 59 two-year-olds, whereas a boost from the success enjoyed by several other another Rathbarry stallion, the champion sprinter stallion sons of . Namid, has 109. Like Indian Lodge, Namid was at his It is tempting to think that Dubai Millennium's stock best as a four-year-old, but he was also a Group winner will not reach their peak at two, as he ran only once at at two and he is the type of stallion whose stock could that age and was at his best at four, but he has collect plenty of money in the rich sales-linked races. youngsters out of several excellent two-year-olds. Although his opening fee was only IR7,000gns, Namid is another G1-winning son of Seeking The Gold had a colt sold for 170,000 guineas and a filly for among Darley's sizeable roster of new stallions. 250,000 euros. Expect a bold show from him. Although this good-looking horse trained off after Another champion older sprinter, , is out of a Freshman Sire Producing Professional Performance

DARBY DAN Great value at $10,000 live foal (859) 254-0424 www.darbydan.com Hip #s 159 and 257 sell today! Wild Again S Escrow Agent, by El Gran Senor half-sister to Cape Cross, who made such a fine start but two of his daughters sold for the equivalent of over last year. Diktat enjoyed a spell when he won seven $170,000. times in eight starts, so he is another who is well Other relatively inexpensive stallions to keep an eye qualified for success. His top-priced yearling, a on are Rossini, a 3/4-brother to Elusive Quality who 310,000-guinea purchase named Indian Passage, is won his first three starts including the G2 Prix Robert with Brian Meehan. Papin; Bold Edge, a fast grandson of Sharpen Up whose Surprisingly, I haven't so far mentioned any stallions yearlings made up to 135,000 guineas; and Trans from the line, which is widespread in Europe. Island, another grandson of Sharpen Up who is already However, there are two Group-winning sons of Danzig off the mark. in and Monashee Mountain, plus two highly Then there's Josr Algarhoud, 's fastest son talented sons of , in and Indian Danehill. who has four youngsters with his former trainer Mick Mujahid was 25-1 when he won the 1998 Dewhurst Channon, and Lend A Hand. The latter, a very good S., which proved to be the last win of his career. He sprinter-miler, has the handicap of an unfashionable sire started his stallion career at a fee of only £4,000, an but John Ferguson bought two of his sons for attractive price for a good-looking Danzig colt out of a substantial prices. Storm Cat mare. A few good winners among his 54 France has a promising young sire in , a juveniles could see that fee rise sharply. top-class miler with excellent finishing speed. His 71 Monashee Mountain's racing career also tailed off. He foals include eight belonging to the Aga Khan. There is started favorite for the French 2000 Guineas on the also the 1998 Arc winner Sagamix. strength of four wins from four starts, but a muscle So who is going to be my tip for first-crop honors in problem compromised his effort there. He could hardly Britain and Ireland? The last few years has shown that be better bred, as a half-brother to Mineshaft, and he G1 form at two years is very important and on that has a sizeable crop, sired at the modest fee of basis my vote has to go to Giant's Causeway. IR4,500gns. Dansili has the attraction of being by a proven sire of Caulfield’s Contenders sires in Danehill, as well as being a brother to Banks Hill Stallion Sire ‘04 Fee ‘04 Farm and Intercontinental and a 3/4-brother to Heat Haze. (GB) Machiavellian i7,000 Derrinstown Very unlucky not to win the 2000 Breeders' Cup Mile, Bachir (Ire) Desert Style (Ire) ¥700,000 Shadai Dansili has proved very popular at Banstead Manor Bold Edge (GB) Beveled N/A Whent Raffin Stud. Khalid Abdullah has supported him strongly and Dansili (GB) Danehill ^12,500 Banstead Manor the youngsters have gone into training with Diktat (GB) Warning (GB) ^10,000 Dalham Hall all the Prince's top trainers, with Andre Fabre having a Dubai Millennium (GB) Seeking the Gold N/A N/A pair of very nice fillies in Changeable and Winter Giant’s Causeway Storm Cat $75,000 Ashford Silence. With a crop of 93, Dansili is definitely one to Indian Danehill (Ire) Danehill Private Irish Nat’l Stud keep an eye on in the fall - especially as he comes from Indian Lodge (Ire) Grand Lodge Private Rathbarry Stud the same family as Bold Fact, who has had two Josr Algarhoud (Ire) Darshaan (GB) ^2,500 Lavington Stud winners from two runners, despite limited King’s Best Kingmambo i35,000 Kildangan Stud opportunities. Lend a Hand (GB) Great Commotion i5,000 Kildangan Stud Indian Danehill, who has 42 juveniles, combines very Lujain Seeking the Gold ^5,000 Dalham Hall Stud good form with impressive bloodlines. Two other Monashee Mountain Danzig i3,000 Coolmore stallions from his family, Poliglote and Quest For Fame, Montjeu (Ire) Sadler’s Wells i30,000 Coolmore have done well and three of Indian Danehill's yearlings Mujahid Danzig ^5,000 Beech House Stud sold for sums equivalent to over 120,000 dollars, off a Namid (GB) Indian Ridge (Ire) Private Rathbarry Stud IR7,000gns fee. Raise a Grand (Ire) Grand Lodge i4,000 Rossenarra Stud Then there's Bachir, a dual Guineas winner by Rossini i4,000 Ballyhane Stud Danzig's grandson Desert Style. He was sent to Sagamix (Fr) Linamix (Fr) i3,800 Haras du Logis after one season in Ireland. ’s fast son Tipsy Sendawar (Ire) N/A Haras du Bonneval Creek has a crop of 40 to start with. Sinndar (Ire) Grand Lodge N/A Gilltown Stud When it comes to siring quality two-year-olds, none Tipsy Creek Dayjur ^2,500 Benson Stud of the new stallions is better qualified than Xaar. His Trans Island (GB) Selkirk i3,750 Rathasker Stud Xaar (GB) Zafonic 15,000 Kildangan Stud International Classification rating of 127 was the i highest achieved by any juvenile in the last nine years and his wins in the G1 and G1 Dewhurst S. were mightily impressive. He also comes from the same female line as El Gran Senor. Xaar's yearlings met with mixed fortunes at the sales, but two made the equivalent of over 420,000 dollars. As Machiavellian's sons Vettori and Titus Livius have done well at their level, his winner Almutawakel must be treated with respect. This well-bred horse started his career at only IR6,000gns,