Bill Oppenheim, December 22, 2004–Bumper Christmas Lists for European Breeders I Do Have an Association with the Breeders of from the DESK OF
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Bill Oppenheim, December 22, 2004–Bumper Christmas Lists for European Breeders I do have an association with the breeders of FROM THE DESK OF... Sulamani, so I would no doubt be biased toward him as a sire prospect anyway. In fact, I think Sulamani has a Bill Oppenheim serious chance to be the most important Nijinsky-line sire since Nijinsky himself. Bumper Christmas Lists for European Breeders I make this bold assertion for two reasons. First, The pathetic performance of the U.S. dollar may be because Nijinsky was one of the greats. From Northern encouraging Europeans to come shopping in New York, Dancer's second crop, he achieved a Timeform rating of but there are so many reasonably priced stallions in 138 and, though the first and least typical of Northern Europe these days that not many European breeders are Dancer's great sons, he was also a great sire. But his going to be tempted to send their mares to America to sire line has been in decline, and until recently it be covered. They may buy mares in America and leave seemed he would be another of many top-class sires them there to take advantage of the huge and so-far who would survive more through the dam's side than dependable marketplace for their produce, but European the sire's. mares, for the most part, will be staying in Europe for The second reason is because one small ribbon of now. Whether there will be owners to whom to sell the Nijinsky, namely the dual St. Leger (Irish and French) produce in 2006-07 is more open to question, but, as winner Niniski, is proving far more significant an far as breeding to good stallions and stallion prospects influence than it appeared at the time. He was a for reasonable money, there is plenty from which Timeform 125. He begat Hernando--top Timeform European breeders might choose. rating of 127--who succeeded his sire at Kirsten In fact, with this column we are publishing two Rausing's Lanwades Stud. Now Hernando has sired tables. Table one lists 14 stallions priced between Sulamani --top Timeform rating 130 (at three, in 2002), ^10,000/ 15,000 ($20,000) and ^20,000/ 30,000 and Timeform 128 the last two years. The trend usually ($40,000). I've made no comment on those (except goes the other way the further you get away from the below, as regards Nijinsky). Table two lists 20 stallions great horse, the more the class is diluted. This crowd is going the other way: the trend is up. standing for under ^10,000/ 15,000 ($20,000), and One other interesting thing about all these Nijinskys we have run our rule over those. now: they are throwing similar physical types, much longer, and more distance horses than the usual Sulamani and the Nijinsky Branch of Northern Northern Dancer. But here's a great example of the sire Dancer... line, which we use for identification, not telling the Andrew Caulfield commented yesterday that whole story--Nijinsky is out of a mare by Bull Page, a Hernando (at ^12,000) could face keen competition son of Bull Lea, and for my money, he has always been from his son Sulamani (^7,000) for mares in much more Bull Lea than Northern Dancer. Another Newmarket. But there should be plenty for both, as interesting difference is that you don't breed to these well as for Dalham Hall's ex-German son of Niniski, Nijinskys expecting to own two-year-old champions. Lomitas (^12,000). These horses should be swamped Look at the difference between two- and three-year-old with mares because they represent a resurgence in the ABC Runners for the following Nijinsky-line stallions: fortunes of the Nijinsky branch of Northern Dancer as a sire line. Hernando sports a 2.70 APEX ‘A’ Runner Sire ABC 2yos ABC 3yos Index, Lomitas is 2.11, and Sulamani, at £7,000, is at a Hernando (by Niniski) 0.59 1.75 giveaway price for a top-class horse who won six Lomitas (by Niniski) 0.51 1.95 Grade/Group Is and earned over $5 million. Kahyasi (by Ile de Bourbon) 0.55 1.84 www.darbydan.com We hear a lot these days about how people want Domedriver (1st foals 2005, GB): The breeder and stud outcrosses, alternatives, horses that are durable and master combined for Hernando, and there's plenty to get the trip. Well, technically they may not be like about this fellow. He's the best-bred son of Indian outcrosses, but practically, they are. Look at the record Ridge (second dam a sister to El Gran Senor), and he of Danzig-line sires over Nijinsky-line mares: 33 ‘A’ won the Breeders' Cup Mile. Runners and counting, only eight of them foaled before 1996. There is a great opportunity for breeders to put Elusive City (Retires 2005, Ir): He was a very good- their money where their mouths are, and it won't take looking, fast two-year-old from Elusive Quality's first much money, either. Kahyasi (i6,000), still in France, crop--the second included Smarty Jones--and now he and Hernando, Lomitas, and now Sulamani in returns to Europe with an i8,000 ticket. The bidding Newmarket. At a cost of between $8,000-$24,000, on him for stud duty was hot and heavy, and he is likely to prove one of those very popular Irish these horses should be attracting huge books of mares, 'commercial' sires. including from America. Gold Away (1st 3yo's 2004, Fr): Second in four Plenty More Bargains... Group 1s, but never won one. Even so, he always Act One (1st foals 2004, GB): First foals only averaged looked a pretty good value cheap stallion. I thought he 18,242gns for eight actually sold, but was a Group 1 would have won Silic's Breeders' Cup Mile, but broke winner at two and undefeated until Sulamani lowered down a week or so beforehand. Alexander Goldrun his colors. Good horse, presumably better supported by proves he was for real, and he has a 3.18 two-year-old breeders. index, too. Bahamian Bounty (1st foals 1999, GB): Bit above Intikhab (1st 3yo's 2004, Ir): First or second in 13 of average for ‘A’ Runners, but really useful 1.94 ‘B’ his 14 career starts, but hasn't got a big following; Runner Index. Consistently above average, overall. short on ‘A’ Runners so far (does have a GSW two-year-old), but has tremendous ‘B’ Runner (3.01) Bahhare (1st foals 2000, Fr): Actually comes out about and ‘C’ Runner (2.71) ratings; one of six Sheikh a 1.50 stallion, which is really well above average; he is Hamdan stallions on these two lists. a bit above average even for two-year-olds, but they do seem better as three-year-olds and up, so far. Kahyasi (1st foals 1990, Fr): He's always been a useful sire (1.64 ‘A’ Runner Index, 1.93 ‘B’ since 1998), now Beat Hollow (1st foals 2004, GB): His dam is an Irish has quite a reputation as a broodmare sire, too, through Oaks-winning full sister to Oasis Dream's dam, so that the exploits of his daughter, Hasili. But he's first and proves the family has class, and reacts in distance foremost a racehorse sire, and good value for those extra possibilities, too. terms to the sire; won four Grade/Group Is himself and has a bit of a following; just three foals sold averaged No Excuse Needed (1st foals 2005, Ir): There's nothing over 30,000gns at the foal sales. like a good European miler to make a credible sire prospect, so it won't do to forget about this fellow. He Captain Rio (1st foals 2005, Ir): From the team that did not win a Group 1, it is true, but he did win the brought you Rossini, Joe Foley's Ballyhane Stud. They Queen Anne at Royal Ascot the last year it was a Group say this fellow is drop-dead gorgeous, he's by Pivotal, 2. He comes from the same team that brought you Key and he was wildly popular among Irish breeders this of Luck, too--Sheikh Maktoum's Gainsborough and year. Derek Iceton's Tara Stud. Compton Place (1st foals 2000, GB): Another with 2-4 Sulamani (Retires 2005, GB): Winner of six Group 1 crops racing who is average for ‘A’ Runners (1.09), races at 10-12 furlongs and, as I've described above, which is actually not bad for a £5,000 stallion. This has the potential to continue the revival of the Nijinsky fellow won the G1 July Cup himself (at three) and has line. He certainly displayed a lot of virtues breeders (or, a 2.00 rating for his two-year-olds so far. at least, pundits claiming to be speaking for breeders) Diktat (1st 2yo's 2004, GB): Cape Cross's nephew say they want: he was tough, durable, and got the trip. finished well up on EU freshman sire list while still I hope he's a great buy at £7,000. looking like they're going to be better three-year-olds. Looks quite promising, and I hope some bold Systematic (Retires 2005, GB): Here's the lights-out, frontiersman will send him a Cape Cross mare this year. knock-em-cold, sleeper of the year. He's another Sheikh Maktoum-bred like No Excuse Needed (above) and Docksider (1st 3yo's 2004, Ir): He looked ice cold early Touch of the Blues (below).