Moyglare Reveals 2015 Matings

By Kelsey Riley 
The Haefner family’s Moyglare Stud, which enjoyed a banner year in 2014 as the breeder of Grade/Group 1 winners Designs On Rome (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Rich Tapestry (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) as well as the exciting J “TDN Rising Star” J Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), has unveiled the matings for some of its approximately 35 broodmares for 2015. 

Moyglare will send two mares to Galileo: Polished Gem (Ire) (Danehill), the dam of the G3 Enterprise S. winner and G1 Irish Champion S. third Free Eagle as well as group winners Sapphire (Ire) (Medicean {GB} and Custom Cut (Ire) (Notnowcato {GB}), and dual Grade I winner Switch (Quiet American), who Moyglare purchased for $4.3 million at Fasig-Tipton November in 2012. 

Moyglare’s Fiona Craig noted Polished Gem is due to foal to Galileo any day. 

“Polished Gem is in foal to Galileo and she is overdue, so she will foal hopefully this week,” Craig said. “Then she will go back to him.” 

Polished Gem’s Galileo foals will be bred on the same cross as Free Eagle; both High Chaparral and Galileo are by G1 Epsom Derby winners by Sadler’s Wells. 

Switch is returning to Galileo after producing a filly by that champion sire last year. 

“Switch had a filly foal by Galileo in 2014, and she’s currently in foal to Dansili,” Craig explained. “She will go back to Galileo–the filly is nice.” 

Moyglare was also approved for two matings to Dubawi (Ire), Europe’s second-leading sire of 2014. The operation will send Irresistible Jewel (Ire) (Danehill), the dam of G1 Irish St Leger victor Royal Diamond (Ire) (King’s Best) as well as group winners Mad About You (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) and Princess Highway (Street Cry {Ire}), to the Dalham Hall resident, as well as Utterly Heaven (Ire) (Danehill), the dam of last year’s G2 British Champions Long Distance Cup winner Forgotten Rules (Ire) (Nayef). 

“The two mares we’re sending to Dubawi are basically two mares that need a bit of speed,” Craig noted. “They’re both Danehill mares, but we need that miler speed into them. Irresistible Jewel has worked well with Mr. Prospector in the past, so she is probably not a logical mare to go back to the Sadler’s Wells line because of the staying factor. She stayed 1 1/2 miles herself, and she’s producing horses that are good at 1 1/2 miles. So what we’re trying to do there is get a bit more speed into her, but preserve the cross that’s worked in the past.” 

Craig added, “That would be the same with Utterly Heaven. I’m not expecting to breed milers out of them, but we might just get a bit more pace into the mating and just try to get away from the out-and-out stayers.” 

Moyglare will breed two mares to Dansili (GB) this year: Majestic Silver (Ire) (Linamix {Fr}), the dam of G3 Dance Design S. winner Carla Bianca (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), and G3 Ballyroan S. winner Sense of Purpose (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Craig noted that Sense of Purpose had a “crackerjack” Distorted Humor filly last year, and is currently in foal to former shuttler Redoute’s Choice (Aus). 

Moyglare will also be supporting a pair of exciting first-season sires in Cartier Horse of the Year Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and dual Derby winner Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}): Free Eagle’s half-sister Sapphire, currently in foal to Invincible Spirit, will visit Kingman, while Moving Heart (Ire) (Anabaa), a half-sister to G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Casual Conquest (Ire) (Hernando {Fr}), goes to Australia. 

“Those are two horses that have retired to stud that you’d have to have a great respect for,” Craig said. “They had exceptional ability, pedigree, and were also the right physical cross for both mares.” 

Craig noted that a physical match-up is an important as genetics in the Moyglare program. 

“We’re not commercial at all; we’re trying to breed to race, so to get the right mix on the physical side is probably as important as on pedigree,” she said. “The pedigree is part of it, but the physical is an enormous part of it, and so is the mental constitution.” 

Moyglare’s successful run has continued into 2015, with Designs on Rome and Souper Colossal (War Front)–who was bred by Moyglare and races in the Live Oak Plantation silks–having won stakes in Hong Kong and the U.S., respectively, on Feb. 7. Craig noted the cooperation of the stallion farms is a contributor to Moyglare’s continued success. 

“We really appreciate the stallion farms looking at the mares and approving them,” she said. “Our main problem in Ireland is we have so much Danehill and Sadler’s Wells; we’ve done so well with those stallions over the years that we’re desperately searching for something to breed some of the mares to. And if you can’t get to Dubawi or get what you’re asking for, it’s a real struggle.” 

Craig provided an update on Free Eagle, who will be one of the most highly anticipated older horses in training in Europe this year. The 4-year-old earned Rising Star status when breaking his maiden by 5 1/2 lengths at first asking at Leopardstown in August 2013, after which he was second to Australia in the G3 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Trial S. Free Eagle was ruled out of Classic contention by an injury last spring, but returned from just over a year on the sidelines to take the G3 Enterprise S. by seven lengths in September. He was third, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, by Noble Mission (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Al Kazeem (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Irish Champion S. in October. 

“He’s going great; he’s absolutely flying,” Craig said. “He got back down to [trainer Dermot Weld] back around Christmas time, and he’s going great. He’s full of himself, he’s matured, he’s thickened, he’s strengthened; we’re still five weeks off the start of the racing season, so what he’s doing now is a lot of conditioning work; he’s doing a little galloping.” 

Craig said a logical first target for Free Eagle would be the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh in May. 
“You’d like to think we’d get there; whether he [is ready to] run first or not, that would really be up to Dermot.” 

Craig also noted that Moyglare has mares for Distorted Humor and Medaglia d’Oro in the U.S. She said that GI Del Mar Oaks winner Discreet Marq (Discreet Cat), who Moyglare bought for $2.4 million at Fasig-Tipton November last year, would train on this year with Christophe Clement before retiring, likely to Ireland, next year. 

“She will definitely retire after this year and will probably go back to Ireland,” Craig said. “She will be bred in Ireland; that was the real reason for buying her. She’s a turf miler, and we don’t have any of that, and physically she would be a perfect mix for a lot of the horses in Ireland we want to go to. 

Click here for a 2014 TDN feature on Moyglare Stud.