European First-Crop Sires

Our final group of sires with first-crop runners includes three French-based stallions whose offspring should be followed with interest this season as well as the remainder of those from Britain and Ireland not yet dealt with in our previous installments. We haven't included Caspar Netscher (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), who has won the GII Nearctic S. since returning to training after fertility issues ruled him out of a meaningful stud career. He is, however, responsible for three 2-year-olds. One of those, a filly out of Twin Love (Fr), will race for Caspar Netscher's owner Charles Wentworth after being bought from Chasemore Farm for £50,000 at the DBS Premier Yearling Sale. Mickley Stud resident Yorgunnabelucky (Giant's Causeway), a brother to Shamardal, covered a small number of both Flat and jumps mares in 2013 and he currently has two juvenile fillies listed with his former trainer Mark Johnston.

Casamento (Ire)
Shamardal – Wedding Gift (Fr) (Always Fair)
Fee in 2013: €5,000 (Darley)
First crop: 119 to race
Yearling sales average: 30,416gns/€41,198 for 102 sold

A sizeable number of yearlings at the sales were very popular, with buyers surely hoping that he, like his paternal half-brother Lope De Vega (Ire), will prove to be a chip off the old block.
As a Group 1-winning juvenile for Mick Halford, he was certainly good value when he retired to stud–and has remained so. He was beaten only once in four starts at two when a head second to Pathfork in the G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. on just his second racecourse appearance. He lost his way when switched to Godolphin the following season (having raced for Sheikh Mohammed at two), managing just one further victory in the G3 Prix du Prince d'Orange over 10 furlongs. Numbers are on his side, but plenty of his stock were pretty substantial types which might be better suited to a later start at two, as he was himself.

Dragon Pulse (Ire)
Kyllachy (GB) – Poetical (Ire) (Croco Rouge {Ire})Fee in 2013: €6,000 (Irish National Stud)
First crop: 85 to race
Yearling sales average: 24,694gns/€33,448 for 68 sold

A very good 2-year-old for Jessica Harrington, winning the G2 EBF Futurity S. and finishing a half-length behind Power (Ire) when second in the G1 Goffs National S. Switched to the Chantilly stable of Mikel Delzangles at three, he beat France's previous year's leading juvenile Dabirsim (Fr) in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau over a mile, but was down the field in his only other two starts in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 St James's Palace S. A solid horse from a noted sprinting sireline, his stock sold well, with one of his colts making 150,000gns at the recent Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale. The following day he was represented by his first winner, Fiery Character (Ire), in a Newmarket fillies' maiden.

Harbour Watch (Ire)
Acclamation (GB) – Gorband (Woodman)
Fee in 2013: £7,500 (Tweenhills Farm & Stud)
First crop: 121 to race
Yearling sales average: 27,315gns/€36,998 for 105 sold

Harbour Watch raced only three times but was unbeaten and certainly looked the part, winning his June maiden, a Newmarket conditions race and then the G2 Richmond S. at Glorious Goodwood by a combined 10 1/2. How good he could have been we'll never know, with a hind-leg injury preventing a comeback, despite his return to training at Richard Hannon's stable as a 3-year-old. Breeders have been prepared to put their faith in him and, with one of the biggest freshman crops to race for him this year, there will be no hiding place. He has already had four runners.

Sepoy (Aus)
Elusive Quality – Watchful (Aus) (Danehill)
Fee in 2013: £15,000 (Darley)
First crop: 90 to race
Yearling sales average: 78,677gns/106,568 for 58 sold

The outstanding colt of his generation in Australia, Sepoy was up and at 'em early, winning the listed Maribyrnong Trial S.–Victoria's first juvenile race of the season–followed by the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude then the G1 Blue Diamond S. itself. His glorious season culminated by winning the country's most coveted juvenile prize, the G1 Golden Slipper and he returned at three to claim another two Groups 1 races–the Manikato S. and the Coolmore Stud S.—both run over six furlongs. Sepoy's sole start in the UK, in the heavy-ground Darley July Cup won by Mayson (GB), proved disappointing but at his best he was invincible. He has a decent number of representatives this season and his stock sold very well. Mark Johnston has already boosted stud-mate Helmet (Aus)'s profile this season and Darley will be hoping he can pull off similar results with the handful of Sepoy juveniles he has in his care. Among his first crop is a half-sister to Sole Power (GB), who has been exported to Australia after being listed as a 550,000gns buyback at Tattersalls' October Sale; a half-brother to Sayif (Ire), who is in training with William Haggas; and a half-brother to Rizeena (Ire) who has been exported to Sweden.

Sir Prancealot (Ire)
Tamayuz (GB) – Mona Em (Ire) (Catrail)
Fee in 2013: €6,000 (Tally-Ho Stud)
First crop: 106 to race
Yearling sales average: 22,414gns/30,360 for 89 sold

Another of a growing number of stallions to have raced solely at two, the speedy Sir Prancealot was winning by mid-May, progressing to Sandown's listed National S. and rounding off his season and his career with victory over Bungle Inthejungle (GB) in Doncaster's Flying Childers S. He will certainly have been furnished with some mares owning equally fast and precocious credentials and, from a big first crop, it's no surprise to see him having made a swift starts, with two winners on the board already.

Rajsaman (Fr)
Linamix (Fr) – Rose Quartz (GB) (Lammtarra)
Fee in 2013: €4,000 (Haras de la Cauviniere)
First crop: 111 to race
Yearling sales average: 15,083gns/€20,431 for 60 sold

As the final son of Linamix to retire to stud, it won't have been hard to persuade breeders to give him a chance and Rajsaman was indeed the busiest new stallion in France upon retirement. He represents the team behind the success story that is Le Havre (Ire) and, indeed, many of the mares bought by Gerard Augustin-Normand initially to support La Cauviniere's flagship stallion have been deployed in the hope of giving Rajsaman a similarly positive start. A listed winner at two, he raced for four seasons and was at his best over a mile, claiming both the G2 Prix du Muguet and the G2 Qatar Prix Daniel Wildenstein. His marketing campaign included the clever pictorial use of him beating Siyouni (Fr) and Lope De Vega (Ire) in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau–two decent names to have trailing in your wake.

Rio De La Plata
Rahy – Express Way (Arg) (Ahmad {Arg})
Fee in 2013: €7,000 (Darley, Haras du Logis)
First crop: 46 to race
Yearling sales average: 29,994gns/€40,628 for 32 sold

The poster boy of the breeze-up sales, the indefatigable Rio De Le Plata raced until he was seven, notching three Group 1 wins, as a juvenile in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and later as a 5-year-old. Like Le Havre (Ire), he represents the dwindling Blushing Groom sireline, and he had ample opportunity to prove himself to be a thoroughly sound and admirable campaigner for the Godolphin team. John Ferguson bought his most expensive yearling at Arqana's August Sale–a €250,000 colt out of Maka (Fr), who is now in training with Andre Fabre. Bill Gredley went to 105,000gns to buy American Patrol (Ire) at Tattersalls and he is in training with Michael Bell. The colt was bred by Con Marnane, who pinhooked Rio De La Plata and sold him at the Craven Breeze-up for 170,000gns,

Tin Horse (Ire)
Sakhee – Joyeuse Entree (GB) (Kendor {Fr})
Fee in 2013: €4,000 (Haras de Grandcamp)
First crop: 54 to race
Yearling sales average: 13,705gns/€18,565 for 31 sold

The substantial grey Tin Horse became Sakhee's only Classic winner when landing the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains for his owner-breeder the Marquesa de Moratalla. He started early as a 2-year-old, winning over five furlongs at Chantilly in May and later chasing home Dream Ahead and then Wootton Bassett (GB) when second in both the G1 Darley Prix Morny and G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. He continued racing until he was four, adding the G3 Prix Messidor to his tally, before joining Eric Lhermite's burgeoning collection of stallions at Haras de Grandcamp. Expect the majority of his select first crop to be racing in France, though several have made their way to the UK, with Karl Burke and Ed Vaughan each training a 2-year-old by him.

Campanologist
Kingmambo – Ring Of Music (GB) (Sadler's Wells)
Fee in 2013: €7,500 (Gestut Fahrhof)
First crop: 53 to race
Yearling sales average: 23,459gns/€31,776 for 28 sold

Sadly only two more crops will follow this one for Campanologist, who died from colic in December while on his way back to Germany from Argentina. Beautifully bred, by Kingmambo out of a Sadler's Wells half-sister to Singspiel and Rahy, he mopped up four Group 1 contests on the continent for Godolphin, as well as Ascot's G2 King Edward VII S. and the G2 Dubai City of Gold. A dual winner at two when under Mark Johnston's care, he went on to glory in 11 of his 36 starts, earning more than £1 million in the process. His premature death is undoubtedly a great loss to Gestut Fahrhof and we are likely to see his stock come to the fore as 3-year-olds and beyond.

Scalo (GB)
Lando (Ger) – Sky Dancing (Ire) (Exit To Nowhere)
Fee in 2013: €3,500 (Haras du Logis St Germain)
First crop: 11 listed with France-Galop
Yearling sales average: 13,456gns/€18,227 for 11 sold

Like Campanologist, he was a winner of the G1 Preis Von Europa over 12 furlongs at three, a season in which he claimed four Group wins for Andreas Wohler, adding the G2 Gerling-Preis to that record at four. We're unlikely to see many of his runners this season.

Foal crop and sales statistics provided by Weatherbys Bloodstock Reports.