Myboycharlie On the Rise

MYBOYCHARLIE ON THE RISE 
By Kelsey Riley 
When Peggy Jean (Aus) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) stormed down the middle of the Randwick course to take the G1 Sires' Produce S. last Saturday, the 2-year-old filly became the first Group 1 winner for her burgeoning second season sire. She also signaled the success of an experiment taken on by SF Bloodstock in 2007. 
While SF Bloodstock has in recent years been building up a quality portfolio of bloodstock from sales around the world, Myboycharlie, a son of Danetime (Ire), was the operation's first stallion investment almost seven years ago. 
“He was the first stallion bought by SF Bloodstock,” explained Henry Field, an Australian-based partner in that company and Managing Director of Newgate Farm. “SF Bloodstock would now be one of the biggest owners of stallion equity in the world, between Europe, North America and Australia, and Myboycharlie was the first horse we bought into.” 
It didn't take long for Myboycharlie–a €13,000 Goffs November foal purchase pinhooked to a 54,000gns yearling–to catch the eyes of not only the SF partners, but the European racing world. Trained by Fozzy Stack, Myboycharlie broke his maiden at first asking at The Curragh by three lengths, and two weeks later took the G3 Anglesey S. at The Curragh by seven lengths. That smashing performance prompted a trip to France for the G1 Prix Morny, which Myboycharlie won by two lengths. He lost his unbeaten record in his last juvenile outing, finishing third behind New Approach (Ire) and Rio de la Plata in the G1 National S. at The Curragh, but he had nonetheless done enough to impress the SF Bloodstock team, which purchased him at the end of his 2-year-old campaign. 
Fifth in a pair of Group 3s at The Curragh to kick off his 3-year-old year, Myboycharlie was transferred to the U.S. thereafter. The bay, however, went amiss after arriving in America, according to Field, and despite winning a Fair Grounds optional claimer and finishing second in a Hawthorne listed stake, was never able to show his true talent across the Atlantic. With a stud career beckoning, Myboycharlie retired with four wins from nine starts and earnings of almost $430,000. 
Field explained that Myboycharlie was purchased as a stallion to shuttle between Europe and Australia, and thus that is where his stud career would begin in 2009. His success as an early 2-year-old combined with his pedigree–being by a speedy son of Danehill from a family that traces back to Australian Group 1 winner Snowland (Aus) as well as the talented Portrillo (Aus) and sire Snippetson (Aus)–gave him obvious appeal Down Under. 
“It's a very Australian family, the Snowdrift pedigree,” Field said, referring to the dam of the aforementioned trio. “He is by Danetime, who was a stallion that we thought would work here, from a family that did work here. He was a very high class 2-year-old who won a Group 1 and he was a horse with a lot of ability.” 
Myboycharlie started at Vinery Stud in 2009 for a fee of A$10,000. With the support of SF Bloodstock as well as Vinery, he covered around 100 mares in his first two seasons, according to Field. 
“We supported him heavily with our own mares, and Vinery have done a good job getting him off the ground as a stallion that had to do it the hard way apart from our support,” Field said. 
With strong reports on his first crop yearlings and a fee decreased to A$8,800, Myboycharlie covered around 160 mares in 2011, at the same time his first crop was hitting racetracks Down Under. That group included Charlie Boy (Aus), who would go on to win the G2 Danehill S. as a 3-year-old and incidentally represents the same Gerald Ryan/Triple Crown Syndications axis as Peggy Jean, as well as the Group 2-placed Charlestown (NZ) and listed-placed Dowdstown Charlie (Aus). Last year, just before Peggy Jean's crop reached racing age, Myboycharlie's first Northern Hemisphere foals, sired at Haras Du Mezeray in France, began to make their mark. That crop included the stakes winning and Group 3-placed Salai (Fr), and on Wednesday, his first crop daughter Euro Charline (GB) stamped herself as one to watch after overcoming trouble to finish second in the G3 Nell Gwyn S. at Newmarket, a signature prep for the G1 1000 Guineas May. 4. 
“A 10,000 shuttle stallion has to do it the hard way, and he's had numerous stakes performers and had his first Group 1 [with Peggy Jean]. Gerald Ryan touts Charlie Boy as a very high class colt, and he's a Group 2 winner.” 
As a result of his early promise, Myboycharlie stood for A$16,500 last year. If his early crops are anything to go by, that price could once again make him a bargain down the road.