2025 first-season sires

When it comes to the 2025 crop of first-season sires in Europe, there's one stallion who is now operating in truly rarefied air, fittingly so for a horse going by the name of Starman. With 16 individual winners on the board in Europe, the son of Dutch Art is currently six clear of Nando Parrado and eight clear of A'Ali, with Palace Pier, Space Blues and Supremacy then locked in a three-way tie for fourth with seven winners apiece. Lucky Vega has six, while Ubettabelieveit and Victor Ludorum each have...

The colt crowned Cartier Horse of the Year in 2021 when he retired as a five-time Group 1 winner; an elite miler who also won five races at the top level, notably at Royal Ascot in both 2020 and 2021; and the GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero of 2021, speedy enough to win the previous year's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest over six and a half furlongs. Those three summations alone should give some idea of the calibre of racehorse we're dealing with when it comes to the 2025 crop...