Reliable Man

Plenty - maybe too much - has been said already on the subject of Constitution Hill and whether or not he will run in the Champion Hurdle in a fortnight's time. While we all have our opinions, it is most important now to respect the decision either way of the horse's owner Michael Buckley and trainer Nicky Henderson. What has become patently clear from their interviews on Friday and over the weekend is how much they feel the weight of responsibility when it comes to doing what is right for...

Former European stallion Reliable Man has died in New Zealand, GaloppOnline reported on Thursday. The G1 Prix du Jockey Club-winning son of Dalakhani was 18. Gestut Rottgen's Frank Dorff told the publication, "This morning we received the sad news from New Zealand about the death of the stallion Reliable Man. He had to be operated on, unfortunately he had to be euthanized as a result of complications after the operation." Bred by N. P. Bloodstock, the grey would win his first three starts in succession as a three-year-old, culminating in...

At the risk of making anyone who knows me choke on their cornflakes upon reading this, I'm rather enjoying the big sprint races this year. The rivalry between Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) and Asfoora (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}) now stands at honours even, though it was hard not to feel that Asfoora was a little hard done by when Live In The Dream (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}) edged left just at the moment the Australian was launching her challenge down the stands' side in the G2 King...

IFFEZHEIM, Germany--Baden-Baden, so good they named it twice. Okay, so the BBAG sales complex and its neighbouring grand racecourse may be in the small nearby village of Iffezheim but it is Baden-Baden that lends its name to the current stop on the European yearling sales tour, now that Donville is in the rear-view mirror. The caravan rolls on, and it is always wise to stay on for a few days in Baden-Baden if time allows as, whether you're a pedigree purist or you simply enjoy a good day out at...

There can be no better breeding home run than for a mare to produce a Derby winner as her first foal. In the case of Gestüt Röttgen's homebred Wellenspiel (Ger) (Sternkoenig {Ger}), this auspicious entree to her stud career happened not once but twice, with her first two foals both becoming winners of the G1 Deutsches Derby. Windstoss (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}) and his half-brother Weltstar (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) are the product of nine generations of Röttgen breeding, stretching back to the purchase of one of the stud's first mares,...

Group 1 winners Reliable Man (GB) and Protectionist (Ger) will each be available at Gestut Roettgen in 2021 for €6,500 free return. Reliable Man returns to Roettgen after two years in France. In four years with runners Reliable Man has left 22 stakes winners, headed by the Southern Hemisphere Group 1 winners Miami Bound (NZ) and Miss Sentimental (NZ). His best Northern Hemisphere runners is the G2 Diana Trial scorer Hypnos (Ger). Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist is the sire of two stakes-placed horses from his first crop of 2-year-olds this...