Breeding on a Budget_2026

Breeding on a Budget

Your essential guide to finding value in the British and Irish stallion ranks

Bloodstock special Breeding on a Budget

THIS RACING POST

Bloodstock supplement highlights a carefully selected group of British and Irish sires standing at £10,000/€12,500 or less, offering breeders access to proven speed, Classic class and emerging value at realistic, workable fees.

Compiling the tables each year is no small task, and it is always striking to see which stallions enter this bracket for the first time, as well as those returning after seasons above the threshold.

Coolmore’s Saxon Warrior is one such example, making his debut in these pages after his fee was adjusted to an attractive €10,000 for 2026. Similarly, Shaquille enters the conversation at £10,000, having stood at £15,000 in his first two seasons. His first crop of foals sold strongly, averaging 61,024gns and reaching a high of 210,000gns, underlining sustained commercial confidence.

Others qualify despite coming off seasons that could easily have justified higher fees. Golden Horn continues to thrive across both codes, highlighted by Cheltenham Festival Grade 1 victories for Golden Ace and Poniros, while Trawlerman became his first Flat Group 1 winner in the Gold Cup. He remains an appealing dual-purpose option at an unchanged £10,000.

First-season sires are always among the most intriguing prospects, particularly when elite racecourse form aligns with commercial accessibility. The 2026 intake features precocious speed influences such as Aesterius, Arizona Blaze and Electrolyte, alongside National Hunt prospects rich in stamina and pedigree, including Los Angeles and Kyprios. Alongside the newcomers, established value sires continue to offer reliability for a range of breeding objectives as their crops develop and mature.

Martin Stevens and Mary-Jo Jackson are your guides to the innumerable choices this year, and we hope you find the words and data beneficial when finalising your mating plans for the season.

LYDIA SYMONDS, GLOBAL BLOODSTOCK EDITOR

Beauty

Beauty in a bargain

Martin Stevens with ten humbly bred performers who excelled on the track in 2025

AMERICAN AFFAIR

6yo b g Washington DC-Classy Anne (Orientor) Bred by John McGrandles What a smashing feat of budget breeding. John McGrandles bred the winner of last year’s King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot by sending Classy Anne, a teaktough multiple winner by little-used sire Orientor, to Washington DC when he was standing his first season at Bearstone Stud at a fee of just £6,000.

American Affair, who is joint-owned by McGrandles’ Barraston Racing and trainer Jim Goldie, was one of several smart sprinters to emerge from Washington DC’s relatively small number of runners in 2025, along with

American Style, Dmaniac, Sondad, Venture Capital and Washington Heights.

Washington DC, a Windsor Castle Stakes winner and multiple Group 1-placed sprinter by Zoffany, had fallen out of use at Bearstone Stud in recent years but he demands attention now that he has proved he can get a good one – especially at £3,500.

AMILOC

4yo b g Postponed-Colima (Authorized)

Bred by David and Vimy Aykroyd Owner-breeders who don’t generally sell their produce, and can therefore safely ignore the whims of fashion, have their pick of the stallion ranks and are able to use the many top-class horses who stand at

small fees because they have fallen out of favour.

Amiloc is proof of that. The Aykroyds bred their King Edward VII Stakes hero and Irish St Leger runner-up by sending their Listed-placed Authorized mare Colima to Postponed, a brilliant fourtime Group 1 winner by Dubawi, when he was standing his fourth season at Dalham Hall Stud at a fee of just £7,500.

Postponed hit a rich vein of form last year after a quiet start as a stallion, as he was also represented by Lillie Langtry Stakes heroine Waardah and Nottinghamshire Oaks winner Ambiente Amigo. Free-thinking Flat breeders should consider him at his fee of £6,000 in his dual-purpose role at Yorton Farm Stud.

ARDISIA

3yo b g Ardad-Garraun (Tamayuz)

Bred by Lynn Lodge Stud

If it’s a precocious and pacey horse you want to breed, and at an affordable price, then make sure Overbury Stud’s £7,500 option Ardad is on your shortlist.

Ardisia is a fine example of what the son of Kodiac can do. He was bought by Sackville Donald and Manor House Stables for £33,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale and ran 12 times last year for Hugo Palmer, winning five races including the Redcar TwoYear-Old Trophy and valuable nurseries at Glorious Goodwood and the Ayr Western meeting.

Ardisia, bred by Lynn Lodge Stud, is one of 22 black-type

horses for Ardad alongside multiple Group 1 winner Perfect Power and Group 3 scorers Eve Lodge and Tadej.

COPPULL

3yo b c Bated BreathSpringwood Drive (Mayson)

Bred by Highfield Farm David and Emma Armstrong’s homebred Richmond Stakes winner and Coventry and Middle Park Stakes third is by one credible value sire and out of a mare by another.

Coppull’s sire Bated Breath is responsible for 68 blacktype performers, led by Grade 1 winner Viadera and further Group 2 scorers Beckford, Breath Away, Daahyeh, Gift List, Space Traveller and Worth Waiting. The son of Dansili

slashed to £5,000 at Banstead Manor Stud this year, which makes him highly attractive. Coppull’s dam Springwood Drive is meanwhile by the Armstrongs’ homebred July Cup hero Mayson, a proven source of speed – think Ainsdale, Chipstead, Oxted, Laugh A Minute, Lihou, Rohaan and so on – who has moved this year to Norton Grove Stud, where he is available at the come-and-getme price of £3,500.

ETHICAL DIAMOND

6yo b g Awtaad-Pearl Diamond (Areion)

Bred by William Kennedy

This time last year Ethical

His sire Awtaad commanded a fee of €15,000 when he was conceived and yet he is even cheaper at Derrinstown Stud now, at just €8,500, in spite of having also delivered the likes of Anisette, Anmaat and Al Qareem at high ratios of stakes-winners to runners. Ethical Diamond was bred by William Kennedy and won a Limerick maiden in his wife Emma’s colours, before he was sold to Mullins and the trainer’s regular talent scout Harold Kirk for 320,000gns at the 2023 Tattersalls July Sale.

JM JUNGLE

6yo b g Bungle Inthejungle-The Shrew (Dansili)

from his breeder Lodge Park Stud for £46,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale and his sire Bungle Inthejungle was standing at €12,000 when he was conceived, and is now available for just €7,500 at Rathasker Stud.

Bungle Inthejungle, a sharp and speedy son of Exceed And Excel, was also on the mark in 2025 with Flying Childers Stakes winner Revival Power and dual Santa Anita Grade 3 scorer Jungle Peace. He is the perfect choice to start off a mare at a realistic price.

LADY WITH THE LAMP

4yo b f King Of Change-Caring

price is back down to €12,500 at Rathbarry Stud this season. Kodi Bear, a high-class son of Kodiac, has impressed in the early years of his stallion career, producing decent ratios of winners and stakes performers, and he has two other Group 2 winners besides Lifeplan (pictured below) to his credit, in Go Bears Go and Leovanni.

Lifeplan represents a fine bit of business for recent ITBA

season, presumably for a small fortune.

She is out of the winning Elusive Quality mare Caring Touch, who was purchased by her joint-breeder Paul McEnery at the end of her three-year-old season for just 12,000gns, and was bought by Kevin Blake from the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale for just €14,000.

King Of Change is evidently upgrading the chances he received early in his stallion career and is well worth a shot in his new home of Tweenhills at a fee of £8,500.

LIFEPLAN

3yo b c Kodi Bear-A Taad Moody

Next Generation award winner Joann Lyons, who bred him and his dam A Taad Moody, a Listed-placed daughter of Awtaad, and sold him to Killourney Mor Farm for €85,000 as a foal.

NO HALF MEASURES

5yo b f Cable Bay-Fascinator (Helmet)

Bred by Bumble Bloodstock and Sally Nicholls

standing at a fee of €15,000, a snip above the Racing Post’s budget bracket, but the sire’s

No Half Measures is one of those wonderful horses who has done a favour for each of her connections in her life so far. She was bred by Bumble Mitchell and Sally Nicholls and conceived when her sire Cable Bay stood at Highclere Stud at a reasonable fee, and she was sold to trainer Richard Hughes for £34,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale. Hughes sent her out to win seven races, including last year’s July Cup, and to earn more than £550,000 in prize-money, and her owner Richard Gallagher sold her to Northern Farm in Japan at the end of the

No Half Measures is from Cable Bay’s penultimate British crop, before he was sold to India, where he died last year. The sire always compiled decent stats, so it’s a shame he’s no longer around, although breeders do have access to his high-class sprinter son Dragon Symbol, who stands at Whitsbury Manor Stud at £8,000.

ZAVATERI

3yo ch c Without Parole-Zeroua (Siyouni)

Bred by John Gunther and TTR Bloodstock

Without Parole’s ownerbreeders John and Tanya Gunther have shown the way with their St James’s Palace Stakes winner, who stands at Newsells Park Stud, by breeding last season’s likeable Group 1-winning two-year-old Zavateri from him.

Zavateri, a 35,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 yearling purchase by his trainer Eve Johnson Houghton and Highflyer Bloodstock, won all of his first four starts, including the July Stakes, Vintage Stakes and National Stakes, and was far from disgraced when a close fourth in the Dewhurst. Tally-Ho Stud has already struck a deal to stand him in the future.

Without Parole, a beautifully bred son of Frankel, has also delivered stakes performers Fiery Lucy, Genchev, Sea To Sky and Serving Time, as well as smart handicapper Mr Chaplin, from his first two crops. He represents good value at his fee of £10,000.

Bloodstock special Breeding on a Budget

Punching above their weight:

Sires delivering more for less

Martin Stevens shines the spotlight on the affordable stallions whose progeny are excelling

KING OF CHANGE’S outstanding start with his first two crops of racing age is confirmed by him being the leading sire standing in Britain or Ireland at £10,000/€12,500 or less by the strike-rate of their progeny who achieved an RPR of at least 80 in 2025.

The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes hero by Farhh had 11 of his 23 representatives on either side of the Irish Sea last year run to a mark of 80, the sort of level of ability needed to win a fair-quality maiden or decent handicap, at a brilliant strikerate of 48 per cent.

King Of Change’s best performers on these shores last year were the Listed winners Lady With The Lamp, Onemoredance and Shayem, highly rated dual conditions race scorer Barbizon and smart sprint handicapper Lady Roxby. He has achieved all that in spite of covering small books of generally modest quality in his early years at stud, so it was no surprise that Tweenhills moved to buy him at the start of the year. He has had his fee increased to £8,500 from €5,000 but he will receive stronger support, both in terms of mares sent to him and purchasing of his youngstock,

in his new home and so he still represents tremendous value.

Batsford Stud stalwart Swiss Spirit makes a surprise appearance in second in the table, but the son of Invincible Spirit fielded quite a few fair sprint handicappers last year, including Intervention, Tees Spirit and The Caltonian, from a dwindling number of runners. He stands at just £1,000, so might provide hobby breeders with some fun.

Awtaad is renowned as a statistical over-achiever and here is further proof. Some 20 of his 57 runners in Britain and Ireland last year, 35 per cent, posted an RPR of at least 80. They included triple Group 1 runner-up Anmaat, a previous winner of the Champion Stakes; Ebor scorer Ethical Diamond, who went on to land the Breeders’ Cup Turf; and the tough and consistent Al Qareem, who won four black-type races in 2025.

The son of Cape Cross hasn’t always been the number one choice of breeders, for some bewildering reason, but he has several bigger crops in the pipeline – 46 two-year-olds and 69 yearlings – and he is a total no-brainer at €8,500 at Derrinstown Stud.

Postponed and Cracksman are interesting. Both formerly stood at Dalham Hall Stud and had their moments as Flat sires – Group 2 winners Amiloc and Waardah for the former, European champion Ace Impact for the latter – but they have now been repurposed as dual-purpose propositions at Yorton Farm Stud.

As their decent strike-rates of runners rated 80 or more in Britain and Ireland in 2025 show, they still have something to offer Flat breeders on a budget, in much the same way that Golden Horn has maintained his appeal for the Flat by perennially producing excellent percentages of useful runners.

Golden Horn – 31 per cent of whose representatives last year achieved or exceeded that mark of 80 – had a banner season, with Trawlerman becoming his first Group 1 winner in the Gold Cup and Divina Grace, Karmology and Santorini Star striking in Pattern races. Overbury Stud has held his fee at £10,000, which is more than fair.

While Postponed, Cracksman and Golden Horn give breeders on a budget a sporting chance of producing a talented middle-distance performer or stayer, Rajasinghe gives value-seekers a good opportunity to get an accomplished sprinter.

The son of Choisir hasn’t received the level of support he deserves at the National Stud and consequently has very few runners, but he has still made a name for himself as a reliable source of classy speed horses. His nine runners who achieved an RPR of 80 in Britain and Ireland last year, notched at a rate of 35 per cent, included Two Tribes and Run Boy Run, who won three premier handicaps –the International, Stewards’ Cup and Ayr Gold Cup – between them over the summer.

Rajasinghe deserves considerably more patronage at his fee of £3,000.

These statistics show how Phoenix Of Spain is bubbling under as a credible commercial offering at the Irish National Stud. The son of Lope De Vega delivered 22 runners rated 80 or better in Britain and Ireland last year, at 34 per cent, and they included stakes winners Atsila, Aviatrice, Caballo De Mar, Cheshire Dancer, Haatem and Lady Of Spain, as well as classy handicappers Dain Ma Nut In, Indalo and Nans View.

Phoenix Of Spain has a big crop of 133 yearlings who might show him in a good light in future, so he could be a shrewd choice at his fee of €12,500 this season.

Saxon Warrior has been a little quiet since his highly promising freshman season, but his fee at Coolmore has been slashed to €10,000 and a fair amount of his progeny ran to a rating of 80 or higher in 2025. Garden Of Eden, Rage Of Bamby and Sardinian Warrior showed he can get them out of the top drawer too.

The son of Deep Impact has 180 two-year-olds on the ground, bred in the afterglow of his debut juveniles lighting up the track, so there should be more to come from him.

Harry Angel’s role as a firm friend of breeders operating at the lower end of the market is illustrated once again by him supplying 32 per cent runners with an RPR of at least 80. His roll of honour is far better in

OF

Australia and New Zealand, for one reason or another, but Fair Angellica and Marshman are among the quality horses he has delivered in this hemisphere.

The son of Dark Angel, available at £10,000 at Dalham Hall Stud, also has some sizeable crops coming through: specifically 110 two-year-olds and 89 yearlings.

The other sires to post 30 per cent of more 80-plus rated horses in Britain and Ireland last year were Oakgrove Stud’s subfertile champion Al Kazeem, a dependable source of talent worth persevering with at his rock-bottom fee, and former Flat options Free Eagle and Masar, now plying their trade as National Hunt stallions in Ireland.

OR MORE IN 2025

Ire On

Elite speed. Elite prices!

Europe’s highest-rated sprinter in 2022 - his first yearlings took each sales ring by storm. Huge sums were paid inc. 550,000gns, 450,000gns, 300,000gns, €300,000 etc. with an average six-times his opening fee…

€12,500 January 1st SLF

Group 1 winning sire!

A Group 1 performer from each of his first two crops - the track-record breaking Gr.1 Sprint Cup winner Big Mojo and Cape Orator, the Gr.1 Criterium International placed two-year-old and first-ever dual winner of the Arqana Series.

£10,000 January 1st SLF

Outstanding dual Group 1 winner!

The blue-blooded winner of two of Europe’s premier races, the Gr.1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the Gr.1 Juddmonte International. He remains the highest-rated horse to retire to stud in Great Britain since Baaeed.

£9,000 January 1st SLF

Bloodstock special Breeding on a Budget

THE DIRECTORY

Aesterius

4, Pedigree Mehmas – Jane Doe by Hallowed Crown, Bearstone Stud, £6,500

A Listed winner early in his juvenile season, Aesterius is the newest addition to Bearstone Stud’s speed-laden roster. The son of champion first and second-season sire Mehmas consistently delivered at two for trainer Archie Watson and Wathnan Racing, later posting back-to-back Group victories over five furlongs in the Group 3 Prix d’Arenberg at Longchamp and then the Group 2 Flying Childers at Doncaster. He denied subsequent Group 1 Sprint Cup winner Big Mojo by a neck in the latter. Aesterius sold for 52,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale and then 60,000gns at the Tattersalls Book 2 Yearling Sale before turning heads at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale, where he made £380,000 to the

bid of Blandford Bloodstock. Tally Ho Stud’s Mehmas could prove a sire of sires, with his first few sons to commence stud duties headed by one of last year’s leading freshman sires in Supremacy, and Minzaal, whose first yearlings were well-received at the sales last year, going for an average price of 79,112gns from his £15,000 debut fee.

Arizona Blaze

4 Sergei Prokofiev – Liberisque by Equiano Irish National Stud, €12,500 Last year’s Group 1 Flying Five Stakes winner Arizona Blaze (pictured right) is the newest recruit for the Irish National Stud. A Group 3-winning juvenile for trainer Adrian Murray, the Amo Racing-owned colt ended his first campaign running a neck-second to Magnum Force in the Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar, and returned at three to add three more Group-race wins to his name. Having finished a

narrow second behind Time For Sandals in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, his Group 1 laurels came at the Curragh, when he beat Nighteyes by a length, with elite-level winners Bucanero Fuerte and subsequent champion sprinter Asfoora also in behind. Arizona Blaze had also come up just a neck short to Time For Sandals in the earlier that season. An £82,000 Goffs Premier Yearling purchase, the colt is out of winning Equiano mare Liberisque, herself out of Listed-winning Galileo mare Jane Austen.

Electrolyte

4 Hello Youmzain – Binary by Royal Applause Norton Grove Stud, £3,000

A good win on debut earned Wathnan Racing’s Electrolyte a crack at the Group 2 Coventry Stakes, and the Archie Watsontrained son of Hello Youmzain did not disappoint at the royal meeting, storming home late to run a nose-second to Rashabar. That effort saw him defeat subsequent French 2,000 Guineas winner Camille Pissarro, as well as future Group winners Cool Hoof Luke, Symbol Of Honour and Cowardofthecounty. Two below-par efforts followed, after which the colt had a close finish on his way when winning the Group 3 Prix Eclipse over six furlongs at Chantilly. Electrolyte sold for 72,000gns as a yearling, before going on to realise £220,000 to the bid of Blandford Bloodstock at the 2024 Goffs UK 2YO Breeze-Up Sale. While showing bundles of speed on the track, he is out of half-sister to Gold Cup winner Rite Of Passage and a half-

brother to Group 3 Earl Of Sefton winner Calderon.

Elite Status

5 Havana Grey – Dotted Swiss by Swiss Spirit Whitsbury Manor Stud, £8,000

The highest-rated performer by Whitsbury Manor’s own leading sire Havana Grey, Elite Status (pictured right) was sent out by Karl Burke to win the Listed National Stakes and Group 3 Prix de Cabourg at two. The following season he took the Listed Carnarvon and Group 3 Hackwood Stakes, denying Group 2 scorer and AU$10 million Golden Eagle hero Lake Forest by a halflength in the latter. Also behind him that day were Group 1 winners Kind Of Blue and Regional. Elite Status initially made 56,000gns as a foal before releasing 325,000gns

when selling to Karl and Kelly Burke at Tattersalls Book 2 the following year. The five-yearold’s page has plenty of juvenile form to complement his own, with him being a brother to the Listed-winning two-year-old Soldier’s Heart and from the family of Group 2-winning juvenile Diego Velasquez, who scored in the Prix Jacques Le Marois at four.

Kyprios

8 Galileo – Polished Gem by Danehill

Coolmore NH, €5,000

Another exciting addition to Coolmore’s National Hunt stallion ranks is the mighty Kyprios. Bred by Moyglare Stud, the son of Galileo retired a 17time winner from 21 starts, with eight of those Group 1 strikes and 15 coming at stakes level. He completed a phenomenal clean sweep of wins in elite company in 2022, landing the Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup, Irish St Leger and Prix du Cadran. He made a remarkable return after an injury-hit season in 2023 to take all four again the following year. The highest rated new sire for 2026 by Racing Post Ratings with a career high of 128, Kyprios is out of blue hen mare Polished Gem, the dam seven other stakes winners including dual Irish St Leger winner Search For A Song and Prince Of Wales’s Stakes winner Free Eagle.

Los Angeles

5 Camelot – Frequential by Dansili

Coolmore NH, €7,500

An undefeated Group 1-winning juvenile, Los Angeles shapes as one of the most exciting first-season sires in the National Hunt sphere. Coolmore’s imposing son of 2024 European champion sire Camelot went on to post elite-level scores in the Irish Derby at three and the Tattersalls Gold Cup at four, with placings in the Epsom Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe other career highlights. From the family of Arc winner and legendary broodmare Urban Sea, Los Angeles is bred on the same cross as 2024 Arc heroine

Bluestocking and is a brother to winners Be Happy and Hector De Maris, who were both stakes-placed over a mile and a half.

Magnum Force

4 Mehmas – Tropical Rock by Fastnet Rock

Ballyhane Stud, €7,500

Another son of Tally Ho Stud’s Mehmas, Magnum Force is new to the Ballyhane Stud roster for 2026. The colt’s career highlight was his Grade 1 glory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar in 2024, when he defeated fellow new sires Arizona Blaze and Aesterius, as well as Group 1 winners Big Mojo and Whistlejacket. Trained by Ger Lyons for owner-breeder Sheikh Abdulla Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Magnum Force was also twiceplaced at stakes level prior to his transatlantic Grade 1 win, finishing third in the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster and a neck-second at Listed level at York.

Royal Scotsman

6 Gleneagles – Enrol by Pivotal Genesis Green Stud, £6,000

The son of Gleneagles is the highest-rated two-year-old to retire to stud in 2026, courtesy of his record-breaking win in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes and narrow second in the

Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes behind subsequent Classic winner Chaldean. Trained by Paul and Oliver Cole, Royal Scotsman was also third in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot behind Bradsell in his juvenile season, and returned at three to place in the 2,000 Guineas. He added another Group win to his CV at four when taking the Diomed Stakes at Epsom, and on his final start later that season finished runner-up in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket. A three-parts brother to Hong Kong Group winner Encountered, Royal Scotsman, who was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock, was consigned by Genesis Green Stud at Tattersalls Book 2 in 2021, when he sold to Oliver Cole for 125,000gns, and returns to stand at the Newmarket operation.

Scorthy Champ

4 Mehmas – Fidaaha by New Approach Barton Stud, £8,500 Another Group 1-winning two-year-old by Mehmas, Scorthy Champ is new to Barton Stud for 2026. The Joseph O’Brien-trained colt won two of his three starts as a juvenile, first announcing himself with a sharp debut win at Leopardstown in May, with subsequent Group 1 winner

STAR VALUE

Elite Status Group winner at two and three including the Hackwood Stakes; highest rated performer by Havana Grey

Kyprios One of the best stayers in any generation who deserves to receive support from plenty of breeders

Magnum Force High-class juvenile whose victories were headed by an impressive win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

Hotazhell among the beaten runners. He then placed in the Group 2 Futurity Stakes behind Henri Matisse, before turning the tables on that rival to win the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh by three quarters of a length. A 155,000gns pickup for his trainer at Tattersalls Book 1 in 2023, Scorthy Champ is a brother to Group winners Malavath and Knight, with that trio all out of New Approach mare Fidaaha.

Topgear

7 Wootton Bassett – Miss Lech by Giant’s Causeway Capital Stud, €7,500 New to Capital Stud’s Flat stallion roster is Topgear, who

NEW STALLIONS STANDING IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND

ended his perfect juvenile campaign with success in the Group 3 Prix Eclipse over six furlongs at Chantilly. The striking son of the star-crossed Wootton Bassett overcame a broken pelvis to win three more stakes races as an older horse, with his five and a halflength victory over Royal Scotsman in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes over seven furlongs undoubtedly the highlight. He also boasts a pair of Group 3 wins over seven furlongs in the Prix du Pin and the Prix du Palais-Royal, in the latter of which he defeated subsequent Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Sajir. A €200,000 Arqana

yearling, Topgear is out of a Giant’s Causeway half-sister to US Grade 2 winner Guilt Trip, from the family of Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed juvenile Majorien.

Unquestionable

5 Wootton Bassett – Strawberry Lace by Sea The Stars Rathbarry Stud, €10,000 Unquestionable is another son of Wootton Bassett new to the Irish stallion ranks for 2026. A high-class two-yearold, he began his career at Listed level in May 2023 when third in the First Flier Stakes, and after breaking his maiden next time out, he was beaten by a short-head by subsequent

NAVAL CROWN

The

Group 1 Phoenix Stakes hero Bucanero Fuerte in the Group 2 Railway Stakes. After his second placing in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagadere later that season, when he finished a length behind three-time Group 1 and Classic winner Rosallion, he claimed a definitive win in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita. A €340,000 Arqana yearling out of Sea The Stars mare Strawberry Lace, the five-year-old is from Juddmonte’s illustrious Best In Show family, which has also produced the likes of Group 1-winning sires Cityscape and Bated Breath, as well as St Leger winner Logician.

Bloodstock special Breeding on a Budget

FIRST FOALS

for 2026

Aesop’s Fables

6 No Nay Never – How’s She Cuttin by Shinko Forest Starfield Stud, €6,000 Starfield Stud’s Group 1-placed sprinter Aesop’s Fables is among the value sires with first foals this year, having had his debut fee of €6,500, where he covered 110 mares, slightly shaved to €6,000. The son of No Nay Never won his first two starts at two for Aidan O’Brien and the Coolmore partners, including the Group 2 Futurity Stakes, and he was fourth in the Group 1 National and Dewhurst Stakes later that season. He returned at three to twice place at the highest level in the Prix de l’Abbaye and Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, while he also showcased his durability by capturing a Listed contest as a four-year-old. Out

of the Listed-placed sprinter How’s She Cuttin, Aesop’s Fables offers a proven speed influence on both sides of his pedigree and international Group 1 form at a very accessible price point.

Arrest

6 Frankel – Nisriyna by Intikhab Boardsmill Stud, private A Group 3-winning and Classic-placed son of Frankel, Arrest offers elite stamina and depth of pedigree. Trained by John and Thady Gosden for Juddmonte, the €440,000 foal purchase was runner-up to Continuous in the St Leger and also finished second in the Group 1 Critérium de SaintCloud at two. His three-yearold season was highlighted by a dominant six and a halflength victory in the Chester Vase, followed by further stakes success in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes and a return to top-class form when second in the final Classic of the season at Town Moor. At four, he added further

Aesop’s Fables will be represented by his first foals in 2026

Group 2 placings in the Grand Prix de Deauville and Princess of Wales’s Stakes. Out of Nisriyna, a perfect seven-fromseven producer from the Aga Khan family of Noufiyla, Arrest is a half-brother to Hong Kong Group winner Dinozzo. Standing for his second consecutive season at a private fee, Arrest covered 163 mares in his first year at the County Meath stud.

Bradsell

6 Tasleet – Russian Punch by Archipenko

The National Stud, £10,000

The National Stud’s 2024 champion sprinter Bradsellwhose first foals hit the market this year - is among the more compelling options in the value bracket. The son of Tasleet was a dual Royal Ascot winner, capturing the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at two before becoming the first three-yearold in 15 years to land the Group 1 King Stand Stakes. He then added a second and third top-level success at four,

winning the Nunthorpe Stakes at York and then the Flying Five Stakes in record time at the Curragh. His blend of precocity and longevity at the top-level was reflected in the 129 mares he covered in his first season, and he looks set to remain popular among breeders at an unchanged fee of £10,000 in 2026.

Eldar Eldarov

7 Dubawi – All At Sea by Sea The Stars Chapel Stud, £5,000

A dual Classic winner of the St Leger and Irish equivalent, Eldar Eldarov (pictured below) stands his second season at Chapel Stud at the same £5,000 fee. Bred by Kirsten Rausing, the son of Dubawi was a €480,000 breeze-up buy after selling for £110,000 as a yearling. He duly scored impressively on his sole twoyear-old start before taking first two starts at three, including the Group 2 Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot. The colt was then given the Group 1 green light, and after finishing fourth in the Grand Prix De Paris, marked himself a star of the staying ranks with a two-length win in the St Leger at Doncaster. The seven-year-old ended his career when defeating Kyprios by three and a half lengths in the Irish equivalent a year later. From an illustrious family, Eldar Eldarov is a halfbrother to Kingswood, a Group 1 winner in New Zealand, and to the stakesplaced A La Voile. They are out of the Listed-placed Sea The Stars mare All At Sea, who herself is a close relation to

four black-type performers, including the Listed-winning dam of Arc heroine Alpinista, Group 3 winner Algometer, and Listed winner Alginak, all out of triple Group 1 winner Albanova. The son of Dubawi covered 30 mares in his first year and shapes as a value dual-purpose option for breeders.

Go Bears Go

7 Kodi Bear – In Dubai by Giant’s Causeway Springfield House Stud, €6,000

Springfield House Stud’s multiple Group-winning sprinter Go Bears Go (pictured below) stands at the County Tipperary operation in partnership with Amo Racing and covered 87 mares last year at a €8,000 fee. He will stand the upcoming season for a slightly lower price of €6,000. A son of Kodi Bear, the sevenyear-old struck in the Group 2 Railway Stakes at two after his neck-second at the same level to subsequent multiple Group 1 victor Perfect Power in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. He went on to place at the highest level in the Phoenix Stakes, while he also finished fourth in the Middle Park, before capping a fine juvenile season with a runner-up effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar. Go Bears Go added a brace of Group 3 victories at three and was trained by David Loughnane, for whom he recorded all his wins, before being switched to Wesley Ward in the US at four. A 150,000gns Craven breeze-up purchase, he is out of a winning half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Nahrain – the dam of 2024 1,000 Guineas heroine Elmalka and the multiple Group 1-winning globetrotter Benbatl.

Stakes at the Curragh. He trained on at three, delivering a career-best when narrowly denied by Rosallion in the St James’s Palace Stakes. He then added further top-level form when third in the Prix du Moulin behind Tribalist and Charyn. Bred by Coolmore, the five-year-old’s second dam Lillie Langtry was herself a multiple Group 1 scorer and in addition to 2016 European Horse of the Year Minding, is the dam of Oaks winner Tuesday, Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Empress Josephine and Group scorer Kissed By Angels. The Dubawi–Galileo cross has already proven potent through champion sire Night Of Thunder, and Henry Longfellow brings that same blend of speed, class and genetic depth. He is likely to leave an international footprint, becoming one of the rare Group 1-winning sons of Dubawi to shuttle to Australia’s Rosemont Stud last year. Henry Longfellow enters the budget bracket as a stallion whose pedigree, performance and global appeal comfortably outstrip his fee. His upside could prove considerable as his first crops emerge.

Henry Longfellow 5 Dubawi – Minding, by Galileo Coolmore Stud, €12,500 Few stallions at this end of the market can rival the depth and quality of Henry Longfellow’s profile. A Group 1-winning juvenile by the breed-shaping Dubawi and the first foal out of seven-time Group 1 heroine Minding, he represents one of the most accomplished young pedigrees to become accessible to breeders. He represents good value having been reduced to €12,500, down from his opening fee of €15,000 and covering 172 mares. Henry Longfellow culminated a flawless juvenile campaign with a dominant victory in the Group 1 National

Highland Chief 9 Gleneagles – Pink Symphony by Montjeu Annshoon Stud, €2,500 A Grade 1-winning son of Gleneagles, Highland Chief relocates to Annshoon Stud for the 2026 season, having stood his first season at Arvez Farm in France. Trained initially by Paul and Oliver Cole, he was his sire’s first winner at two and later finished third to champion juvenile Pinatubo in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot. He trained on at three, winning the Golden Gates Handicap at Royal Ascot and added Group placings in the Gordon Stakes, Great Voltigeur and Cumberland Lodge Stakes. Transferred to US trainer Graham Motion, Highland Chief scaled new heights when landing the Grade 1 Man O’War Stakes at Belmont at five, before adding the Grade 3 Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland later that season. Out of a Montjeu mare, he brings stamina, soundness and durability, with appeal as a dual-purpose or middledistance influence at an unchanged fee of €2,500.

Isaac Shelby

6 Night Of Thunder – Kentucky Belle by Heliostatic Newsells Park Stud, £7,000 Newsells Park reported strong early demand for Issac Shelby, the first son of champion sire Night Of Thunder to retire to stud, who was introduced to the market at £7,000 and covered 97 mares in his first year. Despite his popularity, the stallion will stand

4 Group 1 wins in just 68 days!

First crop foals in 2025 sold for up to 200,000 Gns and averaged almost €120,000

Bloodstock special Breeding on a Budget

for the same price in 2026. Isaac Shelby emulated his grandsire Dubawi with a triumph in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes as a juvenile, before going on to claim the Group 3 Greenham Stakes at three, beating 2,000 Guineas winner Charyn and also finished runner-up in the French 2,000 Guineas, beaten a short neck. Fourth in the St James’s Palace, the colt was also twice a runner-up at Group 2 level in his Classic season. He is out of Heliostatic mare Kentucky Belle, a halfsister to Grade 2 winner Ramazutti out of the stakesplaced mare Mine Inning.

Luxembourg

Camelot – Attire by Danehill Dancer

Coolmore NH, €6,000

Unbeaten in three juvenile starts, Luxembourg (pictured below) was installed as winter favourite for the Derby following his authoritative victory in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, having earlier landed the Group 2 Beresford Stakes. The son of Camelot returned at three with a fine third in the 2,000 Guineas before injury ruled him out of a crack at Epsom Classic, but he bounced back to top-class form with victories in the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes and the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes, before rounding off the season with a respectable seventh in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Luxembourg continued to perform at the elite-level over the following two seasons. He won the Tattersalls Gold Cup in

including by a short head to Romantic Warrior in the Hong Kong Cup, before adding the 2024 Coronation Cup to his record. Luxembourg brings proven Classic ability, durability and middle-distance class to Coolmore’s National Hunt roster, standing at Beeches Stud at a fee of €6,000, down from €7,000 last year. Plenty of breeders rowed behind him in his first year when he covered 262 mares.

Mill Stream

6 Gleneagles – Swirrel Edge by Hellvelyn Yeomanstown Stud, €10,000

A top-class sprinting son of Gleneagles, Mill Stream is on offer for €10,000 this season after covering 170 mares in his first book at €12,500.

Trained by Jane ChappleHyam for Peter Harris, he showed early promise at

two when winning on debut at Doncaster before placing behind subsequent Gimcrack winner Noble Style and Group 1 winner Chaldean. He progressed into a high-quality sprinter at three, landing two stakes victories, and returned at four to add the Duke Of York Stakes and grabbed his Group 1 laurels in the July Cup, defeating multiple top-flight winners including Vandeek, Kinross and Art Power in the process. A 350,000gns Tattersalls Book 2 purchase, Mill Stream is a halfbrother to the Richmond Stakes winner and Prix Morny-placed Asymmetric.

Sakheer

6 Zoffany – Shortmile Lady, by Arcano Ballyhane Stud, €5,500

Sakheer announced himself as one of the leading juveniles of his crop with an emphatic

victory in the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury, having turned heads when breaking his maiden in striking fashion on his second start at Haydock. A €550,000 Arqana Breeze-Up topper, the son of Zoffany was widely regarded as a colt of major potential before injury curtailed his three-year-old season. He finished seventh in the 2,000 Guineas after missing the Dewhurst date after returning a dirty scope and later suffered a significant foreleg injury in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup, from which he was unable to return to his peak. A half-brother to Group 2 winner Lemista, Sakheer combines speed, class and a strong commercial pedigree at Ballyhane Stud. He covered 105 mares in his first year at a fee of €6,500 and will stand the upcoming season for a slightly reduced figure of €5,500.

Shouldvebeenaring 6 Havana Grey – Lady Estella by Equiano Irish National Stud, €6,000

A high-class sprinter, Shouldvebeenaring showed precocity at two, winning three of his seven starts for trainer Richard Hannon and Middleham Park Racing, including the Listed Ripon Champion Two-Year-Old Trophy. He added a second stakes success at three in Newmarket’s King Charles II Stakes before finishing runnerup to champion juvenile Little Big Bear in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes. That season also saw him place twice at the highest level, finishing second in the Sprint Cup and the Prix de la Foret. Shouldvebeenaring gained his first Group success at four with victory in the Prix de Ris-Orangis at Deauville and continued to perform with

STAR VALUE

Henry Longfellow Unbeaten at two including the Group 1 National Stakes and runner-up in the St James’s Palace at three. New to this space at his new fee of €12,500

Bradsell (pictured above) Coventry Stakes winner at two; top-class sprinter at three and four including in the Nunthorpe and King’s Stand.

Issac Shelby First son of Night Of Thunder at stud, he was a classy juvenile and was just beaten in the

credit in top sprint company, finishing a close second in the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes to subsequent July Cup winner Mill Stream, as well as placing in the City of York Stakes and Park Stakes. The six-year-old is out of a half-sister to Rosso Corsa, a Group 3 winner over seven furlongs, and is the first son of the leading sire Havana Grey to stand at stud in Ireland. A black-type performer at two, three and four, Shouldvebeenaring served 125 mares in his first year and will stand the upcoming season at an unchanged fee of €6,000. So Moonstruck

7 Sea The Moon – So Smart by Selkirk Killack Stud, poa A Classic-placed middledistance performer, Killack Stud’s So Moonstruck was runner-up to Sammarco in the Group 2 Union-Rennen before finishing third in the Deutsches Derby, a race won by his sire Sea The Moon. He is bred on a powerful Monsun cross, with his second dam So Squally a sister to Group 1 winner and sire Shirocco, Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Subiaco, and Listed winner Storm Trooper, who was also placed in the highest company.

Bouttemont

8 Acclamation – Basilia by Fastnet Rock Rathbarry Stud, €5,000

A durable and high-class performer, Bouttemont won from two through to five and is best known for his victories in the Group 3 Prix de Meautry and the Listed Prix Hampton. He hails from one of Europe’s most influential sire lines, with his late sire Acclamation already established as a potent source of stallions through Dark Angel and Mehmas. Bouttemont attracted solid early support in his debut season, covering 81 mares that included 13 black type performers, 11 black type producers and half-sisters to elite-level winners Mad Cool and Zafisio. His first crop averaged 14,000gns at the foal sales last year, the highest priced at €36,000 – more than seven times his introductory fee of €5,000, which he remains at for 2026.

Castle Star

7 Starspangledbanner –Awohaam by Iffraaj Capital Stud, €3,000

A high-class juvenile from a deep Classic family, Castle Star showed smart form at two, winning both the Group 3 Marble Hill Stakes and the Listed First Flier Stakes. He also finished a half-length runner-up to subsequent champion sprinter Perfect Power in the Middle Park Stakes and was fourth in the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh behind Ebro River, beaten two lengths.. A son of Starspangledbanner from the immediate family of 2,000 Guineas and Dewhurst winner Chaldean and Group 2-winning juvenile Alkumait, Castle Star remains at a fee of €3,000, with a handful of his first crop, bred at €5,000, selling for an average of 16,750gns at the sales last year.

Dragon Symbol

8 Cable Bay – Arcamist by Arcano Whitsbury Manor Stud, £8,000 Dragon Symbol won five

races in his career but is undoubtedly best remembered for finishing first past the post in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup, before being demoted to second behind Campanelle. At three, he also placed in the July Cup won by Starman and the Nunthorpe landed by Winter Power, and finished in the frame twice at Group 2 level, including in Haydock’s Sandy Lane Stakes behind Rohaan. By Cable Bay, the eight-year-old is a half-brother to last year’s Sandy Lane Stakes winner and 600,000 Tattersalls Book 1 buy Symbol Of Honour, being out of winning Arcano mare Arcamist, herself a half-sister to two Listed winners. Dragon Symbol covered his first two books at Whitsbury Manor at £8,000, and that fee remains unchanged for 2026. Among his 114-strong debut crop was the 75,000gns top lot of the opening session at the recent Tattersalls December Foal Sale, and he bettered that price twice over on day two, with a filly and colt selling for 80,000gns and 85,000gns respectively. He had 48 foals in total sell at an average of 33,365gns last year.

FIRST-CROP YEARLING STALLIONS STANDING IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND FOR £10,000/€12,500 OR LESS

Bhfiann

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data provided by Weatherbys

Dubai Mile

5 Roaring Lion – Beach Bunny by High Chaparral Coolagown Stud, €4,000 A Group 1-winning twoyear-old with a deep pedigree, Dubai Mile was trained by Mark and Charlie Johnston to win three races at two, highlighted by a battling success in the Group 1 Critérium de Saint-Cloud over ten furlongs, where he defeated Arrest and Adelaide River. He also finished second to subsequent Dante Stakes winner The Foxes in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes, and was far from disgraced when fifth in Chaldean’s 2,000 Guineas. He added further Group form at three when fourth in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. Bred by Skymarc Farm, Dubai Mile is out of the Group 1-placed Beach Bunny, also the dam of stakes winners Beach Belle and Naadirr. He is the only stallion son of the late Roaring Lion, whose sole crop has already produced multiple Group winners worldwide, and having begun his stud career at Manton Park at a fee

Continued on page 12

Bloodstock special Breeding on a Budget

of £7,500, stands a second season at Coolagown Stud in Ireland at €4,000.

El Caballo

7 Havana Gold – Showstoppa by Showcasing Culworth Grounds Farm, £4,000

A classy and consistent sprinter, El Caballo offers commercial breeders an accessible route into proven early speed. Trained by Karl Burke, the son of the late Havana Gold won six of his first seven starts, showing early ability at two before progressing through the ranks. He gained black type when winning the Listed Spring Cup at three and confirmed his class with a decisive success in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock. Bred by Whitsbury Manor Stud out of a Showcasing half-sister to Group 3 Mill Reef Stakes winner Temple Meads, El Caballo covered 99 mares in his first season at £6,000, with

his first foals selling for up to 60,000gns. He stands this year at a reduced fee of £4,000.

Good Guess

6 Kodiac – Zykina by Pivotal Tally-Ho Stud, €12,500

A Group 1-winning miler by Kodiac, Good Guess (pictured below) joined his sire on the Tally Ho roster in 2024 as one of the most accomplished performers by the son of Danehill. The Cheveley Park Stud-bred was sold for 420,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale before rewarding connections with four wins across his two and three-yearold campaigns. His standout success came in the 2023 Group 1 Prix Jean Prat at Deauville, where he defeated Classic winners Chaldean and Meditate, alongside Hi Royal, while earlier in the season he had captured the Group 3 Prix Djebel. From the family of 1,000 Guineas heroine Russian Rhythm and by a sire that has

Dubai Mile

already produced successful stallions like Hello Youmzain, Ardad, Kodi Bear and Prince Of Lir, Good Guess will stand the upcoming season at a fee of €12,500. He has a substantial first crop of yearlings set to hit the sales, having covered 250 mares in 2024. A total of 58 Good Guess weanlings sold for an average of 41,043gns last year, with the best result coming at the Goffs November Foal Sale, where a colt out of black type producer Euthenia sold for €150,000.

Hurricane Lane

8 Frankel – Gale Force by Shirocco Coolmore NH, €5,000

Another son of Frankel is the Irish Derby, St Leger and Grand Prix de Paris victor Hurricane Lane, who stands on Coolmore’s National Hunt roster at Grange Stud. He will stand the 2026 season for an unchanged fee of €5,000. The chestnut, who was also third in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and Derby, was one of the busiest young stallions in Britain and Ireland last season, covering 216 mares. Bred by Philippa Cooper, he was purchased by Godolphin

for 200,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1 and is a half-brother to Group 2 winner and multiple Group 1-placegetter Sweet William out of the Listed winner Gale Force, herself a half-sister to both Group 1 winner and Group 3 producer Seal Of Approval and the Group 3-placed Instance, the dam of Listed winner Sound Angela. Hurricane Lane boasts a blend of elite stamina and class across his pedigree, also being from the family of dual Derby winner and exciting National Hunt sire Harzand, as well as multiple Group 1-winning mare Emily Upjohn. His first crop, bred on a €6,000 fee, averaged 16,298gns at the foal sales, with highlights of €68,000, €55,000 and €47,000.

Mac Swiney 8 New Approach – Halla Na Saoire by Teofilo Anngrove Stud, private A dual Group 1 winner and Classic hero, Mac Swiney stands at Anngrove Stud after initially retiring to the Irish National Stud, which retains a majority ownership alongside breeder-owner-trainer Jim Bolger and Anngrove principal Alastair Pimm. The son of New Approach brings an appealing blend of class, size and natural speed to the National Hunt dual-purpose market. A standout at two, he won three times, including the Group 1 Futurity Trophy at Doncaster and the Futurity Stakes at the Curragh, before returning at three to land the Irish 2,000 Guineas over stablemate and English Classic winner Poetic Flare. Mac Swiney covered 44 mares in 2025.

Marie’s Diamond 10 FootstepsinthesandSindiyma by Kalanisi Diamond Stud Bellewstown, €4,000

A Group 3-winning juvenile and later Group 1-placed miler, Marie’s Diamond was also the fastest Irish-bred to run up Newmarket’s Rowley Mile when winning the Listed Paradise Stakes at four. The son of Footstepsinthesand stands his third season at a reduced fee of €4,000, with the stud also offering a €25,000 breeders’ bonus for his first juvenile and Group winner in Britain or Ireland. He had four foals offered at the Goffs November Foal Sale and the two that sold fetched €26,000 and €24,000 – certainly rewarding sums from a €6,000 covering fee.

Midnight Sands 10 Speightstown - It’s Midnight by Shamardal Norton Grove Stud, £2,500 Group 3 winner Midnight Sands will stand at Norton Grove Stud for 2026 at a fee of £2,500. Bred by Flaxman Holdings, the durable tenyear-old is out of the Listedwinning Shamardal mare It’s Midnight and is a half-brother to US Grade 3 winner Tusk. He offers proven miler speed at an accessible price point.

Mojo Star

8 Sea The Stars - Galley by Zamindar Whytemount Stud, €3,000 Mojo Star brings Classic stamina and top-level consistency to the Whytemount Stud roster, where he stands at €3,000. Trained by Richard Hannon for Amo Racing, the imposing son of Sea The Stars was runner-up in three Group 1s, finishing between Adayar and Hurricane Lane in the Derby before chasing home the latter in the St Leger, and later splitting Kyprios and Stradivarius when second in the Gold Cup as a four-yearold. Bred by Barbara Prendergast, he is out of the Zamindar mare Galley, from a deep Juddmonte family that includes Arc winner Rail Link and Criterium de Saint-Cloud hero Linda’s Lad. Mojo Star covered 74 mares in 2025 and will be supported again by Amo Racing this season.

Mostahdaf

8 Frankel – Handassa by Dubawi

Beech House Stud, £9,000

A top-class performer and impeccably bred son of Frankel, Mostahdaf (pictured below) enters the value bracket for the first time following a further fee reduction to £9,000, having stood the 2025 season for £12,500, covering 74 mares. A Shadwell homebred, he retired the winner of eight stakes races and produced one of the standout campaigns of 2023, completing a Group 1 double in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and Juddmonte International, in addition to a Group win in Saudi Arabia. Out of the Dubawi mare Handassa, he is a half-brother to dual Group 1 winner Nazeef, and despite the fee cut, his first weanlings were well received in the ring last year, with highs of 100,000gns, 77,000gns and 55,00gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale.

Pyledriver

powers at four and five, defeating Al Aasy in the 2021 Coronation Cup and returning from injury to win the Listed Churchill Stakes on the allweather before finishing second in the Hong Kong Vase. His crowning achievement came in the 2022 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, where he beat a stellar field including Arc winner Torquator Tasso, and Group 1 winners Mishriff, Westover and Emily Upjohn. He added further Group success at six in the Hardwicke Stakes, his second win at Royal Ascot. From a small number of foals to go to the sales in 2025, Pyledriver’s crop went for an average of 11,500gns, with a high of 20,000gns.

Shaquille

9 Harbour Watch – La Pyle by Le Havre

Coolmore NH, €3,500

Dual Group 1 scorer

Pyledriver, who retired with stakes victories spanning five seasons, stands on Coolmore’s National Hunt roster at Beeches Stud at an unchanged fee of €3,500.

The William Muir-trained son of Harbour Watch won the Listed Ascendant Stakes at two before developing into a high-class three-year-old, landing the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes and Great Voltigeur Stakes and finishing third in the St Leger. Racing under the partnership of Muir and Chris Grassick, Pyledriver reached the peak of his

6 Charm Spirit – Magic by Galileo Ace Stud, £10,000 Champion sprinter Shaquille makes the list for the first time following a fee reduction to £10,000 for 2026, despite his first crop being very well-received in the ring last year. The Julie Camachotrained son of Charm Spirit claimed the Commonwealth Cup and July Cup in a standout 2023 season, in which he also landed the Listed Carnarvon Stakes. Standing at Ace Stud on behalf of Yulong, he has been strongly supported since retirement, covering more than 275 mares across his first two seasons. From 51 of his first foals offered last year, 42

at an

of 61,024gns from a £15,000 covering fee. Multiple sixfigure lots at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale were headed by a half-sister to Gimcrack Stakes winner Ajaya and dual Group scorer Extra Elusive, who sold to Paca Paca Farm for 210,000gns. With revised terms and his first crop set to hit yearling sales, Shaquille offers commercial appeal.

Subjectivist

9 Teofilo – Reckoning by Danehill Dancer Chapel Stud, £3,500 Gold Cup hero Subjectivist joins Chapel Stud for 2026 having previously stood two seasons at Alne Park Stud and he has had a fee reduction from £4,000 to £3,500. A dominant staying talent at his peak, the son of Teofilo captured the 2020 Prix RoyalOak before adding both the Dubai Gold Cup and Ascot Gold Cup in 2021, the latter by an emphatic five lengths. Bred by Mascalls Stud, he is a halfbrother to dual Group 2 winner Sir Ron Priestley. Despite losing nearly two seasons to injury, Subjectivist still won six times, placed a further eight times and earned close to £900,000 in prizemoney.

The Antarctic

6 Dark Angel – Anna Law by Lawman Coolmore NH, €5,000

A Group 3-winning and toplevel-placed juvenile who is also a brother to champion sprinter Battaash, The

Antarctic joins the Coolmore roster at Castlehyde Stud with a profile that belies his €5,000 asking price. The son of Dark Angel and Anna Law was a 750,000gns Tattersalls Book 1 purchase for MV Magnier and showed highclass ability from an early stage, winning twice at two before gaining black type when third in the Listed Tipperary Stakes and second to stablemate Blackbeard in the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin. He went on to land the Group 3 Prix de Cabourg and added strong Group 1 form when second and third behind Blackbeard in the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes. The grey was rated 113 as a juvenile, placing him just 1lb below his own Group 1-winning sire. Unlike his father, The Antarctic returned at three, and won again at Group 3 level. Introduced at €6,000, the sixyear-old remains on last season’s reduced €5,000 fee for 2026.

Triple Time

7 Frankel – Reem Three by Mark Of Esteem Dalham Hall Stud, £10,000

A Group 1-winning miler from an outstanding family, Triple Time (pictured below) remains a conspicuous value option as he covers his third book of mares at his introductory fee of £10,000. The son of Frankel was a Listedwinning two-year-old who went on to be a stakes winner at three and four, his career

STAR VALUE

Shaquille Winner at two and top-class sprinter at three headlined by triumphs in the Commonwealth and July Cup. New fee of £10,000 represents good value.

Hurricane Lane Classic winner from an excellent family, by a generational talent and outstanding sire

Triple Time A Group 1 winner from a brillant and commercial family. He covered a quality book of 90 mares in 2025

highlight being his Queen Anne Stakes victory at Royal Ascot in 2023, where he beat champion filly Inspiral and dual Breeders Cup and Classic winner Modern Games on seasonal debut. Out of the blue hen Reem Three, the dam of seven other stakes winners or performers, Triple Time offers access to the family of fellow Group 1-winning Darley sires Rosallion and Inisherin, who will stand their first seasons this year at £40,000 and £12,500 respectively. His first yearling crop from 118 mares features offspring from Group 1 winner Fonteyn and among ten siblings to Group 1 winners, Dubawi’s Group 2-winning half-sister Emirates Queen. The 30 Triple Times that sold last year averaged 31,150gns, with the standout a 120,000gns colt out of Group 3 winner and stakes producer Miss Marjurie, purchased by Springwell Stud out of the Ballylinch Stud draft at the Goffs November Foal Sale.

Bloodstock special Breeding on a Budget

FIRST-CROP TWO-YEAR-OLD STALLIONS STANDING IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND FOR £10,000/€12,500 OR LESS

Alignak 10

Boy 7

7

Complacent 15

5

Ilaraab 8 Wootton Bassett Old Road, Ire

Legacy 9

Minzaal 8

Naval Crown 8

Perfect Power 7

6

Space Traveller 10

12

Waldkonig 9 Kingman Knockhouse, Ire

Wells Farhh Go 11 Farhh Norton Grove, UK

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FIRST TWOYEAR-OLDS for 2026

Alignak

10 Sea The Moon – Albanova by Alzao Clongeel Stud, private Bred by Kirsten Rausing out of blue hen Albanova, the Listed-winning Alignak offers access to an illustrious family on a lower budget. A threetime winner up to 1m 4.5f, the son of Sea The Moon was also stakes-placed on three occasions. His dam was a three-time German Group 1 winner who produced four other stakes winners or performers, including Alwida, the dam of Arc heroine Alpinista and her Listedwinning half-sister Alpenblume. Alignak covered 27 mares in 2025.

Bayside Boy

7 New Bay – Alava by Anabaa Ballylinch Stud, €12,500 A Group 1-winning miler at three with standout juvenile form, Bayside Boy retired to Ballylinch Stud in 2023 after his brilliant victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. Raced in partnership by Teme Valley Racing and breeder Ballylinch Stud and trained by Roger Varian, the son of New Bay captured the Group 2 Champagne Stakes at two and finished close up in both the Dewhurst Stakes and Futurity Trophy. His hallmark acceleration was best showcased on Champions Day, where on his final start he earned a career-best RPR of 122 with a decisive QEII success over Poule d’Essai des Poulains and dual Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Modern Games. Introduced at €15,000, he is poised to serve his fourth book at €12,500, unchanged from last year after a sale season which saw his first yearlings average 41,380gns. Among the highlights was a £300,000 colt, who sold out of Oneliner Stables’ draft to Blandford Bloodstock at Tattersalls Book 1.

Caturra

7 Mehmas – Shoshoni Wind by Sleeping Indian Overbury Stud, £5,000

Another son of Tally Ho Stud’s Mehmas, Caturra earned his place at stud following a high-class juvenile campaign headed by victory in the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster. A £110,000 Tattersalls Book 2 yearling bred by Tally-Ho, Caturra won on his second start before finishing seventh in the Coventry Stakes. He then claimed the six-furlong Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury, and later that season landed the Flying Childers over five furlongs. He ended his juvenile season finishing fifth in the Middle Park Stakes behind Perfect Power. Although winless at three, he remained competitive at a high level, placing in both the Group 3 Prix Sigy and Group 2 King George Stakes. Caturra joined the Overbury Stud roster at an opening fee of £6,500 and has remained at £5,000 since 2024. His first crop of yearlings sold at an average price of 20,860gns last year, with a high of 60,000gns.

Dubawi Legend

7 Dubawi – Lovely Pass Raven’s Pass Starfield Stud, €5,000

A high-class juvenile, Dubawi Legend won impressively on debut at Doncaster before finishing second to champion two-yearold and Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Native Trail, and later added a Group 3 success in Germany. The durable son of Dubawi also placed at Group level at four and brings proven two-year-old speed combined with middle-distance blood, being out of Raven’s Pass mare Lovely Pass, herself a UAE 1,000 Guineas winner and the dam of Golden Pass, a Listed winner over 1m 4f as a fouryear-old. Having covered 27 mares in 2025, Dubawi Legend remains attractively priced following a fee reduction to €5,000 from €6,000. His first yearlings averaged 13,938gns last year, with the highlight being a half-sister to Listed winner Bellosa, who sold to Sheila Lavery for €50,000.

Minzaal

8 Mehmas – Pardoven, by Clodovil

Derrinstown Stud, €12,500 Haydock Sprint Cup winner Minzaal (pictured below) covered 161 mares in his first season at stud, 16 per cent of them stakes winners, 90 in his second and will have his first runners having covered a quality book of 122 mares in 2025. After some big results at the yearling sales last year, a lot is expected of the stallion’s first runners this year. The son from Mehmas’s debut crop was bred at a fee of €15,000, and he had six Tattersalls Book 1 lots sell for an average of 189,165gns, headed by the half-sister to Asymmetric and Mill Stream, who fetched 550,000gns and will race in the Amo Racing silks. He had nine other lots sell for six figures that week, including a filly who went from a €85,000 Goffs November foal to a 450,000gns yearling at Book 2. Shadwell’s Derrinstown Stud resident also supplied the £190,000 top lot during a strong opening session at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, a filly out of the Listed winner Hateya. His yearlings sold for an overall average of 79,112gns in 2025, while his foals have gone for an average of 46,805gns in the last two years. He remains at his €12,500 fee this year as his first two-year-olds hit the track.

compendium at the start of his career is Naval Crown, who will cover his fourth book at Kildangan Stud this season at a fee of €9,000. The son of the great Dubawi was stakesplaced on three occasions at two, including twice at Group 3 level over seven furlongs and a mile. He won a Listed race at Meydan over the winter before a respectable fourth in the 2,000 Guineas to Poetic Flare. After another successful winter in Meydan claiming Group 2 honours, Naval Crown proved himself a classy sprinter at four, beating stablemate Creative Force in the Platinum Jubilee at Royal Ascot before running second to Alcohol Free in the July Cup. Introduced at €15,000 in 2023, his first representatives at the foal sales recorded an average which was double their covering fee, while they averaged 47,012gns as yearlings last year. The highlight was a Mountain View Studconsigned half-sister to last season’s Group 2 Prix de Malleretout winner Qilin Queen, who sold for €320,000 at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale.

Perfect Power

Naval Crown 8 Dubawi – Come Alive by Dansili Kildangan Stud, €9,000 Another Darley sire who was ineligible for this

7 Ardad – Sagely by Frozen Power Dalham Hall Stud, £7,500 Perfect Power has been mentioned a few times in this space already, with numerous high-class individuals having finished behind him on the track. The son of leading twoyear-old sire Ardad boasts an

excellent juvenile record, with Group 1 wins in the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes accompanied by Royal Ascot victory in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes. At three, the Richard Fahey-trained colt returned to win the Group 3 Greenham Stakes over seven furlongs before underlining his status as the standout sprinter of his generation, with a second win at the royal meeting in the Commonwealth Cup. The Perfect Powers averaged 61,000gns at the 2025 yearling sales, with his top lot a colt out of winning Oasis Dream mare Perfect Muse, who sold at Tattersalls Book 2 for £260,000. Having been introduced at £15,000, Perfect Power will serve his fourth book at Dalham Hall at £7,500, unchanged from last year despite his active page being upgraded further by the exploits of his half-brother Wise Approach, who claimed the Middle Park himself last September.

Persian Force

6 Mehmas – Vida Amorosa by Lope De Vega

Tally-Ho Stud, €10,000

Tally-Ho Stud’s first-season sire representative this year is the Group 2-winning and Group 1-placed juvenile Persian Force. The third son of the stud’s leading sire Mehmas to be represented by his first runners this year, the Amo Racing-owned Persian Force landed the July Stakes at two before reaching the frame three times at the highest level in the Prix Morny, Middle Park and Phoenix Stakes. He ended his career finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland. After spending two seasons at €8,000, the six-year-old returns to his introductory fee of

€10,000 for 2026. That lift follows a good sales showing from his debut crop, with 73 yearlings selling last year for an average of 45,849gns, with highs of £200,000, £135,000 and £110,000.

Space Traveller 10 Bated Breath – Sky Crystal by Galileo Starfield Stud, €5,000

Standing his third season at Starfield Stud after beginning life as a stallion at Ballyhane, Space Traveller, a Group 2-winning and Grade 1-placed son of Bated Breath, is now reduced to €5,000, €1,000 less than last year. Also a winner of the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, Space Traveller placed at the highest level in Canada when second in the Woodbine Mile, while he occupied that same placing in Santa Anita’s Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes. He was also third in the lucrative Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf. His

yearlings averaged 21,219gns last year, three times their covering fee, while his foals averaged 10,143gns. His highlight came when Kevin Ryan forked out £240,000 for his yearling half-brother to Windsor Castle Stakes winner Ain’t Nobody, out of Showcasing mare Burmese Waltz, at Tattersalls Book 1.

Stradivarius

12 Sea The Stars – Private Life by Bering

The National Stud, £10,000 It will be fascinating to watch the first crop by Bjorn Nielsen’s superstar stayer Stradivarius (pictured left) hit the track this year, with the son of Sea The Stars set to cover his fourth book at an unchanged £10,000 fee. The debut cohort by the three-time Gold Cup and four-time Goodwood Cup winner brought a fine return on their covering fee last year, averaging 48,357gns. The priciest of those was the Gestut

Caturra Precocious and fast two-year-old who won the Flying Childers and Rose Bowl. His first yearlings were well received in the sales rings

Minzaal A lot is expected from the first runners by Shadwell’s Group 1-winning son of Mehmas. His yearlings sold well and he is likely to ping the gates in terms of early representatives

Fahrhof-consigned halfbrother to the Group-placed Ghorgan, who made €140,000 when selling to Jeremy Brummitt at the BBAG September Sale. His other six-figure result was from a colt out of winning Kodiac mare Misscall, who realised £100,000 when selling to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock at Tattersalls Book 1. The 12-year-old’s second crop of weanlings also made a decent impression in the ring last year, with their 20,700gns average bettering that of his debut crop (15,583gns).

Bloodstock special Breeding on a Budget

FIRST THREEYEAR-OLDS for 2026

A’Ali 9 Society Rock – Motion Lass by Motivator

Newsells Park Stud, £5,000 Multiple Group 2 and Royal Ascot-winning juvenile A’Ali got off to a good start as a stallion in 2025, siring 13 winners from 49 runners, among them the Group 3-placed Ali Shuffle and the Listed-third Alarming, both bred at a £7,500 fee. The son of Society Rock, who landed the Norfolk and Flying Childers

Stakes at two and added two more Group wins at three, ended the year sitting eighth in the first-crop sire standings by earnings (£161,187) and winners. He remains unchanged for 2026 at £5,000. His yearling sales figures have held up year-on-year, with last year’s cohort of 19 lots averaging 31,553gns, compared to 31,739gns from 38 sold in 2024.

Bangkok 10 Australia – Tanaghum by Darshaan Chapel Stud, £3,000

A high-class and durable stakes performer, Bangkok was represented by just five juvenile runners in 2025 but three were successful, and the son of Australia will remain at

his introductory £3,000 as his first crop turn three. Himself a 500,000gns Tattersalls Book 1 graduate, Bangkok finished a neck-second on debut to future Hampton Court winner Sangarius at two and broke through when defeating subsequent Dante winner Telecaster at three. He then landed the Group 3 Classic Trial at Sandown, and ran second to Japan in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. At four and five, he landed the Listed Winter Derby Trial and his career highlight in the Group 2 York Stakes. The ten-year-old is a half-brother to six stakes performers ranging a mile to 1m 4.5f, including Group 1 winner Matterhorn and three-time Group 2 winner The Foxes.

FIRST-CROP THREE-YEAR-OLD STALLIONS STANDING IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND FOR £10,000/€12,500 OR LESS

9

Dream 12

Dee Ex Bee 11

In Swoop 9

Sat 9

€3,000

Dual Group 3 scorer Dee Ex Bee found only Masar too good in the Derby and came closest to clinching Group 1 laurels when a neck-second to Stradivarius in the 2019 Goodwood Cup. The son of Faarh placed another four times at the highest level, with stakes-placed runs from two to four. He has no less than 15 stallions in the first three generations of his family, and himself is out of a half-sister to the great Dubai Millennium. The 11-yearold’s highest priced yearling went for 28,000gns in 2024, and as his first runners begin to hit the track, Arctic Tack

Stud will be hopeful that they show great value in their sire’s €3,000 fee.

In Swoop

9 Alderflug – Iota by Tiger Hill Coolmore NH, €3,000 Beeches Stud resident In Swoop defeated future Arc winner Torquator Tasso in the Deutsches Derby and later that season was himself beaten just a neck by Sottsass in the 2020 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. He was also a Group 2 and Group 3 winner from four runs the following year. Out of a Preis der Diana winner, he is a half-brother to German Group 1 winner and Yorton Farm Stud sire Ito. In Swoop’s yearlings returned a healthy average of 13,500gns last year. The most expensive of them was a colt out of multiple stakes producer Djidda for Castletown Stud, who sold for £24,000 at the Tattersalls

Breath. Logician’s first yearling crops returned an average of double their covering fee, selling for up to £25,000.

Mirage Dancer

12 Frankel – Heat Haze by Green Desert Capital Stud, €3,500

December Yearling Sale. The National Hunt sire has had success with three runners on the Flat so far, with two placed and one, Tarantina, an unbeaten dual winner over seven furlongs.

Logician

10 Frankel – Scuffle by Daylami Shade Oak Stud, £4,000 Logician, a son of Frankel, covered 89 mares at a fee of £3,500 and has been slightly bumped while retaining value at £4,000. The St Leger winner is from a great Juddmonte family, being a half-brother to three stakes winners, including Group 2 winner Okeechobee out of Scuffle, herself a half-sister to Group 1-winning Overbury Stud stallion Cityscape and Banstead Manor Stud’s Bated

Another son of Frankel from an illustrious Juddmonte family, Mirage Dancer (pictured below) was a winner at two, Groupplaced at three and broke through in stakes company at four. He added another Listed win at five before relocating to Australia, where he placed in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup that year before claiming the Group 1 Metropolitan Handicap at six. The 12-year-old is out of Heat Haze, a halfsister to the great Banstead Manor sire Dansili and multiple Group/Grade 1 winners Banks Hill, Cacique and Champs Elysees, as well as Grade 1 winner

Intercontinental and Group winner Deluxe, all out of Juddmonte’s breed-shaping blue hen Hasili. With his first runners yet to hit the track, the Mirage Dancers have averaged 6,781gns across the past two yearling sale seasons.

Lope Y Fernandez

9 Lope De Vega – Black Dahlia by Dansili

National Stud, £6,000

A son of the top-class Lope De Vega, Group-winning juvenile and Classic placegetter Lope Y Fernandez finished second in the first-season sire standings by winners last year with 19 to his name from 44 runners, including the Group 3-placed Isle of Fernandez and

Listed placegetter Spanish Waltz. His yearlings have performed in the ring, averaging 23,420gns for both crops, with multiple six-figure lots. His biggest sales result came at last year’s Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale, where his daughter Callahan realised 180,000gns after previously selling for 55,000gns as a yearling and 15,000gns as a foal. The filly was bred on an £8,500 fee. This year Lope Y Fernandez will command a career low of £6,000.

Lucky Vega

8 Lope De Vega – Queen Of Carthage by Cape Cross Irish National Stud, €12,500

Another by Lope De Vega, Lucky Vega got off to a fantastic start in 2025, being represented by four stakes winners across both

STAR VALUE

A’Ali The sire of 13 winners from 49 runners, among them is the Group 3-placed Ali Shuffle and the Listedthird Alarming

Nando Parrado After a fine season with this first runners, the son of Kodiac has received a fee increase to €7,000 but still represents good value

hemispheres. The eight-yearold had already sired a stakes winner before his first crop hit the tracks in Europe courtesy of southern hemisphere-bred filly Within The Law, who struck twice at Listed level in 2024 before tasting Group 2 glory last March. Lam Yai and Only Luck became his first northern hemisphere stakes winners, each landing Listed contests. Lucky Vega sired 15 winners from 37 runners in Britain and Ireland last year, while his record stands at 46 winners from 93 runners worldwide.

Nando Parrado

Complementing his on-track results are his sale stats, with his yearlings averaging 26,057gns in 2025 with a high of 80,000gns, while his foals returned a strong average of 20,389gns. His best result last year came when his dualwinning juvenile daughter Senorita Vega, bred at a €15,000 fee, sold to Ace Stud for 200,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Winner of the Phoenix Stakes at two and Classicplaced at three, the Irish National Stud resident is clear value at an unchanged €12,500 fee.

8 Kodiac – Chabola by Roy Irish National Stud, €7,000 Lucky Vega’s studmate Nando Parrado (pictured below) was another to get going early as a sire, producing 19 winners from 52 runners to date, including Listed scorer Chairmanfourtimes. The Coventry winner had a colt out of proven broodmare Mallila sell for 58,000gns at the 2025 Goffs Premier Yearling Sale, while his second yearling cohort averaged 14,001gns overall. His first crop also sold well last year, with highs of £60,000 and 75,000gns realised at the breeze ups, with a two-year-old sale average of 23,988gns. Also twice Group 1-placed as a juvenile, Nando Parrado’s good year saw his fee raised slightly to €7,000 – still making him a value option for breeders.

Santiago

9 Authorized – Wadyhatta by Cape Cross Coolmore NH, €5,000 Irish Derby winner Santiago resides on Coolmore’s

National Hunt roster at Castlehyde and remains on a €5,000 fee following good results at the sales last year and a book of 188 mares. The son of Authorized’s second crop of yearlings averaged 16,375gns, up from 8,200gns in 2024, while his three foal crops to go through the ring have maintained healthy averages (15,645gns overall). Santiago looks set for another steady sale season, with six of his fresh crop of yearlings selling at the Tattersalls Ireland Winter Flat & N.H. Sale last week at an average of 13,600gns, the highest priced being a half-brother to recent Grade 2 novice hurdle winner Kazansky, who realised a saletopping €42,000.

Supremacy

8 Mehmas – Triggers Broom by Arcano

Yeomanstown Stud, €5,000

One of the leading freshman sires last year, Supremacy boasts 19 winners from 82 runners to date, headed by Group 3 National Stakes winner Anthelia. The son of leading two-year-old sire Mehmas was a top-drawer juvenile himself, landing the Group 1 Middle Park and the Group 2 Richmond Stakes, and is from the family of champion sprinter and dual hemisphere Group 1 sire

Ubettabelieveit commands a fee of £4,000

Harry Angel. Despite his strong pedigree and proven credentials as a stakes producer, Supremacy has been reduced from €8,000 to €5,000 for 2026. The move comes even after a solid 2025 yearling sale season, which included top prices of 140,000gns, €160,000 and 115,000gns off a €10,000 covering fee. He covered a book of 78 last season.

Ubettabelieveit

8 Kodiac – Ladylishandra, by Mujadil Mickley Stud, £4,000 Flying Childers winner Ubettabelieveit had his first crop of yearlings make up to 70,000gns in 2024 and they

produced on the track last year, with the Group 3-placed Iriseach spearheading his 15 winners from 42 starters. His second crop, bred on a £5,000 fee, averaged 19,722gns at the yearling sales last year, headed by a colt out of black-type producer Let It Be Me, who fetched 90,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1 last October. The son of Kodiac’s best 2025 sales result came when juvenile colt Hilitany turned his 70,000gns yearling tag into £300,000 at the Goffs UK 2YO Breeze Up Sale –a 60-fold return on his covering fee. Ubettabelieveit covered a book of 31 last year and offers even more value in 2026, standing at a reduced £4,000 fee.

MORE ESTABLISHED SIRES

for 2026

Cracksman

12 Frankel – Rhadegunda by Pivotal

Yorton Farm, £8,500 Cracksman joins Yorton Farm for 2026 at a fee of £8,500, offering breeders access to a world champion racehorse and proven elite sire at a markedly reduced price point. The son of Frankel relocates from Dalham Hall after seven seasons, his stud record already defined by the exceptional Ace Impact, the unbeaten winner of the Prix du Jockey Club and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Now 12, Cracksman is also developing a growing reputation as a dual-purpose influence, with his progeny including Galway Hurdle winner Ndaawi. A fourtime Group 1 winner himself, highlighted by two dominant victories in the Champion Stakes, Cracksman covered 44 mares in 2025 at £12,000 and is now positioned attractively within the value sector. There is sustained demand for his stock, with his fifth crop of yearlings averaging 38,375gns last year, a 27.3 per cent increase on his previous cohort.

Crystal Ocean

Sea The Stars – Crystal Star by Mark Of Esteem

The Beeches Stud, €8,000 Crystal Ocean has made a highly encouraging start to his stud career, with his first crop of four-year-olds delivering a Listed winner, a Cheltenham Festival Sale-topper and multiple maiden winners within the space of a few days. The Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner, who stands under the Coolmore National Hunt banner at The Beeches Stud, is showing early signs of transmitting his scope, attitude and stamina. Demand for his stock has been strong, with his first crop averaging

more than four times his €8,000 covering fee and producing multiple six-figure results. His biggest sale result came last March, when pointto-point scorer Cristal D’Estruval sold to Ed Bailey and Harry Derham for £400,000 at Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale, and the mare has gone on to win two from two over hurdles. A half-brother to Canadian Grade 1 winner Hillstar, Crystal Ocean combines elite Flat form with a pedigree wellsuited to National Hunt breeders, and with 117 mares covered in 2025, his upward trajectory looks firmly established.

Harry Angel

12 Dark Angel – Beatrix Potter Cadeaux Genereux Dalham Hall, £10,000 Harry Angel (pictured below) continues to justify his reputation as one of the most reliable value sources of elite speed on the international stage. The son of Dark Angel again underlined his appeal to breeders operating below the very top end of the market by supplying 32 per cent of runners rated RPR 80 or higher, a figure that stacks up strongly in any company. While his record in Europe has been solid, his southern hemisphere strikerate is outstanding, with all three of his Group 1 winners trained in Australia. He is also represented by a further three Group 2 winners in the jurisdiction, giving him the title of Australia’s leading third-season sire by earnings in 2025. He remarkably finished in the top ten of

Australia’s general sires table last year, achieving that feat with comparatively modest numbers. His progeny this side of the world are headed by Group 3 winners Fair Angellica, Marshman and A Lilac Rolla, the latter a onemillion guineas purchase for Resolute Racing at the 2024 Tattersalls December Mares Sale having been conceived at a £20,000 fee. The 12-year-old has depth still to come, with 110 two-year-olds and 89 yearlings waiting in the wings, while he covered a book of 95 in 2025. Standing for £10,000 at Dalham Hall, Harry Angel brings ongoing commercial momentum, highlighted by his AU$540,000 (£278,755/€320,275) Inglis Classic Yearling Sale top lot in Sydney on Monday. He is quietly building a case as one of the most effective and dependable speed sires available at this price point, with a 57 per cent winners-torunners strike-rate in Britain and Ireland.

King Of Change

10 Farhh – Salacia by Echo Of Light

Tweenhills Farm & Stud, £8,500

King Of Change has made an outstanding start with his first two crops of racing age and currently ranks as the leading sire standing in Britain or Ireland at £10,000/€12,500 or less by number of progeny to achieve a RPR of 80 or higher. The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner by Farhh had 11 of his 23 runners on either side of the Irish Sea reach that benchmark last season, an exceptional strike-rate of 48 per cent and a level of performance typically associated with winning solid maidens or competitive handicaps. His best performers included Listed winners Lady With

The Lamp, Onemoredance and Shayem, alongside smart dual-purpose scorer Barbizon and the progressive sprint handicapper Lady Roxby. That record has been achieved despite King Of Change covering relatively small books of modest depth in his formative seasons, making it little surprise that Tweenhills swooped in to secure him at the start of the year. His yearlings averaged 17,800gns in 2025, up from 11,700gns in 2024. Although his fee has risen to £8,500 from €5,000, the ten-yearold will now receive significantly stronger backing in terms of quality and commercial support, ensuring he continues to represent outstanding value in his new home.

Masar

Massaat

13 Teofilo – Madany by Acclamation

Mickley Stud, £3,500

11 New Approach – Khawlah by Cape Cross Sunnyhill Stud, private Derby hero Masar will commence his second season in the National Hunt sphere at Sunnyhill Stud after relocating from Dalham Hall in 2025. His jumps performers include the Listed-winning hurdler Made U Blush, Grade 2-placed dual winner Stencil, and Grade 3 Fred Winter placegetter Robbie’s Rock, while on the Flat last year his daughter Grecian Destiny landed Listed honours over a mile as fellow three-year-old Venetian Lace was runner-up behind Precise in the Group 1 Fillies Mile. Grecian Destiny subsequently sold to Australian trainer Henry Dwyer for €200,000 at the Arqana Arc Sale, while Masar’s yearling sale results were headed by a half-sister to Listed winner Emotion, who fetched 50,000gns. Masar covered 72 mares last year and should be well-supported this year on the back of his 2025 results.

averaged 23,673gns last year, perhaps reasoning behind his reduction after his first crop averaged 48,500gns, while his second improved to 49,671gns. However, Mohaather’s trajectory continues to point upward as the Group 1-winning sire’s second and third crops emerge, while foals of 105 covered mares are expected this spring.

Phoenix Of Spain

A Group 2-winning and Classic-placed son of Teofilo, Massaat (pictured below) remains a budget-friendly option at Mickley Stud, where he stands at an unchanged £3,500 fee despite a breakthrough Royal Ascot Group 1 win last year. His consistent stakes performer Docklands provided the Dewhurst and 2,000 Guineas runner-up with his first toplevel winner when he gamely defeated Rosallion in the Queen Anne. The 13-year-old, who covered 28 last year, has had limited representation across five crops to hit the track but operates at a 38.5 per cent strike-rate. Group 3 winners Coco Jamboo and Queues Likely completed his trio of stakes winners.

Mohaather

10 Showcasing – Roodeye by Inchinor

Beech House Stud, £10,000

Mohaather has quietly emerged as an effective young sire, and features in this space for the first time following a fee reduction to £10,000 from £15,000. A Group 1-winning miler by Showcasing, he retired with a RPR of 127 following his dominant Sussex Stakes success and from 70 first-crop runners – bred on a £20,000 fee at Nunnery Stud –he has had 45 winners, at a 64.3 per cent strike-rate. His three juvenile stakes winners in 2024 were headed by Group 3 Molecomb Stakes scorer Big Mojo, who went on to lift the Group 1 Sprint Cup at three last year. His second crop of juveniles were headed by dual winner and Group 1 Criterium International placegetter Cape Orator, one of 14 winners from 47 runners to date.

Mohaather’s yearlings

10 Lope De Vega – Lucky Clio by Key Of Luck Irish National Stud, €12,500 Figures underline Phoenix Of Spain as a stallion quietly building momentum as a credible commercial option at the Irish National Stud. The son of Lope De Vega produced 22 runners rated 80 or higher in Britain and Ireland last year, a strike-rate of 34 per cent, headed by stakes winners Atsila, Aviatrice, Caballo De Mar, Cheshire Dancer, Haatem and Lady Of Spain, alongside smart handicappers such as Dain Ma Nut In, Indalo and Nans View. Group 3 winner Lady Of Spain realised a remarkable 900,000gns at the recent Tattersalls December Mares Sale, having been bred on a €15,000 fee. Phoenix Of Spain’s yearling sale stats have remained consistent, averaging 26,429gns last year with a top price of 110,000gns at Tattersalls Book 2. With a sizeable crop of 133 yearlings to come through the system, the ten-year-old appears wellplaced to enhance his profile further, and at a slightly raised fee of €12,500 remains a forward-looking option for breeders.

Rajasinghe

11 Choisir – Bunditten by Soviet Star The National Stud, £3,000 The National Stud’s Rajasinghe offers valueseekers access to a proven source of high-class sprinting ability at a modest fee. The son of Choisir has not received the level of patronage his profile merits and, as a result, has had relatively few runners. Despite that, he continues to punch well above his weight, establishing himself as a reliable influence for tough, high-quality speed horses. Nine of his runners achieved an RPR of 80 or higher in Britain and Ireland last year, a strike-rate of 35 per cent, headed by Two Tribes and Run Boy Run, who between them landed three of the season’s most competitive premier handicaps – the International, Stewards’ Cup and Ayr Gold Cup. With results of that calibre from limited opportunities, Rajasinghe clearly warrants greater support and represents outstanding value at £3,000.

Continued on page 20

Bloodstock special Breeding on a Budget

Saxon Warrior

11 Deep Impact – Maybe by Galileo Coolmore Stud, €10,000 Coolmore’s Saxon Warrior has been a little quieter since his highly encouraging freshman season in 2022, but his credentials remain strong and having had his €15,000 fee revised to €10,000, he is now hard to overlook. The son of Deep Impact produced a solid number of runners rated 80 or higher in 2025, with Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner Garden Of Eden, Group 3 scorer Rage Of Bamby and Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan runner-up Sardinian Warrior underlining his ability to sire high-class performers. The 11-year-old covered 53 mares in 2025 and has around 180 two-year-olds on the ground, conceived in the afterglow of his eye-catching first crop which was headlined by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Victoria Road. An unbeaten Group 1-winning juvenile who went on to defeat Masar, Roaring Lion and Expert Eye in the 2,000 Guineas, Saxon Warrior is one of two sires by Deep Impact out of a Galileo mare on the Coolmore roster.

Washington DC

13 How’s She Cuttin by Shinko Forest, Bearstone Stud, £3,500 Despite siring his first Group 1 winner when American Affair took out the King Charles III Stakes last June, Washington DC remains at an affordable £3,500 price point. The Windsor Castle Stakes-winning son of the late Zoffany was the leading sire of five-furlong sprinters in Britain and Ireland last year by earnings, additionally being represented by Listed winner Washington Heights and Silver Sprint Trophy Handicap winner Venture Capital from limited numbers. A half-brother to fellow Group 1 placegetter and sire Aesop’s Fables, Washington DC covered 12 mares in 2025 and is surely due more support at Bearstone Stud after a solid season.

Without Parole 11 Frankel – Without You Babe Lemon Drop Kid Newsells Park Stud, £10,000 Without Parole will stand the 2026 season at £10,000, a well-deserved but modest increase from £8,000 after his breakthrough year as a sire, headlined by Group 1-winning juvenile Zavateri. Trained by Eve Johnson Houghton, Zavateri won four of his five starts last season, capturing the Group 2 July Stakes and Vintage Stakes before a gutsy success in the National Stakes at the Curragh, where he defeated subsequent Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Gstaad. The performance provided a major boost for

Without Parole, who is also the sire of the Group 3-placed Fiery Lucy – who sold for 165,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale – as well as stakes performers Genchev and Sea To Sky, all from limited opportunities. He covered 42 mares in 2025, while his yearlings bred on a £7,000 fee averaged 18,550gns. He also had a colt out of Sitar sell for 48,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. A Group 1-winning miler by Frankel, Without Parole continues to build momentum as a proven source of precocity and toughness and shapes as a fantastic value option for both commercial and enduser breeders.

MORE ESTABLISHED STALLIONS STANDING IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND FOR £10,000/€12,500 FIRST-CROP 4YOS IN 2026 OR LESS

ESTABLISHED SIRES for 2026

Affinisea

15 Sea The Stars – Affianced Erins Isle

Whytemount Stud, €7,000 Affinisea will once again headline the Whytemount Stud roster in 2026, standing for an unchanged fee of €7,000 after covering 314 mares last year to retain his status as the busiest stallion in Britain and Ireland. A proven source of elite National Hunt talent, Affinisea is best known as the sire of Savills Chase winner Affordable Fury and remains the cornerstone of the O’Neill family’s County Kilkenny operation. Whytemount also offers three stallions at €1,500, providing breeders with accessible options across proven jumping lines. These include another Sea The Stars son in Behesht, Feel Like Dancing, the sire of multiple Grade 1-winning hurdler Dancing City, and the wellbred French Group winner Manatee. The roster reinforces Whytemount’s position as one of Ireland’s strongest value-led National Hunt stallion farms.

Al Kazeem

18 Dubawi – Kazeem by Darshaan

Oakgrove Stud, £5,000 Four-time Group 1 winner Al Kazeem (pictured below) continues to defy the market’s indifference, with over 30 per cent of his runners in Britain and Ireland achieving an RPR of 80 or higher, underlining his reliability as a source of genuine ability. The Oakgrove Stud resident may be subfertile, but his results on the track remain those of a proven sire and he represents a dependable, value-led option worth persevering with at his fee of £5,000.

Ardad

Kodiac – Good Klodora by Red Clubs

Overbury Stud, £7,500 Ardad will stand at a reduced £7,500 fee at

Overbury Stud after spending four consecutive seasons at £12,500. The son of Kodiac remains one of the most compelling proven-value stallions in Britain, having sired European champion sprinter Perfect Power in his first crop, alongside Group 3 winner Eve Lodge and tentime scorer Vintage Clarets. He was represented by 153 twoyear-olds in 2025, among them Group 3 Prix de Cabourg winner Tadej, Listed winner Ardisia and the stakes-placed Queen Martina, with the crop boasting an overall strike-rate of 41.7 per cent. Meanwhile, his yearling stock averaged 29,582gns with a high of 180,000gns, and his twoyear-old colt Go Lockers Go out of Frankel mare Sayyedaty Lady sold for 200,000gns at the Goffs Breeze-Up Sale. Foal stats have remained solid throughout his career, averaging 19,140gns overall. The 12-year-old covered 105 mares last year. Continued on page 22

Bloodstock special Breeding on a Budget

Awtaad

13 Cape Cross – Asheerah by Shamardal Derrinstown, €8,500

Awtaad is renowned as a statistical over-achiever and further proof lies in the fact that 35 per cent of his runners in Britain and Ireland last year posted an RPR of at least 80. They included triple Group 1 runner-up Anmaat, a previous winner of the Champion Stakes, Ebor scorer Ethical Diamond, who went on to post a remarkable score in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, and the tough and consistent Al Qareem, who won four blacktype races. The son of Cape Cross covered 74-strong book

in 2025 and has relatively bigger crops in the pipeline, with 46 two-year-olds and 69 yearlings to come. His yearling stock averaged 21,353gns last year, while his foals were particularly well-received, averaging 63,182gns, bolstered by a brother to Ethical Diamond who fetched €380,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale. Awtaad appears an excellent choice at €8,500 at Derrinstown Stud.

Bungle Inthejungle 16 Exceed And Excel – License To Thrill by Wolfhound Rathasker Stud, €7,500 Rathasker Stud’s stalwart Bungle Inthejungle stands his

third consecutive season at €7,500 after another successful season. A Group 1-winning sire of Nunthorpe heroine Winter Power, the 16-year-old boasts 14 stakes winners and his progeny also includes Group 2 Lowther Stakes winner Living In The Past, and recent Group 2 winners Jm Jungle and Revival Power. He is also the sire of Group/Grade 3 winners Givemethebeatboys, Rumble Inthejungle and Jungle Peace.

His numbers stack up and he continues to pose a legitimate value option for breeders.

Golden Horn 14 Cape Cross – Fleche D’Or by Dubai Destination Overbury Stud, £10,000 Derby and Arc hero Golden Horn (pictured left) continues to show his versatility across both codes.

Among his leading National Hunt performers is Champion Hurdle heroine Golden Ace and Triumph

Hurdle winner Poinros, while the son of Cape Cross perennially produces excellent percentages of useful runners on the Flat. A total 31 per cent of his representatives achieved or exceeded a mark of 80 last year, with Trawlerman becoming his first Group 1 winner in the Gold Cup and Divina Grace, Karmology and Santorini Star striking in Pattern races. Overbury Stud has held his fee at £10,000, which is more than fair for a sire whose yearlings have averaged 18,738gns across the last two years, while his foals have made a tidy average of 28,556gns.

Harzand

13 Sea The Stars – Hazariya by Xaar

Kilbarry Lodge Stud, private There was plenty of demand for dual Derby winner Harzand in 2025, with the son of Sea The Stars covering 255 mares in his third season at Killbarry Lodge. On the Flat last year he was represented last season by Listed winners Cristal Clere and Caught U Looking, as well as Group 1 Sydney Cup fourth Mostly Cloudy, while over hurdles Hello Neighbour stuck in Grade 1 company. He has had two significant winners already this month, with

Timeless Treaty impressive in novice company at Thurles, while Zanoosh took out a Listed novice hurdle at Navan. Harzand’s foals were very well-received in 2025, going for an average of 20,306gns with the highlight a €62,000 colt purchased by Cloughmoyle Stud.

Make Believe

14 Makfi – Rosie’s Posy by Suave Dancer

Ballylinch Stud, €10,000 Another proven stallion offering outstanding value is Make Believe, who will stand for a deserved increased fee of €10,000 at Ballylinch Stud this season. The son of Makfi is the sire of dual Group 1 winner and £11.9 million earner Mishriff, and continues to deliver at the highest level, with his productive 2025 comprising of nine stakes winners, including Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Sajir and Australian Group 1 winner Royal Supremacy. His commercial appeal remains firmly intact, underlined when his Irish National Stud-bred colt

Make Believe Classicwinning sire at an affordable price

became the €60,000 top lot at December’s Sapphire Sale, while his highest priced foal last year went for €100,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale. Meanwhile his yearlings averaged 29,654gns, up considerably on 2024. With continued market confidence and elite-level flagbearers, Make Believe, who covered 72 mares last season, remains a reliable and versatile option for breeders.

Mayson

18 Invincible Spirit – Mayleaf by Pivotal Norton Grove Stud, £3,500 Group 1-winning sprinter and sire Mayson will stand at Norton Grove Stud for the 2026 breeding season at a fee of £3,500, offering breeders at the lower end of the market access to a proven source of elite speed. A winner of the July Cup and runner-up in the Prix de l’Abbaye, the son of Invincible Spirit has already supplied another July Cup hero in Oxted and is responsible for 11 Group or Listed scorers, including Rohaan and Honey Girl. After beginning his stallion career at Cheveley Park Stud, Mayson has stood in Ireland in recent seasons and covered 12 mares last year, making his return to Yorkshire timely for breeders seeking a speedinfluencing sire with a clear niche. At his revised fee, Mayson represents a good low-risk option.

PER FECT POW ER

Postponed

15 Dubawi – Ever Rigg by Dubai Destination Yorton Farm Stud, £6,000 Former Dalham Hall resident Postponed remains an intriguing budget option at Yorton Farm Stud, where the 15-year-old will stand for £6,000 this season after covering 92 mares last year. A dual Group 1 winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Juddmonte International, the son of Dubawi has continued to show he can deliver quality on the Flat, headed by Lillie Langtry Fillies’ Stakes winner Waardah and King Edward VII Stakes hero Amiloc, who was also second in the Irish St Leger. His strike-rate of runners rated 80 or higher in Britain and Ireland in 2025 underlines his continued relevance to Flat breeders working within a sensible budget, while his growing National Hunt record adds an extra layer of appeal, headed by Grade 3 novice hurdle and bumper scorer Familiar Dreams, and the Graded-placed Majestic Jameela and Movie Night. His progeny’s versatility is demonstrated by Ambiente Amigo, a winner of the Nottinghamshire Oaks last year who was Listed-placed over hurdles the season previous for the Gredley family and James Owen. With deeper jumpsorientated crops still to come, Postponed offers genuine versatility at a price point that is increasingly hard to ignore.