ENGLISH TEXTS
Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector: Indispensable Genetically , all 36 European stallions debuting in 2025 trace back to Northern Dancer . Of these , 92 % ( 33 stallions ) also carry Mr . Prospector , with exceptions being French sires Master d ’ Oc , Puchkine , and Riocorvo . Four new French stallions ( Carlton du Berlais , Metropolitan , Nietzsche Has , and Zagrey ) are direct descendants of Zarak , a son of Dubawi and an inbred carrier of Mr . Prospector . Together with two sons of Iffraaj ( My Prospero and Only the Brave ), this lineage accounts for 35 % of France ’ s new recruits . The influence of Gone West , a son of Mr . Prospector , is particularly striking , appearing in 53 % of new recruits . Irish breeding continues to invest in Wootton Bassett , a Gone West descendant , adding Bucanero Fuerte and King of Steel to its roster . Urban Sea , Scat Daddy , Siyouni , and Others
God Blessing ) and two grandsons of In the Wings . This diverse and promising array ensures the European stallion market remains robust and forward-looking .
Palace Pier and St Mark’s Basillica ? At the top of the market this season , breeding powerhouses Darley and Coolmore are represented by champions Palace Pier and St Mark ’ s Basilica . Palace Pier , standing at Dalham Hall Stud ( UK ) for £ 32,000 , achieved five Group 1 victories and attracted an exciting book of mares , with the dams of Cracksman and Aclaim both visiting the son of Kingman . Coolmore ’ s St Mark ’ s Basilica will be aiming to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Montjeu , Lope De Vega and Shamardal as a winner of the ‘ stallion-making ’ Prix du Jockey Club and his versatility on the track was matched by a first book of sprinting and staying mares alike . Both stallions , warranting the highest fees amongst the freshman class of 2025 , were winners at two and are expected to achieve juvenile success – yet first books suggest offspring will show best form as three-year-olds and onwards . With an opening fee of 15,000 euros , the Irish National Stud ’ s Lucky Vega is an early pick for future Leading Sire accolades . The son of Lope De Vega was an excellent juvenile for trainer Jessica Harrington , taking the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes ( 1200m ) before two Classic placings in the Group 1 2000 Guineas ( 1600m ) and the Irish equivalent . From the family of Lawman , Lucky Vega has been rewarded by Irish breeders with an exceptional first book including Scarlett Rose , dam of champion Blue Point and Eytarna , Black Type producer and second-dam of Oaks heroine Ezeliya .
BACK TO THE ARTICLE �When reviewing the leading firstseason sires over the last few years , big-hitting names spring to mind like Lope De Vega , No Nay Never and Blue Point . Yet there has been an increasing trend in the last five years that Leading First-Season Sire in Europe ( by number of winners ) is secured by a lower opening-fee stallion – with four of the last five standing at 15,000 or less . This statistic looks set to be upheld in 2025 , with budget options like A ’ Ali , Supremacy and Roseman all capable of producing the quantity of juvenile winners required to secure the title .
Urban Sea, Scat Daddy, Siyouni and the others… Mr . Prospector is also the grandsire of elite mare Urban Sea , whose legacy extends to 39 % of 2025 recruits , primarily via Galileo ( 10 sires ) and Sea the Stars ( 4 sires ). Urban Sea ’ s duplication may soon rival historic inbreeding trends like Natalma or Special . Germany continues to focus on classic stamina with Sea the Moon ’ s sons Assistent and Fantastic Moon , catering to a program that prioritizes 2200 – 2400m races . Meanwhile , Galileo ’ s dynasty remains strong with 4 new sires in the UK , Ireland , and Germany , though none are direct male-line sires in France . Ireland also invests in Scat Daddy , adding Aesop ’ s Fables and City of Troy , while France welcomes two sons of Siyouni ( Al Hakeem and
“THE TITLE OF LEADING FIRST- SEASON SIRE IN EUROPE PROMISES TO BE THRILLING.“
Vicky Gibbins
In France , Haras d ’ Etreham boasts an impressive stallion roster and Godolphin ’ s Victor Ludorum is a worthy new recruit . With a fascinating pedigree – 3 x 3 inbred to the dam of Street Cry , Helen Street – the striking chestnut was unbeaten as a two-year-old , culminating in a Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere
138ENGLISH TEXTS
Listed Ben Marshall Stakes ( 1600m ) at Newmarket and placed in the Group 1 QEII Stakes ( 1600m ) behind Palace Pier , the son of Kingman boasts a page littered with Black Type performers . Dam Go Lovely Rose has produced four individual Black Type performers and is a full-sister to the high class Immortal Verse , victorious in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes ( 1600m ) and the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois ( 1600m ). Immortal Verse ( Pivotal ) has translated her racing success to the breeding shed , with the Group 1-winning Tenebrism and Breeders ’ Cup hero Henri Matisse . With the class of 2025 comprising of Classic winners and speed-oriented stallions with lofty pedigrees , the upcoming race for Leading First-Sire Sire in Europe is set to be a mouthwatering prospect . Although Palace Pier and St Mark ’ s Basilica look sure to have long and successful careers at stud , 2025 could prove the perfect opportunity for another small-fee sire to continue the recent statistical trend and make an explosive start to their new career .
( 1600m ) success . Victorious in the Group 1 Poule d ’ Essai des Poulains ( 1600m ; Deauville ) at three , the son of Shamardal continued to race and win as a four-year-old . He served one of the larger books of 154 mares in his first year , with yearlings realising impressive figures at the sales . Towards the lower end of the spectrum , there are multiple exciting options for commercial breeders and a Leading First-Season Sire is likely to be amongst them . In the UK , Newsells Park Stud ’ s A ’ Ali has made a flying start to his stallion career with yearlings selling up to 200,000 guineas at the sales – forty times his £ 5,000 opening stud fee . A Royal Ascot Group 2 winning two-year-old , A ’ Ali has the pedigree to match his precocious results on the racetrack . His sire Society Rock achieved Champion European First Season Sire status in 2017 from a similar stud fee of 8,000 euros before his untimely death aged nine-years-old .
2025 will vary from person to person . Personally , for myself I will be looking to invest in my career more by getting out and about to more places … the more plane tickets the better . For breeders , well they will be hoping that the mares they currently have in foals are cooking the next superstar with four perfectly straight legs , a good shoulder and an attractive head that will stand out in the sale grounds . For the people who own and run stallions the outlook will cover fear , anticipation and excitement . A positive outlook is needed for these stallions with their first runners in 2025 as they themselves earned a place at stud based on their efforts on the racecourse that much hope lies in their progeny doing the same . 20 stallions entered stud both flat and jump in 2021 including some big names such as Hello Youmzain and Persian King but I shall be focusing on the national hunt stallions and the trend seems to be that if you were a son of Martaline , you went to stud in 2021 .
Or perhaps another...? Across the Irish Sea , Yeomanstown Stud stands an exciting freshman stallion in the shape of Supremacy . By Leading First-Season Sire in Europe ( 2020 ) Mehmas , he enjoyed a tremendous juvenile campaign , winning the Group 2 Richmond Stakes ( 1200m ) before defeating fellow first-season sire Lucky Vega in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes ( 1200m ). Disappointing at three , Supremacy hails from the family of Xtension and Harry Angel – the latter achieving twenty-five juvenile winners from his first crop – and early signs suggest the stallion is throwing precocious types . Whilst Roseman does not offer the Group-winning form of the aforementioned stallions , his pedigree provides breeders an exciting prospect for a lowly £ 4,000 . Successful in the
IF YOU WERE A SON OF MARTALINE, YOU WERE A STALLION IN 2021
BACK TO THE ARTICLE �Three of his sons entered the stallion ranks that year with the Gr . 1 winning 4-yo Moises Has being the best performer out of the three on the track . He won the Prix Renaud du Vivier Gr . 1 at Auteuil on his final start by a head which showed his fight and determination , a trait many breeders who used him will rub off on his progeny . He is a son of the mighty Martaline who bred 116 black type winners before passing away , including recent Gr . 1 winners Juntos Ganamos and Losange Bleu . Moises Has has 110 foals from his first crop which is a healthy number to go to war with and has been well touted
� PAGE 51It ’ s fair to say that people outlook for
ENGLISH TEXTS
When a name commands top prices New sires always have a lot of pressure put on them firstly to get sale results and then race results but on the flip side of the coin you have the sires whos offspring are now regularly topping the sales . 2023 ’ s stop lot was none other than Nietzsche Has . The son of Zarak went on to win his first three starts and booked his slot at stud before his career was even over with Haras de Montaigu who stand their stalwart No Risk at All and the young up and coming Beaumec de Houelle . He then went on to finish 2
by his stud Haras du Hoguenet with some top-class mares such as Gr . 1 winner Roll On Has ( No Risk At All ) and Jolie de Ballon who is the dam of Ain ’ t Got Wings . Ironically Ain ’ t Got Wings is by Martaline so they will be hoping similar bloodlines can reproduce something as successful so keep an eye on Newsagain Has in training with Marcel Rolland One supporter of Moises Has is Bertrand Le Metayer the bloodstock agent who admired him as a racehorse reported “ I bought two 2-year-old this year by him one at Arqana for 70 000 called White Lines whose half-brother Early Mist has been a flag bearer for his stallion Goliath du Berlais , and one at Auctav for 65 000 called Moise Madick who ’ s half-brother Iceo Madrik is turning heads in the cross-country sphere . They will go in training with Francois Nicole and Arnaud Chaille-Chaille and they both impressed me with their looks and how well they moved , they really looked like racehorses . I couldn ’ t find any faults and so far , so good with them .” All I know is I look forward to seeing some more greys on the racetrack .
Unlike the other two he is a bay and stands at Haras des Rouges Terres stud with the owner who raced him , Louis Baudron . His average price for a yearling in 2024 was 22 thousand which is not too bad considering his fee was one tenth of that at two thousand . King Edward has a first crop of 33 foals that will be turning three next year with some in training with Louis Baudron and Giada Menato . A stallion who didn ’ t race in France but retired to stud here is Latrobe the Irish derby winning son of Camelot . Camelot needs no introduction with a phenomenal year in 2024 having been the sire of Irish derby winner Los Angeles and Prix de l ’ Arc de triomphe winner Bluestocking . He has 45 foals in his first crop and has already had 4 horses run 6 times as two-year-olds resulting in one winner so far . His progeny impressed at the sales as well with bloodstock agent Dan Astbury going to 31 000 € for one and training duo Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm bought one for 67 000 € from the family of Gr . 1 winner Fastorslow . Doctor Dino is one of the leading stallions in France and a stalwart of the Haras du Mesnil stud but their young stallion who they hope will be following in their footsteps will be Telecaster . Telecaster had 65 foals in his first crop including from top mares such as Listed winner Marlonne , Gr . 3 winner Floridee and Villa Rosa who is the dam of Rosa Gallica who looks an exciting Telecaster filly for next year . Antonia Devin who stands the horse is keen to stress that “ Telecaster is a big horse with a lot of quality , and I feel he passes that quality down to his progeny . Our son Henri has quite a few in training and he relays back to us that they are very genuine horses with a great temperament and have been very straight forward to do anything with .”
ndin the grade 1 champion hurdle for three-year-olds and has one more assignment at Chepstow in the Uk in a grade 2 . A year after he was bought and the nominations deals were being done with breeders at Arqana , it was another Zarak colt out of the grade 3 winning hurdler Missy tata who topped the sale at 155 thousand euros to Zara Logan . The horse has now been named Guadalquivir and is registered in training with Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm . It was stated after his purchase actually that they liked his profile due to that of Nietzsche Has so possibly a similar campaign is in store for this year ’ s top lot . 2025 has plenty to look forward to with regards to horses to follow and stallions to keep an eye on but if horses teach us one thing it is always to expect the unexpected .
I can ’ t wait to see more greys on the track . Another grey son of Martaline that went to stud in 2021 is Gary du Chenet , a full brother to G . 2 winner over hurdles Hotesse Du Chenet . He stands at Haras du Lion and had 51 foals in his first crop of runners next year in 2025 . He already has his offspring registered with trainers such as David Cottin and Francois Nicolle so connections of the stallion will be hoping they can get some good results on the track in order to propel him forward in his stallion career . The third son of Martaline that went to stud in 2021 was King Edward .
“ TELECASTER IS A HORSE OF GREAT QUALITY , AND I BELIEVE HE PASSES THIS QUALITY ON TO HIS OFFSPRING .“
Antonia Devin
BACK TO THE ARTICLE � 140ENGLISH TEXTS
Galorama : What is your strategy for renewing your broodmare band ? HB : I believe it ’ s essential to be proactive in breeding , regardless of the scale or value of the operation . It ’ s important to reassess each year . Annually , we sell five or six broodmares that haven ’ t met our standards and purchase an equivalent number . Increasingly , we ’ re focusing on buying yearling fillies , as I believe this is the best way to develop a top-tier broodmare band . Today , buying a high-quality broodmare with a strong pedigree , excellent performance , and good conformation is nearly impossible . These mares are reserved for two or three buyers globally who compete fiercely . Moreover , there are very few such mares on the market , unlike yearling fillies , as most breeders sell their foals . This allows for greater selection , but you must be willing to retain them , even when they turn out to be exceptional !
Galorama : The family of Prudenzia has had a significant impact on your breeding program . Could you introduce us to this lineage ? Henri Bozo : The “ P “ family is crucial to the history and future of Écurie des Monceaux . Platonic was one of the first purchases when I arrived at the stud farm , which at the time had no mares yet . Écurie des Monceaux was newly established . Back then , we collaborated extensively with Lady O ’ Reilly , and Patricia Boutin helped us select the mares . Platonic ’ s pedigree featured classic bloodlines with performers over distances of 2,000 to 2,400 meters , including names like Zafonic , Mr . Prospector , Shirley Heights , and Darshaan . Physically , she had great qualities — not a big model , not overly powerful , but very refined and close to her bloodlines . We purchased her without knowing she would become the stud ’ s founding family . She was in foal to Dansili and produced a filly we named Prudenzia . We kept her as part of the partnership to build our genetic heritage . She was sent to trainer Pascal Bary and won the Prix de la Seine ( Listed ). She was a magnificent filly and became an exceptional broodmare . She truly allowed Monceaux to establish itself on the map because , at the beginning , no one knew us . Her success enabled us to invest , diversify , and develop the stud . We ’ ve retained many females from Platonic ’ s lineage , as this type of family is highly sought after . The other emblematic family of the stud is that of Starlet ’ s Sister , who unfortunately passed away last year due to colic , leaving us with just one filly : Snowpark . She is in foal to Siyouni for the first time and will be sent to Wootton Bassett this year . The other females from this family all belong to Peter Brant .
� PAGE 58Galorama : How do you select stallions for your broodmares and alternate between proven and young sires ? HB : I prioritize using proven stallions — that ’ s the foundation . However , we regularly use young stallions as well . The logic is to use proven stallions with young mares to save time , while older mares can go to new stallions — either first-season sires who performed at a high level and have a pedigree we like or sires showing early potential , like Hello Youmzain , who has proven his quality as a sire with his first crops . I also avoid pairing an older stallion with an older mare . Older mares are more likely to go to younger stallions .
Galorama : What are the bloodlines of this family ? HB : It ’ s a very versatile family for crossing . Platonic is by Zafonic , out of a Darshaan mare . These families cross very well with the bloodlines of Dubawi and Galileo . This has been the main success of the stud — combining these two male lines . A good example is Night of Thunder , whom we ’ ve used extensively in recent years .
Galorama : You recently made some acquisitions at sales . What were you looking for in these pedigrees ? HB : I primarily look for quality — pedigree , performance , and conformation . I ’ m very attached to pedigrees because I firmly believe great horses often come from strong lines . I prefer pedigrees that feature solid , multi-generational families , not just one performer . This year , I purchased five mares : In the U . S ., I acquired Elounda Queen , winner of the Prix de Lieurey ( Gr . 3 ), beating some very good horses . I admire her solid pedigree . She ’ s by Australia , a potentially excellent broodmare sire . She will visit the American stallion Not This Time , who is currently on the rise , before returning to France .