Royal Academy Sires 100th Stakes Winner

Coolmore stallion Royal Academy, who attained milestones as both a yearling and as a racehorse, came through with one as a stallion. The 17-year-old stallion has sired his 100th stakes winner, joining the likes of his sire, Nijinsky II, grandsire, Northern Dancer, and several male-line descendants of the latter.

Bred by Tom Gentry, Royal Academy was the highest-priced auction yearling of 1988, selling for $3.5 million at the Keeneland July sale. Trained by Vincent O'Brien for Classic Thoroughbreds, he developed into an Irish champion miler, an English group I sprint winner, and winner of the 1990 Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) in what was his final start.

Royal Academy, who entered stud at Coolmore Stud in Ireland, came through with eight stakes winners from his first crop and a later crop yielded a dozen. He also stood at Coolmore's North American satellite, Ashford Stud, near Versailles, Ky., and at farms in Australia, Japan, and Brazil, siring stakes winners in all of them. He figured to sire good milers. Two of them, Sleepytime (in England) and Zalaiyka (in France), were mile classic-winning fillies. Val Royal captured the 2001 Breeders' Cup Mile, and Ali-Royal took the mile Sussex Stakes (Eng-I).

Another of Royal Academy's runners, multiple champion Oscar Schindler, excelled at lengthier distances, twice winning the Irish St. Leger (Ire-I).

Royal Academy, who was produced from the Crimson Satan mare Crimson Saint, stood this season at Ashford before being sent to Coolmore Australia in the summer.