Juddmonte Farms has offered some insight into its breeding plans for 2017.
In a statement released March 9, the international operation owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah revealed that its European broodmare band will be visiting 35 different stallions, standing at 19 stud farms in England, Ireland, France, and Germany. Juddmonte will also continue supporting its home stallions, as has been its tradition. A third of the grade/group 1 winners bred by Juddmonte Farms worldwide are by home stallions, according to the farm. Banstead Manor Stud is the strongest it has ever been.
This year's book for multiple European champion and 2011 Cartier Horse of the Year Frankel, who stands at Addullah's Banstead Manor Stud, will include Fair Eva's group 1-winning dam African Rose; Arabesque, the dam of exciting young stallion Showcasing; top-class race mares Heat Haze and Emollient, the winners of six grade 1 races between them; grade/group 2 winners Treat Gently and Lucky Kristale; and the grade/group 1 producers Argumentative (dam of Epicuris), Binche (dam of Proviso and Byword), and Winter Sunrise (dam of Winsili). African Rose is not the only mare mentioned above to have already produced a promising individual by Frankel as Heat Haze is the dam of Doncaster maiden winner Mirage Dancer (Timeform 93p), while Arabesque's Frankel 2-year-old Westerland has gone into training with John Gosden.
Dansili, standing at Banstead Manor for £65,000, has sired over 20 Juddmonte-bred group winners and he has several interesting 3-year-old prospects this year, including the impressive maiden winners Titus (out of the dual listed stakes winner Mirror Lake) and Shutter Speed (out of Photographic, a daughter of Cheveley Park winner Prophecy). Their dams will once again visit Dansili in 2017, along with Derby winner Workforce's dam Soviet Moon and the recent listed winner Rostova.
Multiple group 1 winner Oasis Dream, who stands at Banstead Manor for £85,000, also has some exciting prospects for 2017, including the impressive maiden winner Sound Bar, whose dam Milford Sound (a half sister to Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, G1, winner Rail Link) returns to him this year. Other notable Juddmonte mares to visit Oasis Dream include the quadruple grade 1 winner Ventura; the dual listed winner Entree (who has already produced a very nice yearling colt by the sire) and the listed winner Emergency, who is half sister to Oasis Dream's group 1-winning son Prohibit.
Dansili's third-crop sire son Bated Breath's first crop of 2-year-olds mirrored the start made by his sire, with both getting 19 winners and Bated Breath garnering one additional black-type performer. From limited numbers Bated Breath, who stands for £8,000, has had early success with Oasis Dream mares, so on paper Bouvardia, a sister to Showcasing, is an obvious match, especially as he sired the dual winner Partitia (Timeform 96p) out of her sister Palmette. Two mares who have produced group winners to Dansili are also visiting Bated Breath—Tarocchi (the dam of group 1 winner Price Tag) and Winter Solstice (the dam of group 2 winner Ice Blue and grandam of group 1 winner Winsili).
Champion miler Kingmanwill have his first yearlings go through the ring this year and he has some particularly nice Juddmonte-bred youngsters out of Dansili mares. Special Duty's half sister Exemplify, Passage Of Time's sister All Time, group 3 winner Sense Of Joy and Snow Sky's dam Winter Silence are all Dansili mares returning to Kingman because of their nice youngsters, while dual group 3 winner Big Break, a sister to Famous Name, is a Dansili mare making her first visit.
Homebred Prix du Jockey Club (G1) winner New Bay (by Dubawi) is also going to receive good support. He will be covering Hasili's daughter Very Good News and the black-type performer Midweek amongst others.
Despite having so much success with home stallions it is also vitally important for Juddmonte to use the best proven sires in Europe in order to keep diversifying its bloodlines. Kind and her daughter Joyeuse are going to Coolmore Stud's top sire Galileo, along with Midday (who has two progeny by Frankel in training, as well as her Galileo colt Midterm). Banks Hill has already produced group 1 winner Romantica to Galileo while group 3 winner Hot Snap (by Pivotal) will be bred to leverage the emerging Galileo/Pivotal cross. Galileo's half brother Sea the Stars, 2009 Cartier Horse of the Year, will be covering the Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) winner Intercontinental and Midday's dam Midsummer.
Two stallions who have got high-class performers out of Zamindar mares are Dubawi, who stands at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud and is also the sire of Zarak, and Invincible Spirit, who stands at the Irish National Stud and is the sire of Kingman. Juddmonte will be trying to recreate the success by sending group 1 winners Zenda and Timepiece to Dubawi, and Mechanism (a sister to Timepiece) to Invincible Spirit. Another visiting Dubawi will be Romantica. As she is by Galileo, the resulting progeny will be bred on the same cross as England's 2014 Two Thousand Guineas (G1) winner Night Of Thunder.
Two good racemares making the journey to France are Famous Name's listed-winning half sister Zaminast (to visit Le Havre, who stands at Haras de la Cauviniere) and dual listed winner Caponata (to visit Siyouni, who stands at Haras de Bonneval).