Darley Europe septet available for covers to southern hemisphere time
Darley has announced fees for seven of its stallions who will not shuttle to Australia but will instead be available to cover on southern hemisphere time.
The group is led by Kildangan Stud’s Night Of Thunder (Dubawi), who is available at €50,000 (approx. AU$82,108) at Kildangan Stud. The stallion’s first top-level winner, Kukeracha, is from his only Australian-bred crop. The son of Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) saw that crop achieve 39 winners at an 87 per cent winners to runners strike-rate, and no fewer than 11 per cent stakes winners to runners.
Palace Pier (Kingman), who will be available for a fee of £25,000 (approx. AU$48,021), shuttled to Australia last season but remains at Dalham Hall Stud this time. The champion miler covered an extremely well-bred group of mares for his only season in Australia, with 20 of the 97 mares being stakes winners, and a further 15 dams of stakes winners. Godolphin has 13 mares in foal to him, including sisters to Astern (Medaglia D’Oro) and Midshipman (Unbridled’s Song).
Leading second season sire Cracksman (Frankel) is another Dalham Hall resident available to breed to on southern hemisphere time, commanding a fee of £17,500 (approx. AU$33,615). Frankel’s (Galileo) world and European champion is the sire of the unbeaten Prix du Jockey Club (Gr 1, 2100m) winner Ace Impact and Listed winner and Deutsches Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) third Weracruz from his first crop.
Another debutant into the Australian market is Naval Crown (Dubawi) (€10,000 (approx. AU$16,412) Kildangan Stud), who beat Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) and Artorius (Flying Artie) in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) at Royal Ascot last year.
Iffraaj (Zafonic) (£10,000 (approx. AU$19,208)), perennial champion sire in New Zealand, is also available, alongside first season sire and Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) hero Masar (Franke) (£12,500 (approx. AU$24,010)) at Dalham Hall, while Space Blues (Dubawi) completes the seven-strong line-up at Kildangan Stud, standing for €15,000 (approx. AU$24,618).
Sam Bullard, Darley’s director of stallions, said. “We are pleased to be able to offer southern hemisphere breeders a great range, from top internationally proven stallions to younger commercial options.
“Night Of Thunder is doing as phenomenally well in Australia as he is here, and Palace Pier’s first Australian crop is so well bred, it’s a near certainty his second crop will be in great demand at the sales.
“As ever, our stallions are available to view by appointment, and we very much welcome visitors during the July Sales.”
The announcement comes on the eve of next week’s Tattersalls July sale, which offers an extensive catalogue of race fillies and mares ahead of the start of the southern hemisphere breeding season on September 1.