Record-breaking first-season sire Mehmas continues to impress
The six-year-old is now the second most successful two-year-old sire of all time
Tally-Ho Stud’s first-season sire Mehmas (Acclamation) became the second most successful two-year-old sire of all time on Sunday night, as the Richard Hughes-trained Nelson Gay (2 g ex Rublevka Star by Elusive Quality) landed a maiden at Southwell to bring up his 55th individual winner of the season.
Only fellow Tally-Ho stallion Kodiac (Danehill), who sired 61 two-year-old winners in 2017, has achieved more juvenile winners than Mehmas, with leading Japanese sires Deep Impact (Sunday Silence) (54 in 2017) and Sunday Silence (Halo) (51 in 2004) third and fourth behind the son of Acclamation (Royal Applause) respectively.
Mehmas had already etched his name into the history books in October, when he became the most successful European first-season sire in history with his 38th individual two-year-old winner. He overtook Iffraaj (Zafonic), who sired 37 first-crop winners in 2010.
Mehmas, a six-year-old out of Lucina (Machiavellian), was retired to stud following an eight-race two-year-old campaign under the care of Richard Hannon for Al Shaqab Racing.
He ended the 2016 season as a dual Group 2 winner, having taken out the July Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) at Newmarket before defeating subsequent multiple Group 1 winner Blue Point (Shamardal) in the Richmond Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) at Goodwood.
He has gone on to make an electric start at stud, with Middle Park Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) winner Supremacy and Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) scorer Minzaal among four individual stakes winners from his 103 runners to date.
While most of his crop are residing in Europe, Miss Zenara, a filly foaled in February 2018 out of Zenara (Sea The Stars), will give Australians a first-hand glimpse of his progeny, with the filly with Paul Preusker in Victoria. She is expected to make her debut in the new year and breeder Pat O’Callaghan, brother to Tally-Ho Stud owner Tony O’Callaghan, believes she could be a smart filly.
“She is a three-year-old in Australia and she’s working well. I expect she will be out on the track in a few months, I’m really looking forward to seeing her run,” he told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“Mehmas is an excellent stallion. I’ve always had a lot of faith in him and used him every year since he went to stud, which I’ll continue to do.”
Tally-Ho Stud’s Roger O’Callaghan, has been delighted with the start Mehmas has made to his stud career, noting that his progeny appear to have inherited his immense will to win.
“We’re chuffed, it’s been beyond our wildest expectations. It’s taken a bit of hard work from ourselves in getting the numbers out, but he has been very well supported and the breeders have been great,” O’Callaghan told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“His will to win makes him special. He loves life, he has the right attitude and it looks like his stock has the right attitude.”
The achievements of Mehmas’s first crop on the track has certainly led the sales ring to take notice, with his progeny most recently lighting up the opening day of the Goffs November Foal Sale on Friday.
His colt out of Vida Amorosa (Lope De Vega), an unraced half-sister to the dam of Listed winner Garrus (Acclamation) from the family of Danehill Dancer (Danehill), was bought by the O’Callaghan’s for €75,000 (approx. AUD$121,600), with the family knowing all too well how valuable his progeny are.
“We sold the yearling full-brother this year for £26,000 and he is with Richard Hannon. This colt is a much better model than him and he will be for resale next year,” said Tony O’Callaghan on Friday.
His top successes at the sales this year include a colt out of Ashtown Girl (Exceed And Excel) selling for 320,000gns (approx. AUD$596,100) in Book 2 of the Tattersalls Yearling Sales, while a daughter of Big Boned (Street Sense) fetched £330,000 (approx. AUD$585,450) at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale in September.
“The sales come with the success on the track. If you win on the track, you’ll win at the sales,” Roger O’Callaghan said.
The stud fee for Mehmas has been given a justifiable hike by Tally-Ho ahead of the 2021 breeding season, with the young Mullingar-based stallion to be offered at €25,000 (approx. AUD$40,500), a 233 per cent rise from his 2020 mark of €7,500.
O’Callaghan expects Mehmas to be in demand in the new year, adding: “We’re expecting him to keep going and it looks like every european breeder expects him to keep going too. I hope they’re right!”
However, unfortunately for southern hemisphere breeders, the prospect of Mehmas gracing the Australasian turf, like fellow Tally-Ho stallion Vadamos (Monsun), had been ruled out for now, with O’Callaghan keen to keep their prized possession on home soil.
“There’s been plenty of enquiries about him shuttling, but Mehmas will be staying at Tally-Ho,” he said.
“He covered a couple of southern hemisphere mares up here and he could do that all of April, but he’s not going down there.”
Vadamos has spent the southern hemisphere breeding season situated at Rich Hill Stud in New Zealand, and he currently has 14 winners to his name from 52 runners.
However, on the track Vadamos, out of Celebre Vadala (Peintre Celebre), produced his best form when winning the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Gr 1, 1600m) at five, and O’Callaghan is expecting much more to come from the northern hemisphere nine-year-old, who has a fee of €5,000 (approx. AUD$8,095) for the upcoming breeding season in Ireland.
“He’s had a very good season. It’ll be next year and the year after we find out how good he really is. This year is only a bonus,” he said.
“He enjoys heading to New Zealand – he’d make Hugh Heffner look like an alter boy!”