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First-season sires ranked by rating

3 minute read

A look at the Magic Millions freshman sires and their peak Timeform ratings.

GHAIYYATH winning the Eclipse at Sandown Park in Esher, England.
GHAIYYATH winning the Eclipse at Sandown Park in Esher, England. Picture: Mark Cranham/Pool via Getty Images

Australia's first live yearling sale of the year starts on the Gold Coast on Tuesday and, as always, the first look at youngsters of freshman stallions will be eagerly anticipated.

Bivouac, Farnan, Ole Kirk, Russian Camelot are among those who raced in Australia buyers get the first chance to buy into, along with shuttle stallions including Ghaiyyath and Wootton Bassett, who has served many years in the UK.

There are 26 first-season sires in this year's Magic Millions catalogue, with 11 of them retiring from the track with a Timeform rating above 120.

133 – GHAIYYATH: The Darley shuttler not only owns a Timeform rating five pounds superior to the next highest-rated freshman stallion, his top four ratings are all higher than any other stallion. The son of Dubawi's Juddmonte Stakes win in 133 is his best performance, while he earned a rating of 130 for his 8-1/2-length romp in the G3 Dubai Millennium Stakes and has two 129 performances. Has just three yearlings entered, only one in Book 1 – a chestnut colt out of a half-sister to Helmet, Epaulette and Bullbars, who goes through as Lot 494.

128 – BIVOUAC: The son of Exceed And Excel won a Golden Rose in 123 but saved his best performances for the Flemington straight, where he won a Champions Sprint in 128 and Newmarket Handicap in 127. Delivered 120 live foals in his first season, 34 of which will be offered on the Gold Coast.

126 – CIRCUS MAXIMUS: The Windsor Park-based stallion was the French Champion Miler in 2019, the year he won the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in 122. His peak performance came at the same carnival 12 months later when a winner of the Queen Anne Stakes in 126. The son of Galileo has just two youngsters for sale, a colt out of Shamardal mare Shama de Oro (Lot 174) and a filly out of Cora Lynn (Lot 546), a daughter of Golan.

124 – HELLO YOUMZAIN: At the same Royal Ascot that Circus Maximus won the Queen Anne, Hello Youmzain won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in 124, the same number the son of Kodiac ran to win the Sprint Cup Stakes at Haydock the previous September. Based at Cambridge Stud in New Zealand, Hello Youmzain has three yearlings catalogued including Lot 191, a colt from the family of another Diamond Jubilee Stakes winner, Merchant Navy.

124 – RUSSIAN CAMELOT: Bred in the UK but did his racing in Australia, where he won a South Australian Derby in 122 and an Underwood Stakes in 124, but also logged three feature race placings in 123. The Widden Victoria-based son of Camelot has four lots catalogued, including a filly who is a half-sister to Graff, a 119-rater who also has 10 of his first crop on offer at this sale.

123 – ADMIRE MARS: A son of Daiwa Major who won a Hong Kong Mile and NHK Mile Cup in his native Japan in 118 but ran his career peak in defeat, when third in the Group 1 Mile Championship won by Gran Alegria. Stands at Arrowfield Stud and has nine yearlings going through, including a filly from the family of Zarkava (Lot 391).

123 – LUCKY VEGA: Yulong's European recruit won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes in 116 but was another to post his career peak Timeform number when finishing third, in the 2000 Guineas in 123. Yulong is bringing a draft of six north including a colt out of a half-sister to Sunlight's dam Solar Charged (Lot 224).

123 – WOOTTON BASSETT: Wootton Bassett's European progeny have excelled for several seasons now, but this is the first time have a chance to get their hands on his sons or daughters conceived in Australia. A winner of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagrdere in 123, the 16-year-old son of Iffraaj was popular at Coolmore and has 35 youngsters to be offered, including a colt who is a half-brother to The Everest winner Think About It (Lot 301) and the first foal, a filly, from former star Kiwi mare Avantage (Lot 454).

122 – FARNAN: Any Golden Slipper winner is a high-profile first-season sire, this guy even more so being a son of the late Not A Single Doubt. His Slipper win came in 122, the same mark run by the two male Slipper winners who preceded him, Capitalist and Vancouver, and the one who followed, Stay Inside. Extremely popular at Kia Ora, Farnan served 192 mares in 2021 and has 34 youngsters to be offered.

121 – EARTHLIGHT: Another Darley shuttle stallion whose best win was a 120 victory in the Prix Morny, but the son of Shamardal went 121 twice in defeat, including his second placing in the Group 1 Prix De La Foret. He has four lots catalogued, all in Book 2.

121 – FIERCE IMPACT: Leneva Park's son of Deep Impact has one lot in the book, a colt out of Listed Kiwi winner Testa Secret who will go through as Lot 287 on Day 2. Fierce Impact won three Group 1 races, the best of them the Makybe Diva Stakes win over Russian Camelot in 121, the same number he ran when third in the Chipping Norton Stakes won by Te Akau Shark.

Of the remaining first-season sires represented on the Gold Coast, Anders, Graff and Prince Fawaz have peak ratings of 119, one pound more than Ole Kirk, Prague and Tagaloa.

North Pacific owns a 117 peak, while King's Legacy – the most heavily-represented freshman sire with 41 – is one of four stallions with a 116 peak.


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