Breeders' Cup hero Expert Eye added to Banstead Manor stallion roster

Juddmonte Farms have made a notable addition to their Banstead Manor Stud stallion ranks for 2019, with recent Breeders' Cup Mile hero Expert Eye due to begin covering duty at a fee of £20,000.

"We are delighted to announce the arrival of Expert Eye to Juddmonte Farms," said stud director Simon Mockridge. "He's the first British-trained winner of the Breeders' Cup Mile since 1994, further strengthening one of the most exciting young stallion rosters in Europe."

The son of Acclamation won five of his ten starts, and brought the curtain down on his racing career with a breakthrough success at the highest level in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Churchill Downs.

That performance was preceded by dominant victories in the Group 2 Vintage Stakes at two and the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at three, when he also landed the City Of York Stakes.

"This precocious, athletic and well-balanced colt is one of the best sons of Acclamation to race," Mockridge continued. "Expert Eye is a fourth generation Juddmonte homebred whose pedigree boasts the presence of champion two-year-old filly in Europe and dual Classic winner Special Duty and seven-time Grade 1 winner Sightseek."

The three-year-old is out of Exemplify, a maiden winner at two by Dansili. She is a daughter of Quest To Peak and therefore a half-sister to Special Duty, who won the Cheveley Park Stakes at two before, remarkably, she was awarded the English and French 1,000 Guineas in the stewards' room, having suffered trouble in running during both heats.

Expert Eye's third dam is Viviana, who produced five winning offspring, including dual Grade 1 winner Tates Creek and Sightseek, winner of an impressive seven top-flight events.

He is one of five elite winners by Acclamation, who has emerged as an increasingly important sire of sires. The Rathbarry Stud stalwart's stallion sons are led by Dark Angel, sire of six elite winners - including Battaash and Harry Angel - and Equiano, sire of The Tin Man.

Among the up-and-comers at stud by Acclamation are Mehmas and Aclaim, both of whom have covered sizeable books during their early breeding seasons.

Expert Eye joins a formidable roster at Banstead Manor, which is led by unbeaten dual world champion Frankel, who will stand his second consecutive season at a fee of £175,000.

The son of Galileo has got off to a fast start to his second career, as he boasts five top-flight winners on his progeny record after the 2018 successes of St James's Palace Stakes hero Without Parole, Prix du Cadran scorer Call The Wind and Yasuda Kinen victor Mozu Ascot.

He was also represented in 2018 by Cracksman, who landed his second Champion Stakes and will now take up covering duty at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud.

Frankel: the rising star of the stallion ranks will stand for £175,000 in 2019Credit: Edward Whitaker

"Frankel reached the landmark total of 20 northern hemisphere Group winners this year, faster than any other European stallion in the history of the Pattern," noted Mockridge. "He has firmly established himself as one of the leading sires in the northern hemisphere, second only to his sire Galileo, by Group winners (24) and black-type winners (33) from his 2014-2016 crops."

Another Juddmonte stallion who has made a deeply impressive start to his stud career is Kingman, who will stand for £75,000 - up from £55,000 - in 2019.

The son of Invincible Spirit has supplied 20 European winners from his debut crop, including five who struck at stakes level, namely the unbeaten Coventry Stakes winner Calyx, Autumn Stakes scorer Persian King and the Listed-winning trio Look Around, Poetry and Sangarius.

"Champion miler Kingman has made an exceptional start with his first crop, which has produced five stakes winners to date," said Mockridge. "His yearlings continue to be well-received at the sales, with a 1,050,000gns yearling at Tattersalls October Book 1 and the highest priced colt to sell at Goffs Orby (€850,000) in 2018."

Kingman: the flying first-crop sire has had his fee increased to £75,000 for next seasonCredit: Juddmonte Farms/Asunción Piñeyrúa

The Banstead Manor roster is completed by Oasis Dream - sire of two new Group 1 winners in 2018 in Polydream and Pretty Pollyanna - and Bated Breath, who will stand for unchanged fees of £30,000 and £10,000 respectively.