Five major talking points from this year's Weatherbys Return of Mares

Order Of St George rewarded for a bright start

Order Of St George was the busiest sire in Britain and Ireland, having covered 311 mares under the Coolmore National Hunt banner at Castle Hyde Stud.

The champion stayer by Galileo has always been popular with jumps breeders,receiving 288 mares in 2022 and 238 in 2023 for example, but an encouraging display with his first four-year-olds drove demand even higher this year.

Order Of St George supplied seven individual point-to-point winners including Buckna, who was sold at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale for £350,000 after bolting up at Kirkistown on debut for Gerald Quinn, while among his early runners under rules were impressive bumper scorers Gore Point and Seo Linn.

Maskada: Cheltenham Festival winner was among Order Of St George's book of mares this yearCredit: Edward Whitaker

There was quality as well as quantity in the sire’s book this year, as it featured the accomplished racemares Bonny Kate, Irish Roe, Maskada, Theatre Glory and Zuzka ,as well as the dams of stars Angels Breath, Banbridge, Captain Teague, Flooring Porter, Loughglynn, Mister Blue Sky, Rock The Kasbah, The New One and Thunder Rock.

Behind Order Of St George, the next most active sires in Britain and Ireland this year were Calyx (273 mares covered), Santiago (251), Good Guess (250), Affinisea (246), Sioux Nation (246), Mehmas (244), Hurricane Lane (236), Triple Threat (225) and Poet's Word (223).

Phoenix Of Spain surges in the popularity stakes

Irish National Stud-based Irish 2,000 Guineas hero Phoenix Of Spain received one of the biggest year-on-year increases in book size of any sire.

The grey son of Lope De Vega covered 217 mares this season, up from 91 in the preceding year, on the back of making an encouraging start by delivering 20 winners at a clip of 39 per cent among his debut crop of two-year-olds in 2023.

Phoenix Of Spain has justified breeders’ faith in him with another bold showing in his sophomore season, the highlight of which has been Haatem winning the Craven Stakes and Jersey Stakes and making the frame in both the Newmarket and Curragh 2,000 Guineas.

Phoenix Of Spain's 2024 book included the dams of Blue Point, Family One and Gold PhoenixCredit: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

His expanded book this year included the dams of Blue Point, Family One, Gold Phoenix, Jaameh, Katla, Layfayette, One Voice, Pandora’s Gift, Ship Of Dreams,Stratum and Thunderbear, as well as the mother of his star son Haatem. 

Among the other sires who enjoyed a big upturn in business between 2023 and 2024 were King Of Change, who went from 52 mares to 131 thanks to glowing reports about his first two-year-olds and some good results at the breeze-up sales, and Awtaad, who went from 74 to 128 in recognition of his excellent results from relatively meagre opportunities.

An abundance of exceptional mares for Frankel

Frankel joined Dubawi as the most expensive sire in the world when his fee was increased to £350,000 as reward for a sensational season in 2023 in which he was represented by Group 1 winners Chaldean, Courage Mon Ami, Inspiral, Jannah Rose, Kelina, Mostahdaf, Nashwa, Soul Sister, Triple Time, Westover and Ylang Ylang and was crowned Britain and Ireland’s champion sire by a wide margin.

Needless to say, then, his book of 192 mares at Banstead Manor Stud this year contained wall-to-wall quality.

It included Group/Grade 1 winners Abscond, Al Husn, Alcohol Free, And Tell Me Nolies, Announce, Blowout, Caravel, Castle Lady, Emollient, Fallen For You, In Italian,Juliet Foxtrot, Kitesurf, Laurens, Lightening Pearl, Meditate, Midday, Muskoka, One Master, Pearls Galore, Polydream, Proviso, Saffron Beach, Sauterne, Sobetsu, Special Duty, Tenebrism, Teona, Urban Fox, Viadera and Wild Illusion.

Frankel: Juddmonte's giant received an outstanding book this seasonCredit: Edward Whitaker

Furthermore, it contained the dams of top-flight winners Ace Impact, Adhamo, Alcohol Free, Big Rock, Churchill, Courage Mon Ami, Desert Crown, Dream Castle, Enable, Gleneagles, Hurricane Lane, Inspiral, Jannah Rose, Johannes Vermeer, Luxembourg, McKulick, Mill Stream, Nashwa, National Defense, Queen Goddess, Ramatuelle, Rebel’s Romance, Sealiway, Set Piece, Siskin, Soul Sister, State Of Rest, Triple Time, Whitebeam, Windstoss, Without A Fight and Ylang Ylang.

Frankel’s 2024 book also featured five incredibly special mares who won at the highest level themselves and have also produced progeny who have done the same, in Beauty Parlour (dam of Blowout), Daddys Lil Darling (dam of Savethelastdance), Dar Re Mi (dam of Too Darn Hot), Mecca’s Angel (dam of Content) and Quiet Reflection (dam of Lake Victoria).

Happy homecoming for Authorized

Derby winner and European champion three-year-old Authorized was given a hero’s welcome to Ireland, where he was born and bred by a partnership that included legendary jockey Mick Kinane, when he was repatriated from the Turkish Jockey Club to stand at Capital Stud in County Kilkenny this year.

The 20-year-old son of Montjeu, source of Flat Group 1 winners Ambivalent, Hartnell, Seal Of Approval and Santiago but better known as the sire of dual Grand National hero Tiger Roll and top hurdler Nichols Canyon, covered 138 mares upon his return.

Zambella: classy jumps mare was covered by returning hero Authorized this termCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

They included the classy racemares Legacy Gold, Poetic Music, Sensulano and Zambella, and dams of proven performers Bravemansgame, Champ, Rathvinden, Absolute Notions and Campeador.

Authorized served a reminder of his talents as a National Hunt sire before the covering season when Readin Tommy Wrong won the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle at Naas in January, and another midway through it as I Am Maximus became his second winner of the Grand National at Aintree in April.

Lillie Langtry’s long wait is over

Lillie Langtry must rank as one of the most sparkling jewels in Coolmore’s overflowing treasure chest of broodmares.

The 17-year-old daughter of Danehill Dancer was a dual Group 1 winner in her racing pomp, taking the Coronation Stakes and Matron Stakes, and she has produced six winners including no fewer than three Classic scorers, namely Minding, Empress Josephine and Tuesday.

Tuesday's prolific dam, Lillie Langtry, produced her first colt foal this yearCredit: Edward Whitaker

Furthermore, she is already the granddam of a Group 1 winner, with Minding’s son Henry Longfellow having scored in the National Stakes last year.

Remarkably, though, Lillie Langtry had produced no male offspring of her own until this year, when the 11th foal she produced on May 26 was her first ever colt. The son of Frankel is clearly a priceless commodity.

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