'She's an amazing mare' - Suelita leading the charge for Whitsbury Manor matings

Whitsbury Manor Stud enjoyed a most spectacular annus mirabilis in 2022 and director Ed Harper will be hoping the operation's good fortune continues, with their broodmare band set to visit some of the most high-flying stallions around.

Last year's highlights featured Havana Grey's extraordinary start with his first crop of juveniles, Suelita's triumphant time with her leading two-year-old son Chaldean, and the seven-figure purchase of his Kingman foal half-sister.

Chaldean, Suelita's son by Frankel, went from winning a Newbury maiden in July to annexing the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes in October for Andrew Balding and Juddmonte. In between he also landed the Acomb and Champagne Stakes.

Off the back of that gritty Dewhurst victory, Chaldean's half-sister produced some fireworks herself when making 1,000,000gns to Juddmonte at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, two years after Chaldean sold to them for 550,000gns.

All in all, it is not a massive surprise to learn that Suelita - also the dam of Mill Reef Stakes winner Alkumait, from six winners and five black-type performers overall - is booked to return to Frankel after foaling to Showcasing.

Chaldean's Kingman half-sister sells for 1,000,000gns at TattersallsCredit: Laura Green

Harper says: "In the wake of Havana Grey euphoria we did think about sending Suelita to Havana Grey, but they don't actually suit each other physically.

"We crossed that off when our feet touched the ground and so we're going to do the sensible thing and go back to Frankel.

"To breed a Dewhurst winner is very special and because we've got such an amazing mare we've got to make use of her."

Excitingly, Whitsbury Manor will also be represented in the debut book of mares for Baaeed, the brilliant six-time Group 1 winner for Shadwell and the world's highest-rated turf horse in 2022.

Harper says: "Arcamist, the dam of Dragon Symbol and whose Havana Grey colt foal topped the second day of the Tattersalls Foal Sale at 250,000gns, will go to Baaeed.

"He's such a good-looking horse and when we send mares to outside stallions now, we really try to get the best. We're pleased we're in there as Shadwell do limit books."

A beneficiary of the likes of Havana Grey, Showcasing and Sergei Prokofiev's books being so full is the National Stud's second-season stallion Lope Y Fernandez, a Group-winning and five-time Group 1-placed son of Lope De Vega.

Harper explains: "We're in an amazing position where three of the stallions here are so busy that we're not going to be able to send as many mares as we're used to.

"Lope Y Fernandez will be covering the most number of mares we've got, as we're the largest shareholder in the partnership that owns him.

"He had such a good year last year, covering nearly 140 mares, and we're keen to follow that up with another good book."

Ed Harper: 'there's a lot of green on the list!'Credit: Laura Green

Among his scheduled dates from Whitsbury Manor are Persaria, a winning full-sister to top sprinter The Tin Man who is due to foal to the six-year-old, Frequent, a half-sister to Showcasing, and Midnightly, a four-time winner by Acclamation.

"We sent 16 mares to Lope Y Fernandez last year and will send around 25 this time because we really want to get behind him," adds Harper.

"We colour coordinate our matings so each stallion has a different colour. Lope Y Fernandez is green in our system - and there's a lot of green on the list!

"I think he's going to be a really nice match with Showcasing mares, he's got that scopey big walk and the Showcasing mares that we have are more compact.

"We're sending three, including Sufficient, who is a daughter of one of our foundation mares Good Enough, and Noble Cause, who has bred a couple of black-type horses already."

Havana Grey's rise to the top of the first-season sire ranks was one of the standout bloodstock stories of 2022, and with 13 black-type performers and five stakes winners under his belt, the eight-year-old will receive very strong support within and outside his home team.

The Whitsbury Manor Stud boss and his team had a huge decision to make over Havana Grey's 2023 fee, trying to strike the right balance between capitalising on his brilliant start and showing loyalty to breeders who have supported him through the early years and whose budgets may not stretch too far. They settled on £18,500, up from £6,000 last year.

Harper says: "We're in the juggling stage now as we have received loads of applications but we always want to listen to everybody.

"We hope there's not a good client out there we've completely forgotten but we're going to try to limit him to a similar number, around the 150-160 mark.

"We're going to send Showstoppa back to him, she bred last year's Sandy Lane winner El Caballo and had the top filly at last year's Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, who made £230,000 and is by Havana Grey.

Whitsbury Manor Stud's colour-coordinated list for mares visiting home and outside stallionsCredit: Ed Harper

"We'll also send a half-sister to Heartache to him, Hand On My Heart. She's by Iffraaj and was very quick. She has a lovely Sergei Prokofiev yearling filly. Stellarta, the dam of Rumstar, will also go back to Havana Grey."

While Havana Grey is the dashing young prince, Showcasing remains king of the castle. Now 16, the son of Oasis Dream enjoyed another excellent season in 2022, with highlights including Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère scorer Belbek, Lowther Stakes winner Swingalong and Queen Mary Stakes heroine Dramatised.

Harper says of the team's stalwart: "He is colour red on our system and his mares tend to be ones who have already bred a good one by him. Killermont Street is the dam of Cold Case, who won a sales and Listed race for Karl Burke last year, and is visiting him.

"Exrating, who produced Ehraz, is another. He was one of the best three-year-old sprinters last year; he ran in the Commonwealth Cup and bolted up at Newmarket last time out. Daring Day, who bred Sam Maximus for John Dance, will be heading back to him as well."

Sergei Prokofiev's first foals were very warmly received at last year's sales and interest in the Group-winning son of Scat Daddy shows no sign of abating as he enters his third season at stud.

Harper says: "It's amazing to be in the position we are in with him. The quality of mares coming to him in his third season is probably even above what he covered in his first two, just because people seem to be that much more confident in him after seeing his foals.

"We're trying to drag up the quality of mares we're sending him as well, especially those who are proven and have bred good runners already. Ahwahnee, the dam of Sirenia Stakes winner Streamline, is a small powerful mare who should suit him physically.

Whitsbury Manor Stud's broodmare tagsCredit: Ed Harper

"Similarly, Springing Baroness, the dam of Show Me Show Me, who was placed in the Molecomb, is another who he can add a bit of size to. Cross My Heart, whose Group-placed Adaay To Remember sold very well at the sales, will be going to him as well."

Due Diligence's crop bred in the glow of his first juveniles turned two this year and Harper reports there is plenty to look forward to with the son of War Front, whose best performers include Group winners Good Vibes and the aforementioned Streamline.

Harper said: "It feels like we've waited forever for this crop of two-year-olds to get to the track, so we'll be looking forward to following them.

"We've got two particularly nice yearling fillies by him and we're going to send their mares back to him. Satsuma has our best yearling here, who is a full-sister to Good Vibes, she's a monster.

"Harryana To has a yearling full-sister to Diligent Harry who we will race. She's getting on a bit now and we want to keep hold of a filly."