'A perfect stallion': Sands Of Mali retired as owner outlines stud plans

Sands Of Mali, who gave the Cool Silk Partnership its biggest win when landing the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot in 2018, has been retired to stud.

A son of the unheralded Panis, Sands Of Mali was trained by Richard Fahey and won the Gimcrack as a juvenile and was not beaten far in a red-hot running of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

As a three-year-old, he won Haydock's Sandy Lane Stakes and was a fine second to Eqtidaar in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

Watch Sands Of Mali win on Champions Day

His finest hour came when he beat top sprinter Harry Angel at Ascot later that season, which proved his final victory after a trip to Meydan last year left its mark.

"He's had a bit of a tough time since he went to Meydan last year and has never been the same," said co-owner Peter Swann, who has sold the five-year-old to stand at Ballyhane Stud in Ireland – the site where Cool Silk's Royal Ascot winner Prince Of Lir is based.

"He got a hock injury there, which I think played on his mind a bit, although he did run reasonably well behind Blue Point in Dubai.

"It was tough for him as the ground was very quick and he never really recovered. We didn't get him to stud last year so brought him back and fortunately we've got him to stud now, where he's next to Prince Of Lir, who did so well for us."

Peter Swann: enjoyed Sands Of Mali's Gimcrack victoryCredit: Laura Green

Swann, chairman of League Two club Scunthorpe United, picked the Gimcrack as his Sands Of Mali highlight.

"He's been a fantastic servant to us," he added. "I liked the Ascot win, but thought that Gimcrack win was special. No-one gave him a chance, but it was a proper performance and he destroyed that field. He did it so easily.

"That, for me, was probably the high point for a while, but doing it against Harry Angel on Champions Day was great as well. I think they underestimated his performance that day as it was about Harry Angel not performing, rather than us performing.

"He fully deserved that Group 1, which was our first Group 1 winner too, so it was an amazing day."

Swann plans to support his pride and joy at stud and added: "He can breed with pretty much anything because he's got no connections. He's a beautiful-looking horse, big and strong – a perfect stallion –and we hope we can get some future success from his progeny.

"He took us all over the world and that Breeders' Cup was probably one of the best turf mile races run at Del Mar with Mendelssohn, Masar, a Derby winner, and James Garfield in it."

Sands Of Mali: bolted up in the Gimcrack in 2017Credit: Edward Whitaker

Speaking after seeing Faora make an impressive debut at Yarmouth on Tuesday, Swann, wife Karin, mother-in-law Barbara Wilkinson and sons Christopher and William might not have long to wait for their next big-race runner. Midnight Sands – a four-time winner at Meydan for Doug Watson over the winter – is primed for his US debut.

Swann said: "He was due to run in the Godolphin Mile on World Cup night, but it was cancelled and we were gutted because we thought he'd win that. He's over in America with Brendan Walsh now and Doug did a great job with him.

"He's due to run in a couple of weeks and we'll see how good he is, but we hope to get him to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He's doing really well and has done some great times at Ellis Park in Keeneland."

More to read:

Drama as Cool Silk outbid co-owners Phoenix Thoroughbreds for Sands Of Mali

Cool Silk Partnership enjoying a hot spell with its breeze-up purchases

Super Sands Of Mali holds off Harry Angel for first Group 1 victory

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