Hello Youmzain gets off the mark at Chantilly. As a son of Kodiac with a good female line he could be a decent sire.
239 2yo runners in March and April this year, up on the 193 last year. Well down from the 500 in 2005!!
I’d suspect the wet spring has left a lot of 2yos short of work. Hopefully field sizes, etc will start to pick up. Certainly I’ve not seen any evidence of fewer in training and by all accounts the sakes companies were turning away entries at the Breeze Ups.
Latest update (added in HELLO YOUMZAIN, stood in France for €25,000): Previous position in brackets 1. (1) SERGEI PROKOFIEV - 6 winners from 16 runners (7 wins from 25 runs 28%) - 1 Listed placed 2. (=2) EARTHLIGHT - 3 winners from 9 runners (3 wins from 13 runs 23%) =3. (=2) VAN BEETHOVEN - 2 winners from 4 runners (2 wins from 8 runs 25%) =3. (-) HELLO YOUMZAIN - 2 winners from 6 runners (2 wins from 7 runs 28%) =3 (-) SHAMAN - 2 winners from 7 runners (2 wins from 7 runs 28%) =3. (=3) SANDS OF MALI - 2 winners from 8 runners (2 wins from 11 runs 18%) =4. (=3) VERBAL DEXTERITY - 1 winner from 1 runner (1 win from 3 runs 33%) =4. (=4) PINATUBO - 1 winner from 5 runners (1 win from 6 runs 16%) =4. (=4) WITHOUT PAROLE - 1 winner from 5 runners (1 win from 8 runs 12%) =4. (=4) FAR ABOVE - 1 winner from 9 runners (1 win from 16 runs 6%) =5. (=4) KING OF CHANGE - 0 winners from 2 runners =5. (=4) SOTTSASS - 0 winners from 2 runners =5. (=4) KAMEKO - 0 winners from 5 runners =5. (=4) ARIZONA - 0 winners from 6 runners =5. (=4) MOHAATHER - 0 winners from 9 runners Yet to have a runner CIRCUS MAXIMUS GALILEO CHROME GHAIYYATH KEW GARDENS LEGENDS OF WAR OLD PERSIAN RIVER BOYNE RUMBLE INTHEJUNGLE WAY TO PARIS
SERGEI PROKOFIEV gets his second Stakes horse with Enchanting Empress taking the Listed National Stakes at Sandown. Starting to look like Whitsbury have found themselves another star sire so quickly after Havana Grey! Just hope Coolmore didn’t put any retention clauses in the contract when they sold him!
Latest stats (added Persian King, who stood for €30,000 at Haras d'Etreham) 1. (1) SERGEI PROKOFIEV - 7 winners from 26 runners (10 wins from 48 runs 20.8%) - 1 G3 winner; 1 Listed winner 2. (=3) SANDS OF MALI - 5 winners from 16 runners (5 wins from 23 runs 21.7%) =3. (=3) HELLO YOUMZAIN - 4 winners from 12 runners (5 wins from 19 runs 26.3%) =3. (=5) KAMEKO - 4 winners from 14 runners (4 wins from 19 runs 21%) =4. (=3) VAN BEETHOVEN - 3 winners from 5 runners (3 wins from 12 runs 25%) =4. (2) EARTHLIGHT - 3 winners from 12 runners (3 wins from 21 runs 14.3%) =4 (=3) SHAMAN - 2 winners from 12 runners (3 wins from 16 runs 18.8%) 5. (=4) FAR ABOVE - 2 winners from 13 runners (2 wins from 28 runs 7.1%) =6. (=4) VERBAL DEXTERITY - 1 winner from 1 runner (1 win from 4 runs 25%) =6. (=5) KING OF CHANGE - 1 winner from 2 runners =6. (-) PERSIAN KING - 1 winner from 4 runners (1 win from 5 runs 20%) =6. (-) RIVER BOYNE - 1 winner from 4 runners (1 win from 8 runs 12.5%) =6. (=4) WITHOUT PAROLE - 1 winner from 7 runners (1 win from 14 runs 7.1%) =6. (=4) PINATUBO - 1 winner from 8 runners (1 win from 11 runs 9%) =7 (-) GHAIYYATH - 0 winners from 1 runner =7 (-) CIRCUS MAXIMUS - 0 winners from 3 runners =7 (-) RUMBLE INTHEJUNGLE - 0 winners from 4 runners =7. (=5) SOTTSASS - 0 winners from 5 runners =7. (=5) ARIZONA - 0 winners from 9 runners =7. (=5) MOHAATHER - 0 winners from 13 runners Yet to have a runner GALILEO CHROME KEW GARDENS LEGENDS OF WAR OLD PERSIAN WAY TO PARIS
Sands of Mali really doing well. Next week will be a big test. Doubt we'll see another FSS getting 3 Royal Ascot winners.
Looking at the 2yo Races that have entries so far (I’ll edit as entries come out) Day 1 Coventry Sergei Prokofiev x 1 (Enchanting Empress) Without Parole x 1 (Mr Chaplin) Day 2 Queen Mary Earthlight x 1 (Xanthe) Sergei Prokofiev x 3 (Enchanting Empress; Flicka's Girl; Seraphim Angel) Windsor Castle Sands of Mali x 2 (Ain't Nobody; Aviation Time) Shaman x 1 (Brian) Far Above x 1 (Rock n Roll Rocket) Day 3 Norfolk Stakes Sergei Prokofiev x 2 (Arizona Blaze; Enchanting Empress) Day 4 Albany Stakes Far Above (Twafeeg) Sands of Mali (Aviation Time) Sergei Prokofiev (Enchanting Empress) Day 5 Chesham Stakes Elarqam (Metro Dubai) - not on the main list yet Ghaiyyath (Hot Like Me) Shaman x3 (Brian, Pap's Turf, Shocker) Sottsass (Defence Missile)
HELLO YOUMZAIN the first one on the Royal Ascot FSS Board with a second in the Coventry. Today's FSS runners in the Queen Mary: Enchanting Empress (Sergei Prokofiev) Flicka's Girl (Sergei Prokofiev) Seraphim Angel (Sergei Prokofiev) Xanthe (Earthlight)
It often surprises me how little 2yo racing there is in France, especially early in the year. So at this point it's difficult to see any significant trends. However, one can say that the leading FSS in France is Hello Youmzain with 6 wins from 5 winners. As I say up to now there has been little 2yo racing but what is outstanding is that these 5 winners come from only 8 runners for HY (in France). The top of the French 2yo FSS table is dominated by French based sires (HY is French based) and you have to go down to no.9 in the current table to find a GB/Ire based sire in Sands of Mali (who has had 1 winner of 1 race). It appears very parochial I suppose, but there are a few factors at play. When you look at the European picture (which includes GB/Ire and France) Hello Youmzain comes out 3rd in the table behind Sergei Prokofiev and Sands of Mali, with 8 winners of 9 races. Then you look at the leading 2yo sires in Europe and you see an issue for this year's FSS: namely Mehmas, Kodiac, No Nay Never, Havana Grey and Inns of Court (the 5 leading sires of 2yos in Europe so far this year). This is very different to last year and the year before when Blue Point and Havana Grey were at or near the top of their respective years as FSS and at or near the top of the 2yo sire list. Judging who, amongst the FSS, is really promising and how they compare with FSS of other years is going to be very tough this year because there are so many older prolific sires of good 2yos.
Hello chaps and chapesses! A very long overdue update for the FSS as I have 5 minutes to myself during what feels like a never ending 6-weeks of trying to entertain the kids, work and stay sane! What a difference 2 months makes! 1. (1) SERGEI PROKOFIEV - 14 winners from 48 runners (19 wins from 131 runs 14.5%) - 1 G3 winner; 1 Listed winner =2. (=6) PINATUBO - 11 winners from 25 runners (13 wins from 56 runs 23.2%) - 1 G2 placed =2. (2) SANDS OF MALI - 11 winners from 31 runners (13 wins from 83 runs 15.7%) - 1 Listed winner; 1 G2 placed; 1 Listed placed =3. (=3) KAMEKO - 10 winners from 27 runners (11 wins from 76 runs 14.8%) - 1 Listed winner; 1 G2 placed =3. (=7) MOHAATHER - 10 winners from 33 runners (11 wins from 82 runs 13.4%) - 1 G3 winner; 1 Listed winner =4. (=3) HELLO YOUMZAIN - 8 winners from 27 runners (9 wins from 69 runs 13%) - 1 G2 placed =4. (=4) EARTHLIGHT - 8 winners from 29 runners (10 wins from 74 runs 13.5%) - 1 G3 winner; 1 G3 placed 5. (=6) WITHOUT PAROLE - 7 winners from 19 runners (9 wins from 59 runs 15.2%) =6 (=4) SHAMAN - 6 winners from 23 runners (8 wins from 49 runs 16.3%) - 1 Listed placed =6. (5) FAR ABOVE - 6 winners from 25 runners (6 wins from 23 runs 26.1%) =7. (=4) VAN BEETHOVEN - 3 winners from 7 runners (3 wins from 22 runs 13.6%) - 1 Listed placed =7. (=6) PERSIAN KING - 3 winners from 17 runners (3 wins from 35 runs 8.5%) =7. (=7) ARIZONA - 3 winners from 26 runners (3 wins from 60 runs 5%) =8. (=6) KING OF CHANGE - 2 winners from 11 runners (2 wins from 20 runs 10%) =8. (=6) RIVER BOYNE - 2 winners from 11 runners (2 wins from 33 runs 6%) =8. (=7) SOTTSASS - 2 winners from 13 runners (2 wins from 29 runs 7%) =9. (=6) VERBAL DEXTERITY - 1 winner from 1 runner (1 win from 4 runs 25%) =9 (=7) CIRCUS MAXIMUS - 1 winner from 7 runners (1 win from 12 runs 8.3% =9 (=7) RUMBLE INTHEJUNGLE - 1 winner from 8 runners (1 win from 23 runs 4.3%) =9 (=7) GHAIYYATH - 1 winner from 15 runners (1 win from win from 23 runs 4.3%) Yet to have a runner GALILEO CHROME KEW GARDENS LEGENDS OF WAR OLD PERSIAN WAY TO PARIS
Here's your post from Aug 31 last Year. What a difference! And shows how difficult it is for the '24 FSS against the Havana Grey, Blue Point and Mehmas 2yos 1. (1) Blue Point - 30 winners from 76 runners - 1 G3 winner, 2 Listed winners, 1 G3 placed, 1 Listed placed 2. (2) Soldier's Call - 20 winners from 59 runners - 3 Listed placed 3. (5) Ten Sovereigns - 16 winners from 49 runners - 2 Listed winners, 1 G2 placed, 2 G3 placed, 1 Listed placed 4. (3) Inns of Court - 15 winners from 63 runners - 1 Listed placed =5. (=6) Calyx - 11 winners from 32 runners - 1 G2 winner, 2 G2 placed =5. (4) Too Darn Hot - 11 winners from 39 runners - 3 G3 winners, 1 Listed placed =5. (=6) Land Force - 11 winners from 45 runners - 1 Listed placed 6. (=7) Phoenix of Spain - 9 winners from 20 runners - 1 G2 winner 7. (8) Invincible Army - 8 winners from 34 runners 8. (=7) Magna Grecia - 7 winners from 37 runners - 1 Listed winner =9. (=9) Study of Man - 3 winner from 12 runners - 1 Listed placed =9. (=9) Eqtidaar - 3 winner from 17 runners =9. (=9) Advertise - 3 winner from 35 runners - 1 Listed placed 10. (=9) Masar - 2 winners from 25 runners 11. (=9) Crystal Ocean - 1 winner from 3 runners =12. (=10) Waldgeist - 0 winners from 6 runners =12. (=10) Le Brivido - 0 winners from 14 runners
Just about to update the stats but yes it is very close. I will repost Martin Steven's Good Morning Bloodstock piece from this morning about it.
Good Morning Bloodstock - 30th October 2024 It’s been a funny old season. The Guineas meeting at Newmarket rather set the tone when Notable Speech, who didn’t compete at two and had run only on the all-weather up to then, won the colts’ Classic and Elmalka, an unheralded 28-1 chance, got the better of some brilliant talents in the fillies’ race. The perplexing start to the season was compounded by Audience slipping a quality field to win the Lockinge, White Birch trouncing Auguste Rodin in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and City Of Troy bouncing back from his 2,000 Guineas flop to land the Derby, Eclipse and Juddmonte International. City Of Troy’s victory at York was even accomplished in the most extraordinary circumstances, galloping his rivals into submission but still keeping something back to see off the challenge of Calandagan. Add to that the Classic winners Ezeliya, Rosallion and Rouhiya being retired or sidelined by midsummer, the best sprinters taking it in turns to win their Group 1 races and the juvenile division being wide open, and it has all just felt a bit odd. It’s been the same in the bloodstock world. Frankel endured a mysterious quiet spell, half a dozen or so sires held a fair chance of being crowned champion in Britain and Ireland up to the autumn, and market woes magically vanished into thin air at an extraordinarily vibrant Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The freshman sire standings have also been unusually even-stevens. Whereas Blue Point and Too Darn Hot dominated last year’s table, with Calyx, Phoenix Of Spain and Study Of Man also showing some promise, no horses have really set themselves apart from their peers since the beginning of the season. Up to the start of the week, there was less than £250,000 in progeny earnings covering the first seven horses in the European rankings, from Sergei Prokofiev on £615,330 down to Kameko on £378,557. That’s not much at all when you consider all the prize-money available in lavishly funded sales races and valuable Group contests. Indeed, last year there was around £1.1 million between table-topper Blue Point and seventh-placed City Light. In 2022 the gap between Havana Grey at number one and Cracksman at number seven was more than £930,000. It’s a similar story when it comes to the volume of individual winners. The last five leading first-season sires in Europe by that measure – Blue Point, Sioux Nation, Cotai Glory, Mehmas and Gutaifan – amassed totals of 49, 44, 35, 55 and 32 respectively. In stark contrast, Mohaather, Pinatubo and Sioux Nation had fielded the joint-best total of 18 in Europe up to the start of the week. Perhaps the most striking indicator of how thinly success is being spread among this year’s freshmen is their tallies of black-type performers. Hello Youmzain, Mohaather and Sands Of Mali have each put four on the board in Europe, whereas the last five leaders on this score – Ten Sovereigns, Havana Grey, Cotai Glory, Mehmas and Night Of Thunder – finished up with nine, 13, eight, ten and 11. Granted, the year is far from over, but it would clearly take a miracle for any of the current first-season sires even to get close to their predecessors’ hauls. The upshot is that it has been hard to draw any firm conclusions about the 2021 intake to the European stallion ranks. Sergei Prokofiev, a power-packed son of Scat Daddy, got off to a predictably quick start, while Sands Of Mali, a tonic for those of us fed up with seeing the same old bloodlines being bred from, shone brightest at Royal Ascot thanks to his Windsor Castle Stakes one-three Ain’t Nobody and Aviation Time. Mohaather gave them all a head start but quickly overtook most by supplying summer stakes winners Big Mojo and Yah Mo Be There. He is finishing the season strongly, too, becoming the first freshman this year to post a third black-type scorer when the Polish-trained Merveilleux Lapin beat some local fillies with tall reputations in a Listed event at Hanover on Sunday. Hello Youmzain and Kameko took big steps forward in the autumn, the former with Group 3 winners Electrolyte and Misunderstood and the latter with high-class colts New Century and Wimbledon Hawkeye. It’s fair to say that Kameko’s early output has more of a feel of quality than many of his rivals at present. More meagrely represented first-season sires King Of Change, Van Beethoven and Without Parole have all enjoyed their moments too. Just as it is impossible to say for certain which names on this year’s table are going to be the ones who stand the test of time, so nobody could confidently write off any horses yet either. Persian King, a highly touted son of Kingman who stands in France, had been slow to show his hand, and has no black-type runners at all to speak of still, but he has suddenly found supplying winners like shelling peas in recent weeks. The Trickster made it two out of two in a novice stakes at Redcar on Monday; Treble Tee hosed up on debut at Newmarket last Wednesday; and Darius Cen won by a stunning 11 lengths second time out at Clairefontaine one day before. Earlier in the month, Champagne Dancer scored on her third start at Pau; Cap Saint Martin also came good on his third outing at the Curragh; and Royal Alliance won by clear water on his second start at Newcastle. Rarely has a first-season sire with no stakes performers by the end of October looked so sexy. Pinatubo has also been quieter than might have been expected of a well bred son of Shamardal who was the best two-year-old since Celtic Swing and was correspondingly well supported by breeders and buyers. But his strike-rate of 42 per cent winners to runners is actually the best of any freshman with a large crop, and he has four black type-placed runners (including one in the US), if no black-type winners. He has also put on a bit of a spurt this month by delivering four new winners, all in novice or maiden races, including Nizam and Texas Starlight – both of whom put three lengths or more between themselves and the runners-up when scoring for Mario Baratti and George Boughey. Even Ghaiyyath, the world champion son of Dubawi whose debut auction offerings caused such a stir, has woken from his long slumber recently. Stanhope Gardens was beaten a neck into second in the Autumn Stakes – beaten by Delacroix, who then went down by a nose in the Futurity Trophy – while Alobayyah, Gethin and Rhapsody have all won first time out in some style. Really, none of this year’s first-season sires can be anointed the next big thing or written off as being without merit. There will be one or two good ones in there somewhere, it will just take more time than usual to find out which they are. Breeders will have to summon what little patience they have to discover which of those sires have the best chances of making it in the long term. A wait-and-see approach might be no bad thing, though, if it forces them to spread their patronage more widely next year, and prevents the unseemly sight of a rash of sires being reduced to five mares or fewer after just their freshman seasons, as happened this year in the wake of Blue Point and Too Darn Hot conquering all in 2023.
Update with the season drawing to a close, I've added in two French based stallions who have got a decent number on the board: =1. (=2) PINATUBO - 18 winners from 40 runners (24 wins from 107 runs 22.4%) - 1 G2 placed; 1 G3 placed; 2 Listed placed =1. (=3) MOHAATHER - 18 winners from 52 runners (16 wins from 185 runs 14.1%) - 1 G3 winner; 2 Listed winners; 1 G2 placed =1. (1) SERGEI PROKOFIEV - 18 winners from 60 runners (25 wins from 224 runs 11.2%) - 1 G3 winner; 1 Listed winner =2. (=4) HELLO YOUMZAIN - 16 winners from 39 runners (22 wins from 127 runs 17.3%) - 2 G3 winners; 1 G3 placed; 1 Listed placed =2. (=2) SANDS OF MALI - 16 winners from 44 runners (22 wins from 157 runs 14%) - 2 Listed winners; 1 G2 placed; 1 Listed placed =2. (=4) EARTHLIGHT - 16 winners from 48 runners (18 wins from 152 runs 11.8%) - 1 G3 winner; 1 G3 placed 3. (=7) PERSIAN KING - 13 winners from 37 runners (16 wins from 93 runs 17.2%) 4. (=6) FAR ABOVE - 11 winners from 36 runners (13 wins from 130 runs 10%) =5 (=6) SHAMAN - 10 winners from 36 runners (15 wins from 109 runs 13.7%) - 1 G3 placed; 1 Listed placed =5. (=3) KAMEKO - 10 winners from 40 runners (13 wins from 131 runs 9.9%) - 1 G1 winner; 1 G2 winner =6. (=5) WITHOUT PAROLE - 8 winners from 22 runners (13 wins from 95 runs 13.7%) - 1 G3 placed; 1 Listed placed =6. (-) ROMANISED - 8 winners from 32 runners (10 wins from 116 runs 8.6%) =6. (-) WOODED - 8 winners from 36 runners (9 wins from 113 runs 7.9%) =6. (=7) ARIZONA - 8 winners from 34 runners (9 wins from 116 runs 7.7%) - 1 Listed winner 7. (=8) SOTTSASS - 7 winners from 29 runners (7 wins from 65 runs 10.7%) =8. (=8) KING OF CHANGE - 5 winners from 16 runners (7 wins from 40 runs 17.5%) - 1 Listed winner =8 (=9) GHAIYYATH - 5 winners from 32 runners (5 wins from from 67 runs 7.4%) - 1 G3 placed =9 (=9) CIRCUS MAXIMUS - 4 winners from 13 runners (4 wins from 38 runs 10.5%) - 1 G1 placed =10. (=7) VAN BEETHOVEN - 3 winners from 10 runners (3 wins from 33 runs 9%) - 1 Listed placed =10. (=8) RIVER BOYNE - 3 winners from 16 runners (3 wins from 54 runs 5.5%) 11 (=9) RUMBLE INTHEJUNGLE - 2 winners from 12 runners (2 wins from 45 runs 4.4%) 12. (=9) VERBAL DEXTERITY - 1 winner from 1 runner (1 win from 4 runs 25%) Yet to have a runner GALILEO CHROME KEW GARDENS LEGENDS OF WAR OLD PERSIAN WAY TO PARIS Should be noted that SOTTSASS has been sold to Japan and KEW GARDENS has been moved on to stand at Batsford Stud. I'm also hearing rumours that ARIZONA may soon be on the move too.
