Danehill
One of Europe’s leading first crop sires at this early stage in the season, is Mastercraftsman. The son of Danehill Dancer has made a promising start to his stud career with the former Irish 2000 Guineas already being represented by a stakes winner (Pablosky) with just a handful of runners to have the track thus far.
The promise shown by Mastercraftsman begs the question: just which of Danehill’s grandsons are showing promise of maintaining their grandsire’s tremendous influence on the breed?
Of Danehill’s very best sire sons, his oldest is the now pensioned Flying Spur. Born in 1992, the Golden Slipper winner sired 89 stakes (5%), of whom 11 won G1 contests.
Until this last season in Australia, Flying Spur, who is the broodmare sire of one of Australia’s leading first crop sires in Sebring, seemed unlikely to contribute much at stud by means of successful sire sons. However, this year has seen Flying Spur’s son, Casino Prince, emerge as a potentially high-class sire. From his first crop, now three, Casino Prince has come up with two individual Gr1 winners in All Too Hard and Escado. The former, a superb racehorse, is set to retire to stud this season – and will begin his second career at the astounding fee of $66,000.
Another successful (albeit ill-fated) sire to have emerged from Danehill’s second crop was Lion Hunter. Best known as the sire of the multiple G1 winning fillies Gold Edition and Lovely Jubbly, Lion Hunter is also the sire of Any Suggestion, New Zealand’s leading first crop sire last year.
In the Northern Hemisphere, Danehill Dancer was the first outstanding sire produced by his sire. Born in 1993, Danehill Dancer has been a rags to riches stallion, who began his stud career at the now ridiculous fee of 4,000 guineas. Currently standing for a fee of 40,000 euros, Danehill Dancer was champion sire in Britain/Ireland in 2009. The sire of over 140 stakes winners (from a very mixed band of mares), Danehill Dancer’s best sire son, to date, is champion sprinter Choisir.
To date, Choisir has sired over 50 stakes winners (including the G1 winners Starspangledbanner, Olympic Glory, Sacred Choice and Choice Bro), and his offspring have enjoyed success in both hemispheres. Unfortunately, Choisir’s best son, champion Starspangledbanner, has battling with his fertility since retiring to stud. Danehill Dancer’s sire sons also include Monsieur Bond, sire of the G1 winning sprinter Gilt Edge Girl. However, the former G2 Duke of York Stakes winner has sired just four stakes winners to date.
Danetime will never be remembered as one of his sire’s best sons on the track. However, the Stewards Cup winner did well at stud despite covering rather moderate mares. His 30 stakes winners included the G1 winning colts Bushranger and Myboycharlie, both promising young sires with their first 2yos this season.
Danehill had a number of top-class stallions, in both the North and South Hemispheres, emerge from his 1996 crop. His Australian born sons included Commands and Redoute’s Choice, while Dansili (one of Danehill’s very best sons) was another star son born in 1996.
The highly successful Commands, who has been represented by three individual G1 winners this season, is best known as a prolific sire of winners. The blue blooded son of Danehill has been Australia’s leading sire of winners for the past three successive years, and he is once again heading that list. Now the sire of nine G1 winning progeny in total, Commands has three registered sons at stud in Australia. Court Command, while a prolific sire of winners, has not yet been represented by a stakes winner from his first two crops, while Commands’ other sons, Atomic and Skilled, are yet to be represented on the track.
A multiple champion sire of over 100 stakes winners, Redoute’s Choice is consistently one of Australia’s top sires, both in terms of success on the track and in the sales ring. Having just completed his first shuttling season in France, Redoute’s Choice, himself the sire of 23 individual G1 winners, has no fewer than six sire sons that have produced Gr1 winners. In the Australian general sires list this season, Redoute’s Choice and three sons, Snitzel, Straum and Not A Single Doubt, all make the top twenty.
However of these sons, which are genuine successes (judging by stats)? Former G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Snitzel is building up a formidable record at stud. This season alone, the stallion has been represented by 11 stakes winners, of whom five are group race winners.
From 309 foals, Snitzel has produced 15 stakes winners (5%) – decent stats in an era where stallions cover big books of mares ranging drastically in quality. Snitzel’s stats could improve further as his success increases and he starts covering better mares.
Golden Slipper winner Stratum, himself sire of a Slipper winner, has sired three Gr1 winners to date, and is his sire’s most successful son in terms of siring G1 winners. Sire of 17 stakes winners from 431 foals, Stratum (4% SW to foals) is marginally behind Snitzel in terms of statistics.
The stakes winning Not A Single Doubt, best known in South Africa as the sire of the high-class Castlethorpe, had a breakout season this year as the sire of G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner, Miracles of Life. His stats are very similar to those of Stratum, but covered lesser quality mares in his first years at stud, so Not A Single Doubt is another horse with the potential to improve.
Clearly, while sons of Redoute’s Choice are having some success at stud, they are a long way from matching the performance of their sire. Redoute’s Choice. The latter is siring nearly 10% stakes winners to foals, has sired over 20 Gr1 winners, and is an exceptionally versatile stallion – siring top flight winners from 1000-2500 metres.
Danehill’s other outstanding sire from his 1996 crop was Dansili, who was France’s Champion sire in 2006. An extremely consistent sire, Dansili was represented by 22 stakes winners last year, and he has already had six black type winners this year. To date, he has sired 77 stakes winners and winners of over $76 000 000.
Dansili’s sons at stud are still very young, with only Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe winner Rail Link, Strategic Prince, Early March and Zambezi Sun having had runners.
Rail Link has had just four stakes winners, three of whom are group winners. This tally includes G1 Grand Prix de Paris runner up Last Train. While Rail Link’s progeny clearly need time and a trip to show their best form, his stats are below average (3% SW to foals).
Dansili’s top-class 2yo Strategic Prince is a proven G1 sire, having produced La Collina (Phoenix Stakes), but his overall record is poor. Early March, one of the first to advertise Dansili’s merits as a sire, has done nothing to date.
Dansili’s Grand Prix de Paris winner Zambezi Sun’s first crop were two last season but have not yet produced a black type horse. However, they should improve at three, and it is too early to judge Zambezi Sun. Rock of Gibraltar, a horse who holds strong claims to being Danehill’s greatest son on the track, has been a consistently successful sire at stud. Unfortunately, one of his best sons, Eagle Mountain, was infertile (something not uncommon to the Danzig male line), but “The Rock” does have the very promising Mount Nelson to his credit, as well as South Africa’s fashionable sire, Seventh Rock.
Other Danehill sons, like the outstanding pair of Exceed And Excel and Fastnet Rock, are still too young to be counted as sires of sires respectively. While it is still relatively early days for Danehill’s sons to be regarded as successful sire of sires, the jury is still out on the future for this male line.
