THIRD-CROP EURO SIRES
Article taken from TDN written by Bill Oppenheim
Two sires whose profiles couldn’t be more different - the treble Group 1 winning sprinter OASIS DREAM and the 2003 Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Dalakhani - have started to “draw off” among the group of third-crop European sires, whose first foals are four-year-olds this year, ranked by cumulative progeny earnings (excluding Japan) from Northern Hemisphere crops.
They are the only sires to have more than £3 million in progeny earnings, the only sires to have 10 or more black-type winners, and two of the three sires to have four black-type winners so far this year (the other is High Chaparral).
Dalakhani was already the crop’s star sire by the end of last year. Though he had not sired a winner by August 1 of his freshman sire year (2007), he ended up the season with nine winners and three black type-placed horses, and, though ranking only 16th on the 2007 Freshman Sire list (all statistics provided by Hyperion Promotions and Eurosire), he was still regarded with a good deal of promise.
That promise was fulfilled in spades with six group/graded stakes winners last year, including Classic winners Moonstone (Gr.1 Irish Oaks) and Conduit (Gr.1 English St Leger, also G.1 Breeders’ Cup Turf). He had established himself by the end of last year as a seriously promising sire.
Not surprisingly, since he’s by Darshaan, three of those six group winners, including Conduit, are out of mares by Sadler’s Wells.
About the only things OASIS DREAM and Dalakhani had in common was that both were top-class racehorses, and both are in ‘neutral’ - meaning not Maktoum or Coolmore - hands. Dalakhani was bred and raced by the Aga Khan, and stands at his Gilltown Stud in Ireland. OASIS DREAM was bred and raced by Prince Khaled
Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, and stands at their Banstead Manor Stud near Newmarket.
Strength in numbers definitely favored the speedier type.
OASIS DREAM (188) has had almost twice as many runners as Dalakhani (98), and more than twice as many winners. And, partially through quantity, but also through quality, OASIS DREAM has now surged to a £50,000 lead over Dalakhani in cumulative progeny earnings.
Though OASIS DREAM finished second to Acclamation on the 2007 European freshman sire list and was third on the second-crop sire list last year - when he also sired a record 38 two-year-old winners in his second crop - the jury of professionals was still out on OASIS DREAM.
OASIS DREAM did have France’s champion two-year-old colt in Naaqoos, impressive winner of the Gr.1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, and the promising 2008 three-year-old Aqlaam, sidelined by injury after winning the Gr.3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, but looked a real Group 1 horse in the making.
Ironically, Naaqoos and Aqlaam are 0-for-three between them in 2009, but that’s about the only thing that’s gone wrong for OASIS DREAM this year.
He’s leading European third-crop sire in 2009 in three main categories: number of winners (38); number of races won (49); and, most importantly, earnings, over £956,000, almost £300,000 ahead of High Chaparral in second. He’s also tied for the lead, as mentioned before, in the number of 2009 black-type winners, with four.
The most intriguing of these is Midday, a Juddmonte filly trained by Henry Cecil, who is one of the three favourites for Friday’s Gr.1 Epsom Oaks, after an impressive six-length trial win in the Gr.3 Lingfield Oaks Trial, run over 11 1/2 furlongs. She may be by a sprinter, but she’s got the stamina on the dam’s side.
I thought she ran the most impressive Oaks trial, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see OASIS DREAM provide the venerable Cecil with his ninth Oaks win.
Date: 03 June 2009