Sunday 21 February 2016

First-season sires to watch in 2016

With the new Flat turf season on the horizon a number of readers have expressed an interest in this year's first-season sires. The table, below, details the information concisely. I will highlight a few points of interest.

There has been much anticipation surrounding the new crop of two-year-olds from Frankel standing at Banstead Manor Stud (GB). The sire's fee in 2013 being £125,000, making his offspring limited and consequently expensive. From a selective list of talented blue-blooded mares 98 live foals have seen just 23 yearlings sold at auction. This factor indicates that most juveniles will be home bred from leading thoroughbred owners and no doubt a good few with H R H Prince Khalib Abdullah. 

With an average sales price of 423,483Gns and median price of 305,250Gns there has been no lack of interest in just 23 yearlings which made the sales. It is likely these will be the better physical specimens.    

It will be interesting to see what impact Frankel's two-year-olds can muster this season. It would be a triumph to achieve a group winner this term.

A first-season sire's success is dictated by winners and all eyes will be on the first juvenile to make its debut. You can guarantee this breeding operation has been conducted meticulously. 

From a list of high achievers Frankel give this year's first-season sires additional excitement and anticipation of what could be.