A Breeding Right, giving one nomination a year to the UK’s best-ever first-crop sire Ardad, is a wildcard entry at the Tattersalls Online Sale on Tuesday 29 June. It is the first Breeding Right ever to be offered online in Britain or Ireland.
Ardad, who sired his 13th winner from 29 runners when Guest List won so well at Chester on Saturday, has made the best start at stud of any UK first-crop sire ever. At Royal Ascot, Ardad sired Perfect Power, winner of the G2 Norfolk Stakes, and the G2 Coventry Stakes third Vintage Clarets. A total of six Ardads competed at the meeting. A seventh, Tipperary Sunset, was sold at the London Sale for £200,000 on the eve of the meeting to Alain Jathiere and is now in training with Pascal Bary. By the end of Royal Ascot, Ardad was Europe’s leading first-crop sire by winners, wins and prize money – and also the European leading sire of two-year-olds by all three criteria.
Only one stallion – Acclamation, who retired to stud back in 2004 and had 20% more runners than Ardad – has ever had more winners from his first-crop than Ardad at this stage of the season. Ardad has made a faster start than noted speed sires Invincible Spirit, Dark Angel, No Nay Never, Showcasing and his own sire Kodiac, all of whom moved up to much higher fees on the strength of their early achievements.
The quality of Ardad’s winners is also notable: eight of the first 12 are rated over 80 by Timeform – high for juveniles at this time of the year. Acclamation and Dark Angel had also had eight over 80 by this date with their first crops, No Nay Never was on five, Zoffany four, and Exceed And Excel three.
Ardad himself was an exceptional Royal Ascot juvenile, running a 111 Timeform time figure when winning the Windsor Castle Stakes before going on to take the G2 Flying Childers Stakes. He is Kodiac’s best Royal Ascot juvenile, level on ratings with brilliant future Prix Morny winner Campanelle.
Simon Sweeting, manager of Overbury Stud, says: ‘We’ve had a wonderful spring with Ardad, and long may it continue! He’s got some 90 two-year-olds, and then covered 103 mares in the next two seasons before getting tremendous support from breeders this year when he’s covered 152 mares. Those numbers will stand him in great stead going forward and will give Breeding Right holders confidence that Ardad can make a big impact in the years to come.’
Full details of the Ardad Breeding Right sale and how the auction works are available on tattersallsonline.com.
