Successful first-season sire Delegator, whose undefeated daughter Delectation ran away with the G3 Firth Of Clyde Stakes, has had his fee raised to £5,000 Oct 1, SLF – and he is already attracting plenty of mares.
The highly rated son of Dansili stands at Overbury Stud and has made a decidedly impressive start to his stud career, with seven winners from his first 21 runners. As well as Delectation, who is being pointed towards a 1,000 Guineas campaign, Delegator has sired Accidental Agent, who won the fiercely competitive 26-runner £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes. Clive Cox’s impressive Newbury nursery winner Graphite Storm has won his latest two starts and may well progress into Stakes company.
Simon Sweeting, stud manager, said, ‘Delegator is throwing stock in his own image – which is to say, very attractive, with great walks and attitudes. We’ve been hearing positive noises all year from trainers, and it was great to see so many do well in their first year on the track. By October, almost half of his runners were rated over 80 by Timeform, and in Delectation, he has a potential top-notcher. When she won her Group 3 she was the highest-rated unbeaten filly in the country! Plenty of breeders have already spotted that Delegator is significantly improving his mares and are booking in for 2017.’
Sweeting has also revealed fees for the other flat stallions at Overbury. Selkirk’s best son Cityscape stays at £4,500 Oct 1, SLF, having had a successful sales season with his first yearlings. ‘Good judges bred them, and good judges have bought them: it augers well.’ said Sweeting.
Melbourne Cup hero Dunaden is again available at £3,000 Oct 1, SLF. ‘I must say, his first foals are particularly good-looking young horses: there are plenty at the sales, all qualifiers for Sheikh Fahad’s hugely generous Dunaden Owners’ Premiums, which operate like the French Owners’ Premiums adding on an extra 63% to prize money of all his first-crop winners on the flat at two and three. I would encourage breeders as well as potential owners to have a good look at them. I’m impressed, and delighted.’
The record-breaking Jersey Stakes winner Mustajeeb, who has the distinction of being the fastest horse in the Allegretta family of Galileo and Sea The Stars, is going into his second season at the reduced fee of £4,000 Oct 1, SLF. ‘He covered a first book that is deep on quality, with seven very nice Shadwell mares among the Stakes performers or producers on the list. He’s bred to be a stallion and the mares he received will give him every chance of making it. Mustajeeb’s close relation Tamayuz has had a really good year on the track, with Europe’s number one freshman sire, Sir Prancealot, also among his offspring. Mustajeeb has let down into a real beauty, and it’s worth remembering that while he was racing, the only colts rated above him over six-or-seven furlongs were Muhaarar and Slade Power.’
Overbury Stud’s most famous inmate is seven-time Champion Jumps stallion Kayf Tara, who had his best season ever in 2015-16, his progeny led by Horse of the Year Thistlecrack. His fee, and that of German Derby winner Schiaparelli, will be set in the new year.
