Sire of the Year
Galileo is the regular recipient of this award, so it is somewhat poignant that in the year of his demise the honor—and, of course, the British and Irish sire championship—has passed down to his exceptional son Frankel .
The main contributors to Frankel’s pot of more than £5.25 million ($6.9 million) in 2021 were Adayar , a brilliant winner of the Cazoo Derby (G1) and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes (G1), and Hurricane Lane , who landed the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes (G2), Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1), and Cazoo St. Leger Stakes (G1).
Significant supporting roles were played by Alpinista , who scored in the British Stallion Studs E.B.F. Daisy Warwick Stakes and Bet365 Lancashire Oaks (G2) and excelled in Germany later in the season, Snow Lantern , who was successful in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (G1) and placed in the Coronation Stakes (G1) and Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1), and Mostahdaf , who scored in three stakes races.
Frankel was also showcased on the international stage this year by Converge and Hungry Heart, group 1 winners in Australia, Grenadier Guards, a high-class miler in Japan, and the smart French-trained 3-year-old fillies Rumi and Sibila Spain .
The Banstead Manor Stud sire, whose exploits have been rewarded with a fee increase to £200,000 ($264,710), has plenty to look forward to in 2022. Adayar and Hurricane Lane stay in training, and his next classic crop includes the unbeaten filly Inspiral and numerous promising dark horses.
Breakthrough Sire of the Year
Mehmas was so dominant in the freshman sire table in 2020 that his peers were left a little in the shade. The Tally-Ho Stud hotshot was also the leading sophomore in 2021, supplying a dazzling dozen stakes winners worldwide, but a few more of his rivals also shone this time around.
New Bay , in particular, made a name for himself as a bright young thing of the stallion ranks, thanks to an outstanding 55% strike rate in Europe and an ever-growing list of black-type offspring headed by Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes (G1) winner and QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (G1) runner-up Saffron Beach .
New Bay wins the Prix Niel at ParisLongchamp
The first 3-year-olds by the son of Dubawi also included the rapidly progressive listed winner Bay Bridge and Royal Ascot scorer Perotto , while his second crop of juveniles contains Champagne Stakes (G2) winner and twice group 1-placed Bayside Boy , nine-length German group 3 winner Sea Bay and exciting Newmarket novice stakes winner Claymore.
New Bay’s early success has not gone unnoticed, as he covered a glittering book of mares at Ballylinch Stud this year, including the dams of Akeed Mofeed , Baaeed , Dubai Honour , Saffron Beach, Talent , and Thistle Bird .
Jumps Sire of the Year
Rags-to-riches Whytemount Stud stallion Stowaway’s fairytale was completed with a posthumous first National Hunt sire title in 2020-21, while Haras de la Hetraie stalwart Kapgarde maintained his uncanny knack of siring superstars in the past year with A Plus Tard, Clan Des Obeaux, and Fakir D’Oudairies.
But our award goes to the much-missed Jeremy, whose two National Hunt crops conceived at Garryrichard Stud before his untimely death in 2014 yielded four Cheltenham Festival winners in Appreciate It, Belfast Banter, Black Tears, and Sir Gerhard.
The Duke Of Edinburgh speaks with the Minister of State Shane McEntee as Jeremy is paraded at Irish National Stud
The son of Danehill Dancer operated at a commendable strike rate of 39% last season when his other ambassadors included the high-class Happygolucky, Mister Fisher, and Scarlet And Dove.
Jeremy’s success shows no sign of abating, as already this month he has been represented by listed mares’ chase winners Silver Forever and The Glancing Queen and up-and-coming hurdlers Jetoile and Tamar Bridge.
Broodmare of the Year
Aghareed is a timely winner as she pays handsome tribute to her renowned owner and breeder Hamdan Al Maktoum, who died in March, and is a member of the sheikh’s signature family, descending as she does from the wonderful blue hen mare Height Of Fashion .
The 12-year-old daughter of Kingmambo and Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) heroine Lahudood has clicked spectacularly well with Sea The Stars to produce two colts who won eight black-type races between them in 2021.
Baaeed wins the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot Racecourse
Baaeed was unbeaten in six races at three, including the Edmondson Hall Solicitors Sir Henry Cecil Stakes, Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes (G3), Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (G1), and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1), while his year-older brother Hukum took the Mansionbet Best Odds Guaranteed Tapster Stakes, John Smiths Silver Cup (G3), BetVictor Geoffrey Freer Stakes (G3), and ABF/BGC Cumberland Lodge Stakes (G3).
Honorable mentions go to Reckoning , the dam of five-length Dubai Gold Cup Sponsored By Al Tayer Motors (G2) hero Subjectivist and dual group 2 winner Sir Ron Priestley , and Tijuana, who produced Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) victor Torquator Tasso and leading German 2-year-old colt Tunnes .
Breeder of the Year
It took something very special indeed to outdo Jim Bolger’s remarkable achievement of breeding, owning, and training the English QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1) and Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) winners Poetic Flare and Mac Swiney from stallions he trained and maternal families he has long nurtured, but Kirsten Rausing edges it for us thanks to a simply extraordinary year of success.
Her distinctive white and green silks were carried by Alpinista , who emulated her grand dam Albanova’s feat of winning three German group 1s in a season, Albaflora , who ran second in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks (G1) and QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1), and Aleas , who scored in the British Stallions Studs E.B.F. Glasgow Stakes—all three descended from her influential broodmare Alouette.
Rausing also bred and owned Sandrine , successful in the Albany Stakes (G3) and Duchess of Cambridge Stakes Sponsored By Bet365 (G2), Oriental Mystique , who struck at listed level in France and was twice group 3-placed, and Alerta Roja , another descendant of Alouette who ran second in the Doncaster Cup (G2).
Kirsten Rausing
Moreover, Rausing bred and sold Zaaki , who has become the darling of Australian racing following his three group 1 victories there, and several more classy performers closer to home such as Harrovian and Pondus.
It looks set to be another big year for Rausing in 2022, as her 2-year-old homebreds were to the fore in the past season, with Kawida taking the British Stallion Studs E.B.F. Montrose Stakes and the unexposed Allada, Ching Shih, and Heat of The Moment also bearing her colors to victory. One of the most exciting back-end maiden winners of the year, Eldar Eldarov, trained by Roger Varian for KHK Racing, was another bred by her.
All that, and many of the above-named horses are by stallions she stands or stood at her Lanwades Stud in Newmarket.
Consignor of the Year
Tally-Ho Stud was another worthy recipient of the title of breeder of the year, but since so many of the County Westmeath farm’s graduates were sold out of its hands, and it traded many other talented horses besides, this is arguably a more fitting honor.
Tally-Ho bred and sold Commonwealth Cup (G1) heroine Campanelle , Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (G1) scorer Ebro River , and further group-winning 2-year-olds Caturra , Glounthaune , Lusail , and Malavath , as well as Play Coral Racing-Super-Series For Free Surrey Stakes winner Mehmento (IRE), all of whom are by its own sires Kodiac , Mehmas, or Galileo Gold .
The stud also traded or consigned for clients the top-notchers Beauty Inspire , El Bodegon , and Gubbass —all three by home stallions too—and bred and sold the Darley Prix Morny—Finale des Darley Series (G1) and Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes (G1) winner Perfect Power , a son of Ardad , another former Tally-Ho homebred by Kodiac.
Roger (left) and Tony O’Callaghan of Tally-Ho Stud
What’s more, Tally-Ho pinhooked Matchbook Yorkshire Cup Stakes (G2) winner and Lexus Melbourne Cup (G1) third Spanish Mission and listed scorer and Prix de Diane Longines (G1) third Burgarita as yearlings, and co-bred Premio Parioli Italian Two Thousand Guineas (G3) winner Fayathaan .
Unsurprisingly, Tally-Ho drafts were in strong demand at the sales again this year, with two of its lots jointly topping the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale at £210,000 ($292,503)—the subsequently classy Maglev and Twilight Jet —and another heading the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up, with the Practical Joke filly Tout Ensemble fetching 360,000gns ($519,535).
Bargain of the Year
There was no end of big talents who were bought for small prices and landed their connections considerable windfalls through prize money and/or resale in 2021, including A Case of You , Baron Samedi , Rohaan , Sonnyboyliston , Suesa , and Torquator Tasso .
But the tale of Trueshan takes some beating. The French-bred son of Chapel Stud sire Planteur was bought for just €8,000 ($9,532) at the Osarus Yearling Sale and was resold by Knockanglass Stables to trainer Alan King and Highflyer Bloodstock for the still relatively inexpensive sum of 31,000gns ($44,181) at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale of 2018.
Trueshan after winning the British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot
He took his career earnings to more than £1 million ($1,442,800) with victories in the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup (G1), Qatar Prix du Cadran (G1), and QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (G2) this year, and went to show once again that the breeze-up sales are about more than just precocious and pacey 2-year-olds.
