After two years of disturbed summer/monsoon meetings, things have returned to near normal in 2022. Come October, and the precocious among the 2020 crop will start their paceworks and they will be duly reported by the work watchers. The reports generally give only the pedigrees for the majority of the new crop will still be unnamed. Some new names among the sires will cause the eye-brows to be raised and to avoid that it is best to get acquainted with the stallions who covered their first mares in 2019.

There are five of them and  by a curious coincidence, they are all the first sons of their sires to become stallions in India. They are widely dispersed from Samaspur in Uttar Pradesh to Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.  

AKEED CHAMPION[GB] (b 2012, Dubawi - Shy Lady by Kaldoun)
Standing at Sans Craintes Stud, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu)
Racing Performance. 5 wins at 3 and 5 in England and U.A.E. (all over 1400 m.), GBP 13,879 + Dhs 351,350. BOR 102.
First Sire Son of Dubawi in India.
Some Recent Stallions at Sans Craintes: Lord Admiral[USA], Lucifer Sam[USA], Mathematician[IRE], Midtown[IRE], Tazahum[USA], Be Safe, Czar of Romance and Indian Bolt.

Of all the stud farms in India, Sans Craintes, perhaps, has seen the most turn around of its stallion ranks. Akeed Champion becomes the 18th stallion to hold court in the 'Texcity' in the last thirty years. Not all Sans Craintes stallions had a short life; Ajaad lived to the age of 28 ! Actually, Sans Craintes also registered Arod as a stallion during 2019 but did so after the covering season was over.

As the first son of Dubawi -- a top ranking stallion and a successful sire of sires -- Akeed Champion has already drawn attention. Bred by Rabbah Bloodstock, he was first owned by Mr. Jaber Abdulla. After just one start with trainer Michael Bell, he was moved to Richard Fahey's yard at Malton from where he won two races at 3. He was then sold to the Kapoors -- Miss Avni Kapoor, Mr. Charnesh Kapoor and Mr. Nirav Kapoor -- and moved to Dubai to be trained by Satish Seemar at his Zabeel Stables. His three wins from 11 starts in U.A.E., including a Listed Race, all came at Abu Dhabi where he never lost a race. He was then acquired by Sans Craintes Stud. 

Akeed Champion has three crops on ground numbering 23, 16 and 11 foals each. Just about enough to show if he has the spark in him but insufficient to make an impact.  Apart from his sire Dubawi, the best part of his pedigree is that his grandam is a half-sister to Diffident who was a pretty useful stallion in his early years when he was based at Poonawalla Farms. Akeed Champion has the right aptitude for India, a good pedigree but his rating is rather low for an imported stallion.

DALI[USA] (dk b/br 2015, Scat Daddy - Alegendinhisownmind by Cape Cross)
Standing at Mukteshwar Stud, Sakarpur, Samaspur (U.P.)
Racing Performance: 2 wins at 2 and 3 (both over 1000 m.) from 15 starts in Ireland, 65,180 euros. Best Official Rating 102.
First Sire Son of Scat Daddy in India.
Some Recent Stallions at Mukteshwar Stud: Poet's Dream[IRE], Eljohar[IRE] and Top Class[USA].

Owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Mr. Michael Tabor and Mr. Derrick Smith and a resident of Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle establishment, Dali won two races over the minimum distance including the Listed Midsummer Sprint, earning a best rating of 100. He never raced beyond 6f.

As a sire of the American Triple Crown winner Justify,  Scat Daddy became an overnight sensation rather late in his short career and his fee shot up into six figures at Ashford Stud, Coolmore's American enterprise. He was always recognised as a source of blinding speed and while his American record is impressive, he has failed to cut the ice in Europe. Coolmore tried to project his son No Nay Never as his heir apparent but with very limited success.

It is difficult for pure sprinters to make their mark as stallions. Dali's dam line is much more classic, tracing to a good American tap-root in The Apple. Dali's dam, Alegendinmyownmind, ran just twice but the next dam Midnight Line, rated 115, won the Long Island Handicap and was third in the Epsom Oaks, both races being over 2400 m. Scat Daddy certainly injected speed in the produce of Alegendinmyownmind but at the cost of class. Dali and his full-brother Global Prospector won sprints though at only shallow levels.

Dali has had the best support among the five new stallions. 31 foals in his first crop are followed by 40 in the second and 29 in the third. His progeny, if it takes after Scat Daddy, will win plenty of races. The quality of those races, though, is to be watched.

MOONLIGHT MAGIC[GB] (b 2013, Cape Cross - Melikah by Lammtarra)
Standing at Equus Stud, Talegaon, Pune (Maharashtra)
Racing Performance: 4 wins in Ireland at 2 to 4 from 15 starts (1400 m. to 2000 m.), 250,100 euros. Best Official Rating 116.
First Sire Son of Cape Cross in India.
Some Recent Stallions at Equus Stud: Black Cash[USA], Royal Kingdom[IRE], Puerto Madero[CHI], Tariq[GB], Varenar[FR] and Ampere[FR].

A three-parts brother to the mighty Sea The Stars, Moonlight Magic is out of Melikah, the first foal of the super dam Urban Sea. Owned by Godolphin and trained by Jim Bolger in Ireland, Moonlight Magic lost his way a bit after a very promising start but still ended up being rated 116 officially. It was autumn before Moonlight Magic was first seen on a race course but he compensated for it by winning both his starts at 2 within a space of eight days in October. He won the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown on his second start at 3 beating a strong Ballydoyle posse to come into the Classic picture. He failed to act on the Epsom course in Harzand's Derby and blew hot and cold thereafter. His most notable effort was when beating Deauville -- now a stallion at Usha Stud -- in a battling finish in the Meld Stakes. He was later sent to Australia where he ran just once when he was tardily away from the gates.

Three of his four wins came at Leopardstown and though he has won good going, Moonlight Magic did appreciate a bit of cut in the ground. He has a top drawer pedigree, a decent performance and is a fine specimen physically. He has 79 foals -- 29, 30 and 20 -- in his first three crops and he has covered some good mares. The proof of the pudding, though, will be seen on the track shortly.

PHOENIX TIGER (dk b 2012, Phoenix Tower[USA] - Tigresse Noire by Senure[USA])
Stood at Pratap Stud, Himmatnagar (Gujarat)
Racing Performance: 7 wins at 2 to 4 (1000 m. to 1600 m.) from 16 starts, Rs. 1,53,01,194. Highest rating of 127 in India.
First Sire Son of Phoenix Tower[USA] in India.
Some Recent Stallions at Pratap Stud. Duja[USA], Oath[IRE], Royal Gladiator and Sussex[GB].

The stallion, a top class miler in India, gets a mention for academic and record purposes. He covered 49 mares in 2019 but has no live foals to show for his efforts. He did produce some foals but they have all been discarded. He does have nine foals recorded in the Return of Mares for 2021 but did not cover any mares that year. The arrival of Indian Derby winners Desert God and War Hammer meant that he was superfluous to the requirement and he was put out of stud in February 2022.

SIR CECIL (gr 2015, Win Legend[JPN] - Elusive Trust by Elusive Pimpernel)
Standing at Dashmesh Stud, Sarainanga, Faridkot (Punjab)
Racing Performance:  8 wins at 3 (1200 m. to 2000 m.) from nine starts, Rs. 3,26,46,020. Highest rating of 92 in India.
First Sire Son of Win Legend[JPN] in India.
Some Recent Stallions at Dashmesh Stud. Abbeyside[GB], Carnival Dancer[GB], Hurricane State[USA], Princely Heir[IRE], Rosmini, Sunday Doubt[USA], Win Legend[JPN] and Dandified.

Sir Cecil was undoubtedly one of the best horses seen in India during the last decade. Unbeaten in eight starts at 3 -- which included five Classics -- the grey finished only third in the Indian Derby, a race which he ran on virtually three legs. He was promptly retired to stud and covered 29 mares to get 21 foals on ground in 2020.

Win Legend has been a consistent sire in India since his first crop started racing in 2013-14. Having got ten individual Classic winners, he has qualified for the Wall of Fame. Though he himself won all his three races at 1400 m., Win Legend's bottom half of the pedigree has Classic stamina. Most of the Dashmesh Stud mares are not short on Classic stamina. Sir Cecil's dam is from Usha Stud's speedy Amber Forest family but with Elusive Pimpernel and Razeen as the two immediate damsires, the stamina quotient has been enhanced. Sir Cecil hence has a good mix of speed and stamina elements.

The arrival of the Oasis Dream stallion Dreamfield at Dashmesh has affected Sir Cecil significantly. The new arrival had to be supported and the established Win Legend had to be catered for. Thus, Sir Cecil covered only 10 mares in 2020 and just seven in 2021. His 12 foals from these two crops are just about half of his first crop number of 21. It is imperative that the grey starts off with a bang to ensure that he is allotted more mares.

PAST THE POST

Two of the five new stallions are Indian-bred though Phoenix Tiger has since become a 'non-starter'. The apathy towards Indian-bred stallions is well known and they have to pass through the eye of a needle before gaining recognition. What causes this apathy ? Is it only the lure of something 'phoren' which is responsible ?

This is a very interesting subject, much debated. There are several factors involved but one important aspect has been mainly overlooked. Take the case of Sir Cecil. Assuming he had not broken down and had a normal career, it is fair to say that he would have achieved as much as Star Superior and Adjudicate, who finished ahead of him in the Indian Derby. Both, Star Superior and Adjudicate retired with an identical rating of 122.

The Indian ratings are inflated and barring some exceptions -- Saddle Up, Mystical, et al -- have not been vindicated in international competition. Desert God went abroad with a rating of 120 but failed to place off a mark of  82 in England. He came back to India, re-started with a rating of 109 and eventually reached 120 once again. Some knowledgeable people believe, that as a thumb rule, Indian ratings are inflated by about 30 points. That brings Sir Cecil, Adjudicate and Desert God around the 90 mark.

Of the three, Adjudicate has a better chance of producing a good horse because she will invariably be covered by a stallion with a better rating than her own. Sir Cecil and Desert God will generally be covering mares whose rating is lower than their own. Adjudicate, who is boarded at Dashmesh Stud, has two fillies by Win Legend, a proven stallion. Sir Cecil also stands at Dashmesh. Would the owners of Adjudicate consider sending her to Sir Cecil ? Would you ?