Month: May 2012

New Sires in Brazil for 2012 – Roderic O’Connor

RODERIC O’CONNOR (IRE), 2008, Galileo – Secret Garden, by Danehill. Race Record: 9 starts 3-1-1, £68,261, €373,030. Won: Curragh Irish 2,000 Guineas, G1 (8f), Saint-Cloud Criterium International, G1 (8f), Curragh Barronstown Stud 2YO Maiden S. (7f); 2nd Newmarket Dewhurst S., G1; 3rd Leopardstown Irish Stallion Farms 2YO Maiden S.

When Roderic O’Connor retired from racing in 2011 to join the Ballyhane Stud roster for 2012, he was the first Classic-winning son of Galileo to retire to stud in Ireland. He has been very well received during his first season in Ireland – this comes as no surprise considering he is a Dual Group 1 Classic winning Miler by Europe’s hottest sire Galileo, and is from a Stakes winning mare, from the immediate family of the sires Carnegie and Zabeel (Champion Sire in Australia and New Zealand). Little wonder he has been proving popular among Irish breeders. His 2012 fee is €9,000.

It should come as exciting news therefore, to South American breeders, that Roderic O’Connor is to shuttle to Brazil this season. The leasing agreement will see him stand at Haras Santa Ana de Rio Grande.

Roderic O’Connor is bred on the highly successful Galileo/Danehill cross, a cross that has produced the likes of Frankel, Golden Lilac, Maybe, Cima De Triomphe, and Teofilo (all G1 winners). Following Roderic O’Connor’s victory in the Irish 2,000 Guineas last year, I wrote an article on this emerging nick (click here).

As I wrote in that article; “Both Galileo (Sadler’s Wells – Urban Sea, by Miswaki) and Danehill (Danzig – Razyana, by His Majesty) are bred on the Northern Dancer/ Buckpasser cross. Doubling up on this successful cross may be contributing to the success of the Galileo/Danehill combination. By combining Galileo and Danehill we also get line breeding to Northern Dancer and we reinforce the important influence of Northern Dancer’s dam Natalma, as Danehill’s second dam (Spring Adieu, by Buckpasser) is out of Natalma (Native Dancer – Almahmoud, by Mahmoud).”

GALILEO (IRE), 1998, Sadler’s Wells – Urban Sea, by Miswaki, a Champion Sire in GB/IRE in 2008, 2010, 2011, is a sire of 27 individual G1 winners to-date. From 1151 runners, he has had 732 winners (63.6% wnrs/rnrs) and 102 individual Stakes winners (8.9% SWs/rnrs). Galileo commenced stud duties with Coolmore Stud in Ireland and Australia in 2002.

Roderic O’Connor’s dam SECRET GARDEN (Danehill – Chalamont, by Kris), a 3-time Stakes winner (7-8.5f), is the dam of 4 named foals, all winners, including RODERIC O’CONNOR and the Graded Stakes-placed Weatherstaff (Elusive Quality).

His second dam CHALAMONT (by Kris), twice a winner over  6f, is the dam of 9 named foals with 7 to race for 5 winners, including SECRET GARDEN and the Graded Stakes-placed Lady Aquitaine (El Prado).

Roderic O’Connor’s third dam DURTAL (by Lyphard), a G1 winner, was Top Filly on the 1976 English 2YO Free Handicap. She is the dam of 11 named foals – 10 to race for 6 winners, including G1 winner GILDORAN (Rheingold), Stakes winner LADY ISIS (Riverman), and Stakes-placed Regimental Arms (Sir Ivor). Durtal, is a sister to Derly (dam of FILAGO), is a half-sister to DETROIT (dam of CARNEGIE, ANTISAAR, LAKE ERIE, HONFLEUR), DARCOUNETTE, VALDERNA (dam of TRAVOLTA).
Detroit (Riverman – Derna, by Sunny Boy), a winner of the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, also produced an “Arc” winner in Carnegie (by Sadler’s Wells). Galileo’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winning dam Urban Sea replicated this feat when her son Sea The Stars won the “Arc”. The combination of these two wonderful matriarchs in Roderic O’Connor’s pedigree will surely have a positive impact on his stock.
Derna is the third dam of G1 winner ZABEEL (Sir Tristram), a Champion Sire in Australia and New Zealand, while Detroit is the third dam of BANIMPIRE (Holy Roman Emperor), a multiple Graded Stakes winner who was second in last year’s G1 Irish Oaks.
Roderic O’Connor’s race record befits his impressive lineage. As a juvenile he broke his maiden on his second start, beating subsequent G1 winner MASTER OF HOUNDS by 2.5 lengths. He then resumed in the Autumn in the G1 Dubai Dewhurst Stakes where he was 2.25 lengths second to World Champion FRANKEL, and beating G1 winner DREAM AHEAD by over 4 lengths. Roderic O’Connor then travelled to France a fortnight later and won the G1 Criterium International. At 3yrs Roderic O’Connor won the G1 Abu Dhabi Irish 2,000 Guineas, beating the favorite DUBAWI GOLD by 3/4 of a length.
Galileo’s first sons to retire to stud have made an early impact in their new careers:
Bred on the same Galileo/Danehill cross as Roderic O’Connor is dual G1 winner TEOFILO (Galileo – Speirbhean, by Danehill), who commenced stud duties in Ireland in 2008 and Australia in 2009. He has so far sired 25 winners, including 5 Stakes winners, from his first Irish crop, including PARISH HALL, winner of the G1 Dewhurst Stakes. Teofilo’s 2012 fee is €25,000.
HELLIOSTATIC (Galileo – Affianced, by Erin’s Isle), a G3 winner, also commenced stud duties in Ireland in 2008. From just 12 runners to date, he is the sire of 6 winners, including the G3 winner CRIUS. His 2012 stud fee is €3,000.

SIXTIES ICON (Galileo – Love Divine, by Diesis) commenced stud duties in Great Britain in 2009. From just 5 runners to-date, he has had 4 winners. His first crop consists of just 21 foals. Being a St.Leger winner, out of an Oaks winner, not many would of expected Sixties Icon to sire early 2yr old winners, and his small crop reflects the unfair bias breeders show against middle distance horses and staying types. Something tells me however that breeders will be paying a bit more attention to this sire in the future! His 2012 fee is £4,500.

NEW APPROACH (Galileo – Park Express, by Ahonoora), a 5-time G1 winner, commenced stud duties in Great Britain in 2009. His 2012 fee is £22,500. First 2yr olds 2012 – first runner a winner.

A dual G1 winning Classic miler, with a fantastic pedigree and physique, bred by Swettenham Stud, owned by Mrs John Magnier and trained by Aidan O’Brien – Roderic O’Connor looks to have all the ingredients needed to make it as a top class sire. Here’s hoping he will follow in the footsteps of his top-class family.