Juddmonte’s European stallions Frankel, Expert Eye, Kingman, Bated Breath and Oasis Dream each have outstanding books of mares for the 2020 mating season, Prince Khalid Abdullah’s breeding operation has announced.
This year sees the first foals by G2-winning 2-year-old and G1-winning miler EXPERT EYE. To date, he has 21 foals on the ground, all bay like their sire, with breeders describing them as “crackers”, “big and strong” and “well-made”.
Juddmonte is supporting Expert Eye with another quality book of mares, including dual G1 winner Heat Haze (a daughter of the great Hasili and herself dam of G3 winner Mirage Dancer); Atone (a winning full-sister to six-time G1 winner Midday); G2 winner Modern Look (dam of G3 winner Grand Jete); Across The Floor (a half-sister to champion Flintshire); Palmette (a full-sister to Showcasing); Tiadargent (a full-sister to juvenile G2 winner Restiadargent); and listed winners Rostova, Swiss Range, Scottish Jig and Variable.
FRANKEL was the sire of five new G1 winners in 2019, and for 2020 will receive another stellar book of mares.
They include G1 winners African Rose (dam of Frankel’s first Group winner, Fair Eva), Proviso, Samba Inc, Special Duty and Ventura (dam of G3 winner Fount by Frankel); Nimble Thimble (dam of Frankel’s G1-winning 2-year-old of 2019 and Cartier European Champion 2YO Filly Quadrilateral); G2 winner Soffia; stakes winner Classical Times (a half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf winner Newspaperofrecord); Photographic (dam of G3 winner Shutter Speed, the only filly to have beaten Enable); Zatsfine (a half-sister to multiple G1 winner Proviso and the dam of Frankel’s G3 winner Delaware); Flare Of Firelight (dam of last season’s G2 Gimcrack Stakes and G2 Champagne Stakes winner Threat); Responsible (dam of Frankel’s 2019 G2 winner Obligate); and Portodora (dam of 2019 stakes winners Alocasia and Set Piece).
KINGMAN enjoyed a great year in 2019, which included Classic winner Persian King emerging from his first crop of 3-year-olds.
His list of Juddmonte mares for 2020 includes Deliberate (dam of Kingman’s dual G2-winning colt Headman); Helleborine (dam of Kingman’s G2 Coventry Stakes winner Calyx); Trojan Queen (dam of Kingman’s G3 Hampton Court Stakes winner Sangarius); G1 winners Capla Temptress and Romantica; G2 winner Starformer; dual Group winner Big Break (a sister to Famous Name); Amser (a Frankel half-sister to G1 winners Timepiece and Passage Of Time); Kilo Alpha (dam of G3 winner and twice G1-placed Juliet Foxtrot); G3 winner Dandhu, and fellow maidens Desert Diamond (a listed winner) and G3 scoer Fount.
Also visiting Kingman will be Kind, the dam of Frankel, who slipped to Galileo in 2019.
BATED BREATH finished 2019 as the best value sire of black-type winners in Europe, and consequently will cover a full book of mares in 2020. Among them are:
Ombre (dam of Bated Breath’s Group performer Gavota); Sacred Shield (dam of listed winner Crossed Baton by Dansili and listed winner Viadera by Bated Breath); G3 winner Vote Often (a full-sister to G1 winner Proportional); Group-placed Straight Thinking (a half-sister to G1 winner Announce) and Tendu (a full sister to Showcasing); stakes performer Ultrasonic; Scallop (a winning daughter of G1 winner Quiff); and Strelka (a winning half-sister to G1 winner Workforce).
OASIS DREAM was the sire of 17 black-type performers in 2019, including Classic-placed Pretty Pollyanna and G2 winner Shine So Bright, and was also the broodmare sire of Juddmonte’s G1 winning 2-year-old Siskin.
His influence on the Juddmonte broodmare band is set to continue for many years, and in 2020 among the mares he will cover are Occurrence (an unraced daughter of Frankel and half-sister to G1 winner Promising Lead, being out of listed winner Arrive, herself a sister to Hasili); and seven-furlong Group performer Gavota.