Let's talk about: Our writers nominate their freshman sires to follow this season

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Sat March 28, 2020 · 5y ago

Our new series continues with Matt Brocklebank and Richard Mann nominating their first-season sires to follow in the upcoming Flat season.

We want your feedback! So who is the new kid on the breeding block you are most expecting big things from this summer? Check out details of how to contact us towards the foot of the article - and the views from our readers.

Richard Mann - Mehmas

If you’re looking for a freshman sire offering value for money and the promise of surefire juvenile success, look no further than Mehmas.

A high-class two-year-old who won the July Stakes and the Richmond Stakes to sit alongside placed efforts in the Coventry, National and Middle Park Stakes, Mehmas the sire looks the ideal type on paper to make his mark through the early part of the season in particular.

Mehmas signs off his career in the Middle Park at Newmarket today. Can he beat Blue Point for a second time? >>> https://t.co/I3bu8wWSfd pic.twitter.com/3n4gf0jMOv
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 24, 2016

The former Richard Hannon-trained colt did all of his winning on the racecourse between and five and six furlongs but he chased home Churchill in Group One company over seven furlongs later in his two-year-old career, suggesting that his offspring might not be solely early-season sprinting types.

Mehmas is certainly bred for the job, too, being by Acclamation who himself has proven to a very good sire and one who did very well with his first crop.

Now based at Tally-Ho Stud - who have enjoyed notable success with the likes of Zebedee and Red Clubs over the years - a debut crop of 146 certainly suggests breeders have been keen to put their faith in Mehmas and an opening stud fee of 12,500 euros could like terrific value come the end of the year.

Matt Brocklebank - Awtaad

Breeders will have to raise the stakes a notch to 15,000 euros when it comes to Awtaad's fee but he too could prove a freshman well worth his weight.

Trained by Kevin Prendergast and owned by Sheikh Hamdan during his racing days, the son of Cape Cross - sire of the great Sea The Stars and Ouija Board before that - has inevitably had the support of some of Shadwell's finest mares, resulting in no fewer than 93 juveniles with which to go to war in 2020.

He obviously made his name as a three-year-old colt, winning his first three starts of a really productive Classic campaign including the Irish 2000 Guineas, but he did also show a good level of form at two with a debut third before winning a seven-furlong Leopardstown maiden by two lengths from Bravery.

So it wouldn't be the biggest shock to see him produce some really classy juvenile performers, especially so given the likely truncated nature of the revised Flat season ahead.

Those sires who were expected to produce really 'early' types may ultimately be made to wait another year to shown their true influence.

Send us your views

Send your comments and contributions to racingfeedback@sportinglife.com and if you’ve any ideas for more topics you want covering over the coming days and weeks please let us know.