The Legend Retires....

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DrizzleCity

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SUPER SIRE SADLER'S RETIRED


By Thomas Deane, PA Sport

Legendary sire Sadler's Wells is to be retired from stud duties due to declining fertility.

The decision was made by the team at Coolmore Stud, where the 27-year-old son of Northern Dancer will remain in retirement having stood there since the end of the 1985 Flat season.

Sadler's Wells was champion sire in Britain and Ireland a record-breaking 14 times, including 13 years in succession.

Coolmore manager Christy Grassick said: "I think Sadler's Wells is generally acknowledged as the best sire Europe has ever seen and we feel very privileged to have been associated with him.

"Despite his advancing years, he is still in remarkably good condition and I hope he enjoys a long and happy retirement.

"His influence will be felt for many years to come and in Galileo, Montjeu and High Chaparral, we are delighted to have his three best sons at Coolmore."
 
He's the real deal alright, he's throwing speed and stamina. I see shantou had the third, he's doing really well down there as a sire of 2yr olds aswell, not what you'd expect.
 
The fact that he's still been covering mares at the age of 27 is testament to his constitution and vitality. Let's hope he has a few more years of happy, healthy retirement ahead of him.

"The best sire Europe has ever seen" is over-egging it more than a little. He was a fine sire, but to place him ahead of (just from the last 100 years) stallions like Phalaris, The Tetrarch, Tourbillon, Hyperion, Nearco and Nasrullah owes more to sentiment than fact.
 
I hope he has a long and happy retirement. Whenever they show footage of him at Coolmore on tv he always looks so full of beans and seems to enjoy the attention,as if he knows he's a bit special.
 
I think at the moment Phalaris would ahve to hold the title as best stallion Europe has seen as most of the lines we use today go back to him.
 
I am totaly besotted with him. He has such presence, meeting him is more like meeting a person than a horse!

I agree that he may not be the best Europe has ever seen though, it is so hard to compare different times. But for sure he is the best of our time.

I know he covered massive books and this probably accounted for some of the success, but clearly there is something prepotent there as well and I am sure that even had he covered small books he would still have made it as a sire and the books would have increased.

At any rate he has given so much joy and pleasure to racing fans and so many of the horses we loved were his offpsring that we must owe him a good send off and happy retirement wishes. :luv:
 
re Phalaris: More so than Northern Dancer - or is that just in America?

Btw - On another [non-racing] board someone remarked today that all 20 runners in 'the Derby' :rolleyes: were descended from Northern Dancer - I tartly posted back that 'the Derby' is run at Epsom, he surely meant 'the Kentucky Derby'

Elite - of which I'm no longer a member - have a filly foal by the great sire out of Kalinka [dam of Soviet Song] who will go into training dv next autumn. It will be fun to watch her progress - she was a very late foal but was put in a field with a couple of older colts and bossed them around rotten.

I guess his few progeny yet to reach the track would be worth a mini-fortune - were they ever to come up for sale
 
Originally posted by Bar the Bull@May 13 2008, 08:08 AM
Retire in Peace.

The one black mark in his book was his inability to get a horse of the calibre of Sinndar.
Click to expand...
He did Bar....Grand Finale.
 
I was thinking today is it possible the Sheikh might try and purchase any of the remaining Sadler's Wells yearlings/foals that come up for auction in this seasons sales? It would hardly be seen as "supporting" a Coolmore stallion when that horse is now retired.
 
SW is certainly the best European stallion since Nearco and Nasrullah.

The all time greats would be Highflyer, Stockwell, St Simon and Phalaris, imo.
 
Originally posted by Galileo@May 14 2008, 02:57 PM
I was thinking today is it possible the Sheikh might try and purchase any of the remaining Sadler's Wells yearlings/foals that come up for auction in this seasons sales? It would hardly be seen as "supporting" a Coolmore stallion when that horse is now retired.
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I would think he will buy any filly/mare with a breeding future in mind.

He already paid a world record price for G1 winner Playful Act.

SW has not had a really good colt since High Chapp but the fillies have been doing very well in the shape of Alexandrova, Listen, Sail etc. so I would think they would concentrate on the fillies/mares .

They do have Refuse to Bend and Doyen at stud as stallions.
 
He may try and buy the mares in foal. I wouldn't give up on him having a top class colt this year, there are a few possibilities. Curtain call and prospect wells to name two.
 
I think he saw very few outside mares last year as his fertility was declining then. I'd be v surprised if he covered any this season - I'm not assure who'd risk him either except the owners, at the age of 27
 
A nice win today from a son of Sadlers Wells in SECRET DANCER at Newmarket, fto at 3 after suffering an injury last year, over some more experienced runners inc the useful looking Equbaal.

He's trained by Fanshawe for the Davidson family [all of whom might have had a double on the card if Frank hadn't given Falconry so much to do :rolleyes: ]

I'll look forward to following Secret Dancer though it's shame he's been gelded already
 
I know someone at a small stud in Devon who have been dreaming of sending a mare to him for years and finally managed it this season. As far as I know the deal was that if the mare did not get in foal they got another stallion there. Considering the vast amount of talent on show with the same bloodlines they were happy to risk this! But, success, they have their mare in foal to the old man of the covering shed and they are very very happy. Ecstatic in fact!

PS, forgot to say that whatever the offspring is the owners are not willing to sell, so this one won't end up in blue!
 
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