Since the start of July, Kheleyf has sired 11 new winners, his most recent being Nils in Italy, bringing his mid-season tally to 18. This prolific patch has not only reinforced his position at the head of the first-season sires’ table but has elevated him to be leading sire of two-year-olds in Europe by both prize-money and individual winners.
With the prize-money haul from his impressive debutants now standing at £269,000, he has passed Danehill Dancer, while his Darley first-season counterpart Exceed And Excel is also in the top four sires of juveniles with 11 winners.
To date, the star of Kheleyf’s first crop is Percolator (pictured). The British-trained filly was his first winner on 31 March, having been runner-up on her debut a week previously. Since those first two starts in the UK, she has done all her running – and winning – in France, landing the Listed Prix la Fleche before stepping up to Group class with a track record-breaking win in the G3 Prix du Bois, bettering the time set last year by subsequent 1,000 Guineas winner Natagora. With four wins from five runs under her belt, this Sunday sees Henry Robinson’s homebred make another cross-Channel trip when she contests the G2 Prix Robert Papin back at Maisons-Laffitte, scene of her most recent victory.
Another filly to have thrust her name into the limelight with a game rail-hugging triumph in last weekend’s valauable Weatherbys Super Sprint is Jargelle. Third on her debut at Warwick in June, she followed up with a Nottingham maiden win before adding almost £80,000 to her win prize fund at Newbury on Saturday, leading home Infamous Angel, by Exceed And Excel.
Sayif is certainly the classiest maiden among Kheleyf’s current runners. He has been runner-up in two starts, both times beaten a short head, most recently by Classic Blade in the G2 July Stakes at Newmarket.
Kheleyf stands at Kildangan Stud in Co Kildare, Ireland. For further information, please contact the nominations team on +353 (0)45 527600.
