King of the kids

Hopes were always high for Kheleyf’s 2012 crop of two-year-olds, as they were out of undoubtedly the best book of mares he had covered thus far in his career. They certainly did not disappoint, with no fewer than 42 of them becoming winners during the course of the year, an outstanding total equal to Invincible Spirit’s record-breaking effort of 2010 which has been bettered by only one stallion, Japanese super sire Sunday Silence.

Kheleyf opened his juvenile winners’ account back in March, when future G2 winner Penny’s Picnic romped to a six-length victory at Saint-Cloud, following up with an easy victory at Chantilly the following month. Finishing out of the money just once in seven starts, Penny’s Picnic rounded off his year with back-to-back Group victories in the G3 Prix Eclipse and G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte.

In all, Kheleyf sired seven Black type juveniles last year, four of whom were victorious at Stakes level. Virtual Game ran out the convincing winner of a one-mile Listed contest in Rome before running a creditable fifth in the G1 Gran Criterium, while Go Angellica took the Listed Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury in August. Need You Now completed his quartet of two-year-old Stakes winners, having won the seven-furlong Radley Stakes at Newbury in October.

Kheleyf finished the year as leading sire of two-year-olds in both Europe and Great Britain and Ireland, and with his 2012 yearlings selling for up to €190,000, 2013 could well be another bumper year for this talented sire. Kheleyf stands at Dalham Hall Stud at a fee of £6,000, October 1st special live foal. He will be available to view at the stud on 9 and 10 January, with stallion shows taking place at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm each day.