Golden Horn, who today added victory in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe to his triumphs in this year’s Derby, Eclipse and Irish Champion Stakes, and the highest-rated turf horse in the world, will become a Darley stallion in 2016 and will stand at Dalham Hall Stud. A fee has yet to be announced.
Anthony Oppenheimer’s homebred son of Cape Cross made the perfect start to his racing career, setting a juvenile course record at Nottingham when breaking his maiden on his only start at two.
Golden Horn put up another record-breaking performance first-time-out at three in the Listed Feilden Stakes at Newmarket, knocking some three seconds off the previous Stakes record. He then stormed into the Derby reckoning after an impressive win over subsequent Irish Derby victor Jack Hobbs in the G2 Dante Stakes at York, drawing almost three lengths clear.
His victory in the highest-profile Derby trial prompted Mr Oppenheimer to supplement him for the Epsom Classic, and his faith was rewarded in scintillating fashion as Golden Horn powered home to take the race by three-and-a-half lengths in the third-fastest time ever, Jack Hobbs again the runner-up. The victory earned Golden Horn a Timeform rating of 130, fully 4lbs ahead of Cape Cross’s first Derby winner Sea The Stars after his own brilliant win in the race.
Dropped back to ten furlongs for his next start in the G1 Eclipse, Golden Horn showed that he could also master his older rivals as he made all and saw off a strong challenge from multiple G1 winner The Grey Gatsby, once again winning by three-and-a-half lengths.
After a narrow second on rain-softened ground in the G1 Juddmonte International at York, he bounced back to his brilliant best in the G1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown last month.
Golden Horn’s sire Cape Cross has a long connection with Epsom’s greatest races: besides his two Derby-winning sons, he has also sired Oaks winner Ouija Board, herself the dam of Derby winner Australia. Out of Fleche d’Or, a half-sister to G1 Coronation Stakes heroine Rebecca Sharp, Golden Horn is from a family that has been nurtured by the Oppenheimer family at their Hascombe And Valiant Stud for half a century.
Sam Bullard, Director of Stallions, said: “It is wonderful that Darley has bought into this great Champion and we are thrilled that Mr Oppenheimer has decided that Dalham Hall Stud is where Golden Horn will get the best opportunity of becoming the great stallion we believe he can be.”
