Almost twenty years after Dubai Millennium's win in the 2000 Dubai World Cup, his influence on the Darley roster has never been more apparent. The roster is, once again, led by his son Dubawi, whose fee remains at £250,000 Oct 1, SLF. Dubawi, who has sired the world's highest-priced yearling in four of the past five years, has had 24 individual Group winners in 2019, led by the G1-winning quartet of Coronet, Ghaiyyath, Old Persian and Timeform's highest-rated three-year-old, Too Darn Hot – he, of course, will stand alongside his sire at Dalham Hall Stud in 2020 and his fee has been set at £50,000 Oct 1, SLF.
There's a strong fathers and sons theme to the new intake at Darley: also retiring in 2020 are the 2018 Derby winner Masar – who will stand at Dalham Hall Stud alongside his sire New Approach at a fee of £15,000 Oct 1, SLF – and three-time Royal Ascot G1 sprint hero, Blue Point, who joins his sire Shamardal at Kildangan Stud at a fee of €45,000 Oct 1, SLF. Shamardal has had his best-ever year as a stallion: besides Blue Point, he has sired French 1,000 Guineas winner Castle Lady and no fewer than three unbeaten G1-winning juveniles – Earthlight, Victor Ludorum and Champion two-year-old elect, Pinatubo – an unprecedented achievement. Shamardal remains a private stallion in 2020.
Continuing the Dubai Millennium dynasty is Night Of Thunder, Europe’s outstanding first-season sire, whose strike-rate with his first runners is an unrivalled 63%. He has no fewer than five Group or Listed winners to his name and is exceeding even the early achievements of his sire, Dubawi. Night Of Thunder returns to Kildangan Stud, where his stud career began, at €25,000 Oct 1, SLF.
Horse of the Year Golden Horn (£40,000 Oct 1, SLF) has made a promising start with his first runners, siring two Group or Listed winners and three Black Type performers. He has notched up 7% Stakes-performing juveniles – a higher percentage than Galileo, Sea The Stars and, in fact, every Derby winner at the same stage of his career this century, bar New Approach. 2020 promises to be an exciting season for him and 18 of his first crop have been given Derby entries. His stablemate at Dalham Hall Stud, Farhh (£12,000 Oct 1, SLF), continues to impress and his son King Of Change led home a Darley-sired 1-2-3 in the G1 QEII on Champions Day.
Sam Bullard, Director of Stallions said, 'We are delighted to be able to offer an extensive range of quite exceptional stallions in Britain, Ireland and France in 2020. It's remarkable to reflect on how the stallion yards have grown over the decades here at Darley – when Dubai Millennium won at Nad Al Sheba in March 2000, the roster was just a dozen strong – and it's particularly satisfying for the whole team to be standing outstanding sons of stallions who have also stood their careers here. We couldn't do it without the breeders who invest so much time and skill in producing the horses who are at the heart of our great sport. We'll do all we can to help them fulfil their ambitions and hope to be part of their plans again in 2020.'
For the full list of fees, click here.
