Modern Games, Native Trail and Triple Time are just about to embark on their second covering seasons, and history indicates now may be the perfect time to use them.
This is no better highlighted than by what Modern Games’ own sire Dubawi achieved in the sales ring with his second-crop yearlings.
Fresh off the back of a brace of G2-winning juveniles at the Doncaster St Leger meeting, he had seven yearlings sell for £100,000 or higher, with a top price of 460,000gns, all off a £25,000 covering fee.
The trend has also continued with his sire sons. Night Of Thunder, one of the hottest young stallions in Europe, flew out of the blocks with his first runners and breeders were duly rewarded with a yearling average of €93,000, nearly four times their conception fee.
Too Darn Hot’s second-crop yearlings in 2023 averaged £112,000 - 250% higher than their conception fee, while Ghaiyyath’s a year later averaged €67,000, nearly three times what they were bred for.
It is not just Darley’s Dubawi sons that shone in the sales ring with both New Bay and Zarak making close to four times their fee, whilst the second crop of Time Test went for nearly a multiple of six!
Dubawi's sons have been highly profitable over the years, so when Modern Games’ first crop run in 2027, all forward-thinking breeders will be cheering on every success.
Don’t miss out on his fee this season of £30,000.
Native Trail, covering his second season at a fee of €16,000, follows in the hoofprints of a long line of Champion juveniles on the Darley roster.
A winner of the G1 Dewhurst, like fellow Kildangan legends Teofilo and Shamardal, many will expect his first crop of juveniles to hit the ground running and if they do, breeders can look forward to healthy returns in the ring.
When the second crop of Shamardal stepped into the ring, they averaged a healthy €77,000, including top sales at Tattersalls of 230,000gns and 210,000gns. The average for Teofilo was even higher at €86,000, nearly three and a half times their fee.
His first crop starred on the track in their first year, siring a Dewhurst winner himself, and when his second crop came up for auction, 14 made €100,000 or higher with a high price of 250,000gns.
Second-crop wonders also include Champions the other side of the Irish Sea. Too Darn Hot’s success has already been mentioned but his multiple is small compared to another Dewhurst winner in New Approach. Fresh off the back of siring three Royal Ascot-winning juveniles with his first crop, his second crop averaged £112,000, nearly four times what they were conceived for.
Another more recent Dewhurst winner has also enjoyed success in the ring, this time Shamardal’s son Pinatubo. They went to auction last year and averaged £75,000, more than twice their conception fee.
All in all, a Champion juvenile that has progeny that hit the ground running is the perfect recipe for sales success.
Triple is indeed the word. In fact, recent history shows that Royal Ascot G1 winners over a mile have a sales success rate of nearly three times their fee (2.9 if being 100% accurate!).
This is worth bearing in mind when Triple Time embarks on his second season at stud for a very competitive fee of £10,000.
While nobody expects his second-crop yearlings to sell as well as his own sire (and fellow Queen Anne hero) Frankel, it is worth noting that his £524,000 average was over four times his lofty second-crop fee.
This multiple was less though than his barn-mate Kingman, whose second-crop yearlings sold for five times their fee at £273,000. Other St James’s Palace Stakes winners to reward breeders include Mastercraftsman, Canford Cliffs and Galileo Gold, all selling for well over three times their fee.
Breeding is very much a numbers game, so with the prospect of a Triple return, it is Time to use the Queen Anne hero.
