Montjeu was an outstanding son of Sadler’s Wells (USA), who was six-times successful at Group 1 level with victories in the French and Irish Derbys, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Tattersalls Gold Cup, Grand Prix du Saint Cloud and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S.
It’s now the 20th anniversary of his emphatic win in the King George at Royal Ascot and four starts later the Michael Tabor-owned colt was retired to Coolmore with a glittering stud career to follow.
Montjeu, who could be quirky, was also to make four tours of shuttle duty to Windsor Park Stud at Cambridge where he was warmly welcomed by breeders.
The late Montjeu (Ire)
“He was a beautiful, athletic individual and he just floated over the ground and just the best-moving horse you’d ever see,” Windsor Park General Manager Steve Till said.
“If you watch the King George, you can see him just cruise up to Fantastic Light, who was top-class, and just put that field away with that beautiful action.
“As a stallion, he was relatively straight-forward while he was with us and a very fertile horse and very well-received here. Sadler’s Wells was a cool-headed stallion and Montjeu was out of a Top Ville mare and I think it was acknowledged that Top Ville fillies could be a little bit on the hot side.
“As a stallion, he was relatively straight-forward while he was with us and a very fertile horse and very well-received here.” – Steve Till
“But Montjeu was great for us with no issues and he was very good in the serving ring and we didn’t have to serve many mares twice.”
Montjeu wasn’t everyone’s early favourite when he first retired to Coolmore Ireland, as a perceived lack of precocity and liking for 2400 metres on rain-affected ground had many doubting his stud career could mirror his racing record.
They were soon onside with Montjeu’s first Northern Hemisphere crop of foals born in 2002 producing 16 stakes winners and seven Group winners.
Montjeu (Ire) winning the Grand Prix du Saint Cloud | Image courtesy of Scoop Dyga
His sons Motivator (GB) and Walk In The Park (Ire) ran the quinella in the G1 Epsom Derby, and other Group 1 winners from that crop included Horse of the Year Hurricane Run (Ire) and G1 English St Leger winner Scorpion (Ire).
Hurricane Run emulated his sire by winning both the Arc de Triomphe and the King George, with his four Group 1 triumphs bettered only by Montjeu’s sons St Nicholas Abbey (Ire) with six and Fame And Glory (GB) with five.
Top Group 1 record
Montjeu sired 31 individual Group 1 winners with seven – Wall Street (NZ), Green Moon (Ire), Tavistock (NZ), Gallante (Ire), Nom Du Jeu (NZ), Sharvasti (NZ) and Roman Emperor (NZ) – successful in the Southern Hemisphere.
“When he became so valuable in the Northern Hemisphere that they decided not so shuttle him anymore and that opened the door for us to get High Chaparral, so one closed and another opened,” Till said.
The late High Chaparral (Ire)
“We loved Montjeu and got High Chaparral as a result and what an influence they have both had on the industry down here.
“When we had our first public parades with Montjeu, I well remember Nelson (Schick) saying he never thought he would be standing one of the best stallion prospects in the world.
“We had to pinch ourselves and to this day he is the best racehorse we have stood at Windsor Park. He was a very special horse and gave us an unbelievable opportunity. It’s very difficult to get a horse of that quality and performance and he did an unbelievable job at stud.”
“It’s very difficult to get a horse of that quality and performance and he did an unbelievable job at stud.” – Steve Till
While Montjeu’s son Nom Du Jeu sired the G1 Zabeel Classic winner True Enough (NZ), he wasn’t a commercial force and likewise Roman Emperor. But Tavistock continues to show what a tragic loss he was when complications following a paddock accident claimed his life last year at Cambridge Stud.
Among his five Group 1 winners to date are the Hong Kong Horse of the Year Werther (NZ), the now Westbury Stud resident Tarzino (NZ) and this season’s G1 Schweppes Oaks winner Toffee Tongue (NZ).
Montjeu’s Epsom Derby-winning son Pour Moi (Ire), whose own son Wings Of Eagles (Ire) won the English Classic, also stood at Windsor Park for a period with his best representative the G1 JJ Atkins S. winner Sacred Elixir (NZ).
Gallant Guru | Standing at White Robe Lodge
White Robe Lodge’s Gallant Guru has also enjoyed success, siring the G1 Metropolitan H. winner Patrick Erin (NZ).
Montjeu’s Southern Hemisphere influence has been added to by his son Camelot (Ire), sire of Group 1 winners Latrobe (Ire) and the exciting Russian Camelot (Ire), while another son Authorized (Ire) produced the top-flight Hartnell (GB) and Complacent, now at Mapperley Stud.
As a broodmare sire, Montjeu’s daughters have produced nine Group 1 winners including Lucia Valentina (NZ) (Savabeel), three times successful in the Australian top-flight, and the Auckland Cup winner Glory Days (NZ) (Red Giant {USA}).
Connection lives on
The Windsor Park connection continues with Montjeu’s daughter L’Enjoleuse (Ire) the dam of the farm’s young shuttle stallion Charm Spirit (Ire).
“He’s a different style of horse to Montjeu. Charm Spirit is a neater, well-balanced article and Montjeu was a scopier type, more the classic European style of staying horse,” Till said. “Charm Spirit was a three-time Group 1-winning miler and he is in that mould.”
Charm Spirit’s leading Southern Hemisphere representatives to date are the Group 2 winners Aretha (NZ) and Fascino (NZ) and the Group 3 winners Scorpz (NZ), now resident at Platinum Thoroughbreds in Victoria, and Lilikoi (NZ).
Montjeu died in 2012 at the age of 16 at Coolmore following a short illness due to complications of septicaemia.
