'The upside in this stallion globally is huge' - Oman on Wootton Bassett

Cover image courtesy of Coolmoore

Wednesday in TDN AusNZ, we profiled two of the five sires that will debut foals for the very first time this week at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale. They were Earthlight and Ghaiyyath, who are among Wootton Bassett, Cool Aza Beel (NZ) and Yulong Prince (SAf) on commercial show for the first time.

In this second instalment, we take a look at the weanling debut of Wootton Bassett, who has shuttled to Australia for Coolmore since the spring of 2021.

The son of Iffraaj (GB) presents as one of the most exciting new additions to the commercial scene in Australasia, except that he’s only new in the sense of his physical presence in this part of the world. At 15 years old, Wootton Bassett has been at stud in the Northern Hemisphere since 2011.

Kicking off at Haras d’Etreham in France, he was bought by the Coolmore operation in 2020, and since then, his commercial credentials have exploded. He is already the sire of six worldwide Group 1 winners, and of his 31 stakes winners to date, 21 have been Group winners.

Australian-bred foals by Wootton Bassett are a little way off hitting the racecourse, but in March, the stallion posted his first Australian stakes winner when Protagonist (Fr), now in the care of Kris Lees for Australian Bloodstock, won the G3 Sky High S. at Rosehill. Protagonist had come to Sydney with William Haggas.

The 4-year-old gelding Altivo (GB) has also been a smart import to Australia for Wootton Bassett, winning all four of his starts to date from October through to last weekend at Flemington.

Both horses have been nice opportunities for Wootton Bassett ahead of his first Australian foals hitting the market. However, neither were the first taste of Wootton Bassett in this part of the world.

The stallion has already enjoyed success in Australasia through his son, Almanzor (Fr), who shuttles to Cambridge Stud each spring, while his Group 1-winning son Wooded (Ire) commenced shuttle duties at Swettenham Stud last spring.

Gallery: Current Australasian stallions representing Wootton Bassett (GB)

Additionally, the Iffraaj sireline has been very successful in New Zealand, making Wootton Bassett bankable even before any of his foals have hit their straps.

At Coolmore Australia, Paddy Oman heads up nominations and sales, and he didn’t mince his words when he said Wootton Bassett was one-of-a-kind.

“He is a unique stallion in that he came to Australia already established as a world-class stallion,” Oman said, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “What he did from limited opportunities in France has been phenomenal, and now that he is covering significantly better mares, the upside in this stallion globally is huge.”

Wootton Bassett was himself a Group 1 winner in 2010, notching the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere over a mile. His own Group 1 winners have emerged in the shape of Almanzor, Al Riffa (Fr) in Ireland, Audarya (Fr) in both France and America, and Incarville (Fr), Wooded and Zellie (Fr), all in France.

“What is remarkable about this stallion is his versatility,” Oman said. “He has produced multiple Group 1-winning 2-year-olds, Group 1 winners over 2000 metres and a European Champion in Almanzor, who excelled from a mile up to 2000 metres. He is capable of a huge range of top-class horses.”

Wootton Bassett covered a book of 190 mares in his first Australian season. This week, six of those resultant foals will be offered at the 2023 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.

“The Wootton Bassett weanlings will be on a lot of lists coming into this sale,” Oman said. “He’s a highly commercial proposition and his yearlings next year are going to sell extremely well. He’s also only going to improve from now until next year, and those are the types of stallions that people like to target at the weanling sales.

“Wootton Bassett has been stamping his progeny well. When you walk into a field with them, you know immediately which ones are by him, which is a great trait for any stallion. The ones here at Magic Millions are very similar, in that regard.”

Three for Edinburgh Park

The Wootton Bassett foals number six this week on the Gold Coast. They come from Bhima Thoroughbreds, Three Bridges Thoroughbreds and The Chase, along with three from Ian Smith’s Edinburgh Park (Unreserved Dispersal Sale).

Smith has a busy fortnight ahead of him, with 23 unreserved weanlings on offer this week and a further 41 mares and fillies in the broodmare session thereafter.

His three Wootton Bassett foals number two colts, Lots 1310 and 1321, and a filly, Lot 1322. Each is that rich, mahogany-brown colour of their sire, demonstrating the precocity that Oman described.

“These are three outstanding weaners,” Smith said, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “On type, they are gorgeous animals, and I went back to Wootton Bassett this year specifically off these foals.”

Lot 1310 is a colt from the General Nediym mare Fortune Of War, herself a half-sister to a stack of Group winners, including Sertorius (Galileo {Ire}), Pretty Brazen (Brazen Beau), Dollar For Dollar (High Chaparral {Ire}), Pretty Amazing (American Pharoah {USA}) and Derby winner Clifton Red (Sebring).

“This colt is an outstanding individual,” Smith said. “Fortune Of War always throws nice types, but you’ve got a first-season sire here in Wootton Bassett who is proven overseas, and this is a gorgeous colt. He walks well and has good bone and strength about him.”

Lot 1321 is from Sun Valley (Commands), a half-sister to the Group winners Tenley (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) and Biscayne Bay (Sebring). This is the Skating (At Talaq {GB}) family, which has been a strong sire-producing line by way of Murtajill, Bradbury’s Luck and Vancouver.

Watch: Lot 1321 - Wootton Bassett (GB) x Sun Valley (colt) parading

“This is an exceptional family,” Smith said. “Sun Valley’s 2-year-old by Harry Angel, Chinqui, is with the Freedmans in Melbourne and he was second in a debut trial in February. This colt here is a lovely, good-boned type. He’s a quality individual; you couldn’t wish for better.”

Whipping in the trio is the filly, Lot 1322, from the Toorak Toff mare Toorak Affair, who was a Group 3 and multiple Listed winner in Tasmania.

“She’s the first foal from a lovely, Tasmanian stakes-winning mare,” Smith said. “They’re three exceptional foals that anyone would be very happy to own and be taking on to a yearling sale, or buying to race later on. If I pulled all three out at once, it’s certainly obvious that Wootton Bassett is stamping his stock. They are lovely individuals, like him.”

‘Your eye tells you everything’

Smith is very much sold on Wootton Bassett in Australia. He has every confidence that the horse will do well in this part of the world, and he’s been backing that up season-on-season since the horse first shuttled in 2021.

“There’s no doubt Wootton Bassett will be received tremendously well,” he said. “His service fee is up over $90,000 this year, which tells you everything you need to know. When a service fee goes up in the hemisphere before those foals have even raced, it tells you the quality of foals that are on the ground and the confidence that Coolmore has in both them and the stallion.”

Wootton Bassett was announced last month for the upcoming spring at $93,500 (inc GST). That’s a rise on his previous two fees of $71,500 (inc GST). In Ireland, the horse is commanding €150,000, which equates to AU$245,000.

The 2023 Australian fee is reflective of the demand for Wootton Bassett in Australia, which has rolled off his proven record to date, along with the facts of that proven record.

Almost half of Wootton Bassett's stakes winners have won their stakes races as juveniles and, pound for pound, albeit on a world scale, his comparative strike rate is better than that of I Am Invincible, Snitzel and Exceed And Excel.

In setting his fee, Coolmore was very confident that the horse will suit Australian racing conditions, as is Ian Smith.

“You’d be excited to have one,” Smith said. “Your eye tells you everything. His foals, and I’ve only bred three of them, are standouts. I’d be excited just to keep those and bring them to the yearling sales. They’re exceptional types, as is all our draft.

“But Wootton Bassett has really put his hand up and, of the three I own, there are going to be three very lucky owners.”