By Jack Werk
The European big guns are Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley Stud and John Magnier and partners’ Coolmore Stud. Both operations’ stallions had a huge weekend, but I’m going to mention the two big stallions of the weekend in my opinion – Darley’s Singspiel and Coolmore’s Montjeu — in two separate posts. Today, it’s Singspiel (In the Wings-Glorious Song, by Halo), a stallion whose name doesn’t often come up when discussing top European stallions. Yet, Singspiel has 3 G1 winners in 2009. Now, that is huge! He had his 3rd 2009 G1 winner over the weekend when Hibaayeb won the G1 Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile at Ascot.
Just look at Singspiel’s stats: With just his 9th crop racing this year, he has 70 unrestricted SWs (30 of them Group winners), including 12 G1 winners! These are monster numbers for any top stallion.
Let’s backtrack and put Singspiel’s pedigree and race record in context before we examine the class of horses he is siring. He’s by the Sadler’s Wells horse In the Wings, who won the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf for Sheikh Mohammed. As a sire, In the Wings sired true to his classic sire and his own staying abilities, getting G1 German Derby winner Adlerflug, G1 Italian Derby winner Central Park, G1 Irish Derby winner Winged Love, G1 French Derby 2nd Act One, etc., and about 8 percent SWs from foals before he was put down in 2004.
Singspiel was similar to the other In the Wings as far as stamina, but he wasn’t a classic horse at 3. He became a top older horse, just like his sire. He won the G1 Japan Cup and the G1 Canadian International at 4 at 12f, and at 5 he won the G1 Coronation Stakes at 12f and the G1 Juddmonte International at 10.5f. But he also won the 10f Dubai World Cup on dirt from Siphon and Sandpit before that race became an official G1.
Now, look at the female family (Click here to view catalog-style pedigree), and you’ll get a clue about his own late-maturing form. His dam is none other than champion Glorious Song, who didn’t get good herself until she was 4 and 5. As an older filly and mare, she won 4 G1s! Her full bothers (all by Halo) were the good sires Devil’s Bag and Saint Ballado!
As a producer, Glorious Song produced the sires Rahy and Rakeen (in South Africa), in addition to Singspiel. And Like their dam and half brother, Rahy and Rakeen didn’t good until they were 4! Rahy was G1 placed at 2 in Europe, did nothing at 3, then won the G2 Bel Air Handicap at 4 on dirt in the US. Rakeen didn’t win a stakes until he was 4 in South Africa!
Obviously, Glorious Song’s family has been prolific in producing sires all over the world, and Singspiel has been carrying on this tradition! However, like many of these sires in his family, Singspiel has sired classy G1 winners at all ages, from 2 and up, from 7f to 20f, around the world!
As I already mentioned, he’s the sire of 12 G1 winners. Here they are:
ASAKUSA DEN’EN (G1 Yasuda Kinen in Japan)
CONFIDENTIAL LADY (G1 French Oaks in France)
*DAR RE MI (G1 Pretty Poly in Ireland, G1 Yorkshire Oaks in England)
*EASTERN ANTHEM (G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in Dubai)
FOLK OPERA (G1 E.P. Taylor Stakes in Canada)
*HIBAAYEB (G1 Fillies’ Mile in England at 2)
LAHUDOOD (G1 Flower Bowl and G1 BC Filly and Mare Turf in US)
LATERAL (G1 Gran Criterium in Italy at 2)
MOON BALLAD (G1 Dubai World Cup in Dubai)
PAPINEAU (G1 Ascot Gold Cup in England)
REWAAYA (G1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes in Australia)
SINGHALESE (G1 Del Mar Oaks and G1 QE II Challenge Cup in US)
*Indicates 2009 G1 winner
Click individual names to view 5-crosss pedigrees, dosage and the Werk Nick Rating for these 12 G1 winners. Singspiel definitely has an affinity for certain broodmare sirelines. Of the 12 G1 winners, 10 of them are rated A or better (2 A+++’s *Triple Plus*, 3 A++’s, 5 A’s, 1 B+ and 1 C+)
As you can see, 3 of these G1 winners are from this year. The latest was the 2-year-old filly Hibaayeb, as noted, who won the G1 Fillies’ Mile on Sunday, but the 5-year-old Luca Brasi won a Listed race in Sweden on Saturday, and on Sept. 13 Dar Re Mi, one of the best fillies in Europe, was incredibly DQ’d from the G1 Prix Vermeille after finishing 1st!
What’s more incredible is Singspiel’s 2009 stud fee – £15,000! He is, quite frankly, the most underrated sire in Europe.