By Elaine Belval
When Rahy was pensioned by Three Chimneys Farm in the summer of 2009 it felt a great personal blow. Was there ever a stallion more greatly missed in recent American breeding? Not by me.
Rahy had been one of the most solid, and perhaps most under-appreciated sires, in recent memory. He sired a wide variety of truly classy individuals and yet his stud fee for his final season was still a relatively modest $50,000. Few stallions had G1 winners as diversified as the brilliant 2YOs Serena’s Song and Dreaming of Anna and the long-distance turf performers Fantastic Light and Dancing Forever. The European classic season is heating up and the presence of Rahy in those SWs had me missing him even more. Rahy’s daughter Rumoush won the 9f Feilden Stakes, a prep race for the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks. She is a daughter of Rahy out of a Mr. Prospector mare. Rahy, as a son of Blushing Groom out of a Halo mare, was a great choice for the more than numerous Mr. Prospector and Northern Dancer-line mares. In fact, Rahy has 2SWs from 28 foals with daughters of Mr. Prospector (8% SWs to foals, his overall average). But with daughters of sons of Mr. Prospector, Rahy has 13 SWs from 81 foals (16%, twice is overall average). These SWs include G1 winners Shining Energy (Lycius), Allow (Machiavellian), and Dancing Forever (Seeking the Gold).
Rahy’s son Noverre sired Music Show, winner of the 7f G3 Nell Gwyn S., one of the oldest and most prestigious prep races for the 1000 Guineas. Like Rumoush, Music Show is also out of a daughter of Mr. Prospector. Noverre was sold to stand at Sohna Stud in India in 2008 after standing in both Europe and Australia. As a classic example of a stallion becoming popular as soon as he moves or dies, Noverre sired his first G1 winner in 2009 when son Le Havre took the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby equivalent). Rahy has a handful of scattered sons in the US. Perhaps his last chance to have a great son in the US is multiple GSW Lewis Michael (a full sister to Champion Dreaming of Anna) standing at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky. And out of a daughter of Broad Brush, Lewis Michael is the perfect outcross opportunity for those Mr. Prospector and Northern Dancer-line mares that worked so well for Rahy.
(Elaine Belval is Senior Pedigree Analyst for WTC, Inc.)