By Elaine Belval
About three months ago, I wrote about Coolmore Stud’s Peintre Celebre, and I mentioned it must be tough to be “second-string” to a stallion like Galileo, who also stands alongside him at the Irish nursery. And certainly, in the past five weeks, Galileo has had over 20 SWs, including another G1 win by superstar Frankel. But another stallion at Coolmore has been consistently siring SWs, with two new SWs since September 1st, and that sire is Holy Roman Emperor.
Holy Roman Emperor is from the last crop of the great Danehill. His dam, L’On Vite, is an unraced daughter of the Secretariat. His second dam is Champion Fanfreluche. This is the family of leading Australian sires Flying Spur (also by Danehill) and Encosta de Lago. L’On Vite was already the dam of GSW and G1-placed Milanova by Danehill.
Holy Roman Emperor won four of seven starts at two, including the G1 Phoenix S. at the Curragh and the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp. When George Washington proved sterile, Holy Roman Emperor was whisked off to stud before his three-year-old season, so his promising racing career was cut short.
Holy Roman Emperor had his first foals in 2008. He had five SWs in his that crop, led by the ultra-consistent GSW and G1-placed Banimpire (winner of the prestigious G2 Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot). His second crop includes 1000 Guineas winner Homecoming Queen. He already has four SWs from this third crop, two-year-olds of this year.
Since the first of September, Holy Roman Emperor has sired Leitir Mor, winner of the G3 Round Tower S. at the Curragh; and Sunday Times, winner of the G3 Sceptre S. at Doncaster. In 2012, Holy Roman Emperor has over 100 individual winners and almost £2,000,000 in progeny earnings (ranked in the top 10 on the European sire list) and eight individual SWs, led by Homecoming Queen. Four of his SWs are two-year-olds. Lifetime, nine of his 17 SWs (18 counting Smashing, winner of the Indian Oaks and several other non-black-type races in that country) are two-year-old SWs, with a total of eight GSWs. He is ranked second on the European two-year-0ld sires list with 27 individual winners.
Holy Roman Emperor may have been rushed to stud, but he is proving a regular bargain for breeders. He stood the 2012 season at Coolmore for €12,500.