FRESHMAN SIRES STRUGGLE

By Sarah Whitelaw

11 April 2002

Two of the more promising freshman sires have been retired from stud after being found to be infertile and another is also failing to get mares in foal.

A.P. Valentine, who has proved an expensive failure for Coolmore, has been retired from stud duty and so has the impeccably bred Greek Dance. The latest stallion with fertility problems is the Italian Derby winner, Morshdi.

A.P. Valentine, bought by Coolmore/Ashford after winning the Champagne Stakes from subsequent Horse of the Year, Point Given, never really fulfilled his early promise. The colt ran last in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile and disappointed in Monarchos’s Kentucky Derby. He made some amends when finishing second in the Preakness and Belmont to Point Given but was disappointing in the Jim Dandy Stakes and was retired shortly afterwards. The son of outstanding sire, A.P. Indy, he is out the Alydar mare Twenty Eight Carat from the family of leading sires Miswaki and Southern Halo.

Greek Dance was bought by German breeders after a successful racing career which saw the son of Sadler’s Wells and Yorkshire Oaks winner Hellenic win a group 1 race in Germany and finish second to Giants Causeway in the Irish Champion Stakes. The handsome bay was fancied for High-Rise’s Epsom Derby and despite inexperience, finished a good fifth. Bought by Gestut Gorlsdorf from owner Lord Weinstock, the seven year old won four of 17 starts and over $800,000.

Morshdi, one of the best three year olds last year, is another “big name” with fertility difficulties. The well bred son of Slip Anchor, his dam being out of the great sprinter Habibti and from the family of Octagonal, On The House and Nasrullah, won the Italian Derby impressively and followed this up by a good second to Galileo in the Irish Derby, defeating Golan. Morshdi disappointed in Galileo’s King George but made amends on his final start when capturing the Grosser Preis von Baden from German Derby winner Boreal. The four year old bay hasn’t been retired from stud but his problems are ongoing.