The first foal by Grangewilliam Stud’s Group Two winner and multiple Group One performer Hilal arrived on Thursday morning with a filly born out of the well-related No Nay Never mare La Frox.
“His first foal is a filly born at Shaun and Anna O’Leary’s, of Who Shot Thebarman fame,” Grangewilliam Stud’s Mark Corcoran said.
“I’ve just been around to see her and she’s a lovely foal. She is the second foal out of a No Nay Never mare called La Frox who was a $110,000 yearling and is a half-sister to a progressive stakes horse in Bourbon Proof from the family of Showella.
“The foal is very well put together. She is well-muscled with good size and bone and a lovely head. I couldn’t be happier. If they all look like that, I’d be very happy.”
An impeccably bred son of Fastnet Rock, Hilal covered a book of 134 mares last spring.
“It gives him every opportunity,” Corcoran said. “We sold breeding rights in him which was a good way for us to get numbers to the horse initially and a great way for the breeders to get into a stallion at a good price for life.
“He was well supported beyond those breeding rights and we were really pleased with the support.”
Hilal showed elite ability from the outset as a Kensington maiden win over 1100m in February of his juvenile year, when defeating King Of Sparta before finishing runner-up in the Gr.2 Skyline Stakes (1200m).
He finished second to Anamoe in the Gr.1 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and was also runner-up in the Gr.1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) when narrowly beaten by Captivant.
As a spring three-year-old Hilal excelled on good ground when winning the Gr.2 Stan Fox Stakes (1500m) and A$1 million Bondi Stakes (1600m). During his autumn campaign he was beaten a neck by nine-time Group One winner Anamoe when second in the Gr.2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) and finished third behind Converge and Anamoe in the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas (1600m).
“Hilal is a lovely physical type. He is a strong horse with a good head for a Fastnet Rock and there has been a fair bit of upside since last spring with his half-sister Marhoona winning the Golden Slipper (Gr.1, 1200m),” Corcoran said.
“Straight after the Golden Slipper win, we had a few mares booked in and his bookings are really solid to this point. He is well ahead of where he was this time last year and I think he will be well-supported again, especially with foals like that.”
Hilal is one of four stakes winners from five foals out of the Encosta de Lago mare Salma, along with Marhoona, Salateen and Trojan Harbour.
Hilal will stand at $8,000+GST this spring. – NZ Racing Desk
