Very few stallions can get you a Group I winner at 1200m or 3200m, but this one can.
The very first son to go to stud by reigning 2025 Champion European Sire Wootton Bassett, Cambridge Stud based Almanzor (Fr) will have over 30 yearlings to be offered in New Zealand later this month and they offer the opportunity for owners to think big.
Like his ill-fated sire, Almanzor has the rare ability to transmit his class over a wide distance range with his first New Zealand crop foaled in 2019 producing Karaka Million winner Dynastic.
While many of his progeny show talent at two, they frequently improve with a step up in trip and that first crop also produced Group I VRC Victoria Derby winner Manzoice and quality filly Mehzebeen, who was second in the Group I New Zealand Oaks.
Both of them continued to race with success through their five year-old season winning additional stakes races with Manzoice now having banked $1.8million in prizemoney.
Since the start of November, Almanzor has hit on a particularly purple patch of form with his Champion French 3YO Filly Gezora winning the Group I Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare (2400m) at Del Mar following her memorable win in the Prix de Diane (French Oaks), while his progressive sprinter First Five captured the Group I WRC Telegraph Stakes (1200m) at Trentham.
Almanzor has now sired four G1 winners with the other being NH bred stayer Circle of Fire (GB), who won the 2024 ATC Sydney Cup (3200m) beating another classy staying son of Almanzor in Athabascan (Fr).
A big strong horse that has needed maturity to find his best form, First Five leans very much to the sprinting end of the spectrum and highlights the ability of Almanzor to upgrade and improve his mares, which is an impressive trait for any stallion.
First Five is the first stakes-winner in his family going back four generations, so for him to come out and win a G1 race speaks volumes for his sire.
Adding to the recent G1 success of Gezora and First Five, we have also seen Group victories in New Zealand for quality mares Qali Al Farrasha (G2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1400m), Lux Libertas (G2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m) and Mary Shan (G3 Great Northern Challenge Stakes (1600m).
With four NZ stakes-winners this season, Almanzor sits behind only Savabeel in that department and with Cambridge Stud selling their entire draft at Karaka this year, buyers can expect to see the cream of his sixth crop of yearlings.
Now well proven as a source of sprinters, stayers and everything in between, Almanzor is a sire the yearling buyer underestimates at their peril.
