Five Things We Learned from Last Weekend

The bloodstock industry never ceases to fascinate and results from last weekend highlighted some interesting things from my perspective, a stallion not to be sold short, a nick with more to offer, a form reversal, a frightening look into the future and two value for money stallions that often get lost in the rush.

1/ Iffraaj (GB) is one of those stallions people often aren't sure how to take . He shuttled to New Zealand in the early stages of his career and his first crop sold extremely well off the back of some sensational first crop runners in Europe, but then were seen as disappointing when racetrack results in this part of the world did not immediately appear.

Fast forward a few years and Iffraaj has more than made his mark leaving top class Kiwi bred Group I winners Turn Me Loose, Gingernuts and Jon Snow, who have all succeeded in Australia while in the Northern Hemisphere his Group I stars include Ribchester (IRE) and Jungle Cat (IRE).

The Charlie Appleby trained Jungle Cat won the Group I MRC Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes for Godolphin on Saturday making it a memorable day for Iffraaj, who is also sire of the dam of top class Kiwi mare Melody Belle, who made it back to back Group I wins when taking out the Windsor Park Plate at Hastings.

Ribchester is in Australia this spring at Darley at the Hunter Valley standing at a fee of $24,750. A four time Group I winning Champion Miler, Ribchester is the very best offspring of Iffraaj and if you're looking to gamble on an outcross sire, he does come from a sireline that you would have to say works well at the highest level in this part of the world.

2/ Nicks that Click - If you are a regular Breednet reader then you'll be all over the astonishing success enjoyed by Fastnet Rock and daughters of Galileo, a specific nick that has produced seven Group I winners! The stats are 80% winners to runners and the overall 16 stakes-winners is 25% stakes-winners to runners.

When The Autumn Sun won the Group I ATC The Golden Rose on Saturday he became the first Group I winner by Redoute's Choice from a daughter of Galileo and is the second stakes-winner bred this way joining the Irish bred three year-old Sevenna Star. The previous week's brilliant Group II ATC Tea Rose Stakes winner Miss Fabulass also carries the nick , albeit in a different arrangement being by a son of Galileo in Frankel from a daughter of Redoute's Choice in Samantha Miss.

Obviously this nick has not had the level of opportunity afforded Fastnet Rock / Galileo given they are both Coolmore sires, but could be well worth exploring, particularly with a high class Galileo son in Australia this spring in Churchill (IRE), who stands at a fee of $24,750.

A four time Group I winner up to a mile and completely free of Danehill blood, Churchill will no doubt be covering plenty of Fastnet Rock mares, but if you had a Redoute's Choice mare you'd be mad not to take him into consideration.

3/ Form reversal- Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Unencumbered could not get a winner for love nor money last season until he died and got one shortly after. This season it's a whole new ball game and he's leading the Australian Second Season Sires List by winners with 13 to his credit, that's four more than Zoustar and 10 more than Spirit of Boom.