DREAM Ahead made a sensational start to his stud career with his first runners in 2015, as he was the second leading first crop sire in Europe with 17 individual two-year-old winners. Probably that was only to be expected from a horse who had been a double European champion in his racing days.

There were two group winners by Dream Ahead in 2015, with Donjuan Triumphant running away with the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte by five lengths after an earlier success in the Listed Rockingham Stakes at York.

In Ireland, Final Frontier won his first two starts including the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes at the Curragh and was fourth in the Group 1 National Stakes, while two other sons of Dream Ahead who came close to being group winners were Basileus, second in the Group 2 Gran Criterium in Italy, and Raucous who was third in both the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes at York and the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury.

Not surprisingly Dream Ahead’s yearlings were in strong demand at the 2015 sales, with prices of €360,000, €290,000 and €285,000 being paid. He is still offered at the very reasonable fee of €17,500, so Ballylinch has restricted his book for 2016 to 130 mares.

Dream Ahead is a wonderful outcross for most mares, as he is the best son of the European champion sprinter Diktat, from the American male line of the great Man O’War.

His dam Land Of Dreams, a very speedy daughter of Cadeaux Genereux, won the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster and the Group 3 King George Stakes at Goodwood, while the next dam Sahara Star won the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes.

As a two-year-old Dream Ahead was rated 128 by Timeform after comfortably winning the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville, then cantering home nine lengths clear in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket. He shared the honour of European champion juvenile with Frankel and the next year he was the champion 3-year-old sprinter in Europe after three more Group 1 triumphs.

The first of these was the Darley July Cup at Newmarket in which he produced a fine burst of speed to defeat Bated Breath, and then these two were again first and second in the Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock.

In his final outing Dream Ahead showed that he was just as good over seven furlongs when he was sent to Longchamp for the Prix de la Foret and outpaced the legendary mare Goldikova.

Joint Champion 2yr old in Europe in 2010. Champion 3yr old sprinter in Europe in 2011. Won six races, £810,186, from 6 furlongs to 7 furlongs, at 2 and 3 years including, Betfred Sprint Cup, Haydock Park, Gr.1, Darley July Cup, Newmarket, Gr.1, Darley Prix Morny, Deauville, Gr.1, Qatar Prix de la Foret, Longchamp, Gr.1, Shadwell Middle Park Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.1.

Retired to stud in 2012, and sire of the winners of 29 races, and £551,762, including DONJUAN TRIUMPHANT (IRE), FINAL FRONTIER (IRE), Basileus (IRE), Raucous (GB), etc.

Stands at: Ballylinch Stud, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland

Contact: John O’Connor or David Myerscough or Mark Byrne

Telephone: +353 (0) 56 7724217 or 087 1335251 (Mark)

Email: info@ballylinchstud.ie or mark@ballylinchstud.ie

Website: www.ballylinchstud.com

Fee: €17,500 October 1st