THE three-time Group 1 winner Al Riffa and Group 2 winner My Prospero have joined the stallion roster at Capital Stud in Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny.
Al Riffa, a son of Wootton Bassett, was a Group 1 winner at two and was still winning Group 1 races at five for trainer Joseph O'Brien. At three, he finished a close second to subsequent Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Ace Impact in the Group 2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano and as a four-year-old he finished second to City Of Troy in the Eclipse Stakes before winning the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin by five lengths over a mile and a half.
His five-year-old campaign further demonstrated his versatility. Second to Rebel’s Romance in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, he won the Group 2 Curragh Cup by five lengths.
Acquired subsequently by Australian Bloodstock, he rewarded his new owners on his first start in their colours with a commanding four-length victory in the Group 1 Irish St Leger.
My Prospero earned an official rating of 121 when trained by William Haggas for Sunderland Holdings. By Iffraaj, he won the Listed Heron Stakes at Sandown before landing the Group 2 Prix Eugène Adam at Saint-Cloud.
He also produced two outstanding Group 1 performances that season, finishing a close third to Coroebus in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, beaten just a quarter of a length, and third to Bay Bridge in the Champion Stakes at Ascot, beaten three-quarters of a length.
He later won the Listed Foundation Stakes at Goodwood and the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor, as well as finishing runner-up in the Group 2 York Stakes.
My Prospero will stand in partnership with his owner and breeder, Mrs Tsui.
He is out of My Titania, a daughter of Sea The Stars from his first crop who won the Group 3 C.L. Weld Park Stakes at two. He is a half-brother to My Oberon and My Astra, both blacktype winners and Group 1 runners-up, from a family whose appeal has been underlined by exceptional recent yearling sale results.
At this month’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1, a Night Of Thunder colt out of My Astra sold to Godolphin for 4,600,000gns, becoming the most expensive yearling colt ever sold in Europe. At the same sale, a Too Darn Hot half-brother to My Prospero realised 625,000gns when purchased by Rabbah Bloodstock.
Ger O’Neill of Capital Stud said: "We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Al Riffa to Capital Stud. Horses with his profile are incredibly difficult to find – he had the speed to win a National Stakes at two, the class to
compete with the very best middle-distance horses in Europe and ultimately the stamina to win an Irish St Leger in such impressive fashion.”
On My Prospero, he said: “We are delighted to welcome My Prospero to Capital Stud and very grateful to Mrs Tsui for the opportunity to stand such a high-class horse in partnership with her. He is a very exciting addition to our roster.”
Both horses will be available for inspection at Capital Stud ahead of the 2027 breeding season.
Their 2027 stud fees will be announced in due course.
Already standing at Capital Stud are Authorized, Castle Star, Martinborough, Mirage Dancer and Topgear.