EOIN Banville’s Arctic Tack Stud in Co Wexford is home to the hugely popular Jet Away (Cape Cross), and elsewhere you will see that he was the sixth most popular stallion standing in Ireland or Britain in 2021, covering 279 mares, nine less than he serviced the previous year.

Now that 14-year-old will have a new stud mate in the adjoining stallion box for 2022 with the news that the Group 3 winner and multiple Group 1-placed Dee Ex Bee will be based there, his introductory fee of €3,500 with a fillies concession being attractively priced. The son of Farhh (Pivotal) is free of Sadler’s Wells blood.

As well as having an outstanding pedigree, which boasts no fewer than 15 stallions in the first three generations, Dee Ex Bee has a race record that displayed his soundness and class. He locked horns with some of the best horses of recent years during a long and varied career in the care of Mark Johnston.

A winner on his debut over seven furlongs at Goodwood in August of his two-year-old season, Dee Ex Bee went on to race for three more years. He found only Masar too good in the Derby, with Group 1 winners Roaring Lion, Saxon Warrior and Kew Gardens among those chasing him home.

Talent

Dee Ex Bee’s talent was matched by his versatility, with performances on ground described as good to firm all the way through to heavy, and over a variety of trips. At four he emerged as the chief rival to Stradivarius in the staying division, running him to within a length in the Group 1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, before going down by a neck in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup and a length and a quarter in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup at York.

On pedigree, Dee Ex Bee has much to recommend him. Another son of his sire to go to stud, he is from Farhh’s first crop. That Group 1 Champion Stakes and Lockinge Stakes winner is best known as the sire of Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner King Of Change, while his first National Hunt runners include the Listed Scottish Triumph Hurdle winner Fiveandtwenty who was Grade 1-placed at Aintree this year.

On the dam sire, Dee Ex Bee descends from one of the most influential mares in the stud book over the last half a century, the Grade 1 Matron Stakes winner Fall Aspen (Pretense). Dee Ex Bee is out of an own-sister to Dubai Millennium (Seeking The Gold), sire of the world-class Dubawi.

Thrilled

Eoin Banville is looking forward to showing Dee Ex Bee to breeders. He said: “We are thrilled to be able to bring Dee Ex Bee to Arctic Tack Stud to offer a valuable outcross for Irish breeders. His sire has already demonstrated his value as a stallion and I have no doubt Dee Ex Bee will prove as popular and important as Jet Away in the coming years with us.”

Dee Ex Bee’s trainer Mark Johnston said: “Dee Ex Bee was the type of horse you dream of as a stayer.

“He had Group 1 quality, was tremendously versatile and ticked all the boxes physically. He competed against some of the very best horses around during his time in training and played his part in some tremendous races, including a Derby, Gold Cup at Ascot and a Goodwood Cup.”

The new sire has his own website at deeexbee.ie