THIS is the seventh season at stud for Imperial Monarch, a son of Galileo, closely related to Oscar, who was unbeaten as a two-year-old and a Group 1 winner at three years, when he scored for the Coolmore syndicate in the Grand Prix de Paris.
He stands at The Beeches Stud in Co Waterford in company with such top and potentially top National Hunt stallions as Flemensfirth, Mahler, Crystal Ocean, Ocavango, Soldier Of Fortune and Wings Of Eagles. He is already sire of several winners on the flat and over hurdles, with his daughter Cill Anna, bought for £115,000 at Doncaster, scoring a hat-trick, including a listed hurdle.
Purchased for 210,000gns as a yearling and trained by Aidan O’Brien, Imperial Monarch made a huge impression when he comfortably won a maiden race over a mile at the Curragh on his only outing as a two-year-old, coming home three and a half lengths clear of his rivals.
Imperial Monarch was aimed at the French classics, though his first run the next season was in the Group 3 Classic Trial Stakes at Sandown Park, where the going was very soft. He raced alone on the stands rails and went ahead in the final furlong to win impressively by a length and three quarters.
His next appearance was in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey-Club, the French Derby at Chantilly, where he was badly hampered but finished very strongly. He made the pace a month later in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris over a mile and a half at Longchamp and led all the way, battling on to win from Last Train, with the Epsom Derby second Main Sequence only fourth. Imperial Monarch was retired to stud after just one more outing, when sixth in the Grade 1 Canadian International. He was rated 122 in Racehorses of 2012.
Imperial Monarch’s sire Galileo has been champion sire on the flat 11 times and it seems certain that he will have as huge an influence on National Hunt breeding as his sire Sadler’s Wells. Ionian Sea, the dam of Imperial Monarch, has bred 10 winners, including Mount Athos who scored in the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes and the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes, and she is also responsible for the Epsom Derby second The Great Gatsby.
Ionian Sea is a half-sister to the Derby runner-up Blue Stag and to Oscar, the son of Sadler’s Wells who has sired such NH stars as Lord Windermere and Rock On Ruby.
IMPERIAL MONARCH (IRE), Bay 2009. Won three races, £347,634, from 1 mile to 1½ miles, at 2 and 3 years including, Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris, Longchamp, Gr.1, Bet365 Classic Trial, Sandown Park, Gr.3.
Retired to Stud in 2014, and sire of the winners of 3 races, and £16,494; also sire of the winners of 4 races, and £36,980 under N.H. Rules, including CILL ANNA (IRE)
Stands at: The Beeches Stud, Lismore, Co Waterford, Ireland
Contact: Robert McCarthy, Bobby McCarthy or Peter Kenneally
Telephone: +353 (0) 58 56254
Email: thebeechesstud@outlook.com
Web: www.coolmore.com
Fee: €2,500