A WORLD-class stayer who scored in a group race at Royal Ascot, ran second in the Doncaster St Leger and then went all the way to Australia to place third in the Melbourne Cup - all as a three-year-old - Mahler was one of the first sons of Galileo to retire to stud.
In 2009 he began his stud career at The Beeches in Co Waterford, where he is still covering at a very reasonable fee.
Mahler had at least 80 foals in his first crop, which are five-year-olds in 2015, and 10 or more of those are already winners under National Hunt Rules this winter.
His popularity with National Hunt breeders continues to increase, so that he had at least 121 foals born in 2014 and was visited by another 278 mares.
His stock have already made some good prices at the sales, including €72,000 for a foal, which was the top price of the 2014 Goffs December Sale, paid by John O’Byrne.
Nicky Henderson paid €90,000 for the recent impressive winner OK Corral as a three-year-old at Fairyhouse, while the four-year-old gelding Boris de Blae sold for €110,000 at Punchestown. Others from Mahler’s first crop have sold in 2014 for €78,000, €66,000 and €60,000.
Unraced at two years, Mahler was soon in action the next season, winning a maiden race at Leopardstown over 10 furlongs in April, then adding the Classic Trial at Gowran Park by five lengths from Ezima.
Though outpaced in the Epsom Derby, he put his stamina to good effect in the Group 3 Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, staying on strongly to score by three and a half lengths from Veracity in a field of 15 runners.
An even better performance was to come at Doncaster in the Group 1 St Leger Stakes, where Mahler made almost all the running and it was only close home that he was caught by Lucarno and beaten a length into second place, ahead of his stablemates Honolulu and Macarthur. On the strength of that achievement, his trainer Aidan O’Brien boldly decided to send Mahler to Australia for their prestige event, the Grade 1 Emirates Melbourne Cup, run over two miles at Flemington in November.
Although he was the only three-year-old in the international field of 21, Mahler was close to the pace all the way and went to the front three furlongs from home.
It was only in the last furlong that he was passed by the Australian star Efficient and the Newmarket-trained Purple Moon, both four-year-olds, and he held on to third prize ahead of Zipping, who had also been fourth in 2006. Timeform’s Racehorses of 2007 assessed Mahler on 119, the second highest figure for a three-year-old stayer trained in Ireland.
Galileo, the sire of Mahler, was the champion three-year-old in Europe in 2001, when he carried off the Epsom Derby, the Irish Derby and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. He has made an immediate impact at stud, becoming the leading sire in Britain and Ireland in six of the last seven seasons.
Altogether he has sired 177 blacktype winners and among his best performers are the unbeaten world champion Frankel, Australia, Ruler Of The World, New Approach, the Irish Derby heroes Soldier of Fortune, Treasure Beach and Cape Blanco, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes victor Nathaniel, champion juvenile Teofilo and the brilliant fillies Tapestry, Misty For Me, Golden Lilac and Great Heavens.
Galileo is by Sadler’s Wells out of the Arc de Triomphe heroine Urban Sea, dam also of the magnificent Sea The Stars.
On his dam’s side, Mahler is out of Rainbow Goddess, a winning daughter of Rainbow Quest and a full-sister to Glatisant, who won the Group 3 Prestige Stakes at Goodwood and is dam of the unbeaten Newmarket 2000 Guineas star Footstepsinthesand, now a successful sire at Coolmore, and of Pedro The Great, the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes winner in 2012; she is also the grandam of Irish 2000 Guineas hero Power.
Their dam Dancing Rocks scored in the Group 2 Nassau Stakes and bred seven other winners, including the listed heroines Gai Bulga and Rockerlong, while she is also the grandam of European champion two-year-old filly Superstar Leo, the dam of group-winning sprinter Enticing.
MAHLER (GB)
Race record: Winner of three races, £322,570, at 3 years, over 10-16 furlongs, inc. Queen’s Vase, Royal Ascot, Gr.3; second in St Leger Stakes, Doncaster, Gr.1; third in Melbourne Cup, Flemington, Gr.1.
Stud record: Retired to stud in 2009. Sire of 10 individual NH winners in 2014-5 from his first crop, inc. OK Corral, Ballywilliam and Scoop The Pot.
Stands at: The Beeches Stud, Lismore, Co Waterford, Ireland. Enquiries to Robert McCarthy or Bobby McCarthy at (353) 58 56254. Web: www.coolmore.com
Fee: €5,000.
COOLMORE NATIONAL HUNT STUDS
It was with National Hunt sires that the Magniers of Coolmore first started and these are still a very important branch of the organisation, with David Magnier very much involved, as also is Robert McCarthy, the breeder of 2004 Grand National hero Amberleigh House. They have 16 high-class N. sires in 2015, divided between Grange Stud and Castlehyde Stud at Fermoy in Co Cork and The Beeches Stud at Lismore in Co Waterford.
All of these stallions were top class racehorses on the flat, including Flemensfirth, Milan and Oscar, who have been in the top 10 jumping sires for several years.
Others, such as Westerner and Vinnie Roe, are steadily making their way up the list, while among the younger horses are Scorpion, Yeats, Mahler, Getaway, Ask and Fame And Glory. Leading Light and Ocovango are newcomers in 2015.