MONSUN (by Konigsstuhl) was one of the greatest German stallions of all time and the late Gestut Schlenderhan ace gave us an international array of top-level stars including Manduro, Shirocco, Stacelita, Vadamos, Schiaparelli, Maxios, Novellist, Getaway, and Melbourne Cup heroes Protectionist, Fiorente and Almandin.
His daughters are excelling at stud, several of his sons have done very well with their flat runners, but it is in National Hunt circles that he has made the greater impact, so far, as a sire of stallions.
Shirocco’s best are headed by Champion Hurdle heroine Annie Power; Getaway and Schiaparelli are rising stars in the National Hunt ranks, and other Monsun stallions of note include Arcadio and Network – the latter’s roll of honour, which includes recent Cheltenham Festival scorer Delta Work, is headed by the great Sprinter Sacre.
It is little wonder then that sons of Monsun are prized by breeders. The next wave of them includes the Juddmonte Farms-bred Retirement Plan, a former member of Lady Cecil’s team and winner of three of his nine starts.
His maiden success was over 12 furlongs at Doncaster, he scored by three lengths over a furlong less at Goodwood just under two months later, and added the two-mile Shergar Cup Stayers at Ascot 12 months after that. Other notable performances include his second in the Mallard Handicap at Doncaster and a four and a quarter-length fifth to Mutual Regard in the Ebor at York.
He is a son of the Breeders’ Cup-placed, Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Passage Of Time (by Dansili) and so is a half-brother to Group 1-placed dual Group 2 scorer Time Test (by Dubawi), who is in his first season at the National Stud in Newmarket. Their dam is a full-sister to Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes winner Father Time and to listed scorer Continuum, and she is a half-sister to Group 1 Falmouth Stakes heroine Timepiece (by Zamindar).
Grandam Clepsydra (by Sadler’s Wells) is a half-sister to Double Crossed (by Caerleon), the stakes-winning dam of multiple Group 1 star Twice Over (by Observatory). Third dam Quandary (by Blushing Groom) is a stakes-winning half-sister to All At Sea (by Riverman), the Oaks-placed Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp star whose descendants include top-level winners Mutual Trust (by Cacique) and Antonoe (by First Defence).
There is plenty more blacktype in these first four generations of the pedigree and it includes US champion and multiple Group 1 heroine Banshee Breeze (by Unbridled).
RETIREMENT PLAN (GB), Bay or Brown 2010. Won three races, £49,458, from 1 mile 3 furlongs to 2 miles, at 3 and 4 years.
Retired to stud in 2016, first crop now yearlings.
Stands at: Tullaghansleek Stud, Castletown Geoghegan, Co Westmeath, Ireland.
Contact: Timothy Carey
Telephone: +353 (0)57 9335119 or +353 (0)86 8353415
Email: fcolgancarey@gmail.com
Web: www.tullaghansleekstud.com
Fee: on application