THIS is the third season at stud for Imperial Monarch, a good looking bay son of Galileo who is closely related to Oscar. He was unbeaten as a two-year-old and a Group 1 winner at three years when he scored for a Coolmore partnership in the Grand Prix de Paris. He stands at The Beeches Stud in Co Waterford in company with such top National Hunt stallions as Flemensfirth, Mahler and Sans Frontieres.
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. He was immediately talked about as a potential Derby winner, but never had the chance to score at Epsom, although his stable companion Camelot did so.
Instead, Imperial Monarch was aimed at the French classics, though his first run the next season was in the Group 3 Classic Trial at Sandown Park where the going was very soft. He raced alone on the stand rails in the straight, which cost him considerable ground at that moment, but then he made up the six lengths that he had lost 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 to be eighth of 20, with Most Improved and Gregorian behind him. After that 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. Then Imperial Monarch was retired to stud after just one more outing, when sixth in the Grade 1 Canadian International. Timeform rated him on 122 in Racehorses of 2012.
Not surprisingly, Imperial Monarch has been very popular with Irish breeders and he had a large book of mares in 2014, his first season, with at least 161 foals born last year, when he covered another 259 mares. His first foals sold well and realised up to €21,000 and were purchased by Mount Eaton Stud, Hugh Bleahan, Ian Ferguson, Gerry Hogan, and Warren Ewing among others.
Imperial Monarch’s sire Galileo has been champion sire on the flat seven times and it seems certain that he will have as huge an influence on National Hunt breeding as his sire Sadler’s Wells.
His influence on global breeding is phenomenal and he is the best stallion in the world. Among his many top-class winners under NH rules to date are the Grade 1 winners Celestial Halo and Windsor Park.
Ionian Sea, the dam of Imperial Monarch, has produced ten winners including dual group scorer Mount Athos and the Epsom Derby second The Great Gatsby. She is a half-sister to Oscar, the French Derby runner-up and son of Sadler’s Wells who has sired such NH stars as Lord Windermere (Cheltenham Gold Cup winner), Rock On Ruby, Jetson, At Fishers Cross, Tullow Tank and Felix Yonger.
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; first crop are yearlings
Stands at: The Beeches Stud, Lismore, Co Waterford, Ireland
Enquiries : Bobby or Robert McCarthy
Telephone: +353 (0) 58 56254
Email: info@coolmore.com
Website: www.coolmore.com
Fee: €2,500