NEWLY arrived in Ireland after starting a successful stud career in France is Policy Maker, who has already sired blacktype winners under both rules.

He is covering in 2016 at Peter Maher’s Blackrath Stud in Co Kildare, which was once the home of those outstanding NH stallions Vulgan, Le Bavard and many others.

A son of Sadler’s Wells, Policy Maker raced in France for Ecurie Wildenstein and won seven races there, four of them at Group 2 level, and was sound enough to race until he was six years old.

He retired to stud in France in 2008 and has sired many winners there, notably Polarena and Roll On Has, a top hurdler who has won over €850,000 in prize money, including the Grade 1 Prix Alain du Breil Hurdle at Auteuil.

Policy Maker has already made a considerable impact in Ireland and England with such as Velvet Maker, who has won three times and was second in the Grade 1 Arkle Chase and third in the Grade 1 Racing Post Chase, and Art Mauresque, who has scored seven times for Paul Nicholls.

Policy Maker’s stock achieved some good prices at last year’s sales, with the three-year-old gelding Balibour from Castletown Quarry Stud selling for €65,000 at the Derby Sale at Fairyhouse to Gerry Hogan, while the four-year-old Breath Of Blighty made £50,000 at the Cheltenham April Sale.

One of the top middle distance performers in France for four seasons, Policy Maker twice scored in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly, besides winning the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville and one of the Arc trials, the Group 2 Prix Foy at Longchamp. He was also twice second and once fourth in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, and fourth in the Group 1 Japan Cup.

Policy Maker’s sire Sadler’s Wells has already had many successful National Hunt sires among his sons, including Oscar, Kayf Tara, King’s Theatre, Old Vic and Milan. Palmeraie, the dam of Policy Maker, produced two other group winners, Pushkin who won the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil, and Place Rouge, winner of the Group 3 Lancashire Oaks.

She is a half-sister to Peinture Bleue, who won the Grade 2 Long Island Handicap at Aqueduct and is dam of four blacktype winners, including European champion Peintre Celebre, who was by Sadler’s Wells’s close relation Nureyev and won the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe before becoming the sire of a dozen Group 1 heroes.

Won seven races, £625,963, from 1 mile 2 furlongs to 1 mile 4½ furlongs, 3 to 6 years including, Grand Prix de Chantilly, Chantilly, Gr.2 (twice), Grand Prix de Deauville, Gr.2, Prix Foy, Longchamp, Gr.2, Prix de Reux, Deauville, L, also placed second in Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Saint-Cloud, Gr.1 (twice), Prix Kergorlay, Deauville, Gr.2, Grand Prix de Deauville-Lucien Barriere, Deauville, Gr.2, Prix du Lys, Longchamp, Gr.3, and third in Prix de la Porte de Madrid, Saint-Cloud, L.

Retired to stud in 2008, and sire of the winners of 29 races, and £487,495, including POLARENA (FR), and sire of the winners of 67 races, and £1,620,472 under N.H. Rules, including ROLL ON HAS (FR), POLKARENIX (FR), Velvet Maker (FR), ART MAURESQUE (FR), EAUBERRY (FR), MANITOPIX (FR), POLIBOY (FR), BACALAN (FR), CHACUN POUR SOI (FR), L’ESPIGUETTE (FR), MICK ROYAL (FR), NOBEL DU CHESNAIE (FR), etc

Stands at: Blackrath Stud, Ballytore, Athy, Co Kildare, Ireland

Contact: Adam Potts (+0044 7703 719519)

Email: nominations@blackrathstud.com

Website: www.blackrathstud.com

Fee: €2,000