ONE of the few horses to be a Group 1 hero in four different countries, Shirocco was a truly international star over middle distances. This very good looking bay horse began his stud career at Dalham Hall at Newmarket in 2007, but in recent years he has been covering at Glenview Stud in Co Cork, alongside champion NH sire Presenting, Robin des Champs and Sholokhov.

Shirocco enjoyed considerable success as a flat sire, including the Group 1 Irish St Leger hero Brown Panther, the filly Wild Coco who won the Group 2 Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster, the Group 2 Prix Noailles star Grand Vent, and Shirocco Star who was second in both the Epsom and Irish Oaks. He also shuttled to Brazil and has sired three Group 1 winners there.

Steadily climbing up the leading lists of National Hunt sires, Shirocco is sire of two fine hurdlers in Annie Power, who scored in Grade 1 hurdles at both Punchestown and Fairyhouse, and Lac Fontana, winner of the Grade 1 Mersey Hurdle at Aintree and the Grade 3 County Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Bred in Germany, Shirocco has a valuable outcross pedigree, as the only name in the first four generations often found in modern Irish pedigrees is Northern Dancer, his maternal great-grandsire. Monsun, sire of Shirocco, was a triple Group 1 winner and has been Germany’s champion sire several times and sire of 20 individual Group 1 stars.

His son Manduro was a European champion, while another son, Samum, won the German Derby and was leading sire in Germany. So Sedulous, the dam of Shirocco, produced five blacktype winners in Germany, four of them by Monsun, including Subiaco whose won the Group 2 Gerling Preis and ran second in the Group 1 Deutsches Derby.

Trained in Germany at three, Shirocco was the champion of his age group after winning the Group 1 Deutsches Derby and the Gran Premio del Jockey Club.

Sent to Andre Fabre in France Shirocco ran fourth to Hurricane Run in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, then he scored in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf. The next year he easily won the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes and added the Group 1 Coronation Cup, defeating Ouija Board, before taking his revenge on Hurricane Run when winning the Group 2 Prix Foy at Longchamp. He was rated on 129 in Timeform’s Racehorses of 2006.

Champion 3yr old in Germany and Italy in 2004. Won seven races, £1,327,640, from 1 mile 3 furlongs to 1½ miles, 3 to 5 years viz., Deutsches Derby, Hamburg, Gr.1, Gran Premio del Jockey Club, Milan, Gr.1, Breeders’ Cup Turf, Belmont Park, Gr.1, Coronation Cup, Epsom Downs, Gr.1, Prix Foy, Longchamp, Gr.2, Jockey Club Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.2, Derby Trial, Mulheim, L, also placed third in Grosser Preis von Baden, Gr.1.

Retired to stud in 2007, and sire of the winners of 479 races, and £7,303,063, including JANUARY JONES (BRZ), SOME IN TIEME (BRZ), BROWN PANTHER (GB), CALENDULA (BRZ), LEME NORTE (BRZ), WILD COCO (GER), ARRIGO (GER), GRAND VENT (IRE), JUMP LADY (BRZ), PACCHIA (BRZ), ABU SIDRA (FR), BORN TO RUN (GER), IBICENCO (GER), HARTANI (IRE), AMIRANT (GER), BENGGALA (BRZ), GALE FORCE (GB), KESHIRO (IRE), MILL SPRINGS (GB) and sire of the winners of 90 races, and £1,388,151 under N.H. Rules, including ANNIE POWER (IRE), LAC FONTANA (FR), RED SHERLOCK (GB), BARCELONA (GER), ROCK THE KASBAH (IRE), PRINCIPE DEL MARE (IRE), FOR ME (GER), KEMALISTE (FR) etc

Stands at: Glenview Stud, Fermoy, Co Cork, Ireland

Contact: Paul Cashman, Donal White, Rachel Robinson or Stephen O’Flynn

Telephone: +353 (0) 25 36701

Email: glenstud@iol.ie

Website: www.rathbarrystud.com

Fee: On application