WE did not get to see much of Marcel on the track, but that glimpse showed him to be a talented performer with the potential to go to the top.
He ran three times as a two-year-old and won a seven-furlong maiden on turf at Newcastle by almost four lengths on his second start, two months before the victory that identified him as a classic contender.
In the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, that year run on good to soft, the Peter Chapple-Hyam colt hit the front a furlong and a half from home and stayed on well to beat Johannes Vermeer by a length and a half. That runner-up would go on to win the Group 1 Criterium International on his next start. Foundation, who was two and a half lengths back in third, won the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes on his previous start, and the future Group 1 scorer Deauville was an additional two and a quarter lengths adrift in fifth.
Marcel earned an end-of-year rating of 116 and was among the market leaders for the Group 1 2000 Guineas on his seasonal appearance. Unfortunately, he sustained what turned out to be a career-ending injury, finishing in rear as Galileo Gold, Massaat and Ribchester filled the placings.
This was a horse bred to be at his best from eight to 10 furlongs and with prospects of staying the Derby distance too. He is a son of Lawman (Invincible Spirit) – sire of the classic stars Harbour Law and Just The Judge – and from the immediate family of At Talaq (Roberto). That horse, an $800,000 yearling, had won the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris, been runner-up in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin and finished third in the Group 1 Derby Italiano before moving to Australia where he added both the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes and Group 1 Melbourne Cup, and notched up three additional top-level placings that included the runners-up spot in the Caulfield Cup.
At Talaq went on to a successful stallion career, his Group 1 stars coming over the range from sprints to middle distances, and that success augurs well for Marcel’s prospects: there is a proven stallion on the page.
His first of two National Stud-conceived crops yielded a freshman juvenile sprint winner from a handful of runners in 2020, his 28-strong first Irish crop are yearlings and he covered 63 mares last year. He is clearly growing in popularity with breeders.
Genetic testing has shown Marcel to be a C:T, which gives him the potential to sire winners over the full range of distances.
MARCEL (IRE), Bay 2013. Won two races, £117,495, from 7 furlongs to 1 mile, at 2 years including, Racing Post Trophy, Doncaster, Gr.1.
Retired to Stud in 2017, and sire of the winners of 2 races, and £35,594.
Stands at: Anngrove Stud, Mountmellick, Co Laois, R32 HR96, Ireland.
Contact: Alastair Pim
Telephone: +353 (0)57 8624122 or +353 (0)87 2902188
Email: stud@anngrove.com
Web: www.anngrove.com
Fee: on application