SANTIAGO covered 245 mares in 2023, up from 209 in his first season at stud. The foals from his first crop sold well last autumn, realising €65,000, €48,000, €46,000, €43,000, €42,000 and more. He has all the credentials breeders require in a stallion.

This classic-winning son of the wide-margin Derby hero Authorized (Montjeu) represents a branch of one of the most famous families in the stud book, one that has produced a string of notable stallions. Santiago is one of six top-level winners among 36 blacktype scorers on the flat by his now Irish-based sire, and although Authorized never stood as a National Hunt sire, his offspring are much sought-after in that sector.

Six have won at least one Grade 1/A race and 33 others have won a blacktype contest. Recent Grand National hero I Am Maximus, Nichols Canyon and Tiger Roll have been the standouts among them, Let Me Love is a Grade 1 chase winner at Auteuil, Echoes In Rain’s wins are headed by the Grade 1 Champion Novices’ Hurdle at Punchestown, and Readin Tommy Wrong won the Grade 1 Slaney Novice Hurdle).

Santiago was placed in a pair of seven-furlong maidens before getting off the mark over a mile at Listowel, and he beat Berkshire Rocco easily in the Group 2 Queen’s Vase at Ascot when next seen in action. He followed that with his narrow defeat of Tiger Moth in the Group 1 Irish Derby at the Curragh, finished third to Stradivarius in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup a month after that, and was only beaten by a total of a length and a half when fourth to Galileo Chrome in the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster.

It would have been interesting to see him return to the distance of his classic success, or even drop back to 10 furlongs, but his four-year-old campaign was as a stayer and chasing home Spanish Mission in the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup was the best of four runs.

Santiago is a half-brother to Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks and Group 1 Prix Vermeille third La Joconde (Frankel) and they are out of Wadyhatta (Cape Cross), a nine-furlong-winning half-sister to the classic-placed French stakes winner Motamarris (Le Havre), now at stud in France. Wadyhatta’s stakes-winning half-sister Riqa (Dubawi) is the dam of the multiple pattern-winning sprinter Tantheem (Teofilo) and they are out of Thamarat (Anabaa), a sprint winner and half-sister to the Group 1-winning miler and classic sire Tamayuz (Nayef).

Allegretta (Lombard) is the fifth dam of Santiago, which makes his fourth dam, Allez Les Trois (Riverman), a half-sister to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe heroine and phenomenal broodmare Urban Sea (Miswaki). The latter was the dam of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells), Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) and Black Sam Bellamy (Sadler’s Wells), whereas Allez Le Trois produced Anabaa Blue (Anabaa).

There is no shortage of successful stallions in the family, and Santiago may become another.

Race record

SANTIAGO (IRE), Bay 2017. Won three races, £545,285, from 1 mile to 1 mile 6 furlongs, at 2 and 3 years including, Irish Derby, Curragh, Gr.1, Queen’s Vase, Ascot, Gr.2, also placed second in Yorkshire Cup, York, Gr.2, and third in Goodwood Cup, Goodwood, Gr.1.

At stud

Retired to Stud in 2022, first crop are yearlings.

Information

Stands at: Castlehyde Stud, Fermoy, Co Cork, P61 TR29, Ireland

Contact: David Magnier, Tom Gaffney, Joe Hernon, Paddy Fleming, Cathal Murphy, and Barry Kennedy

Telephone: +353 25 31966

Email: info@castlehyde.com

Web: www.coolmore.com

Fee: €5,000