BOUTTEMONT, one of the highest-rated sprinters in France, has been bought by a partnership led by Kevin Blake and Jack Cantillon.

The five-year-old’s new connections supplemented him for the Group 1 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh, and entered him in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye at ParisLongchamp. He will race in the colours of Syndicates.Racing for his trainer Yann Barberot. Following those races, Bouttemont will be retired to stud in Ireland for the 2024 season.

A son of Acclamation (Royal Applause) and a winner over a mile as two-year-old, Bouttemont has progressed into a high-class performer since being dropped back to sprint distances. Successful in the Group 3 Prix de Meautry at Deauville last year, he took his form to another level on just his second-ever start at five furlongs when winning the Listed Prix Hampton at Chantilly in June, clocking a sensational time of 56.18 seconds.

Bouttemont was bought for €125,000 as a yearling by his trainer at the Arqana August Yearling Sale in Deauville. He will be seeking to enhance Acclamation’s exceptional record as a sire-of-sires, one that has already produced Dark Angel and Mehmas from a small number of stallion sons.

A limited number of packages that offer the unique combination of racing and breeding rights in Bouttemont are available, and stud plans will be announced at a later date.

Utterly compelling

Kevin Blake said: “Bouttemont is a horse that I find utterly compelling as a racing and stallion prospect. It took time for him to reveal just how much speed and ability he has, but it was worth the wait. When one adds in that he is by an exceptional sire-of-sires in Acclamation, is a top-class physical and has a wonderful temperament, the package really starts to shine.

“This part of the world is full of breeders that have had great experiences with Acclamation and his sons Dark Angel and Mehmas. I couldn’t be more excited to help bring what might be the last new stallion son of Acclamation back home to Ireland, and offer him to breeders at an accessible level.”

Re-imagining

Jack Cantillon added: “This isn’t the same old boring news of a stallion retiring, this is a re-imagining of what a stallion deal should look like for the benefit of breeders. We are giving breeders the opportunity to get in now before Bouttemont’s upcoming Group 1 engagements, so they can enjoy the thrill of the last steps of his racing career, and share the potential upside with us.

“His performance in the Prix Hampton would be good enough to finish first or second in any of the last five renewals of both the Flying Five Stakes and the Prix de l’Abbaye. The sectional times show that he hit a top speed of 72kph when winning that race, and I expect breeders to be even quicker in securing the limited racing and breeding rights in Bouttemont.”

Sons of Acclamation to go on and sire Group/Grade 1 winners not only include Dark Angel with 14 and a landmark 100 individual stakes winners, and Mehmas with four, but you can add in Equiano (Belvoir Bay and The Tin Man) and Harbour Watch (Waikuku and Pyledriver).

Bouttemont is from an intriguing dam line. The better of two winners out of Basilia (Fastnet Rock), successful over six and six and a half furlongs, Bouttemont’s grandam Bargouzine (Stravinsky) won at two and was runner-up in a listed race. At stud, Bargouzine is responsible for five winners, and best of these is Joyful Trinity (Zanzibari). He won at Group 3 level in France and Hong Kong, while he was three times placed at Group 1 level.

While many of the top-class winners in both the third and fourth removes of this family excelled in Argentina, last year one of Bargouzine’s half-sisters, Under Offer (Bated Breath), bred the Group 3 Park Stakes-winning juvenile filly, Basil Martin (Starspangledbanner).