STALLIONS who retired to stud in Europe in 2011, and commanded a five-figure fee, were few in numbers, though it turns out to have been a pretty smart bunch.

A quartet stood at Coolmore, though Fastnet Rock was already established in Australia, and he was the most expensive at €30,000. Rip Van Winkle stood for €20,000 and Starspangledbanner also started out at €20,000. The dual classic winner Lope De Vega could be used at Ballylinch Stud for €15,000, while Makfi was the most expensive of the new sires in Britain at £25,000.

The most expensive of the new intake in France in 2011 was Siyouni, and he retired to His Highness the Aga Khan’s Haras de Bonneval for just €7,000.

He remained at that figure for four seasons, took what was then a mighty leap to €20,000, and has climbed quickly since then to the present-day cost of €150,000.

Last weekend the son of Pivotal (Polar Falcon) had an unforgettable 24 hours, starting with the classic success of his son Paddington in the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas, and then he doubled up when his daughter Tahiyra added the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas to her juvenile success at the Curragh in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.

First win

Siyouni’s present group of three-year-olds are his ninth northern hemisphere crop of racing age, and he has now amassed eight Group/Grade 1 winners among them, while his southern hemisphere daughter Amelia’s Jewel won the Group 1 Northerly Stakes in Australia. Only the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes winner Etoile among the eight failed to win a European classic, and Tahiyra credited her owner-breeder, the Aga Khan, with his first win in the Irish 1000 Guineas.

The highest-rated juvenile at two in France, Siyouni was among the top four in Europe after he ended his first season racing with four wins and a couple of runner-up finishes from his half a dozen outings. His crowning achievement that year was to have the likes of Lope De Vega, Dick Turpin and Beethoven in arrears in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere over seven furlongs at Longchamp.

His second season comprised another six starts, but no victories. Dick Turpin turned the tables on Siyouni in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat over a mile, while other notable efforts included running third in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. He beat eight Group 1 winners throughout his career.

Siyouni did get solid support at stud, and was an immediate hit with his runners. His first crop included the outstanding Ervedya, a triple Group 1 winner with successes in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas, Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, and the Coronation Stakes. Three crops later and another outstanding daughter emerged in the shape of Laurens, a six-time Group 1 winner, including in the Prix Marcel Boussac at two.

Crosses

The Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass, out of a Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare, was foaled in 2016, the classic winner Dream And Do was born in 2017, and St Mark’s Basilica, also out of a daughter of Galileo, dropped in 2018. Sottsass and St Mark’s Basilica, winners of eight Group 1 races between them, are now on the Coolmore stallion roster.

Tahiyra and Laurens share the distinction of being out of mares by Cape Cross (Green Desert), while Paddington’s dam is by a son of Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer) in Montjeu. It is interesting to look at the broodmare sires of Siyouni’s Group 2 winners, and they include Hakeem whose dam is by Galileo, Sadler’s Wells’ granddaughter Seachange, and Wally. The latter’s dam is by Motivator, a son of Montjeu.

At the time of writing, Siyouni has sired 37 pattern winners and a grand total of 69 blacktype winners. One thing looks certain, and it is that this number will grow exponentially given the better-quality books he has attracted, as Paddington and Tahiyra are both from the first crop sired since his fee hit a six-figure sum.

Pat Downes, manager of the Aga Khan’s studs in Ireland, said: “These are the kind of results that a stallion needs to achieve to be put in the elite bracket worldwide. They are two very big wins for the horse this weekend, and he’s just a very good stallion. We knew that already, but they have to keep on producing these big results to maintain their elite bracket status. Thankfully, this has been a great weekend for Siyouni.”