A LOT of store is placed on blacktype, understandably, and the only thing missing from Expert Eye’s distinguished curriculum vitae at the time of writing is some blacktype performers.

His first crop are three-year-olds, he has shown his ability over and over again to get winners, many of them rated about 90, and that elusive blacktype winner is surely just around the corner. One has the feeling that when he gets one, there will then be a river of such horses. With some 27 individual winners in his first crop, he looks to be outstanding value at just £7,500, a fraction of his initial fee of £20,000.

When he won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile, Expert Eye became the first British-trained winner since 1994, storming away at Churchill Downs under Frankie Dettori. He won by half a length from the US stars Catapult and Analyze It. Expert Eye was bred and raced by Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms and trained by Sir Michael Stoute.

The Breeders’ Cup Mile was Expert Eye’s fifth win from 10 starts. Rated one of the top five two-year-olds in Europe in 2017, he comfortably won a maiden at Newbury and then was most impressive when running away with the Group 2 Vintage Stakes at Glorious Goodwood by four and a half lengths from Zaman. He started favourite in his only other start that season, in a very strong field for the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

Champion

Expert Eye scored three more times in his second season and he was the champion three-year-old colt over a mile in Europe. After finishing second to James Garfield in the Group 3 Greenham Stakes at Newbury on his reappearance, he stormed to another victory by four and a half lengths in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, and was a close second to Lightning Spear in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, with Gustav Klimt fourth.

He won the Group 3 City of York Stakes, beating Gordon Lord Byron, before finishing a close third to Recoletos in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. Expert Eye was given a 55-day rest before his brilliant final success at Churchill Downs, which took his lifetime earnings to £1,369,751.

Expert Eye is one of six Group 1 winners sired by top sprinter Acclamation (Royal Applause), joining Dark Angel (sire of 13 Group 1 stars), Equiano, Aclaim, Romantic Warrior and the brilliant filly Marsha.

His dam Exemplify, a daughter of Dansili (Danehill), won in France as a two-year-old and she is a half-sister to European champion filly Special Duty (Hennessy), who won the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at two and then achieved the double of the 1000 Guineas in England and France in 2010.

Their dam is an own-sister to Sightseek (Distant View), six times a Grade 1 star in the USA.

Race record

EXPERT EYE (GB). Jt 4th top rated 2yr old colt in Europe in 2017. Won five races, £1,369,751, from 6½ furlongs to 1 mile, at 2 and 3 years including, Breeders’ Cup Mile, Churchill Downs, Gr.1, Qatar Vintage Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.2, Jersey Stakes, Ascot, Gr.3, Sky Bet City of York Stakes, York, Gr.3, also placed second in Qatar Sussex Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.1, Al Basti World Greatwood Greenham Stakes, Newbury, Gr.3, and third in Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, Parislongchamp, Gr.1.

At stud

Retired to Stud in 2019, and sire of the winners of 34 races, and £463,757.

Information

Stands at: Banstead Manor Stud, Cheveley, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 9RD, England.

Contact: Shane Horan, Henry Bletsoe or Claire Curry

Telephone: +44 1638 731115

Email: nominations@juddmonte.co.uk

Web: www.juddmonte.com.

Fee: £7,500