ONE of the best two-year-olds in Europe in 2008 when he won the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes in very fast time, the speedy Intense Focus has already sired a Group 1 star from his first three crops to race, with his son Astaire also showing his liking for Newmarket by winning the Middle Park Stakes.

Those first three crops by Intense Focus include more than 80 individual winners of 190 races and almost €3,000,000 in prize money to the end of 2015. Besides scoring in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, Astaire also won the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes at York and the Group 3 Abernant Stakes at Newmarket, while he was second in the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes and third in the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. Intense Focus is also sire of eight other blacktype performers, among them the 2015 juveniles Miss Elizabeth and Special Focus. Three of those eight are out of mares by Galileo.

Intense Focus stands at Ballylinch Stud in Co Kilkenny at a very reasonable fee of only €5,000, but his 42 yearlings sold last year averaged well over three times that fee, with prices up to €95,000.

When Intense Focus won the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, defeating Lord Shanakill and Rip Van Winkle, his time for that seven-furlong event at Newmarket was the fastest for 46 years and bettered the times recorded by Frankel, New Approach and Shamardal.

He was assessed as the equal fourth best two-year-old in Europe in 2008, with his second in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and third in the Group 1 Grand Criterium at Longchamp, ahead of Mastercraftsman. At three years Intense Focus was second in the Group 3 Leopardstown 2000 Guineas Trial and fifth at Royal Ascot in his only other start before retiring to Ballylinch.

Giant’s Causeway, the sire of Intense Focus, was a European champion who won six Group 1 events, including the Irish Champion Stakes, the Eclipse Stakes and the Juddmonte International. A son of Storm Cat, he is a leading sire on both sides of the Atlantic, siring 157 blacktype winners including such stars as Shamardal and Footstepsinthesand.

The dam of Intense Focus is Daneleta, a daughter of Danehill, who won in Ireland and France and was third in the Group 3 Railway Stakes. She has produced five winners and she is an own-sister to the Group 3 victress Danelissima. Their dam Zavaleta won two listed races, including the Athasi Stakes, and she is a half-sister to the champion two-year-old Sholokhov and to the dam of the Irish Derby hero Soldier Of Fortune.

Joint 4th top rated 2yr old in Europe in 2008. Won two races, £353,136, from 6 furlongs to 7 furlongs, at 2 years including, Darley Dewhurst Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.1, also placed second in Coventry Stakes, Ascot, Gr.2, 2000 Guineas Trial Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.3, and third in Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere-Grand Criterium, Longchamp, Gr.1, Railway Stakes, Curragh, Gr.2.

Retired to stud in 2010, and sire of the winners of 190 races, and £2,294,782 including ASTAIRE(IRE), Heart Focus(IRE), Home School(IRE), Special Focus(IRE), Focus On Venice(IRE), Miss Elizabeth(IRE), Fields Of May(IRE), Intensical(IRE), Rydan(IRE), CANYAKAR(IRE), CORECZKA (IRE), FAMILIAR DESTINY (IRE), INTENSE LIFE (IRE), INVADE (IRE), MAYA DESNUDA (IRE), PAPPAPOMODORO (IRE), SAGA BOLTON (IRE), etc.

Stands at: Ballylinch Stud, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland

Fee: €5,000, October 1st

Contact: John O’Connor, David Myerscough, Mark Byrne

Telephone: +353 (0) 56 7724217 or 087 1335251 (Mark)

Email: info@ballylinchstud.ie

or mark@ballylinchstud.ie

Website: www.ballylinchstud.com