RATHBARRY Stud has a long history of producing successful stallions, and James Garfield (Exceed And Excel) made a good start to his new career in 2022 when his first runners appeared.

A leading two-year-old himself, and a Group 1 performer at three, James Garfield showed speed and precocity, two of the traits that breeders value.

He now seems to be imparting the same traits to his offspring, and the seven winners from his first crop include Maria Branwell, successful in the Listed National Stakes and placed at Royal Ascot in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes, and the listed-placed dual winner Lady Bullet.

The successful stallions in James Garfield’s family include one of Europe’s long-established leading sires, plus his hugely popular close relation, a pair that has notched up 22 Group 1 stars and almost 230 stakes winners between them. Like Rathbarry’s James Garfield, they represent the mighty Danzig (Northern Dancer) sire line.

James Garfield was a once-raced maiden when lining up for the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot, a reflection of the esteem in which he was held, and he finished a close third. He ran away with a maiden a few weeks later, finished fourth to Expert Eye in the Group 2 Vintage Stakes, was a nose runner-up in the Group 3 Acomb Stakes over seven furlongs, and then beat Invincible Army to take the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes back over six.

Expert Eye would go on to win the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile, but before that James Garfield beat him by three-parts of a length in the Group 3 Greenham Stakes. James Garfield almost got a top-level win of his own, failing by only half a length to catch Polydream in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville, while finishing clear of the Group 1 stars The Tin Man and Librisa Breeze.

James Garfield is by the Australian champion sire Exceed And Excel (Danehill), one of only six stallions to ever sire more than 200 stakes winners.

They include Helmet and Excelebration. The first-named is best known as the sire of the multiple Group 1 star and £12.6 million earner Thunder Snow, now at stud with Darley Japan, while Excelebration got the multiple Group 1 star and seven-figure earner Barney Roy.

Group 1 sires

Other sons of Exceed And Excel include Bungle Inthejungle, sire of the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes winner Winter Power, Outstrip who got the Group 1 Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip, Kuroshio whose Group 1 winner is Savatoxl, and Cotai Glory, sire of the speedy Group 1 winner The Platinum Queen.

James Garfield is out of the Royal Ascot Chesham Stakes winner Whazzat (Daylami), a half-sister to the dam of US multiple Grade 1 star and $4.1 million sale mare Uni (More Than Ready), while his grandam is a half-sister to classic heroine Rafha (Kris). Rafha is, of course, the dam of Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) and Kodiac (Danehill).

Rafha is also ancestress of classic-placed and Group 1-placed sprinter Gustav Klimt (Galileo) and classic star Mishriff (Make Believe), her full-sister El Jazirah is ancestress of Pinatubo (Shamardal) and Master Carpenter (Mastercraftsman), whereas half-sister Al Anood (Danehill) is the dam of Group 1 winner Pride Of Dubai (Street Cry).

Race record

JAMES GARFIELD (IRE), Bay 2015. Won three races, £200,940, from 6 furlongs to 7 furlongs, at 2 and 3 years including, Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes, Newbury, Gr.2, Al Basti World Greatwood Greenham Stakes, Newbury, Gr.3, also placed second in LARC - Prix Maurice de Gheest, Deauville, Gr.1, Tattersalls Acomb Stakes, York, Gr.3, and third in Windsor Castle Stakes, Ascot, L.

At stud

Retired to Stud in 2019, and sire of the winners of 9 races, and £132,585, including MARIA BRANWELL (IRE), and Lady Bullet (IRE)

Information

Stands at: Rathbarry Stud, Fermoy, Co. Cork, P61 TX22, Ireland.

Contact: Catherine Cashman, Paul and Susan Cashman, Francis and Niamh Woods, Paul McCarthy and Micheál Fahy

Telephone: +353 25 36362

Email: info@rathbarrystud.com

Web: www.rathbarrystud.com

Fee: €4,000