WE did not get to see enough of Marcel on the track, but the little we did see showed him to be a talented performer with the potential to go to the top. He ran three times as a two-year-old and won a seven-furlong maiden on turf at Newcastle by almost four lengths on his second start, two months before the victory that identified him as a classic contender.

In the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, that year run on good to soft, the Peter Chapple-Hyam colt hit the front a furlong and a half from home and stayed on well to beat Johannes Vermeer by a length and a half.

That runner-up would go on to win the Group 1 Criterium International on his next start. Foundation, who was two and a half lengths back in third, won the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes on his previous start, and the future Group 1 scorer Deauville was an additional two and a quarter lengths adrift in fifth.

Marcel earned an end-of-year rating of 116 and was among the market leaders for the Group 1 2000 Guineas on his seasonal appearance. Unfortunately, he sustained what turned out to be a career-ending injury, finishing behind Galileo Gold, Massaat and Ribchester.

This was a horse bred to be at his best from eight to 10 furlongs and with prospects of staying the Derby distance too. He is a son of Lawman (Invincible Spirit), also sire of the other Group 1 stars Harbour Law, Just The Judge, Pretty Gorgeous, Most Improved and Law Enforcement, and from the immediate family of At Talaq (Roberto).

That horse, an $800,000 yearling, won the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris, been runner-up in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin and finished third in the Group 1 Derby Italiano before moving to Australia where he added both the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes and Group 1 Melbourne Cup, and notched up three additional top-level placings that included the runners-up spot in the Caulfield Cup.

At Talaq went on to a successful stallion career, his Group 1 stars coming over the range from sprints to middle distances, and that success augurs well for Marcel’s prospects: there is a proven stallion on the page.

Marcel commenced his stud career at the National Stud in Newmarket and those British-conceived crops have yielded a number of winners. They include last year’s three-year-old mile winner Musical Romance, successful on her third run after two runner-up finishes. Makinitup won twice over seven furlongs for Marcel’s trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam, and he has had a few winners in France. Last year his son Art Of Silence won a bumper in Ballinrobe.

All of this makes for good reading ahead of Marcel’s first Irish-conceived crop of three-year-olds coming up for sale at the store sales in 2023. Genetic testing has shown Marcel to be a C:T, which gives him the potential to sire winners over the full range of distances.

His stock have already been purchased by the likes of Highflyer Bloodstock, Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock, Henry Daly and Charlie and Francesca Poste.

MARCEL (IRE), Bay 2013. Won two races, £117,495, from 7 furlongs to 1 mile, at 2 years including, Racing Post Trophy, Doncaster, Gr.1.

Retired to Stud in 2017, and sire of the winners of 8 races, and £124,755

Stands at: Anngrove Stud, Mountmellick, Co Laois, R32 HR96, Ireland.

Contact: Alastair Pim

Telephone: +353 57 8624122 or +353 87 2902188

Email: stud@anngrove.com

Web: www.anngrove.com

Fee: €2,000