WITH Frankel’s reputation soaring as it became apparent that he was on the verge of being crowned champion sire for the first time, it was inevitable that a horse of the calibre of Mirage Dancer would be shortlisted for repatriation to Europe for a stud career. The former Sir Michael Stoute trainee was among the best-bred horses in training and a Group 1 scorer since he’d settled into his new home in Australia.

A winner on his only start at two, Mirage Dancer was twice pattern-placed before landing a 12-furlong listed contest at Goodwood, and he was a half-length runner-up to Best Solution in the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes shortly before an easy win in the Group 3 Glorious Stakes and being shorted-headed by Young Rascal in a Newbury Group 3. He was a dual Group 2-placed stakes winner the following summer and finished third in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup on his first start ‘down under’.

Mirage Dancer beat Mugatoo when landing the Group 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Randwick in 2020, was only beaten by a length when third in a nine-furlong Group 2 at Caulfield and by three-quarters of a length when third in a 10-furlong Group 3 at Rosehill. In not uncommon Australian fashion among top-notch performers, he raced over distances from seven furlongs to two miles, proving best from nine to 12 furlongs.

That’s the sort of suitable range you would expect for a horse with his pedigree and, given his relationship to several notable sires, we could see his best winners coming over any distance from seven furlongs and upwards, the contributions from the mares likely proving significant.

There is an array of young Frankel stallions at stud and classic-placed runaway dual Group 1 Champion Stakes standout Cracksman will be his first notable one with runners here, a freshman of 2022 whose yearlings fetched up to 410,000gns. The milers Mozu Ascot (foals in Japan) and Without Parole (foals in England), top 10-furlong performer Eminent (yearlings in New Zealand), plus Elarqam (foals in France), Last Kingdom (foals in Australia 2022/23), and classic star Logician (new) are some of the others.

Forge (Dubawi), a half-brother to Mirage Dancer, was multiple pattern-placed including a nose second in a Grade 2 contest over eight and a half furlongs at Saratoga. He stands in Argentina and they are out of US Grade 1 star Heat Haze (Green Desert), which makes the great Hasili (Kahyasi) their grandam. That phenomenal broodmare also gave us Grade 1 winner and Group 1 producer Banks Hill, Group 1 winners and Group 1 sires Cacique and Champs Elysees, plus Group 1-placed Group 2 scorer and leading international sire Dansili – all by Danehill (Danzig).

The stud exploits of Hasili’s top three sons are well known, whereas Banks Hill’s stakes-winning son Ideal World (Kingmambo) is excelling in South Africa with three Grade 1 winners among his first 28 blacktype scorers.

Mirage Dancer has obvious potential to sire almost any type of racehorse you might want.

MIRAGE DANCER (GB), Bay 2014. Won five races, £860,472, from 7 furlongs to 1 mile 4 furlongs, at 2 to 6 years including, Metropolitan Handicap, Randwick, Gr.1, Bombay Sapphire Glorious Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.3, Betfair Tapster Stakes, Goodwood, L (twice), also placed second in Arqana Princess of Wales’s Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.2 (twice), Dubai Duty Free Legacy Cup Stakes, Newbury, Gr.3, L’Ormarins Glorious Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.3, Tattersall’s Cup, Eagle Farm, Gr.3, Carey Group Buckhounds Stakes, Ascot, L, and third in Stella Artois Caulfield Cup, Caulfield, Gr.1, Betway Great Voltigeur Stakes, York, Gr.2, Hardwicke Stakes, Ascot, Gr.2, Peter Young St George Stakes, Caulfield, Gr.2, Schweppes Chairman’s Quality Handicap, Randwick, Gr.2, Hampton Court Stakes, Ascot, Gr.3, Sky High Stakes, Rosehill, Gr.3.

Retires to Stud in 2022.

Stands at: Castlefield Stud, Bishopslough, Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny, Ireland

Contact: Jack Tuohy or Ger O’Neill

Telephone: +353 (0)86 3589661 (Jack) or +353 (0)86 3844560 (Ger)

Fee: €3,500