TALLY-HO Stud will have at least two new Group 1-winning stallions on its roster next season following an announcement on Friday that Big Evs will join King Of Steel as new arrivals at the Mullingar farm for 2025.

Big Evs won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint last season and has been fighting it out in some of the best European sprints this year, winning the Group 2 King George Stakes at Goodwood and finishing a close third in the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot. He will have his final race in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint next Saturday.

By Blue Point, Big Evs is out of a daughter of Oasis Dream. He hails from a family steeped in juvenile talent as a grandson of champion Queen’s Logic, whose daughter Lady Of The Desert and granddaughter Queen Kindly both won the Group 2 Lowther Stakes.

Trained by Mick Appleby, the horse was sourced by Conor Quirke on behalf of Paul and Rachael Teasdale’s RP Racing Ltd from Micky Cleere early in his two-year-old year.

He was a three-length winner of the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot. He then won the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood and the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster before heading to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup, where he showed blistering pace to win, with fellow Royal Ascot winners Valiant Force and Crimson Advocate behind.

King Of Steel

King Of Steel won the Champion Stakes at Ascot

last year and did not race this season due to injury.

An American-bred son of Wootton Bassett, he was bought by Amo Racing at Keeneland for $200,000 as a yearling and was trained by David Loughnane when he won first time out as a two-year-old.

Moved to Roger Varian at three, King Of Steel finished a close second to Auguste Rodin in the Derby at Epsom on his seasonal debut as a 66/1 chance. He proved that to be no fluke when landing the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Ascot with ease the same month.

A third place finish in the King George and fourth place in the Irish Champion Stakes preceded his famous Ascot Champion Stakes win under Frankie Dettori. Via Sistina finished second and has since won three Group 1 races in Australia.

Roger O’Callaghan commented: “When we were given the chance to stand King Of Steel, we had absolutely no hesitation. His size, speed, agility, and mentality make him the perfect stallion to complement our existing roster.

“Being the flagbearer of an operation like Amo Racing, which has been growing from strength to strength in the last few years, his offspring will have every opportunity to succeed and excel.”

A fee for both stallions will be announced in due course.