WHEN it comes to sires who offer small breeders value for money, and an opportunity to breed a winner, Dragon Pulse at the Irish National Stud would have always been a horse on my shortlist.

The son of Kyllachy (Pivotal) had a seven-race career that showed he was among the leaders of his generation. At two he beat Parish Hall, a subsequent Group 1 winner, when landing a Group 2 over seven furlongs at the Curragh, and only Power stood between Dragon Pulse and a possible victory in the Group 1 National Stakes.

While he only won once at three, he did have the previous season’s champion juvenile Dabirsim behind him when capturing the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau over a mile at Longchamp.

Retired to stud in 2013, Dragon Pulse has sired four stakes winners, and almost a dozen others who are stakes-placed. He has done particularly well with his runners in Italy, and it is to Azienda Agricola Luciani, near Rome, that he has moved and will stand this season for €2,500.

Two of his stakes winners did so in Italy, notably Group 3 Premio Guido Berardelli scorer Aethos.