WITH Frankel’s reputation soaring, and on the eve of being crowned champion sire, 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.
Now he is proving to be a major attraction for breeders, reports of his first foals are excellent, and last year he was one of the busiest new sires in Europe, covering at least 135 mares. His book this year already looks likely to be bigger.
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. 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 to prove significant.
There is an array of young Frankel (standing for £275,000 this year) stallions at stud, and classic-placed runaway dual Group 1 Champion Stakes standout Cracksman hit the mark last year when his first crop included Group 2 winner Aloa.
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 he and Mirage Dancer are out of the 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). Hasili was a Juddmonte gem.
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 and two champions already to his credit.
Mirage Dancer has obvious potential to sire almost any type of racehorse you might want.
RACE RECORD
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.
AT STUD
Retired to Stud in 2022. First crop are foals.
INFORMATION
Stands at: Castlefield Stud, Bishopslough, Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny, Ireland
Contact: Ger O’Neill
Telephone: +353 86 3844560
Fee: €3,500