STANDING with Rajsaman at Longford House Stud in Co Tipperary this spring is Monitor Closely. Like Rajsaman he was at stud in France before moving to Ireland, and he is already sire of several winners over jumps, notably Eclair De Beaufeu, whose six wins include the €50,000 Matheson Handicap Chase at Leopardstown in February, and he was also second in the Grand Annual Chase at Cheltenham this month.
A half-brother by Oasis Dream to the very successful stallion Mount Nelson, Monitor Closely was sold for 140,000gns as a yearling and was trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam. He won over a mile at Newbury in his third and final outing as a two-year-old, after being third to subsequent group winner Kite Wood at Doncaster on his debut and sixth of 24 in a valuable sales race at Newmarket.
Monitor Closely ran second (beaten a head) on his reappearance as a three-year-old, then was a close eighth to Sea The Stars in the 2000 Guineas, before finishing fourth in the Dante Stakes at York. Returning to York in August, he led all the way in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes over a mile and a half to win by four and a half lengths from Mastery, with Jukebox Jury fourth and Harbinger unplaced.
Three weeks later Monitor Closely was third in the Group 1 St Leger, just behind Mastery and Kite Wood. Timeform rated both Mastery and Monitor Closely on 122, level with Irish Derby second Golden Sword.
Together with champion filly Midday, Monitor Closely is one of the best stayers sired by Oasis Dream, who also sired several brilliant sprinters.
Independence, the dam of Monitor Closely, scored in the Sun Chariot Stakes and the Matron Stakes before they became Group 1 events; she is dam of nine winners, including Mount Nelson,who won the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park.
Mount Nelson has been a consistently good sire of flat racers, with nine individual group winners. These include Librisa Breeze, successful in the Group 1 British Champion Sprint Stakes, and five at Group 2 level, among them the Prix de Pomone heroine Highlands Queen. Now he is making a name as a sire of jumpers, with his son Penhill scoring in the Grade 1 Stayers World Hurdle and the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Hurdle, both at Cheltenham.
MONITOR CLOSELY (IRE), Bay 2006. Won two races, £272,721, from 1 mile to 1½ miles, at 2 and 3 years including, Ladbrokes Great Voltigeur Stakes, York, Gr.2, also placed third in Ladbrokes St Leger Stakes, Doncaster, Gr.1, Grosvenor Cumberland Lodge Stakes, Ascot, Gr.3, Hampton Court Stakes, Ascot, L.
Retired to Stud in 2012, and sire of the winners of 7 races, and £79,508; also sire of the winners of 10 races, and £257,844 under N.H. Rules, including ECLAIR DE BEAUFEU (FR)
Stands at: Longford House Stud, Templemore, Co. Tipperary, Ireland
Contact: June Lewis
Telephone: +353 (0) 87 1633880 or 089 4802181
Email: longfordbloodstock@gmail.com
Web: www.thoroughbredstallions.ie
Fee: €1,500