CHOISIR (by Danehill Dancer) was third in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas and a Group 1 winner over five furlongs before his brief but memorable European campaign.
It kicked off with a one-length defeat of Acclamation in the Group 2 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, he beat Airwave by half a length to add the Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes over a furlong farther just four days later and then chased home Oasis Dream in the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket. He reverse-shuttled to Ireland for several years, has remained at Coolmore in Australia since the summer of 2014, and has sired 96 stakes winners.
His 11 Group 1 winners include the top European miler Olympic Glory and leading international sprinter-miler Starspangledbanner, and their results at stud augur well for the prospects of his younger sons. Haras de Bouquetot’s Olympic Glory came up with last year’s Group 1 Coronation Stakes heroine Watch Me in his first crop. Coolmore’s Starspangledbanner had the two-year-old Group 1 star The Wow Signal in a tiny first crop and has since added last year’s juvenile filly champion Millisle to his tally.
The initial yearlings by Kildangan Stud’s now freshman sire The Last Lion made up to 170,000gns in Newmarket and up to €92,000 in Goffs, Divine Prophet’s first Irish-conceived crop are yearlings, whereas Llety Farms stallion Stimulation has both a listed winner and Group 3 scorer. The National Stud’s Rajasinghe has his first foals now.
The Newmarket-based stallion’s dam is by the outstanding sprinter-miler Soviet Star (by Nureyev), his grandam is a daughter of the speedy Catrail (by Storm Cat), and so crossing this family with Choisir was always odds-on to produce a sprinter: that’s exactly how he turned out. Rajasinghe was also precocious and made a four-length winning debut over six furlongs on the all-weather at Newcastle in mid-May of his two-year-old season. He followed that a month later with victory in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and then finished third in the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket, giving 3lbs to each of his rivals. Cardsharp won the race by one and three-quarter lengths from future champion and sprint star U S Navy Flag (foals in 2020), with Rajasinghe three-parts of a length back in third, a head in front of the subsequent Group 1-placed Group 2 scorer Invincible Army (new for 2020).
Some of his progeny will likely stay the mile trip – his fourth dam Caergwrle (by Crepello) won the 1000 Guineas – but sprinters will probably make up the bulk of his representatives.
His six winning siblings include the stakes-placed sprinter Kurland (by Kheleyf). His dam was placed in the Listed National Stakes at two, his grandam was a pattern-placed dual sprint listed scorer at that age, and the Group 1-placed dual Australian Group 2-winning sprinter Super Cash (by Written Tycoon) appears under a branch from his Absalom (by Abwah)-sired third dam.
RAJASINGHE (IRE), Bay 2015. Won two races, £100,789, over 6 furlongs, at 2 years including, Coventry Stakes, Ascot, Gr.2, also placed third in Arqana July Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.2.
Retired to Stud in 2019.
Stands at: The National Stud, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0XE, England.
Contact: Tim Lane or Joe Callan
Telephone: +44 (0)1638 663464
Email: stallions@nationalstud.co.uk or joe.callan@nationalstud.co.uk
Web: www.nationalstud.co.uk
Fee: £5,000