RAVEN’S Pass had an eye-catching year in 2014, especially with his juveniles, 11 of whom won in Ireland or Britain, a massive 58% strike rate of winners to runners.
Richard Pankhurst, who is now owned by Godolphin, recorded a near four-length success in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Ascot in June, and although he did not run again, his reappearance is eagerly awaited.
Malabar won the Group 3 Prestige Stakes before taking fourth (does not count for blacktype) in both the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac.
The Lodge Park Stud-bred Alonsoa followed a winning debut with success in the Listed Star Stakes over seven furlongs at Sandown, and then missed out on more blacktype when finishing fourth in the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes over the same trip at Newmarket.
This high-class trio are among eight individual stakes winners for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic and Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes hero, and other blacktype performers for him in 2014 include the French Listed scorer Redbrook, and Secret Number whose only start was second place in the Group 3 September Stakes. Then aged four, that colt was favourite for that 12-furlong contest even though it was his first outing since taking the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes 11 months before.
He was also a listed scorer in Dubai in 2013, third in the Group 2 UAE Derby and in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes, and he was beaten less than four lengths when sixth behind Leading Light in the Group 1 St Leger.
His yearlings made up to €240,000 at sales last year, his foals realised up to 75,000gns, and it could be that his racing and sales results may be even better in 2015.
Raven’s Pass is a son of the US champion sire Elusive Quality (by Gone West) and so he represents one of the most powerful branches of the broader Mr Prospector (by Raise a Native) line.
Other sons of the Jonabell Farm veteran include the classic sire Elusive City, the blacktype sire Smarty Jones, last year’s US champion freshman sire Quality Road, and Evasive, a leading freshman sire in France in 2014.
Elusive Quality is also responsible for the Australian juvenile champion and four times Group 1 star Sepoy, a Darley shuttle horse whose first European foals made up to 95,000gns in 2014.
Sepoy, who is about to start his third season at Dalham Hall Stud, played a starring role at last week’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in Australia, providing both the AUS$1.2 million sale topper and the third top priced lot, an AUS$850,000 filly.
Raven’s Pass, who is out of the juvenile Grade 3 scorer Ascutney (by Lord At War) and from the immediate family of the European juvenile champion filly and dual Group 1 mile star Rainbow View (by Dynaformer), is proving to be an effective sire of two-year-olds, and with the results that age group achieved for him in 2014, it is possible that 2015 could be his breakthrough season.
RAVEN’S PASS (USA)
Race record: Winner of 6 races, from 2-3 years, over 7-10f inc Breeders’ Cup Classic, Gr.1, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Gr.1, Celebration Mile, Gr.2, Solario Stakes, Gr.3, Winkfield Stakes, Listed; 2nd Prix Jean Prat, Gr.1, Sussex Stakes, Gr.1, St James’s Palace Stakes, Gr.1; 3rd Dewhurst Stakes, Gr.1, Craven Stakes, etc. Champion 3yo miler in Europe in 2008.
Stud record: Retired to stud in 2009. 8 SW inc Steeler (Royal Lodge Stakes, Gr.2), Malabar (Prestige Stakes, Gr.3), Secret Number (Cumberland Lodge Stakes, Gr.3), Alonsoa, Alta Stima, Lovely Pass, Redbrook, Richard Pankhurst, etc. Yearlings made up to €240,000 in 2014; foals made up to 75,000gns in 2014.
Stands at: Kildangan Stud, Monasterevin, Co Kildare. Contact: Gerry Duffy (General Manager), Eamon Moloney or Anthony O’Donnell on 045 527600
Email: enquiries@darleyireland.com
Website: www.darleystallions.com
Fee: €20,000 1st Oct SLF