JUDDMONTE this week announced the retirement of Mandaloun to stand at Juddmonte USA, Kentucky. His fee has already been set at an attractive $25,000.

Mandaloun is a striking son of Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday) who earned over $2 million on the racetrack, and the Juddmonte homebred boasts an exceptional pedigree, being out of the Empire Maker (Unbridled) mare Brooch.

He hails from one of the great families of the English and American stud books, and in 12 generations, only one female in his direct line did not produce a blacktype performer.

Trained by Brad Cox, Mandaloun was undefeated in two starts as a juvenile. He won over six furlongs at Keeneland before stepping up to seven furlongs and winning at Churchill Downs.

At three Mandaloun opened his stakes account at the second time of asking, winning the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds and putting himself firmly in the classic picture. While he contested the 10-furlong Grade 1 Kentucky Derby as a longshot, he came within half a length of landing the prize, going down to Medina Spirit. However, the Baffert-trained ‘winner’ was subsequently disqualified due to doping irregularities.

Mandaloun skipped the other legs of the Triple Crown, reappearing in the Listed Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park which he won.

He then faced Grade 1 company again in the nine-furlong Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park, and finished head-to-head with Hot Rod Charlie, who was stood down due to causing interference, the race going to Mandaloun.

Sadly, Mandaloun had to miss the rest of his sophomore season, but he came back in January of this year and outran his old rival Midnight Bourbon to land the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds. His trainer Cox commented on his retirement: “This horse is the entire package; I don’t know that I have seen a better-looking son of Into Mischief.

“We knew we had something special right out of the box. He had an exceptional turn of foot, yet could carry his speed around two turns”.

“Mandaloun is a true Juddmonte stallion. He is a gorgeous horse who should offer breeders exceptional value when the time comes to sell their yearlings. We plan to support him in the same manner we did with the likes of Empire Maker and Arrogate.” said Garrett O’Rourke, general manager of Juddmonte USA.

A first winner of the Kentucky Derby for the Juddmonte organisation, Mandaloun is a son of three-time champion sire Into Mischief who stood this year for $250,000.

He is one of that sire’s 11 Grade 1 winners, and Mandaloun is his second son to claim victory in the Kentucky Derby, a year after Authentic.

Irish connection

Mandaloun is the second foal and winner out of Brooch, a daughter of Juddmonte’s Empire Maker. Racegoers in Ireland will remember Brooch who won four of her eight starts for Khalid Abdullah when trained by Dermot Weld.

She progressed from a debut win at Gowran Park to a listed success in Killarney, a Group 3 win back in Gowran, and then Group 2 success in the Lanwades Stud Ridgewood Pearl Stakes at the Curragh.

Three of Mandaloun’s first four dams were stakes winners. Brooch is a half-sister to Caponata (Selkirk) who was a listed winner at Gowran Park and Naas and Group 2 runner-up in the Blandford Stakes. Brooch and Caponata are two of the six winners from the French listed winner Daring Diva (Dansili), and that mare has a pair of stakes-winning full-siblings.

First Sitting (Dansili) was a Group 3 winner in Deauville, and Emulous (Dansili) won and was placed in the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown.

Emulous was the best winner from the stakes-placed Aspiring Diva (Distant View), and she was among five stakes performers produced by the 14-time US winner Queen Of Song (His Majesty).

Her biggest win was gained in the Grade 2 Shuvee Handicap, two years before it was upgraded to Grade 1 status. Queen Of Song was purchased for $700,000 as a broodmare by Juddmonte in 1989, carrying the stakes-placed, three-time winner Wise Words (Seattle Slew).