GOLDEN Horn was brilliant, a 130-rated champion and classic winner who scored four times at the highest level as a three-year-old. He pipped Storm The Stars on his sole start at two and added the Listed Feilden Stakes at Newmarket, but though on course for Epsom, many doubted his ability to stay that distance.

My examination of his pedigree for The Irish Field showed he was bred with the potential to stay, and could improve for the step up in trip, so there was no surprise here when he followed his defeat of subsequent Irish Derby winner Jack Hobbs in the Group 2 Dante Stakes with a wider-margin victory against that colt in the Derby.

He dismissed Prix du Jockey Club victor The Grey Gatsby in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse next time, his narrow defeat to Arabian Queen in the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes was one of those results that can never be fully explained, but he bounced back with a memorable double, landing the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes and Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Golden Horn beat Found by a length in the former, Flintshire by two lengths in the latter, and although he didn’t win his final start, it was a half-length second to Found in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland.

Golden Horn is a son of the Group 1-winning miler Cape Cross (Green Desert), a stallion who had quite an impact on Epsom’s classics, striking also with Sea The Stars (Derby) and Ouija Board (Oaks), supplying an Oaks runner-up in Rising Cross, and being the grandsire of Harzand, Australia and Masar, all Derby winners.

Sea The Stars is well-established as one of the best sires in Europe and whereas Golden Horn is awaiting his first Group 1-winner, we are seeing some patterns emerge among his blacktype offspring. West End Girl (dam by Dansili) and Influx (dam by Danehill) are bred on a similar cross, whereas Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer) has yielded Shandoz, Gold Maze (Galileo), Rodrigo Diaz, Domino Darling, Lady G (Galileo), Presidential Sweet (Tobougg) and Taslima.

Mr Prospector’s (Raise A Native) line has clicked with Ad Infinitum (Hawk Wing), Botanik (Street Cry), Gold Wand (Mr Greeley), Golden Pass (Raven’s Pass), Quenelle D’Or (Nayef), and Sun Of Gold (King’s Best), whereas Selkirk (Sharpen Up) is the broodmare sire of the Group 2-placed pair Alerta Roja and Nemean Lion.

Golden Horn, who has 58 two-year-olds, 73 yearlings and covered over 80 mares last year, had 2021 Tattersalls Book 1 colts who made 150,000gns and 100,000gns. He has pshown he can get pattern-winning juveniles and talented middle-distance horses, with some stayers, and it should not be long before his next stakes and group winners become known.

GOLDEN HORN (GB), Bay 2012. Champion 3yr old colt in Europe in 2015. Won seven races, £4,438,652, from 1 mile to 1½ miles, at 2 and 3 years including, Coral Eclipse Stakes, Sandown Park, Gr.1, Investec Derby Stakes, Epsom Downs, Gr.1, QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.1, Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Longchamp, Gr.1, Betfred Dante Stakes, York, Gr.2, Feilden Stakes, Newmarket, L, also placed second in Juddmonte International Stakes, York, Gr.1, Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf, Keeneland, Gr.1.

Retired to Stud in 2016, and sire of the winners of 213 races, and £3,150,083, including WEST END GIRL (GB), AD INFINITUM (GB), GOLDEN PASS (GB), QUENELLE D’OR (GB), SHANDOZ (GB), SUN OF GOLD (GB), GOLD WAND (IRE), FESTIVE STAR (GB), Botanik (Ire), Alerta Roja (GB), Influx (IRE), Nemean Lion (GER), Rodrigo Diaz (GB), Gold Maze (GB), Domino Darling (GB), Officer Of State (GB), Golden Lips (IRE), Lady G (IRE), Diamantis (GER), Taslima (GB), Presidential Sweet (ITY), Tulip Fields (GB); and sire of the winners of 18 races, and £151,523 under N.H. Rules, including STAG HORN (GB) and First Street (GB)

Stands at: Dalham Hall Stud, Duchess Drive, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 9HE, England.

Contact: Liam O’Rourke, Sam Bullard, Dawn Laidlaw, Franziska Schaertlin Coffey, Antonin Pelsy, Claudia McDougall, Lucie Botti, David Appleton, Jack Bloom

Telephone: +44 (0)1638 730070

Email: hello@darley.co.uk

Web: www.darleystallions.com

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