Our bloodstock expert Chris Hill reviews recent events, including the crowning of star stallions Galileo and Lope De Vega.

Australia: Played his part in sire Galileo’s success.

L’Ami Serge (King’s Theatre) maintained his unbeaten record on British soil when an extremely impressive 14-length winner of Saturday’s Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle in the hands of Barry Geraghty to bring trainer Nicky Henderson a fourth success in the Sandown Park Grade One in the last five years.

Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, whose recognisable green colours have been carried to victory in recent weeks by exciting juvenile hurdlers Bristol De Mai (Saddler Maker), Peace And Co (Falco), Top Notch (Poliglote) and Vercingetorix (Dylan Thomas), L’Ami Serge has taken the gradual step up in grade since switching to Henderson’s care with aplomb, having achieved comfortable victories in the Listed Gerry Feilden Hurdle at Newbury on his British debut and in the Grade Two Kennel Gate Novices’ Hurdle at Ascot before Christmas.

PRICE BOOSTS and best odds guaranteed EVERY DAY!

A €23,000 purchase by Agence FIPS (Francaise Internationale du Pur Sang) at the 2010 Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, L’Ami Serge started his career with Guillaume Macaire in France for whom he was placed five times from six starts including three times in Listed hurdle races.

Out of the 2001 Listed Prix Wild Monarch Hurdle winner La Zingarella (Phardante), a half-sister to the 2007 Listed Byrne Group Handicap Chase victor The Wicketkeeper (Double Bed), the five year-old gelding is himself a half-brother to the 2014 Listed Kingfurze Novice Hurdle third Sizing Codelco (Flemensfirth) and hails from the family of the French Grade Two winning chaser Rubissimo and the French Listed winning hurdler Niffy Nora, the dam of the 2000 Triumph Hurdle winner Snow Drop and the French Listed winning hurdler Holy Joe.

Gigginstown House Stud and Irish Champion trainer Willie Mullins recorded a one-two in the first Grade One to be run at Naas, the Slaney Novice Hurdle, when the five year-old gelding McKinley (Kheleyf) overhauled his odds-on stablemate Tell Us More (Scorpion) after the final flight to register a three-quarter length victory under Paul Townend.

The victory was a first success at the highest level not just for McKinley, who claimed the Grade Three For Auction Novice Hurdle in November, but also for his sire Kheleyf, the winner of the 2004 Group Three Jersey Stakes, who stands at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket for Darley and whose most successful black-type winners prior to Sunday’s Naas Grade One were his Group Two Flat winners Sayif and Penny’s Picnic.

Three times a sales graduate, on the final occasion when purchased by Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins for 85,000 guineas at the 2013 Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale, McKinley is the only recorded foal out of Priera Menta (Montjeu), an unraced half-sister to the 1995 Group One Prix de la Foret winner Poplar Bluff (Dowsing), and descends from the family of Grade/Group One winners Ariege, Carry On Katie, Grise Mine, Kostroma, Nashoba’s Key and Solinus.

With the close of the year, sires’ titles were decided and it was no surprise that Coolmore colossus Galileo ended 2014 as leading stallion in Europe with progeny earnings of £8,593,468, almost double the amount earned by the offspring of runner-up Invincible Spirit, the Irish National Stud resident who finished the year as leading European sire by individual winners with one hundred and forty two.

Galileo has had a particularly stellar year having set a record for sire earnings in a season in Britain and Ireland by August and the now 17-year-old colt, who was crowned leading European sire for a sixth time, was responsible for seven individual Grade/Group One winners worldwide in Adelaide, Australia, Found, Glenagles, Marvellous, Noble Mission and Tapestry.

New Sky Bet customers: Free matched bet up to £50!

Leading European first season sire honours went to Ballylinch Stud’s Lope de Vega, whose first crop accrued £752,064 in prize money and included the Group One Dewhurst Stakes winner Belardo, the Group Two Premio Gran Criterium winner Hero Look and Group Three winners Burnt Sugar and Royal Razalma, whilst Tally-Ho Stud’s Zebedee topped the list of freshman sires by individual winners having produced thirty two winners from his first crop.

Finally, special mention must go to Kodiac, who though pipped by Galileo to leading European two year-old sire by progeny earnings set a new record for number of individual winners with his 43 trumping runner-up Zebedee by eleven, with pocket rocket Tiggy Wiggy landing a first Group One for the Tally-Ho Stud resident when successful in September’s Cheveley Park Stakes.

Chris Hill

Chris is a Pedigree Researcher for Weatherbys Ltd, the company that provides the majority of pedigrees for thoroughbreds sold at public auction in Britain and Ireland and who offer a range of products and services to suit your Bloodstock needs.

For further information please visit http://www.weatherbys.co.uk/bloodstock