Microphone's 2020 book of mares was managed at around 117 in his debut season at Kelvinside when it became apparent that he had fertility challenges, but the message from Darley is very much one of optimism, with his results improving with management and with strong prospects for improvement going forward.
"With fertility, you see in the first two or three weeks of their scans. You like a horse's strike rate to be fairly high. He was in the fair to middle range. It wasn't poor, thankfully, and that was borne out over the course of the year," Barley Ward-Thomas, Stud Manager, Kelvinside said.
"We managed the horse appropriately and he ended up with 68 mares in foal."
With an extra year of experience in the breeding barn, and with a better understanding about the stallion, his prospects are quite positive.
"With a year under our belt and understanding what we know about and what we are dealing with with him. He will be an easier horse for us to manage," Ward-Thomas said.
Microphone when racing | Standing at Darley
"His book size will reflect that as well. With maturity, a lot of these horses with a year under their belt, they can improve. We are hopeful that would be the case with him.
"His (Microphone) book size will reflect that as well. With maturity, a lot of these horses with a year under their belt, they can improve. We are hopeful that would be the case with him." - Barley Ward-Thomas
"It’s very difficult to pinpoint exactly what the issues are with these stallions, but maturity, in general, will help a horse's fertility.
"He only retired to stud at the end of his 3-year-old season, so you do tend to see these horses get a little bit better in their second or third season."
Barley Ward-Thomas | Image courtesy of Darley
While keeping fertility challenges transparent with clients, and ensuring Microphone’s reproductive health at the forefront of all decision making, Darley knows the strength of Microphone’s profile and supported him accordingly in year one and continuing to do so this season.
Casting wide for fertility solutions
As one of the most respected, experienced and well-resourced stallion operations in the world, Darley has utilised its global depth of experience to work on fertility solutions, as well as its connections with renowned research institutions.
"In a stallion operation like ours, we have usually seen most things come through the barn at some time," Ward-Thomas said. "We are in a position to continually reflect as to our management of these stallions. As well as that, being an international operation, we can draw on the Northern Hemisphere's experiences as well.
"We are also extremely lucky in that the University of Newcastle do a fair bit of research into these fertility issues. A lot of their research is cutting edge and we do discuss these issues with them."
Microphone | Standing at Darley
Darley enlisted the support of breeding right holders in Microphone when it was confirmed he was going to stud in 2020, while also supporting him strongly with its own Godolphin mares so improving his fertility moving forward is a priority.
"These guys (breeding right holders) have invested in the horse so it's very much in everyone's interest that this goes forward properly. As a professional organisation, we endeavour to do everything we can to ensure that happens," he said.
"We have 30 breeding right holders, and some of the best breeders in the country have got behind him, with good reason. We have invested heavily with the horse and we have eight pregnancies with him. For our system that's a real bonus to have these good young mares in foal to the horse."
On the market
Six mares in foal to Microphone sold across the Inglis Chairman's Sale and Australian Broodmare Sale in Sydney earlier this month, with a top price of $230,000 for Crafty Irna (Starcraft {NZ}), who was secured by Fernrigg Farm, while Solid Foundation (Lonhro) was secured for $210,000 by Belmont Bloodstock/Tyreel Stud.
Four mares in foal to him will be offered at the National Broodmare Sale this week. Lot 991 is Regal Romance (Brazen Beau), who is offered by Willow Park Stud, Lot 1061, Status Quo (Lonhro) is part of the Yarraman Park Stud draft, Lot 1112, Winter Sky (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is being put forward by Bell View Park Stud, and Lot 1143, Allure (NZ) (Lonhro) is offered by Sullivan Bloodstock.
The expectation from the Darley team is that those mares will be well-received by the market.
"We would hope so. You look at his profile as a retiring first-season sire. We were knocked over in terms of demand for mares to come to him," Ward-Thomas said.
"There is very much a lot of blue sky ahead of us as far as Microphone is concerned."
Gallery: Mares in foal to Microphone offered at the Magic Millions National Sale
Opportunity knocks with Godolphin mares
Ward-Thomas has been busy this week helping out with parades for the 40-strong Godolphin draft on offer through the National Broodmare Sale.
You only have to look as far as Microphone's own dam, Sung (Anabaa {USA}), who was sold by Godolphin for $70,000 to Boomer Bloodstock at this Sale in 2018, when Microphone was a yearling, for the upside on offer to breeders securing a mare from the Godolphin band.
In 2017, Godolphin sold Erato (Street Cry {Ire}) to Australian Bloodstock for $120,000, and they turned that into extraordinary return two years later when Yulong purchased her for $1.75 million after her Godolphin-bred and raced filly Lyre (Lonhro) won the G1 Blue Diamond S.
Among the Godolphin 2021 draft are eight mares by Exceed And Excel, five by Lonhro and six by Medaglia D'Oro (USA). There are six mares in foal to Frosted (USA), eight in foal to Harry Angel (Ire), seven to Astern and eight to Territories (Ire).
"We are very open and transparent sellers and it’s very much a great pleasure for us to offer horses with that upside," Ward-Thomas said.
"It's been fantastic this week. We have a very, very nice group of mares to sell and they have been very well-received. They have been presented fantastically well by the stud."
