Cover image courtesy of Coolmore
The Thoroughbred Report caught up with Coolmore Stud’s Marketing & Nominations representative Tom Moore to talk about St Mark’s Basilica’s credentials and what lies ahead for this young stallion as he begins the next phase of his legacy.
As with many shuttle stallions, Australian breeders are afforded a unique advantage when the stallion begins his career in the Northern Hemisphere. If he covered his first book in Europe, local breeders and buyers get an early glimpse of his progeny’s performance overseas, before they line up for their turn on Australian soil.
The early glimpse looks promising as his progeny starts to hit their straps in the Northern Hemisphere as they build into the deep end of their 2-year-old seasons.
A promising start in the Northern Hemisphere
It’s still early days for St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) as a sire, but the Champion son of Siyouni (Fr) is already beginning to make an impact.
He has sired three winners and seven placegetters to date. One of those placegetters, Thesecretadversary (Ire), earned black-type with a strong second in the Listed Chesham Stakes, while Cardiff By The Sea (Ire) was a gallant fourth in the G2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Saint Agatha (Ire) caught the eye on debut, running a very good second on debut behind the beautifully bred Sugar Island (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), in what looked a very strong maiden at the Curragh on Sunday over seven furlongs.
Further afield in Japan, Quiet Eye (Ire) has emerged as a promising juvenile. Trained by Kazuya Nakatake and ridden by Yuichiro Shibata, the gelding landed an impressive victory over 1200 metres at Hakodate, leading from the front in a 16-runner field after solid placings in his first two starts.
Quiet Eye (Ire) | Image courtesy of Coolmore
Bred by North Hills Co. Ltd and owned by Kodai Maeda, Quiet Eye is out of Blanc Bonheur (Jpn), a daughter of Deep Impact (Jpn), she was a dual Group 3 winner who placed in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies Stakes. With that win under his belt, and the breeding behind him, Quiet Eye looks set for a bright future in Japan’s competitive juvenile ranks especially as the distances increase.
“The two St Mark’s Basilicas were impressive at Royal Ascot, finishing second in The Chesham and fourth in the Queen Mary Stakes,” Tom Moore commented. “With such competitive fields and so many runners, to achieve those results in such prestigious races is a sign of good things to come.”
Moore also noted that more of his progeny are starting to be seen at the track, or are about to hit the track.
Tom Moore | Image courtesy of Coolmore
“We are starting to notice a lot more entries for him as the season progresses. Word has been extremely strong since the breeze-up sales where they sold so well. It’s not a surprise, with a horse of his profile that retires to stud and serves a good quality of mares, and who are going to all the best stables, he’s been afforded every opportunity.”
Champion juvenile, Outstanding over middle distances as a 3-year-old
St Mark’s Basilica made a lasting impression on the track, retiring as the 2021 European Horse of the Year and Champion 2-Year-Old and 3-Year-Old Colt in Europe, a rare double that reflects his class and versatility.
As a juvenile, he raced five times for two wins and two placings, showing his best form over 1400 metres. His 2-year-old season included a Group 1 placing in the National Stakes and a decisive victory in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes, widely regarded as the premier juvenile race in Europe.
At three, he took another step forward, stringing together four consecutive Group 1 wins across distances ranging from 1600 to 2100 metres: the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, Prix du Jockey Club, Eclipse Stakes, and Irish Champion Stakes.
Given his pedigree and performances, it’s no surprise his progeny are expected to improve with age and distance. However, with the influence of Australian speed on the dam’s side, some may well show early promise as 2-year-olds.
St Mark’s Basilica | Standing at Coolmore
“There is no doubt that what he does with his 2‑year‑olds in Australia are going to be a bonus,” Moore said. “He is a horse who was a Group 1 winning Champion 2‑year‑old, winner of The Dewhurst, Europe’s premier 2‑year‑old race, but he trained on to win four Group 1s in a row at three, and proper Group 1s at that.
“He is a horse of very rare ability, and there aren’t too many stallions at stud in Australia that were better racehorses than him, but we feel there is a lot to look forward to this season.
“He is a horse of very rare ability, and there aren’t too many stallions at stud in Australia that were better racehorses than him.” - Tom Moore
“Breeders who backed shuttle stallions like Too Darn Hot (GB) or Harry Angel (Ire) in their fourth year at stud saw strong returns through the sales ring, and St Mark’s Basilica represents that unique opportunity.”
Attracting elite broodmare power
St Mark’s Basilica has drawn consistent support from breeders across Australasia, serving 159, 116 and 107 mares during his first three seasons in Australia.
“Since we first announced that St Mark’s Basilica was coming to Australia, he was met with great reception from both New Zealand and Australian breeders,” Moore said.
“He was supported by some of our very top breeders, including Arrowfield who took a strong position in him, and we were lucky enough to buy a magnificent colt off them for $700,000 at Magic Millions, which turned out to be his highest‑priced yearling of the year.”
Lot 638 - St Mark's Basilica x Mantra Of Life | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“That colt has broken in particularly well, and he goes into the Chris Waller stable. Some of the best trainers in the country have his progeny in their stables, which will give him every chance.”
“That colt has broken in particularly well, and he goes into the Chris Waller stable. Some of the best trainers in the country have his progeny in their stables.” - Tom Moore
Coolmore Stud has shown strong faith in its stallion, giving him a string of high-class mares.
“He has the quantity, but equally as important is that he has quality books coming through,” Moore explained. “We took a strong position on him, particularly in his second season, and were rewarded with a superb group of horses in his second crop foals from mares of the calibre of Tiggy Wiggy, Nechita, Amicus, Rostova, all Group 1 winners, as well as I’ll Have A Bit, Night Move who was a $1.4 million yearling in her own right, Art Collection, and a number of other high-class mares.
“Yes, he has the numbers to back him, but we’re also keen to offer a top-class draft of our own on the back of what they can do early on the track out of our better mares.”
An easy stallion to breed to
Moore emphasised that St Mark’s Basilica appeals to a wide broodmare pool in Australasia.
“He appeals to a wide range of the broodmare population in Australia. You look at the yearlings that sold so well, they are out of a diverse group of mares. We sold a lovely filly for $650,000 at Easter out of an I Am Invincible mare called Bewitchingly, and she is booked to go back to him on the strength of that particular filly.
Lot 300 - St Mark's Basilica x Bewitchingly | Image courtesy of Inglis
“But we have sent a number of Fastnet Rock mares to him and have been well rewarded, as he is able to tidy up a lot of the Australian broodmares. He is a medium-sized horse with a lot of quality, and his pedigree opens him up to anything really in the stud book, he is easy to breed to.”
“He was a £1.3 million Guineas yearling himself, which is about $2.5 million Australian dollars, so he is a particularly good-looking horse, but he is not overly big. He is a good medium size, with great action, and he leaves well-sized foals that aren’t too big or too small.”
Moore also pointed out the wider sire-line strength and its appeal to breeders.
“Siyouni has done a great job in Australia with limited opportunities, most obviously highlighted by Amelia’s Jewel, who we’re lucky enough to have in our broodmare band now. His stakes-winners-to-runners ratio is right up there with the very best.
“Siyouni is a world-class stallion, and St Mark’s Basilica is his best son, closely followed by Paddington. It’s great for local breeders to have access to these high-class horses from a sire line.” - Tom Moore
“Naturally, Siyouni is a world-class stallion, and St Mark’s Basilica is his best son, closely followed by Paddington. It’s great for local breeders to have access to these high-class horses from a sire line that has the potential to make a huge impact in this part of the world.”
