Matings Mix: Charyn’s Cambridge chapter begins with some of the stud’s best mares

In today's Matings Mix, Scott Calder, Sales and Nominations at Cambridge Stud, talks TTR through some of the matings for the Cambridge Stud broodmare band and the use of the farm's exciting stallion roster. A handful of top-class mares will cross the Tasman to visit established Australian suitors, while the arrival of triple Group 1 winner Charyn (Ire) adds another dimension to an already strong lineup.

When Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay bought Cambridge Stud in 2018, they would have envisaged and hoped the stud would develop a successful roster of stallions representing a range of established worldwide Group 1 bloodlines. That is where Cambridge Stud now sits.

The exciting French boy to be well patronised

Cambridge Stud welcomes triple Group 1 winner Charyn (Ire), a son of Dark Angel (Ire), to the roster in 2026 in partnership with Nurlan Bizakov’s French operation Sumbe.

A Group 2 winner at two, Group 1-performed at three, Charyn developed into a world-class miler at four, winning the G1 Queen Anne Stakes, G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. His campaign earned him the titles of World Champion Miler and 2024 Cartier Champion Older Horse.

For Cambridge Stud, his arrival provides an opportunity to introduce another international bloodline while supporting him heavily with the farm's own mares.

“It’s always great to have a new horse to come in, and particularly one with his credentials. A big part of bringing a new stallion is gaining the interest of our client base and getting our local breeders motivated,” Calder said.

“We have a big broodmare band, and we support our stallions heavily. There's also the added benefit that we have a new bloodline and a new stallion to support with our own mares as well, and that's certainly a massive part of Brendan and Jo's business model here at Cambridge.”

Physically, Charyn gives the stud flexibility, while his pedigree provides several avenues for the broodmare band.

“He's got good quality, lovely deep girth and plenty of strength. So we didn't feel we had to select too much on type. Pedigree-wise, of those top mares, there's definitely a Danehill flavour, although across the breadth of the mares we're breeding to him, there are a lot of different bloodlines involved outside of Danehill.

“I think Sadler's Wells is another one, especially through Tavistock and Montjeu. You can obviously look at what's worked with the likes of Dark Angel and Harry Angel.”

Among the mares heading to Charyn are Letzbeglam (Snitzel), a Group 2 and Group 3-winning sprinter on both sides of the Tasman and a full sister to Listed winner Gatsby’s (Snitzel); Excelida (Exceed And Excel), a Group 2 winner at Flemington and full sister to Group 2 winner Shanwah (Too Darn Hot {GB}); and Kahma Lass (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), winner of the G1 NZ 1000 Guineas and a half-sister to four individual stakes winners including the exciting and untapped Drops Of Gold (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}).

“We are sending mares such as Letzbeglam, Excelida, Kahma Lass, they are all not only really good racehorses, but they've got incredibly deep pedigrees behind them.

“Letzbeglam is a Blue Diamond Prelude winner by Snitzel and the Dark Angel cross with Danehill has provided 29 stakes winners by Dark Angel, and his sons out of Danehill-line mares.

“In the case of Excelida, Dark Angel has produced Arkansaw Kid out of an Exceed And Excel mare and she was a Group 2 winner, and her dam is by Iffraaj who has clicked well with Dark Angel.

“These mares have also been set up nicely with some good proven stallions in their first few breedings as well. So we also felt it was a good time to go to a first-year horse.”

Romantic Time and Word Games, both by Fastnet Rock and already responsible for Group 1 winners, will also give Charyn access to proven producers.

“We were also keen to expose him to some well-performed proven mares with the likes of Romantic Time and Word Games, who have both already left Group 1 winners and are by Fastnet Rock.”

Utilisation of Australian elite stallions

While most of the Cambridge Stud broodmare band will be matched with the farm's own stallions, a select group will cross the Tasman to some of Australia's leading sires.

Las Brisas (GB) (Shamardal {USA}) has been a standout purchase, acquired at the 2018 Tattersalls December Mare Sale by Cambridge Stud for 50,000 guineas (AU$98,000).

Her second foal, Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), is a four-time Group 1 winner of more than $11 million, while her fourth live foal, a colt by Sword Of State, topped this year's New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at NZ$1.1 million.

Las Brisas is set to visit I Am Invincible at Yarraman Park Stud after missing to ‘Vinnie’ last spring.

“We sent Las Brisas over to Vinnie with her Chaldean filly at foot last year and unfortunately she missed,” Calder said.

“The stats are pretty remarkable with Vinnie and Shamardal. There's three stakes winners from five runners and that includes Imperatriz and Move To Strike, so it’s a great cross and I doubt there's many better Shamardal mares going around than her.

“We would love to get a I Am Invincible filly out of her obviously. She's befitting of a top, top stallion and we just felt she really suited Vinnie so well.

“She is one of those mares that we're really gonna try and build a family around long-term. She's got a Chaldean filly yearling that will most likely be kept.”

Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) was raced by Cambridge Stud and she achieved four Group 1 victories as well as the R. Listed Karaka Millions 2YO and 3-year-old mile double, has also crossed the Tasman to visit Too Darn Hot (GB).

“With Probabeel, she was dry this year, so we thought it was the ideal time to send her back to an Australian stallion. To be fair, there was a lot of back and forth as we like matings with our boys as well, but ultimately we thought Too Darn Hot was a good choice and Darley Stud have been big supporters of ours in the past.

“Too Darn Hot is a stallion that I feel is only going to go from strength to strength. You look at his first Australian crop with 10 stakes winners, and he's already flying again with his just-turned 3-year-old crop this season.

“He suits Probabeel in terms of type and pedigree. Probabeel is one of our star mares, so it’s pretty exciting to think in a year’s time we may have a Too Darn Hot colt or filly born. Brendan and Jo have long said they won't sell any progeny out of Probabeel, so the dreaming can start then of what may be in the future.”

Sword Of State has started with a bang

Sword Of State has made an immediate impression with his first 2-year-olds, producing two first-crop stakes winners in Australia in Warwoven and Torture (NZ) and a Group 1 performer in New Zealand.

His early results have also translated to the sales ring siring the top seller at this year's New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale as mentioned earlier.

“What gets us so excited about Sword Of State is when you look at what he's done to date in comparison to other top New Zealand stallions, he's done things that just don't happen really for New Zealand stallions, whether that be topping the sale last year at Karaka, but more importantly having those two really good 2-year-olds in Australia.

“Initially when we stood him we hoped he would be a stallion that would add a flavour of precocity and speed that we didn't perhaps have in New Zealand, so it's been great to see that with his 2-year-olds.”

Snazzytavi (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), a daughter of Listed New Zealand St Leger winner Ritzy Lady (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) and a dual Group 1 Weight-for-age winner for Cambridge Stud, has headed to Sword Of State for her first mating.

“Snazzytavi is already under service to him. She was a great mare for us on the track, as was well publicised. Sadly, I don't think we got to see the full extent of her ability on the track due to injury.

“With Tavistock mares having quite a good record with Burgundy already, with that Redoute’s Choice line and the Danehill nick, we like that cross.”

Group-winning mares Aquacade (Dundeel {NZ}) and About Time (NZ) (American Pharoah {USA}) will also visit Sword Of State, with their middle-distance backgrounds offering an interesting contrast to his early speed.

“Aquacade and About Time were both really successful mares for us on the track.

“Admittedly they were more middle-distance to staying horses, but it is quite interesting to see Warwoven come out and show his precocity as he is also out of a New Zealand-style middle-distance mare.

“About Time is from the Amelia's Dream family. So there is a real element of speed. Obviously with that connection to Redoute’s Choice.”

Established broodmare Zonza (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) adds further depth to the book.

“He is also serving Zonza, who is a real matriarch of our broodmare band. She's a mare that's been just so good to Brendan and Jo, they bred her, she was a Group 3 winner in Australia and as a broodmare she has been phenomenal really. She has left stakes-winning 2-year-olds and Derby winners.”

Support continues for the Group 1-winning son of Frankel

Dual Group 1 winner Chaldean (GB) is preparing for his third book of New Zealand mares at Cambridge Stud, having shuttled from Juddmonte Stud.

His progeny have already attracted attention in both hemispheres, with his weanling colt out of Novashow (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}) topping this year's New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale at NZ$250,000.

“He’s a horse that there's a lot of enthusiasm for in both hemispheres. His foals were massively popular up north and then to top the weanling sale here, everyone follows that weanling market closely for clues and I think he's got a big tick of approval from the small selection that he had there.

“We have supported him really well with good mares every year.”

Gracious Grey (Redoute’s Choice), a half-sister to Positive Peace (Stratum) and the dam of Group 3 winner Kind Word (Written Tycoon), is heading back to Chaldean after producing a good looking yearling by him, while Orphea (Fastnet Rock) has been selected to tap into the successful Fastnet Rock and Galileo (Ire) cross.

“Gracious Grey, I think has one of our better yearlings for the sales next year, is by Chaldean, so very keen to send her back again.

“Orphea is a proven producing mare. I think with Fastnet Rock, the Galileo and Fastnet Rock cross has been so successful that it makes sense for Chaldean to breed some of those Fastnet mares, and the mare has already left a stakes winner by another Sadler’s Wells-line stallion in Tavistock.”

The Pivotal (GB) mare But Beautiful (Ire), dam of Group winners Immediacy (NZ) (Tarzino {NZ}) and Bella Waters (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}), is already in foal to Chaldean.

“But Beautiful is another mare we like the mating with. Frankel has had five Group 1 winners out of Pivotal mares, so that is a strong cross. She is in foal to Chaldean, so it was a mating we were keen to repeat.”

Proven boys to give the young mares a push

The established Cambridge Stud stallions remain central to the mating programme, with Almanzor (Fr), Hello Youmzain (Fr) and Embellish (NZ) all being used, particularly with younger mares.

Almanzor is the sire of 32 individual stakes winners and has demonstrated considerable versatility with Group 1-winners from 1200 metres to 3200 metres, with First Five (NZ) last season winning the G1 Telegraph and the G1 BCD Sprint.

Hello Youmzain has sired 16 stakes winners worldwide. Embellish has seven stakes winners at a stakes-winners-to-runners ratio of 5.4% from a more budget service fee.

“These boys are all proven. It's a great way to start a young mare's breeding career. The dynamic has probably changed a little bit for those older stallions on our roster, in that if you look at them all across the board, statistically, they've done a really good job, so we're probably leaning more towards sending some of our younger mares to get them going.

“Lucy In The Sky, a Listed winner, is heading to Almanzor. She is not an overly big mare and carries Danehill in her pedigree, along with Sir Tristram, which through Zabeel has been a successful cross for Almanzor.

“So mares like her, it just gets her off on the right foot. Almanzor is really good at putting leg into his first foals and the same with Hello Youmzain.

“Hello Youmzain is looking really promising with his winners to runners and we have been lucky enough to breed a couple of stakes winners by him. He’s got the likes of Zenella and Respin, both well-performed mares that have left black-type horses.”

With Embellish, Cambridge Stud is returning to crosses that have already worked. The dam of stakes winners Luberon (NZ) (Embellish {NZ}) and What You Wish For (NZ) (Embellish {NZ}), are both set to visit him again.

Both mares carry Fastnet Rock blood, creating an extended Zabeel (NZ) over Danehill (USA) cross which has proven to be so successful.

“With all of these stallions, if we breed them, we are more than happy to sell them or put them into the racing team. Embellish probably hasn't always had the numbers or even the quality of mares that some of the other stallions have, but he's made the most of it.”

Table: 2026 mating plans for some of the Cambridge Stud broodmare band