LATEST NEWS

25th January - SHOWCASING OFF THE MARK WITH FIRST FOAL BORN

WHITSBURY Manor Stud in Hampshire welcomed the birth of the first foal by its stallion SHOWCASING on Tuesday.
The new arrival is a chesnut colt out of the winning 16-year-old Ezzoud mare Miss Rimex, the dam of four winners including seven-time scorer Warden Complex, who landed the Listed National Day Cup at Sha Tin.
Whitsbury Manor manager Charlie Oakshott said: "Showcasing's first foal is deep, strong with lots of bone and substance, he is very attractive and well balanced; it's an excellent start and we're looking forward to seeing plenty more in the coming weeks."
Showcasing covered 117 mares last year and has 100 mares booked so far this year. He has just returned from Haunui Stud in New Zealand where he covered 118 mares, standing alongside Ifraaj.
He is being paraded at the TBA Stallion Parade at Tattersalls on Thursday, February 2.

12th January - SHOWCASING will be starring in the TBA stallion parade prior to the Tattersalls February Sale on Thursday 2nd February at 10 a.m. Each stallion will be shown in the Sales Ring at Tattersalls and will be available for closer inspection in Further Paddocks.

11th January - WORLD THOROUGHBRED RANKINGS
British-based sires enjoyed plenty of success with their progeny in the World Thoroughbred Rankings. Among them was the Group 2 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes victor Deacon Blues, sired by Whitsbury Manor Stud’s COMPTON PLACE, was named as Europe’s joint champion sprinter with a mark of 120.

REVIEW OF 2011 - 2011 has been another great year for the Whitsbury Manor stallions, AVONBRIDGE, COMPTON PLACE, SAKHEE'S SECRET and SHOWCASING, on the racecourse and in the sales ring, and there is much to look forward to in 2012.

COMPTON PLACE is firmly established as one of the most consistent trainers’ stallions at stud today. For the fourth year running his progeny won over £1million in prize money, taking his lifetime earnings to more than £10million. His star performer was Deacon Blues who won five successive races, starting at Royal Ascot in the Wokingham Handicap and culminating back at Ascot in October with an imperious performance in the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes (Gr.2). He was undoubtedly one of the best two sprinters in training and could take even higher rank next season. Timeform rated him 130+.

Among his sire’s other leading horses was Sir Reginald, winner of the £150,000 Tattersalls Millions 3yo Sprint at Newmarket, and black type horses Button Moon, Compton and Major Art. This success created keen demand for his yearlings with top prices of 105,000gns and 80,000gns, and also his foals with top prices at the December Sales of 45,000gns and 40,000gns.

AVONBRIDGE was a tough and consistent racehorse, not to mention top class as he proved by winning the Prix de L’Abbaye at Longchamp and becoming Champion European Sprinter in 2005. The early signs are most encouraging that his progeny have inherited many of those attributes. That tough as teak sprinter Iver Bridge Lad gained due reward for some splendid performances this season with an impressive victory in the Prix de Seine-et-Oise (Gr.3) at Maisons-Laffitte in November. Other multiple winners included the black type placed Its You Again and the five time successful Avon River. Yearlings this autumn sold for top prices of 52,000gns and 40,000gns.

The first yearlings of July Cup winner SAKHEE'S SECRET were keenly anticipated and they certainly did not disappoint, winning universal praise at the sales from some very shrewd judges on both sides of the Irish Sea. His top prices included 95,000gns, €92,000, €85,000 and €60,000 and among the buyers were Peter & Ross Doyle, Charlie Gordon-Watson, Bobby O’Ryan, Sackville Donald, Mags O’Toole, McKeever Bloodstock, Amanda Skiffington, Con Marnane and Paddy Twomey to name just a few. With 93 juveniles to represent him next season he is sure to be making a bold bid for the first crop sires’ title.

SHOWCASING retired to stud this year with much to recommend him; a record breaking Group 2 winning son of the mighty Oasis Dream; the fastest Gimcrack winner ever; and a half-brother to a successful young stallion in Camacho. Not surprisingly with such credentials he received outstanding support in his first season. His mares in foal include sisters or half-sisters to 6 Group 1 winners, 14 Group 2 winners and 13 Group 3 winners. His first foals seem sure to be popular at the sales next year and with his family going from strength to strength his future success at stud seems assured.

3rd November - WHITSBURY MANOR STUD ANNOUNCE STALLION FEES
Whitsbury Manor Stud have announced their fees for 2012. COMPTON PLACE has had another great year, highlighted by his Champion’s Day victor Deacon Blues and yearlings fetching up to six figures. However, he will remain at the same fee of £6,000.

The Champion Sprinter SAKHEE'S SECRET has had an outstanding response to his first crop of yearlings at the sales, with an average of close to £30,000 for the yearlings sold at Doncaster, Goffs and Tattersalls. The stud has had considerable interest in him for next year but his fee is to remain at £5,500.

SHOWCASING, the son of Oasis Dream who won the Gr.2 Gimcrack Stakes in record time and has covered a full first book of mares this year, will stand his second season at £4,500.

AVONBRIDGE has had another solid year on the track, including recent Gr.3 winner Iver Bridge Lad. His yearlings fetched up to 52,000gns and his fee will be £3,000 for next year.

Charlie Oakshott, stud manager of Whistbury said, “We have set our fees to try and help commercial breeders in what are still difficult times and also taken the decision to offer new terms of No Foal Free Return to try and soften any unfortunate blow."