Champion Miler and sire of dual 2,000 Guineas winner
VAL ROYAL's racing career showed him to
be precocious and tough; winning 7 of his
12 starts and being placed on 4 occasions,
from 2 to 5 years (8-10f). He won on his 2yo debut, followed by a near
faultless 3yo campaign, which included
victories in the Gr.2 Prix Guillaume
d'Ornano and the Gr.3 Prix de Guiche.
Then transferred to the US, he won the
Gr.2 Del Mar Derby, and gained a
reputation as a tough and seasoned
battler, with a win and a second
respectively in the Gr.2 Oak Tree Breeders'
Cup Mile and the Gr.2 Frank Kilroe Mile.
His most brilliant performance came in the
Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Mile (turf) at Belmont,
producing the fastest ever time in the
21 year history of the race (which still
remains the current track record), beating
eight Group 1 winners in the process,
including Noverre.
His stud career has got off to an exceptional start, with a dual Classic winner from his first crop – COCKNEY REBEL.
The Geoff Huffer-trained colt won the 2007 Stan James 2,000 Guineas (Gr.1) at Newmarket in the third fastest time recorded for the first Classic, winning in "terrific style" according to the Racing Post. He then added the Boylesports 2,000 Guineas (Gr.1) at the Curragh (26/5/07), beating French 2,000 Guineas runner-up Creachadoir, despite not relishing the slow early gallop.
Val Royal's first crop of 2yo's in 2006 had a strike rate of more than 40% winners to runners. Apart from COCKNEY REBEL (who was a winner and Gr.2 placed at two), his most notable off-spring from his first crop is VALBENNY. She was a Gr.3 winner on her US debut in the Miesque Stakes at Hollywood Park in November 2006 and subsequent winner of the Listed Blue Norther Stakes for 2yo fillies; her Jockey Alex Solis called her "awesome". VALBENNY
did even better at 3 when she was an authoritative winner of the Gr.3 Senorita Stakes over 1m at Hollywood Park. The following month she carried top weight to a fluent success in the Gr.2 Honeymoon Handicap over 1m1f at Hollywood Park, earning a tilt at the Gr.1 American Oaks (1m2f, Hollywood Park) in which she did not enjoy the best of luck in running before going down by three-quarters of a length to Panty Raid, in front of Gr.1 winners from Australia and Japan. VALBENNY was later purchased by Lael Stables for $1.2 million at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.
EHOR made an incredibly impressive start to her 2yo career in Australia in 2007, with 2 Listed wins in little over a month.
Stud Fee for 2008: £10,000 (1st October)
