Featured stallion: Alexandros

Alexandros was a very fast and precocious two-year-old – but unlike many top juveniles he was still going strong at the age of five, showing the same high-class level of form which he had demonstrated three years previously.

Alexandros found himself racing against a vintage crop of French juveniles in 2007 and, after winning the G3 Prix de Cabourg over 1200m at Deauville, he ran a cracking race in one of the hottest G1 Darley Prix Mornys of recent years, finishing third to Myboycharlie and champion filly Natagora.

He duly ended his first season with the excellent record of three wins and two placings from five starts. That though proved to be merely the introduction to what was a rigorous and successful career, in which he demonstrated his soundness and genuineness as well as his ability.

Regularly racing against the best over four seasons, Alexandros retires to stud with some tremendous performances to his name, not least when he was runner-up to Virtual in the G1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, beating other top-class performers Twice Over, Paco Boy and Aqlaam. His eight wins included the G3 Al Rashidiya over nine furlongs at Meydan in 2010.

While Alexandros’ form provides one very strong recommendation for his stud career, his pedigree is equally encouraging. His recently retired sire, Kingmambo, was not just one of the best sires in the world, he was also one of the best bred, being by Mr Prospector out of Miesque. He, unsurprisingly, has proved to be a great sire of sires as well as of racehorses and his dynasty has particularly come to the fore during 2010.

His son King's Best was represented by European Champion three-year-old Workforce, as well as by Japan Derby winner Eishin Flash, while the young Japanese-based stallion, King Kamehameha, came up with Japan Cup winner Rose Kingdom and Japanese 1,000 Guineas and Oaks winner Apapane from only his second crop of three-year-olds.

This sireline is surely one which is set to grow in stature over the coming years as Kingmambo looks set to establish his own branch of the Mr Prospector line, a line which is currently being best advertised by Dubawi.

Alexandros’ close relationship to Dubawi is further emphasised by the fact that both young stallions trace to the massively influential Sea Hawk mare Sunbittern, who ranks as the third dam of Alexandros and fourth dam of Dubawi. In Alexandros’ case, he descends from Sunbittern via her Group One-winning daughter High Hawk, who will forever be best remembered as the dam of top-class racehorse and stallion In The Wings.

Other high-class horses to have emerged from this tremendous family include Derby winner High-Rise, Infamy and Oaks d’Italia winner Zomaradah (the dam of Dubawi).

It says much for Darley’s desire to make their stallions available to breeders at affordable prices that such a good horse with a world-class pedigree should retire to stud at a fee of just €4,000.