3 minute read
Darci Brahma retires from commercial stud duty
As Darci Brahma (Danehill) retires from commercial stud duty, The Oaks Stud has announced that US Navy Flag (War Front) will return to New Zealand and stand for an unchanged fee of NZ$15,000 (plus GST) this ring.
"We've come to an agreement with Coolmore to bring him back to New Zealand, he hasn't had the stakes winners yet but he had second, third and fifth (Aprilia, To Catch A Thief, Chantilly Lace) in the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (Gr.1, 1400m)," The Oaks General Manager Rick Williams said.
"It's the same terms and conditions for people who have used him before to get a discount and I'm thrilled with the interest in him.
"The most important positive to me is the trainers, we have a lot of horses in work and they don't sugar coat anything with me and they love them and say they are horses that will be much better at three."
To date, US Navy Flag has sired five winners from 17 runners and is currently in second place on the first season sires table.
"He's $10,000 off Staphanos and with a number of trial winners that look like they can win their maidens before the end of the season he's a big chance to go past him," Williams said.
"On the Champion two-year-old table there's Satono Aladdin, Snitzel and Staphanos and then U S Navy Flag, I believe he is capable of ending up second, which to me is much more important because that's against all the proven sires."
Darci Brahma out
Williams explained that Darci Brahma had an issue that subsequently affected his fertility.
"In early October, he had an infection in his abdomen that wasn't obvious and it snuck through to one testicle and we had to treat him with antibiotics," he said.
"While we cleared that up, the antibiotics affected his semen production. We test bred him through late January and early February and he wasn't producing any viable semen.
"We haven't given up hope, but realistically he isn't going to breed commercially and if he showed some return to fertility we might breed a few shareholder's mares to him.
"At the moment, I've told people he isn't available and it's a 90 percent chance that's the way it will stay."
Roc de Cambes (Red Ransom) will also stand at The Oaks Stud this spring, with his fee advertised at NZ$3,000 (plus GST).
