Sea The Stars Tops the French Sire Rankings

[Wandering Eyes]

Few will forget the moment that Sea The Stars entered the history books as one of the true greats when adding the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe to his list of Group 1 successes through a faultless three-year-old season. It is therefore appropriate that his son Daryz should prevail in that same race, sealing the French sires' championship for his sire, whose 20th birthday is looming. 

In netting just over €3m, the Aga Khan Studs homebred Daryz was the highest earner for Sea The Stars in 2025 but he was not his sole Group 1 winner in France. Sosie had set the ball rolling as early as April by winning the Prix Ganay, followed the next month by his victory in the Prix d'Isapahan. The Wertheimers' pride and joy was also third in the Arc before capping a tremendous season in the Hong Kong Vase. For the same owner-breeder, Aventure gained her deserved Group 1 win in the Prix Vermeille, as well as winning the G2 Prix Corrida and G3 Prix Allez France. That both Daryz and Sosie will remain in training in 2026 give Sea The Stars another strong hand in the older-horse division. Multiple group winner Map Of Stars can also be counted among that number. 

Such is the value of the Arc pot that it so often decides the championship in France, but Wootton Bassett was a strong contender for so much of the season, providing the winners of both colts' Classics in Henri Matisse and Camille Pissarro, both of whom have now entered stud at Coolmore. Maranoa Charlie went out on a high in the G1 Prix de la Foret before joining Tally-Ho Stud, and Wootton Bassett ultimately finished a little over €1.2m in progeny earnings behind Sea The Stars to be second in the table. 

Arc runner-up Minnie Hauk helped to put her sire Frankel in third place in France in a year in which his son Diego Velazquez provided an emotional victory in the Prix Jacques Le Marois. Candelari, winner of the upgraded Prix Vicomtesse Vigier, was another Group 1 winner for Frankel in France during a memorable year for new champion trainer Francis Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs.

Lope De Vega may be one of Ireland's best stallions but he spent all his racing days in France and has enjoyed notable success in that country with his runners, having enjoyed top-four finishes in three of the last five years. He is in fourth place for 2025, with his regally-bred son Cualificar (who is out of the Oaks winner Qualify) his leading earner, having won the G2 Prix Niel and two Group 3s as well as finishing runner-up to Camille Pissarro in the Prix du Jockey Club. He's another exciting four-year-old to follow in 2026.

Also adding to Lope De Vega's Group 1 ledger in France was the Prix de Royallieu victrix Consent.

It is almost four years since the death of Le Havre, but his presence was still very much felt in his former home country during 2025 with Group 1 victories for three-year-old Leffard, a member of his final crop, in the Grand Prix de Paris, and for Quisisana in the Prix Jean Romanet. Le Havre duly finished in fifth, narrowly ahead of the dual French champion sire Siyouni, who provided the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Zarigana.

Haras de Colleville's Goken and the Aga Khan Studs' Zarak were also top-ten finishers in France along with Almanzor, who is now a permanent resident at Cambridge Stud in New Zealand and sired the Prix de Diane and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Gezora. Completing that top ten with some pleasing symmetry is Sea The Stars's son Zelzal, a resident of Haras de Bouquetot.

Soldier Hollow Takes Fourth German Title

A year after his death and six since he won his third sires' championship, Soldier Hollow's name appeared for the fourth time as the head of the table in Germany in 2025. Appropriately, his leading earner of the year, Santagada, races in the colours once carried by his sire, representing owner Helmut von Finck of Gestut Park Wiedingen. The three-year-old Santagada took four Group 3 contests at four different tracks in 2025, and was beaten less than two lengths when sixth in the G1 Preis der Diana behind Nicoreni. 

At sales around the world, Soldier Hollow's Group 1-winning daughter Tamfana was sold for 2.6m gns to Coolmore, while Paraiba was bought for €810,000 by Wertheimer et Frere.

Gestut Etzean's Amaron was second in the German table and was the leading performer among all active sires in Germany for the third year running. The late Adlerflug was third, thanks largely to the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden win of Goliath.

Polish Vulcano has scant representation on the track but his five winners from only nine runners in 2025 included the G1 Deutsches Derby winner Hochkonig. The Gestut Idee resident thus finished in fourth place, ahead of Best Solution.

 

Ballylinch Stud's Make Believe | Racingfotos

Make Believe Champion Again in Italy

For the second year running, Make Believe is the champion sire in Italy after his daughter Klaynn delivered on her juvenile promise to win the G3 Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1,000 Guineas) and the G2 Oaks d'Italia by six and seven lengths respectively. Bought by Teruya Yoshida prior to her Oaks success, she was also fourth in the G2 Derby Italiano, finishing a length and a half behind the winner Molveno (Almanzor). Elsewhere, Make Believe's season included victory for Sajir in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest and for Royal Supremacy in Randwick's G1 Metropolitan Handicap.

The first five stallions in the Italian table were all based in Ireland, though runner-up Cotai Glory has recently been sold to stand for the Turkish Jockey Club in Turkey. 

Dark Angel is the sire of the Ed Dunlop-trained G2 Premio Dormello winner Just Call Me Angel, an interesting Cayton Park Stud homebred to follow in 2026, while Ten Sovereigns supplied the dual Classic-placed filly Mystery Of Love, and Kodiac was represented by the G3 Premio Parioli (Italian 2,000 Guineas) winner and Derby Italiano third Lao Tzu.

 

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