Montjeu

Rated 137 by Timeform at both 3 and 4 years Montjeu is therefore the highest rated son of Sadler’s Wells. The exceptional start which he has made at stud shows that he is following in the footsteps of his exceptional sire in more ways than one.

Sadler’s Wells sired the top-class winners Doyen and Quiff from mares by Sharpen Up’s sons KRIS and SELKIRK, while mares by SANGLAMORE, SELKIRK and DIESIS have also done well with In The Wings. DIESIS also excelled with Galileo, in the form of the St. Leger winner Sixties Icon. This is very much a path to follow with Montjeu, as SHARPEN UP sired the second dams of his Derby winners Motivator and Hurricane Run. What’s more, his Derby runner-up Walk In The Park has a second dam sired by Sharpen Up’s son KRIS.

Sadler’s Wells has sired Group winners from mares by Raise A Native’s sons MR. PROSPECTOR, ALYDAR, EXCLUSIVE NATIVE and PRINCELY NATIVE, including the top colts Entrepreneur and King’s Theatre. He has also sired three Gr.1 winners from mares by Mr. Prospector’s son MISWAKI, including the exceptional Galileo, and the 2000 Guineas winner Refuse To Bend from a daughter of GULCH. The expectation that Montjeu would also suit these Raise A Native line mares has already come to fruition, as he has sired the Derby-winning Motivator from a GONE WEST mare and the Gr.2 winner Papal Bull from a ZAFONIC mare. There are also Listed winners from mares by MR. PROSPECTOR, MISWAKI, MISWAKI TERN, MUJTAHID and HANSEL (the last two being sons of Woodman).

NORTHERN DANCER will be in the third generation of Montjeu’s foals, so there is plenty of scope for him to cover mares by grandsons of Northern Dancer, creating 3x4. Sadler’s Wells has himself done very well with inbreeding to Northern Dancer. LYPHARD, NORTHFIELDS and NIJINSKY all appear to blend well with Sadler’s Wells and the signs are that Montjeu is extremely well suited by mares with LYPHARD blood, with three of his Gr.1 winners - Authorized, Corre Caminos and Montare - having second dams by LYPHARD or his sons BELLYPHA and PHARLY. BE MY GUEST mares could also suit Montjeu and he looks sure to do well with mares by DANCING BRAVE, DANEHILL and CAERLEON. His Listed winner Kings Quay has a CAERLEON mare as his second dam.

NUREYEV and Sadler’s Wells appeared together in the pedigrees of several Group winners, including El Condor Pasa, Whipper, Divine Proportions, Carry On Katie, Wellbeing and Silk Blossom.

ALLEGED mares would also be suitable, as Sadler’s Wells has an excellent record with his daughters. His four Group winners out of Alleged mares include Dream Well, winner of the French Derby and Irish Derby, and Brian Boru, winner of the St. Leger. Montjeu already has a classic winner, Scorpion, out of a mare by Alleged’s son LAW SOCIETY.

Mares by the Never Bend horse MILL REEF, his sons SHIRLEY HEIGHTS and DOYOUN and his grandson DARSHAAN have excelled with Sadler’s Wells. The Gr.1-placed Dash To The Top has a daughter of MILL REEF as her second dam, and so does Montjeu’s son Stagelight, winner of the Gr.3 UAE 2000 Guineas on dirt.

Sadler’s Wells’s outstanding record with HABITAT mares makes Montjeu an automatic choice for mares with Habitat blood and for other mares from the Turn-to line. ROBERTO sired the second dam of Papal Bull, while his sons ROBELLINO and SILVER HAWK respectively sired the dams of the Derby second Walk In The Park and the Listed winner Athlone.

The Grey Sovereign branch of the Nasrullah line looks promising, with mares by KENMARE and RUSTICARO producing Gr.1 winners to Sadler’s Wells. Montjeu’s second dam has produced a multiple Group winner which is inbred 4x3 to Grey Sovereign’s son ZEDDAAN. Stallions from the Grey Sovereign line are already cropping up frequently among Montjeu’s black-type horses, including KALAMOUN (sire of the second dam of Scorpion), his sons BIKALA and KENMARE and grandson KENDOR (broodmare sire of the Gr.1 winner Corre Caminos).

SAUMAREZ is the broodmare sire of Montjeu’s second Derby winner, Authorized. NASHWAN, another son of BLUSHING GROOM, is the broodmare sire of Montjeu’s first Gr.1 performer, Dash To The Top. Another male line worthy of serious consideration is the one descending from PETINGO, as Montjeu sired the Ribblesdale Stakes winner Mont Etoile from a mare by Petingo’s son TROY.