Green Desert, Group 1 winner and influential sire, pensioned

The influential British sire Green Desert, a Group 1-winning son of Danzig who sired a dozen Group 1 winners and several leading sires, has ended his stud career at Nunnery Stud in England.

Green Desert is 28 and did not get any of the mares in his 2011 book in foal, Racing Post has reported.

Eaton Farms and Red Bull Stable bred Green Desert and sold him to the late Sheikh Maktoum al-Maktoum for $650,000 as a yearling. The bay colt went on to win the Group 1 July Cup in 1986 and was runner-up in that season’s English 2000 Guineas in a two-season racing career that also saw him win four other stakes, three of them group races, and place in five, including the Group 1 William Hill Sprint Championship. Racing in 1985 and 1986, he earned $303,986 from a record of 5 wins, 4 seconds, and and 1 third in 11 career starts.

Green Desert retired to stud under the auspices of Shadwell Stud, owned by Sheikh Maktoum’s brother Sheikh Hamdan. Racing felt his influence immediately with his first-crop son Sheikh Albadou, the English and French champion who shocked the 1991 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at odds of 26-1.

Green Desert’s 12 Group 1 winners to date also include champions Oasis Dream, Tamarisk, Bint Allayl, and Desert Prince, among others, and he also sired European champion hurdler Collier Bay and Hong Kong champion Desert Boy. His sons Oasis Dream, Cap Cross, and Invincible Spirit currently are successful sires in their own right.