Keeneland September sale features some rare international sire power

Due to distance, exclusivity of books, or a combination of factors, there are some international stallions that are rare for American owners to tap into, but yearlings from a number of those sires are sprinkled throughout this year’s Keeneland September sale.

Among these stars is Dubawi, who has emerged as one of Europe’s dominant stallions while standing at Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud in England. Dubawi is the sire of 290 stakes winners – 192 of those graded/group winners – and nine champions through Aug. 11.

He is best known in the United States for his recent success in the Breeders’ Cup, siring Eclipse Award champion Modern Games, winner of the 2021 Juvenile Turf and 2022 Mile; Eclipse champion Yibir, winner of the 2021 Turf; 2017 Filly and Mare Turf winner Wuheida; 2021 Mile winner Space Blues; 2022 Turf winner Rebel’s Romance; and 2023 Mile winner Master of The Seas.

While the bulk of his success is, understandably, on turf, Dubawi, himself a Group 1 winner, has made the most of his limited opportunities with dirt stakes winners. The stallion is from the only crop of Dubai World Cup winner Dubai Millennium, who in turn is by the American sire Seeking the Gold.

“You can find a dirt horse in a European pedigree as well,” Middle Eastern-based trainer Bhupat Seemar recently said while attending the Fasig-Tipton yearling sales in New York. “In my opinion, I think Dubawi is a very, very good dirt sire, and [his progeny don’t] get the chance to run on the dirt very often.”

Dubawi’s son Mubtaahij spent the vast majority of his career on dirt, winning the Group 2 U.A.E. Derby at 3 and winning the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes as an older horse. He finished on the board in eight other graded/group stakes on dirt, earning more than $5.7 million. More recently, Salesman is an emerging dirt marathon specialist for Dubawi, winning the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance last fall and running third in the Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap in July at Del Mar.

Dubawi is represented by a filly selected into Book 1 of the Keeneland September sale, as Hip No. 43. The Kentucky-born filly is the first foal out of French Group 1 winner Fancy Blue, whose own sire, Japanese titan Deep Impact, is another hard-to-obtain bloodline in the United States. Breeders’ Cup Turf winner and Eclipse champion High Chaparral appears on the catalog page.

Seemar said that Dubawi’s yearlings often do not physically impress at the sales – “They kind of throw you off,” he said – but that the stallion’s results speak for themselves, meaning young horses can be forgiven for any imperfections.

“Dubawi has proven himself, anywhere, to be a great sire,” Seemar said.

Dubawi is represented by 15 sons at stud worldwide, with only two of those in the United States – Demarchelier at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky and Galawi at Northview Stallion Station in Maryland. Demarchelier is represented at Keeneland September, along with another son, Night of Thunder, who stands at Darley’s Kildangan Stud in Ireland.

In a relatively rare appearance by a Japanese stallion, Lord Kanaloa is represented at Keeneland September. The Japanese industry was insular until recent years, but its work with U.S. bloodstock to build its program is seen in the pedigree of Lord Kanaloa, a Japanese Horse of the Year. His paternal grandsire is Kingmambo, and he is out of a Storm Cat mare.

Lord Kanaloa is the sire of 53 stakes winners worldwide for Shadai Stallion Station, including two-time Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye, Japanese champion Saturnalia, and Saudi Cup winner Panthalassa.

Lord Kanaloa has a Kentucky-bred colt in Book 1 of Keeneland September, as Hip No. 120. He is the first foal out of the Galileo mare Madonna. Champion Maybe and Group 1 winners Continuous, Dancing Rain, and Saxon Warrior appear on the catalog page.

Other international sires represented at Keeneland September who have never stood in the United States – thus discounting reverse shuttle stallions or recent exports out of the country – are Blue Point (Darley Ireland), Invincible Spirit (Irish National Stud), Kingman (Juddmonte), No Nay Never (Coolmore), Sea the Moon (Lanwades Stud), Siyouni (Haras De Bonneval), Starspangledbanner (Coolmore), Ten Sovereigns (Coolmore), and Wootton Bassett (Coolmore).