Wootton Bassett Sale Welcome News

 
Wootton Bassett Sale Welcome News14 Aug 2020

The arrival of Almanzor at Cambridge Stud on Friday in preparation for his third Southern Hemisphere breeding season coincided with a major announcement from Coolmore Stud overnight. Coolmore announced that they have purchased Almanzor’s sire Wootton Bassett from Haras d’Etreham and he will take up residence at the international powerhouse’s Irish base.

The announcement of Wootton Bassett’s sale and departure for Coolmore vindicates the decision made by Cambridge Stud in 2018 to purchase the Southern Hemisphere rights to his best son, the European Champion three-year-old of 2016, Almanzor. At the time, Wootton Bassett stood in France for a fee of €20,000 off the back of Almanzor’s record and was embarking on his fourth racing season with a relatively small crop of three-year-olds. However, he continued to produce Group 1 performers and stakes winners over the next two years, from relatively small crops, and his fee in 2020 had risen to €40,000.

“Wootton Bassett’s sale to Coolmore reflects the esteem in which he is held in Europe and we are delighted to be standing his best son Almanzor at Cambridge,” said Cambridge Stud CEO Henry Plumptre. “Our thanks go to those shareholders who supported us in what was, at the time, a leap of faith for Cambridge Stud under its new ownership and the New Zealand industry. Almanzor has covered two full books of mares in his first two years at stud in New Zealand and will cover a full book again in 2020. His first crop of foals in both hemispheres are outstanding.”

In the current shortened season Wootton Bassett has already been represented by eight Stakes winners and with unquestionably his biggest and best crops to come his upward trajectory prompted Coolmore to secure him.

“From his initial small crops in France, Wootton Bassett has achieved outstanding results,” said Coolmore’s David O’Loughlin. “His first crop of just 23 foals included Classic winner and European Champion 3YO Almanzor, he’s had two other colts finish second in the Prix du Jockey Club and two fillies finish second, beaten only a nose, and third in this year’s French Guineas – and this all from €6,000 nominations or less. He strikes us as a real Classic stallion, he gets a very good type and is a total outcross with his pedigree free of the major European forces like Sadler’s Wells, Galileo, Montjeu, Danehill, Green Desert, Invincible Spirit, Danehill Dancer and Dubawi. We are thrilled that he is coming to Coolmore and are very excited about what he might achieve when paired with our Galileo mares.”

Haras d’Etreham’s Nicolas de Chambure also praised Wootton Bassett’s achievements to date and acknowledged what he has meant to the stud.

“It has been an amazing journey, a real pleasure and a great pride for everybody at Etreham to be involved in Wootton Bassett’s stud career as he established himself as the most exciting up-and-coming sire in Europe,” said de Chambure. “With his best-bred crops yet to run I have no doubt that he has a brilliant future ahead of him and the quality of the broodmare band at Coolmore will give him a wonderful opportunity to continue his upward trajectory. It is of course with a touch of sadness that myself and the team at Etreham will see him leave the farm however, we are looking forward to the first yearlings this year by his best son Almanzor and to retire the dual Gr.1 winner Hello Youmzain in 2021.”