Cracksman to Stand at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud in 2019
After months of speculation, Darley revealed that Cracksman, the highest-rated horse in Europe, will take up stallion duties at the operation's Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket, where he will be introduced to breeders at a fee of £25,000 (US$32,400).
The four-time group 1-winning son of Frankel twice achieved a Racing Post Rating of 131 for his back-to-back wins in the QIPCO Champion Stakes G1, events he won by an aggregate of 13 lengths.
An impressive winner of a Newmarket maiden on his only start at 2, the John Gosden-trained Cracksman went on to place third in the Investec Derby G1 and the Irish equivalent, beaten a length by Wings of Eagles at Epsom and just a neck by Capri at the Curragh.
But he would not suffer defeat again at 3, as he ran away with the Betway Great G2 Voltigeur Stakes and Qatar Prix Niel before storming to the first of his joint career-best performances with a seven-length demolition of Poet's Word in the Champion Stakes, where he had Highland Reel and Recoletos among others in behind.
Despite a barrage of undue criticism following his runner-up effort in the 2018 Prince of Wales's Stakes G1, Cracksman recorded three further group 1 successes at 4.
He landed the Prix Ganay-Prix de l'Inauguration de Parislongchamp and G1 Investec Coronation Cup before he bounced back to his very best to bring the curtain down on a glittering racing career with a second wide-margin win in the Champion Stakes, in which he accounted for Crystal Ocean by six lengths.
Owned and bred by Anthony Oppenheimer's Hascombe and Valiant Studs, Cracksman is not only by one of the most promising young stallions in the world, but is out of Rhadegunda, a daughter of the increasingly important Pivotal.
Cracksman is one of five top-flight winners sired by Frankel from just three crops of racing age. The unbeaten dual world champion has also supplied elite Japanese winners Mozu Ascot and Soul Stirring, as well as St James's Palace Stakes G1 hero Without Parole and G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran scorer Call The Wind.
Cracksman will be joined at Darley's Newmarket base by dual G1 winner Hawkbill. The son of Kitten's Joy , who won the Coral-Eclipse G1 and the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, hails from the family of Cozzene and will be available at a fee of £7,500 ($9,700).
Cracksman and Hawkbill are not the only additions to Darley's European roster, with Harry Angel, who will stand for £20,000 ($25,900), also due to join the Dalham Hall ranks, while Kildangan Stud will welcome , priced at €8,000 ($9,100), and Haras du Logis will stand Cloth of Stars at a fee of €7,500 ($8,500).
Credit: Ritesh Jamkhedkar ritesh.jamkhedkar@secretariatsworld.com