VERGLAS, A SAD LOSS

The loss of Verglas (Highest Honor), due to an accident in his stable on Tuesday, is a mass blow not only to the Irish National Stud but also to the Grey Sovereign sire line. Verglas had succeeded his sire, Highest Honor, on his death in 2008 as the standard bearer of this declining Grey Sovereign branch of the Nasrullah sire line. The influence of this Grey Sovereign sire-line in Classic pedigrees can have no greater example as it was a dam-sire in both the French Guineas winners on Sunday at Longchamp. John Berry has written another excellent column on the Grey Sovereign line and it influences on the Thoroughbredinternet website.

Verglas was bred by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Management in 1994 and was sold at auction at the Goff’s Orby Sales the following year to his future trainer Kevin Prendergast on behalf of his owner, Tony O’Reilly’s wife, Chryss. The striking grey proved to be a smart two-year-old, winning twice from five starts including the Coventry Stakes (Gr 3) at Royal Ascot and third in the Phoenix Stakes (Gr 3) at Leopardstown. He ended the season a joint fourth rated two-year-old in Ireland with an official rating of 111. His Classic year proved to be a little disappointing, achieving his best performance when runner-up Irish 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1) at the Curragh behind Desert King. Although tried over the Irish Derby trip, he clearly did not stay and was transferred to the US. His campaign across the pond proved fruitless apart from a sole win in an allowance race on 26 December, 1997. However, his Timeform Rating of 118, gained with his second in the Irish Guineas (Gr 1), was enough to secure him a place at stud.

Verglas, who was also an attractive colt, also had an entire pedigree. His Indian Ridge half-sister, the King’s Stand Stakes (Gr 2) winner, Cassandra Go, has produced two stakes winners with Halfway To Heaven (Pivotal) winning three Group 1’s, via the Irish 1,000 Guineas, Nassau Stakes and the Sun Chariot Stakes. The second stakes winner is, Theann (Rock Of Gibraltar) winner of the Summer Stakes (Gr 3) at York in 2007. The family traces back to Kentucky Oaks winner, Native Street, which is the family of Five Of The Groom (Gr 1), Royal And Regal (Gr 1) and Champion three-year-old sprinter in Europe in 1999, Stravinsky.

Verglas was retired to Haras de la Haie Neuve with a stud fee of FF15,000 for the 2000 breeding season. France was an obvious place for Verglas to commence his stud career; his sire, Highest Honor, was a leading sire in France and had also won the Prix d'Ispahan (Gr 1). Highest Honor’s success was a further boost to the Grey Sovereign (Nasrullah) line, which is also so closely associated with France. Grey Sovereign was French Champion two-year-old sire of 1967 and many of his descendants have thrived in France, including the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Gr 1) winners Zeddaan (1968), Caro (1970) and Kalamoun (1973). Other notable winners from this line include Prix Jacques le Marois (Gr 1) winner, Kenmare, and Prix de l'Abbaye winner, Fortino II, as well as many of Highest Honor’s sons.Despite a very limited book, Verglas’s offspring were starting to fire by 2003 and he became leading first season sire in France thanks to eight winners. The following year, Verglas sired his first two stakes winners with four-time US stakes winner, including the Del Mar Derby (Gr 2), Blackdoun and Listed winner, Ozone Bere. These successes lead to the Irish National Stud putting in a bid to move him to their County Kildare Stud for the 2005 breeding season.

Since 2005, Verglas went from strength-to-strength; standing at a high €15,000 during the 2007/08 season, to sire a total of 24 stakes winners. Stormy River became his first Group 1 winner having won the Prix Jean Prat in 2006, as well as being placed in the St James's Palace Stakes (Gr 1), St James's Palace Stakes (Gr 1) and Poule d'Essai des Poulains (Gr 1). Further Group 1 success followed with the dual Gp 3 winning juvenile, Silver Frost, giving his sire his first Classic victory when winning the 2009 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (Gr 1). Other Graded stakes winners included the 2009 Royal Ascot Listed and 2010 Gordon Richard Stakes (Gr 3) winner, Glass Harmonium, as well as Gr3 winners Love Lockdown, Wilside and Tropical Paradise.

Although Verglas did not return to Australian after the 2004 shuttle season, he has had a few successes there too, with Group Three-winner Spirited One in the WA Champion Fillies Stakes and two Listed winners with Verossi and Sheenasaidgrey. Glass Harmonium, who was purchased privately to race in Australia, with all being well, will add to his sire’s record if he can over turn the form with (My) Kingdom Of Fife (Kingmambo) in Doomben Cup (Gr 1) on Saturday.

It was not surprising that Verglas produced speedy winners as not only was he a smart juvenile but the Grey Sovereign and his descendants have been horses with speed. Another similarity Verglas had with his sire-line is that he continued to be a strong out-cross for the Northern Dancer line having produced 11 stakes winners on the cross. Verglas also enjoyed success when crossing with mares that held another strain on the Nasrullah line, the Never Bend strain, in their pedigree. Stakes winners bred on this cross included Story River (Gr 1), Glass Harmonium (Gr 3) and Snow Watch (L).

With Verglas having covered between 120 to 150 mares in the last three seasons there is sure to be plenty of opportunities for his (and his sire-line) legacy to be carried on. CWC