FIRST ARRIVALS; LANDMARK MOMENTS

Please click the Stronghold Foal above to view photo gallery

We wrote a fortnight ago about the expectations that accompany the arrival of a new stallion on the farm. The consequences can be far-reaching and profound, but at the same time, they can be long-lasting and destructive. We know that most stallion prospects fail in their second careers, and the fact that only a select few succeed, is one of the principal reasons behind the nobility of the thoroughbred as a species.

The next stage of the acid test, of course, comes with the arrival of the first progeny of a new stallion, and this weekend was a double celebration for us. Last season we introduced two of the best young prospects to set foot at Summerhill, Mullins Bay and Stronghold, and we were greeted with the arrival on Sunday of a filly foal from each, and then shortly after that, with a second filly out of a Group-winning mare for Stronghold.

All three foals are exactly what you might’ve dreamed of in your expectations from these two stallions. Big, scopey and strong, the Mullins Bay is almost a picture replica of its sire, while the Strongholds are both chips off the old Danehill block. If this is what we can look forward to in the future, well then….. boom!