'He arrived on Thursday and he’s an absolute beauty' - Manatee on the move

Manatee, a well-bred dual Group 2 winner, has been purchased to stand at Ronnie O’Neill’s Whytemount Stud in County Kilkenny in a deal brokered by bloodstock agent Richard Venn.

The ten-year-old son of Monsun had stood at Haras de Hoguenet in Normandy since 2017, and his first crop of three-year-olds has already yielded the French jumps winners Imagine Allen and Ronchette.

Manatee was bred by Darley and is by outstanding stamina influence Monsun out of the Group 3-winning Galileo mare Galatee, making him a half-brother to Hardwicke Stakes and Yorkshire Cup winner Dartmouth.

He was trained by Andre Fabre to win four races including the Prix du Conseil de Paris and Grand Prix de Chantilly, and to run fourth – beaten less than two lengths – in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud at the highest level.

“I’m delighted to have got the opportunity to buy him,” said O’Neill. “He arrived on Thursday and he’s an absolute beauty – a big horse with a rich, dark coat and a lot of presence about him. That’s what Irish National Hunt breeders want, and he fits the bill.

“He’s by the right sire, too. Monsun is going to have a huge influence on jumps breeding and there are fewer and fewer of his sons coming through.”

The acquisition of Manatee caps a big year for Whytemount Stud, which saw its late rags-to-riches resident Stowaway crowned champion National Hunt sire for the first time and its current flagbearer Affinisea confirmed the busiest sire in Britain and Ireland with 324 mares covered.

“It’s been an amazing year,” said O’Neill. “We went on a wonderful journey with Stowaway, from covering a few of our own mares in the early years to beating all the big boys to become the leading sire.

“Affinisea has been a great story too, and we’re delighted to see him become so popular. He’s getting beautiful stock and he really stamps them – you’d be able to pick which are his in the field, particularly as they have the same beautiful head. Word of mouth has just spread.”

Manatee and Affinisea will stand at Whytemount Stud alongside Feel Like Dancing and Valirann next year, with fees to be confirmed at a later date.

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