Industry insiders select their pick for freshman sire honours

With a new turf season on the Flat underway in Britain on Saturday, RaceBets have kindly donated seven £50 charity bets for its leading first-season sire market.

Triple Classic winner Camelot is 9-4 favourite to have the most individual winners in Great Britain and Ireland before the end of the turf campaign on November 11.

We asked seven industry professionals to name their fancies for championship honours and you can read about their picks below.

Karl Burke, trainer

Selections: Society Rock (7-1) and Havana Gold (14-1)
Charity: Macmillan Cancer Support

Society Rock is my pick as I have four of them and they're horses I like. I think he's going to be a big loss as they look very sharp. I've got two Havana Golds as well, and I like them too. That's the only reason I've picked them and I'll split the stake.

Alastair Donald, bloodstock agent
Selection: Epaulette (10-1)
Charity: Injured Jockeys Fund

We bought two Epaulettes and they look like they're going to make two-year-olds. Soumei is with Ed Walker and Floreat Floreat is with Tom Dascombe. They’ll make mid-season horses but they were both well-balanced and athletic. They look like hard-knocking racehorses who will win races. Camelot and Declaration Of War should make quality stallions, but in terms of number of winners they could come good more towards the latter end of the year. They may win on prize-money, but in terms of winners I’d be favouring Epaulette.

Tom Goff, Blandford Bloodstock
Selection: Society Rock (7-1)
Charity: Injured Jockeys Fund

I think the progeny of Camelot were outstanding at the sales last year and he does, I'm sure, have a great chance of being a very good stallion in time. But I'm going to go for Society Rock. He has plenty of two-year-olds to run for him; they looked very sharp and the vibe I get from quite a few trainers is strong.

Richard Hannon jnr, trainer
Selections: Dawn Approach (10-3) and Havana Gold (14-1)
Charity: Prior's Court School for Autism

I've got a fabulous horse by Dawn Approach called Nahham, who belongs to Al Shaqab and looks a really nice type, while Havana Gold is a horse we always loved here and we've got a couple of nice two-year-olds by him. His horses appear to be just like him, and I've a lovely filly of his, called Ghepardo, who's very sharp.

Jamie Lloyd, bloodstock agent
Selection: Camelot (9-4)
Charity: Macmillan Cancer Support

I've been really impressed when seeing Camelot's stock, both at the sales and through running the pre-training business we have here at the farm. We've had quite a few through here and they've just been exceptionally athletic, even at this early stage. It’s hard to think he won’t have early runners as well: even though he’s not bred to do so, his stock just seem so athletic. His progeny have impressed me the most of any sires we've had.

Oliver St Lawrence, bloodstock agent
Selection: Society Rock (7-1)
Charity: Racing Welfare

Given the bet is settled on individual winners, I'm going for Society Rock. He has a good number of two-year-olds to run for him and won twice himself as a juvenile. I think his progeny were more forward looking than many of his competitors' offspring.

Dwayne Woods, Brook Stud
Selection: Epaulette (10-1)
Charity: Injured Jockeys Fund

I feel he's going to get two-year-olds and I liked his yearlings. He's got a fair chance I would think. Camelot covered a lot of Classic-winning mares and the moment they go seven furlongs and beyond they are going to come into their own, but that’s well past halfway through the season. I would rather one that is round about the five- or six-furlong mark.