National Stud signs up Tattersalls Gold Cup hero Lancaster Bomber

Lancaster Bomber, last seen running his rivals off their feet when winning the Tattersalls Gold Cup by two lengths in May, has been retired to the National Stud in Newmarket.

The four-year-old son of War Front will stand at a fee of £8,500 on October 1, special live foal terms, with lifetime breeding rights also available. His stallion career will be managed by the Avenue Bloodstock team of John Ferguson, Mark McStay and Amy Lanigan.

Trained by Aidan O'Brien for Coolmore partners, Lancaster Bomber opened his account at the second time of asking at two and went on to finish second in the Dewhurst and to fill the same position in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf that season.

In a busy three-year-old season that took him around the world, he was a close fourth to Churchill in the 2,000 Guineas, second to Barney Roy in the St James's Palace Stakes and also runner-up in both the Woodbine Mile and Breeders' Cup Mile.

This year at four he finished third to Rhododendron in the Lockinge and put up a fantastic front-running performance to land the Tattersalls Gold Cup from Cliffs Of Moher and Defoe. The victory put his career earnings beyond £1 million.

War Front is the source of 19 Group/Grade 1 winners in total including European celebrities Air Force Blue, Declaration Of War and War Command, as well as Roly Poly and her brother US Navy Flag, who took this season's July Cup and is among the leading contenders for the lucrative Everest in Australia on Saturday.

He is emerging as a useful sire of sires, with Declaration Of War's first crop yielding this season's Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Olmedo and freshman War Command notching 20 two-year-old winners to date.

Lancaster Bomber has pedigree appeal on the distaff side too, as he is a half-brother to crack miler Excelebration – sire of Barney Roy – and the durable Group 3 winner Mull Of Killough, while his dam Sun Shower is by Indian Ridge out of a daughter of Classic winner Sarah Siddons.

Coolmore’s MV Magnier said: “Lancaster Bomber has always been held in very high regard by Aidan and the team at Ballydoyle. We've placed a lot of faith in his sire War Front, and thankfully it is being rewarded.

“We've retained some breeding rights in Lancaster Bomber and feel his retirement to the National Stud in Newmarket affords him an excellent opportunity to make an impact as a stallion.”

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