'There's good reason to believe his best days are still ahead of him'

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Here he takes a closer look at Coolagown Stud recruit Malinas - subscribers can get more great insight from Martin every Monday to Friday.

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Coolagown Stud owner David Stack is a firm friend, so it's hard for me to be objective about the stallions he stands. But I really do think he’s on to something good with his latest recruit Malinas, and to fend off any accusations of bias I’ll explain why using cold, hard facts.

Malinas, who will stand at the County Cork operation in a joint-venture with Rathbarry Stud from next year, was bred by Gestut Fahrhof by sending champion German three-year-old filly Majoritat, a close relation to the mighty Monsun, to multiple Group 1 hero Lomitas.

The imposing dark bay was bred to be more than useful, then, and he maintained family honour by winning the Oppenheim-Union-Rennen, a leading trial for the Deutsches Derby, before finding only the future superstar Shirocco too good in the big race at Hamburg itself.

He notched another three Group 1 placings, twice in the Rheinland-Pokal and once in the Gran Premio del Jockey Club, before retiring to stand at Haras de Hetraie in Normandy.

Malinas’s first crop of 57 foals, born in 2007, yielded three black-type scorers, all in Britain or Ireland – Black Thunder, Medinas and Touch The Eden. There were another 20 winners in that generation besides.

His next crop of 48 foals has delivered 16 winners, including another three at black-type level – Easter Day and Union Dues, high-class performers for Paul Nicholls and Willie Mullins respectively, and Le Bel Anjou, who was a prolific presence in the winner’s enclosure at home in France.

Malinas’s 37 progeny born in 2009 included 12 winners, two of them (Mater Matuta and Vic Royal) successful in black-type races in France, and his crop of 28 foaled in 2010 contained another dozen winners, and a fabulous four who struck in black-type contests – Accentus, Mali Borgia and Malineglaces in France and Harry Fry’s useful chaser American in Britain.

Next came Malinas’s final two French-conceived crops, which were also his smallest. His 27 offspring born in 2011 include nine winners, none at black-type level but with the lightly raced Baltazar D’Allier having run second in the Challow Novices’ Hurdle for Gordon Elliott, and there are seven winners among his 22 foals of 2012 headed by Chinco Star, a Listed chase scorer in France.

Malinas was sold and moved to Yorton Farm in 2012, where he spent four seasons. Not all French sires click with British and Irish mares after their import from across the English Channel, but it’s safe to say he has.

His first British-conceived crop of 53 foals born in 2013 contains 16 winners to date, including three black-type winners – and pretty decent ones at that. Harambe took the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle in 2019, Mighty Thunder landed the Scottish Grand National this year and Mister Malarky has scored in the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase and Betway Handicap Chase among many laudable efforts.

By that year the secret was out about Malinas, thanks to those early stars Black Thunder, Medinas and Union Dues, and he covered a bigger book to produce 94 offspring in 2014. There are already 25 winners among them, including the black type-placed Malinas Jack, Malystic and Tile Tapper.

His third British-conceived crop of 51 six-year-olds is responsible for 11 winners, including Tom Symonds’ Listed-winning and Grade 2-placed hurdler Llandinabo Lad and Jack Barber’s recent Huntingdon Listed bumper fourth Flying Sara. There are another 13 placed performers among that generation who could be converted to winners in the months ahead.

The final Yorton Farm crop of 38 five-year-olds contains six winners and two place-getters so far, and they are headed by the Neil King-trained Malina Jamila, who won the Huntingdon contest in which Flying Sara finished fourth.

Malinas enjoyed a second wave of popularity among breeders in 2016, as success snowballed on the track and he was relocated across the Irish Sea to Glenview Stud. His first crop conceived in County Cork comprises 68 four-year-olds and although only a handful have run, the omens are good.

Dark Raven remained unbeaten in two starts for Willie Mullins with an 11-length victory in the competitive Tattersalls Ireland George Mernagh Memorial Sales Bumper at Fairyhouse in April, while Viva Devito was sent out by the same trainer to win a Tramore bumper by an imperious 16 lengths last Thursday.

Malina Girl, of the same vintage, took a Wexford bumper and Bellewstown maiden hurdle in good fashion for Gavin Cromwell over the summer.

Malinas has been rewarded for his fine strike-rates and knack for regularly getting a ‘Saturday horse’ with solid results for his stock at the sales. This year his three-year-old store average came in at 18,741gns, and the lots were bought by the likes of Gordon Elliott, Highflyer, Donald McCain, Monbeg, Harley Dunne, Ballyboy and Milestone Stables, as well as Mighty Thunder’s trainer Lucinda Russell, who went back in for three.

With such encouraging early signs from his five-year-old and four-year-old crops, it would be no surprise to see him eventually become the subject of a third wave of popularity and for prices paid for his progeny to shoot up at future sales.

So there you have it: that’s my independent-as-I-can-be appraisal of Malinas. There was a really admirable strength in depth to his early crops, and there's good reason to believe his best days are still ahead of him.

Come to think of it, I don’t know why I should worry about being accused of having my opinion bought by the master of Coolagown Stud. Whenever he gets to the bar he says he’s forgotten his wallet anyway.

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Good Morning Bloodstock is our latest email newsletter. Martin Stevens, a doyen among bloodstock journalists, provides his take and insight on the biggest stories every morning from Monday to Friday