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'We're delighted to have her back' - Breege covering among 2025 highlights for Chasemore Farm

Kitty Trice speaks to manager Jack Conroy about the broodmare band at Andrew Black's successful operation

Breege: dual Group winner is new to Chasemore's broodmare band for 2025
Breege: dual Group winner is new to Chasemore's broodmare band for 2025Credit: Edward Whitaker

It looks set to be an exciting 2025 for Chasemore Farm, with manager Jack Conroy describing the team as "our nicest ever crop of mares and covering sires."

A mix of established and young stallions are set to feature in the Surrey stud's mating plans over the next few months, and there is an equally eclectic mix of newly retired race fillies and black type-producing older mares. 

A notable newcomer is Breege, winner of the £500,000 Group 2 City of York Stakes and Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes last year for John and Sean Quinn. 

Conroy says of the daughter of Starspangledbanner: "She's been loving it [retirement] and has been out in the paddocks. It's lovely to have a mare of this quality at the farm; she was one for the big days and we're delighted to have her back. 

"Andrew [Black, owner] has always been pretty keen to send her to No Nay Never, so that's what we're doing. Matrika and Unicorn Lion [both by No Nay Never] are from her family, so it makes sense from plenty of angles. 

"Her full-brother is now out in Hong Kong, so it'll be interesting to see if he can add to the pedigree."

Listed winner Eartha Kitt has been a fine producer for Chasemore and at 11 still has plenty more to give. The dam of Gimcrack Stakes winner Noble Style is in foal to Frankel and will visit one of the rising stars of the sire ranks this season.

Conroy says: "She's due to foal to Frankel at the beginning of February, which we're very excited about, and is going to visit Too Darn Hot. 

"She's got a lovely Kingman filly who we tried to sell at Book 1 last year but couldn't quite get what we wanted. I do think it will be a blessing, because she really strengthened after the sale; she went straight to Malcolm Bastard's and took it all very well. 

"She's now with Roger Varian. I think long term that'll work out well for us.

Jack Conroy: over the moon with Breege's Group 3 success
Jack Conroy: "She's a strong mare and has plenty of Shamardal so that should suit Kingman very nicely"Credit: Laura Green

"The mare's already had a Group 2 winner and I think Too Darn Hot's value at that price [£90,000], he's doing it everywhere."

Eartha Kitt's unraced Frankel daughter Madame Zeroni has made a fine start to her broodmare career with a cracking first foal, a filly by Kingman. 

"She's going back to Kingman, she's already been to him and, without exaggeration, produced the best first foal I've ever seen last year. 

"We've got quite a few fillies from that family, so we'll see how the winter goes with this one. Kingman looks set for another big year with Cosmic Year, Field Of Gold and Celandine from lots of nice horses. 

"We've had plenty of success with Kingman, so we thought why not go back, especially when a foal like that was produced."

Illaunmore is another bound for the Banstead Manor Stud resident. She has produced two winners, including the Group-placed Johannes Brahms.

Conroy says: "Johannes Brahms won last month in Hong Kong, having been sold there from Coolmore. Illaunmore is in foal to St Mark's Basilica and is from the same family as Celandine. She's a strong mare and has plenty of Shamardal, so that should suit Kingman very nicely. 

"Her three-year-old daughter, Tattycoram, made her debut late in the season last year when third at Ascot and she's one of the horses we're most excited about. 

"She's by Camelot and is with Ralph Beckett; if she can achieve half of what Bluestocking did we'd be delighted!"

Night Of Thunder, pictured at Kildangan Stud last year, has had a stellar year
Night Of Thunder: set to receive the well-related Brogan among his 2025 bookCredit: Patrick McCann

As a half-sister to Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lezoo, Brogan also ranks highly among the Chasemore broodmare band. The 11-year-old Pivotal mare is bound for the sensational Night Of Thunder, sire of 2024 Group 1 winners Economics and Desert Flower. 

"She's in foal to Havana Grey, so the result should be nice and fast," says Conroy. "Night Of Thunder is probably going to have a huge year, including a few nice bullets in the 1,000 Guineas. 

"This mare has a lovely two-year-old by Zoustar, so a very close relation to Lezoo, who is in pre-training and will then go to Ralph Beckett. 

"Her four-year-old son Fandom looked smart last year in America, winning a couple of Listed races and placing in a Grade 3, but he then got injured. Hopefully he can bounce back as well."

Group 3 winner Boomer is carrying to Lope De Vega and heads next to Dalham Hall Stud for a covering by Modern Games. 

Conroy says: "Her first foal, Vega's Muse, by Lope De Vega, was the one she rejected but she's now with Jessie Harrington. Sadly, Boomer lost her pregnancy the following year but she then got in foal to New Bay, which she had last January. 

"We'd done things a little differently and she was brilliant with him. He'll probably be one of our standouts for the sales this year all being well.

"We've got a breeding interest in Modern Games and we're keen to support him."

Boomer's Elusive Quality half-sister Flighty Almighty is pencilled in for arguably the standout first-season sire of 2025, unbeaten champion juvenile and Derby hero City Of Troy. 

City Of Troy: brilliant performer features among Chasemore's covering sires
City Of Troy: brilliant performer features among Chasemore's covering siresCredit: Edward Whitaker

"Her first foal made $1 million the other year and is in the States," says Conroy. "She's in foal to Kingman and will then head to City Of Troy.

"This mare can be a bit headstrong, but City Of Troy is a nice, balanced horse with a lovely temperament, so hopefully we can breed that into this mare's progeny."

Another half-sister, this time by the late Le Havre, is Harbour Wall, who will be travelling across the Channel again to one of Europe's elite young sires. 

Conroy says: "She's a beautiful mare who is in foal to Zarak and will go back to him. She's got a Night Of Thunder filly yearling who is very nice, while Andrew has a share in Zarak. 

"This year we've got one to use and next year we'll have two, so it's our long-term plan to send all our Camelot mares to Zarak. We've got a few who will hopefully retire next year, all being well, including Kitteridge, who is out of Formidable Kitt. She'll be high on the list."

Fifteen-year-old Wall Of Sound is a proven producer as the dam of Boomer and Australian Group winner Uncle Bryn from five winners overall. Her date for 2025 is a stallion who has caused quite the stir for Lanwades Stud. 

"She's the mother of them all and is also in foal to Zarak, and will visit Study Of Man after that," reveals Conroy. "He's done brilliantly and it's amazing how these French Derby winners have good reputations for making very good stallions, so hopefully he can continue that."

Matron Stakes winner and Group-producing dam Chachamaidee recently turned 18 and is given a further chance to shine by visiting the record-breaking Mehmas. 

Her progeny roll call is headed by dual Meydan Group 2 scorer Valiant Prince and Group 3 winner Klassique. 

Chachamaidee: "
Chachamaidee: dam of two Group winners to dateCredit: Laura Green

Conroy says: "She unfortunately lost her pregnancy this year so is barren. She'll ship over to Ireland to Mehmas. 

"She's got a Zarak yearling colt who will probably head to the sales this year, while Miss Jingles will also visit Mehmas. She has a Mehmas yearling and we sent her to Blue Point at the end of last season but she didn't get in foal, so she'll be ready for a nice, early cover this time."

Smart Strike mare Real Smart, a Grade 3 winner at Del Mar for Graham Motion and owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen, joined Chasemore Farm in November 2022. 

Conroy says: "We purchased her a couple of years ago and she'll go to Kameko. She's the dam of Sea What I See, a filly in Australia who should go quite well there, and also has a fantastic Camelot filly going into training with Ed Walker. We bought Real Smart in foal with that filly and she's very nice."

Formidable Kitt is the dam of Kitteridge, who is expected to improve significantly from three to four for Hugo Palmer. The Invincible Spirit ten-year-old has plenty of upside regarding her younger progeny and heads over to Kildangan Stud shortly. 

"She's in foal to Study Of Man and we sold her Starspangledbanner colt to the Hong Kong Jockey Club, while she also has Kitteridge to run for her this year," says Conroy. 

"She'll visit Ghaiyyath. He had some very impressive maiden winners with Racing Post Ratings in the high-80s or 90s at the end of last year. This year should be his year more than last year anyway."

'She's a nice mare to pick up'

Some high-profile mares for clients board at Chasemore and one exciting newcomer is War Chimes

The daughter of Summer Front was a Listed winner for David Menuisier and also placed twice in Group company, most notably when third to Ezeliya in last year's Oaks. She is set for a suitably high-quality first covering. 

"She's a new mare whose first date will be with Baaeed, and is a lovely mare to have boarding with us," says Conroy.

War Chimes initiated a Stakes-race double for David Menuisier and Marie Velon at Chantilly on Friday
War Chimes: stakes winner and Oaks third will visit BaaeedCredit: Racing Post / Scott Burton

Another fine performer on the track in the early stages of her paddocks career is Happy Romance

Owned by the McMurray family, she netted just under £750,000 in prize-money, winning two big sales races and the Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes at two, as well as the Hackwood and Chelmer Fillies' Stakes at three. 

The following year she was Group 1-placed when second in the Al Quoz Sprint, and also captured the Lansdown Stakes at five. Her first foal by Blue Point is due in March. 

Conroy says: "She's carrying a colt and will then visit Camelot. The McMurray family are switching things up, so that'll be interesting. She's a very sweet mare and I'm looking forward to seeing what she produces."

Frankel's Storm, meanwhile, is a stakes-placed Frankel sister to triple Group 1 winner Hurricane Lane and half-sister to Group 2-winning stayer and Group 1-placed Sweet William. Already the dam of a winner in Stormy Monday, she will stay closer to home this time. 

"She was in France for most of last year when visiting Zarak and will go to Study Of Man," reports Conroy.


Read this next:

Inspiral set for suitably regal covering as champion mare headlines Cheveley Park Stud mating plans 

The Racing Post Foal Gallery is back - so please fire in your photos! 


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