Who’s got the right stuff from the new kids on the block? Martin Stevens takes a look at the first-crop yearling sires including Baaeed and Stradivarius

Here is further proof of continued shrinkage in the British and Irish breeding industry: a measly total of 12 Flat sires based in either country who have first-crop yearlings set to sell in the coming months.

As recently as five years ago there were 22, and they were spread around a significantly wider range of studs.

Some might think the reduction in numbers is no bad thing, as too many ‘poor-quality’ horses have been given stallion roles in the past. But that would be wide of the mark.