Following the 2022 death of Galileo, there is room at the top of the stallion ranks. With the final Classic crop of the legendary sire hitting the track in 2025, the question is who will step into his considerable shoes?
Will Godolphin flagbearer Dubawi benefit from the absence of his perennial rival? Or will the greatest racehorse of all time, Frankel, take up the mantle? Both have solid claims, but their place towards the stallion summit may come under threat from one of the most rapidly emerging sires in the sport.
Wootton Bassett: A Star on the Rise
Based with Richard Fahey in Yorkshire during his racing career, Wootton Bassett’s finest hour came when storming home to land the 2010 edition of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. Having failed to rediscover that form as a three-year-old, the son of Iffraaj was promptly packed off to stud at the end of his Classic campaign.
Wootton Bassett’s Racing Record
| Age | Races | Wins | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5 | 5 | £524,445 |
| 3 | 4 | 0 | £17,259 |
With a solid, if unspectacular, pedigree and only a solitary Group 1 win, Wootton Bassett looked like an unlikely contender to rocket through the stallion ranks; an opening stud fee of €6,000 was a reasonable guide to expectations. With his initial progeny failing to pull up many trees, that fee dipped to €4,000 in 2019. And then everything began to change.
The 2016 Prix du Jockey Club, Champion Stakes, and Irish Champion Stakes hero Almanzor was the first to take Wootton Bassett to the big time. With Audarya and Wooded adding top-level success in 2020, Coolmore splashed the cash to purchase the stallion from the Haras d’Etreham Stud in France.
Having shown such promise, what could Wootton Bassett achieve with the vast squadron of Ballydoyle broodmares at his disposal? Quite a lot, as it happens, with his first crop of two-year-olds registering a record-setting ten Group race wins in 2024. No surprise then, that the stud fee has now risen to 50x that initial 2012 level.
Will 2025 be the Best Year Yet?
That golden crop moved into their Classic campaign in 2025, and it’s fair to say things have begun well, with Henri Matisse and Camille Pissarro finishing first and third in the French 2,000 Guineas.
With Twain and Whirl prominent in the market for the Epsom Derby and Oaks, there may be further Classic success to come in 2025. Irrespective of how that duo get on, Wootton Bassett looks set to have strong claims of adding to his two wins at the biggest flat meeting of the year. Successful with River Tiber (2023 Coventry Stakes) and King Of Steel (2023 King Edward VII Stakes), the following trio have eye-catching claims of adding to his Royal Ascot tally.
Henri Matisse – St James’s Palace Stakes
Responsible for a dozen entries, Wootton Bassett has a strong hand in the big 1m event for the three-year-old colts. Having topped the 2,000 Guineas market for so long, the unbeaten Twain merits the utmost respect, whilst French 2,000 Guineas third and sixth, Camille Pissarro and Detain, also boast solid claims.
However, if the sire is to bag a first Royal Ascot Group 1 in this contest, the market suggests French 2,000 Guineas champ Henri Matisse is the most likely to prevail. Showing a devastating burst of acceleration to claim that Longchamp event, he lies behind only unlucky 2,000 Guineas runner-up Field Of Gold in the betting, at a general 5/1.
Albert Einstein – Coventry Stakes
The Ballydoyle dogs had barked the name of Albert Einstein ahead of his recent debut at Naas. Early indications suggest rumours of this colt being well above average may be accurate. Towering over many of his rivals in that 6f Maiden affair, he found plenty when asked to cut down the leader in the straight and score by an easy length and a quarter. That rated a fine effort on debut for a horse who is now 9/4 to follow in the hoofprints of his half-brother River Tiber.
Simply Astounding – Albany Stakes
By Wootton Bassett and out of the magnificent seven-time Group 1 winning Galileo mare, Minding, it is easy to see where the name of this two-year-old filly comes from. Of course, pedigree promise is one thing, and performing at the track is another. Happily, this beautiful bay wasted little time delivering on that potential with a cosy success at Naas on debut. If, like many runners from this yard, she improves for that initial outing, she may be tough to stop in the Albany Stakes for which she is a general 10/1 second favourite.
The above trio are but three of 26 Wootton Bassett entries ahead of Royal Ascot 2025. Should he build on his burgeoning reputation on the biggest stage of all, that €300,000 stud fee may see a further increase in 2026.
