Cape Blanco to stand at Ashford

It has been announced today that five-time Grade/Group 1 winner Cape Blanco is to stand at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky. The son of Galileo went unbeaten in three starts as a juvenile including the Gr.2 Futurity Stakes, a race also won by North America’s reigning champion sire Giant’s Causeway. Returning as a sophomore, Cape Blanco defeated subsequent European Champion 3-year-old Workforce in the Gr.2 Dante Stakes before adding a pair of Gr.1 successes in the Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes. As a 4-year-old this year Cape Blanco shipped stateside three times resulting in three straight Grade 1 wins. The first two of these - in the Man O’War Stakes and Arlington Million - came at the expense of America’s best turf horse of recent years Gio Ponti. His final victory in the Joe Hirsch was gained despite sustaining a slab fracture of his knee during the race. “Galileo is without doubt the hottest sire in the world right now. He sired two European Champion two-year-old colts from his first three crops and has no less than 10 different Group or Grade 1 winners including five European Classic winners this year alone. We’ve wanted to stand one of his top sons for some time but we thought we should wait for the right one, and in Cape Blanco we’re confident we’ve got him,” said Ashford manager Dermot Ryan A half-bother to dual Grade 2 winner Mr O’Brien, Cape Blanco is out of the very speedy Laurel Delight. His fee for 2012 will be announced at a later date.