HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR was the success story among stallions claiming championships in the various categories for the French racing year of 2012. The last of 85 Danehill foals to win a Group I race was the appropriate champion as leading sire of two-year-olds, since he won his last race at the highest level in the Prix Jean Luc-Lagardere (1400m) at Longchamp.
Holy Roman Emperor is a Dynamic Sire
Holy Roman Emperor ran only seven times and he only raced as a two-year-old, winning four races with the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes in Ireland and the Lagardere earning him top spot on the European juvenile scene for 2006.
He most likely would have won more group races but he had an unusual and important task put to him when Coolmore Stud, which bred and owned him, pulled him out of training early in 2007 to take up residence. The move was instigated to help fill a hole in the Coolmore stallion roster as a result of the then first season stallion George Washington, Europe’s top-rated three-year-old colt of 2006 and also a son of Danehill, was found to be sub-fertile just weeks into his first stud season.
With now three racing crops to 2012, Holy Roman Emperor took on the more seasoned Green Desert horse Invincible Spirit in a heavy duel for honours as leading sire of two-year-olds in Europe.
He went down fighting, finishing runner-up by a financial margin of just $7,400 having 33 individual winners of 44 races while Invincible Spirit had 36 individual winners with 48 races.
In France, five of Holy Roman Emperor’s juveniles won 8 races to give him his first Champion Sire title whilst his Coolmore Stud shuttle colleague Choisir finished close behind in fifth position.
Holy Roman Emperor came to Coolmore Stud’s Australian base in the Hunter Valley on four occasions and copped a hard start to his first season in 2007 when we were suffering the Equine Influenza crisis. He had two solid books his first two seasons, then the financial crisis in his third year which saw a drop in Service Fee and numbers and then again in his fourth and final season.
Whilst 2012 was his best year to date and hopefully, a sign of better things to come, Holy Roman Emperor now stands at Coolmore Stud Ireland in 2013 for a Service Fee of 20,000 euro.
Holy Roman Emperor’s highlights came with Homemaker Queen’s win in the Gr1 English 1000 Guineas and Morandi romping through heavy ground to win the Gr1 Grand Criterium. Whilst Roll Out The Carpet won the Gr1 NZ 1000 Guineas in November.
Dynamic Syndications were well aware of the results happening in Europe for Holy Roman Emperor and that he would be duly crowned Champion Two-Year-Old Sire in France for the 2012 year. We were also acutely aware that the pedigree of Holy Roman Emperor is one of the most valuable in the thoroughbred world and one that is constantly evolving, being bred up to the best stallions around the world. As such, opportunities to buy females from the pedigree are rare.
This was evidenced when Holy Roman Emperor’s “Full Sister” MILANOVA set an Australasian Record Price for a broodmare when she sold in 2008 for $5 million.
Milanova during her racing career
Just a few weeks earlier at Easter 2008,Gai Waterhouse had paid an Australasian Record Price for a yearling when she knocked down the Rock Of Gibraltar / L’on Vite colt, being the ¾ brother to Milanova and Holy Roman Emperor for $3 million.
In between the yearling and the mare, the More Than Ready / Milanova weanling sold for the top price of $625,000 subsequently named Pretty Flamingo, highlighting the strength of demand for females of the family. Pretty Flamingo was purchased by Coolmore Stud and considered “too valuable” to race as it was in their opinion, the risk of injury was financially not worth loosing her as a broodmare prospect.
It subsequently followed that Milanova was also considered “too valuable” to remain in Australia and was sent to Ireland where she has produced a yearling, weanling and is back in foal again – all to Champion Sire of Europe GALILEO.
At the Magic Millions in 2013 Dynamic Syndications purchased lot 147 a strong and correct filly by Multiple Times Champion Sire Encosta De Lago from Pretty Flamingo.
Our own Encosta De Lago - Pretty Flamingo filly
Therefore that makes our filly the daughter of Pretty Flamingo, the $625,000 weanling, and next, our filly is the Grand-daughter of Milanova the $5 million broodmare and Milanova is the Full Sister to Holy Roman Emperor. Milanova is a half sister to the $3 million Record Price Yearling Mount Olympus.
Milanova is a Grand-daughter of FRANFRELUCHE the Champion 3yo in Canada and Horse of the Year.