Exciting young sires Ribchester and Belardo will return to Haunui Farm in 2022.

Ribchester finished April with his first southern hemisphere stakes performer and was named Europe’s leading second season sire by winners.

Meanwhile Belardo sired his first stakes winner in Australia and finished the 2020/2021 season as New Zealand’s Champion two-year-old and first season sire.  

Avonallo led the way as a stakes winner and Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) placegetter, while Fonsalette and Yeaboi were also stakes performers from his first crop. 

His second crop has produced another Karaka Million 2YO placegetter in Fellini and his progeny have continued to fetch six figures in Australasian sale rings.  

Three-year-old filly Verona became Belardo’s first stakes winner in Australia last month with an impressive performance in the Gr.3 Frank Packer Plate (2000m) and heads toward the Queensland Oaks as a leading contender for the Maher/Eustace stable.

Belardo’s fee will remain at $10,000+GST for 2022.

Four-time Group One winner and two-time champion miler Ribchester has made an exciting start to the new flat racing season in Europe with 15 winners to date – 12 of those coming in April.  

With a stakes winner in America and stakes performers in Europe, Ribchester rose to the top of Europe’s second season sires and holds the number one mantle for the month of April by winners.

Iffraaj’s best son, Ribchester’s first crop has made a promising start in Australia with Plymstock an impressive city winner on debut in January. She backed that up this weekend to become her sires first stakes performer in the southern hemisphere when a gallant third in the Listed Dalrello Stakes (1000m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday, just one-and-a-half lengths from the winner.

Iffraaj’s first Group One winner, Wootton Bassett continues to pave his way among the elite sires in Europe, commanding a €150,000 service fee in 2022 and is a prime example of the legacy Iffraaj is creating in both hemispheres.

Ribchester will stand at an unchanged fee of $15,000+GST in 2022.

“We have two very exciting young sires in Belardo and Ribchester and as always, we are indebted to his highness Sheik Mohammed and the entire Darley team for entrusting us with them,” Haunui Farm’s managing director Mark Chitty said.

“Belardo has the numbers on the ground in Australasia to make his mark and knowing what we know about his four crops so far in that on type, they have been better and better each season, we are looking forward to the new season where he will have three crops of racing age and will have every opportunity to make his mark as a sire.

“Ribchester has made a great start to the new season in Europe and with flat racing just getting underway up there, it’s exciting to think where things could end up for him come season’s end.  

“With limited numbers in his first two crops in Australia, it was exciting to see Plymstock, his first winner in Australia, become his first stakes performer over the weekend.  

“He’s had a number of trials performers in Australia of late so it would be nice to think he can get some more late autumn points on the board which would set him up nicely for the new racing season.”