Stradivarius, a former three-time Gold Cup champion with jockey Frankie Dettori, was once a headline attraction at Royal Ascot. However, he has now transitioned into a new role as a stallion at the National Stud, where he continues to thrive in his second career.
During his racing career, Stradivarius, the son of Sea The Stars, won almost £3.5 million in prize money and secured a European record of 18 Group-level wins. Now, he is under the care of the team at the National Stud, where they oversee his transition from champion racehorse to star stallion.
While standing alongside well-known stallions like Lope Y Fernandez and Rajasinghe, Stradivarius has made himself at home at the National Stud. Head of Bloodstock, Joe Bradley, expressed his delight at the stallion's progress and revealed that Stradivarius is adapting well to his new environment.
Covering 120 mares in his first season and 105 in his second, Stradivarius has shown promise as a breeding stallion. The National Stud is providing incentives to breeders who use him, with bonuses attached to his first and second crop.
With his popularity as a racehorse and now as a stallion, Stradivarius attracts visitors to the National Stud, where he enjoys the attention. Despite his racing successes, it is his tenacity and dedication that remains his finest asset, as exemplified by his maiden win at Newcastle as a two-year-old.
Bradley emphasised that while Stradivarius may not exhibit the same tenacity in the breeding shed, he is a highly intelligent and professional horse who knows his role and fulfils it efficiently. With his impressive racing career behind him, Stradivarius is poised to make a mark in the breeding world, with high hopes for his first crop hitting the track.