Golden Horn settles in well to stallion duties at Dalham Hall Stud

Only time will tell whether Golden Horn can match his considerable racecourse achievements as a stallion, but the early signs could not be more positive.

Almost a year on from his magnificent display in winning the Investec Derby, the beautiful son of Cape Cross is enjoying his second career only a couple of miles from his former home at Clarehaven Stables - and yet it seems like a different world.

While on the doorstep of the hive of equine activity that is Newmarket, Dalham Hall Stud sets an idyllic scene of tranquillity, providing its residents with the perfect retirement home as they wind down from their high-octane racing days.

From the moment you drive through the gates of what is a breathtaking establishment, it is clear no expense has been spared by Godolphin and Darley supremo Sheikh Mohammed.

And that becomes even more apparent once guided to the stallion yard.

With the Suffolk sunshine beating down, there Golden Horn stands proudly peering over the door of his immaculately kept box, as a lucky few members of the racing press and media queue up for a glance or a photograph.

Golden Horn will rightly go down as one of the finest middle-distance performers of recent times, having followed up his Epsom heroics with major victories in the Coral-Eclipse and the Irish Champion Stakes before going out in a blaze of glory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

He is clearly an exciting prospect at stud and Dalham Hall's director of stallions, Sam Bullard, said he has so far proved "unbelievably good" in the breeding shed.

"He broke the track record when he won the Derby and was the highest-rated turf horse in the world last year. It was a huge boost to our operation that Mr (Anthony) Oppenheimer (owner-breeder) decided to send him to us to stand here," said Bullard.

"We bought 50 per cent of the horse and subsequently sold 30 shares in the horse. Interestingly enough, those shares were sold to 14 different countries, which is an indication of the international attraction of the Derby.

"I'm delighted to say he's started off his new career in the same way he finished his old career. He's unbelievably good."

It will be three years before the first of Golden Horn's foals hit the racecourse and it will only be then that the judging can begin, but the numbers for his first book of mares are certainly impressive.

"There's absolutely no reason why a top racehorse should go on and become a top horse at covering mares, but he has absolutely excelled," Bullard continued.

"He has had a book of 145 mares and of those mares, 74 of them were Group One winners, dams of Group One winners or immediately related to Group One winners.

"So he has a book of the highest quality. On our stallion roster, only Dubawi and Shamardal would have a superior book of mares.

"He's got almost exactly 100 of those mares tested in foal so far. He is incredibly efficient and 93 per cent of the mares we've had scanned are in foal, which is incredible.

"He still looks fit and at the end of the season he will be turned out and will hopefully have a proper holiday and put on some condition.

"He is still young and at the start of his career and it is hugely exciting."

All horses have their idiosyncrasies and Bullard revealed a rather peculiar habit of Golden Horn's.

He said: "He eats his own tail, believe it or not. I hope when we turn him out he lets himself down and gets a bit thicker, then he will not be able to reach it and then his tail will grow.

"He's a beautiful looking horse and is a huge credit to his breeders, the Derby and indeed to us.

"We were told before we got him that he was a very busy horse - he likes a lot of things going on all around him.

"He is very active, more so than a lot of horses."

Golden Horn currently commands a stud fee of £60,000 and will regularly cover four mares a day between 8am and midnight.

Housed next door is Dubawi, who has the same schedule but earns an eye-watering #225,000 for each lucky lady he meets, having already produced the likes of Makfi, Al Kazeem, Postponed and New Bay.

Other than the obvious, their daily routine is unsurprisingly low-key.

Bullard said: "They get led out every morning for an hour and 20 minutes.

"If we think they need a lunge, they'll do that, but that's pretty much it. To do their job, it helps if they're fit.

"They cover mares at around 8am, then lunchtime, then 6pm and then if needs be, at midnight.

"They'll be let out in around a month's time in individual paddocks.

"They're gregarious animals - these guys all think they're king of the herd - and there'd be a scrap if we put them in together."

Of Dubawi, Bullard added: "He's pretty pleased with himself at the moment!

"Dubawi has been nothing short of a sensation at stud. He had more Pattern winners in his first crop than any stallion has ever had.

"He's only 14 years old and has already had 23 individual Group One winners.

"He is remarkable and commands a stud fee now of £225,000 and we simply can't take half of the applications.

"To say he is treated any different to the others

would be wrong, but he gets everything he wants."