FOLLOWING the arrival of Alamshar from Japan last year, the Irish National Stud can now boast two members of the Classic-winning Class of 2003, although it is Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Indian Haven who has his first foals on the ground this season.

A half-brother to Gran Criterium winner Count Dubois, out of the Group 2 Park Hill Stakes winner Madame Dubois, Indian Haven stands for €6,000, a fraction of the fee commanded by his illustrious sire, Indian Ridge.

Trained by Paul D’Arcy, Indian Haven broke his maiden on his debut at two. He then won the European Free Handicap on his return before defeating France and Saturn in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. During his 12-race career, he endured several hampered trips and plenty of unsuitable ground, and was arguably unlucky not to have further enhanced his record.

After retiring Indian Haven at four, owners Peter Gleeson and Julian Smith began purchasing mares with the aim of supporting their stallion when he began his stud career at the Irish National Stud in 2005, standing alongside his sire. This led the pair to found Waterford Hall Stud as a business in 2004, along with racing manager and bloodstock advisor Nick Shiambouros.

Since then, six-year-old Indian Haven has enjoyed a good start to his career, covering 89 mares last season and with a book described by Shiambouros as being “well in excess of 100 mares” this season.

Shiambouros admits: “When we started [Waterford Hall Stud], it was just to support Indian Haven but it’s become a bit of a monster now. We’re adding to the broodmare band all the time and the mares’ pages just keep being added to as well.”

One Waterford Hall-owned mare whose page has enjoyed significant improvement over the past year is Specifically. A winning daughter of Sky Classic, from the family of dual St Leger winner Touching Wood, the mare is a half-sister to multiple Group 2 winner Pride, who rounded off an excellent 2005 with second place in both the Champion Stakes and the Hong Kong Cup.

Specifically is also the dam of Group 2 Rockfel Stakes winner and May Hill Stakes third Speciosa. Shiambouros says Waterford Hall has turned down significant offers for the 11-year-old mare.

Specifically was purchased for Waterford Hall at the 2004 Goffs November Broodmare and Fillies’ Sale for €50,000. She was carrying to Statue Of Liberty at the time and the resulting filly, now a yearling, will eventually run in the Waterford Hall colours. Another mare, American-bred Discotheque, has been put into training with Paul Howling and is more likely to be bred from next season.

Like 12 other members of the Waterford Hall broodmare band, Specifically will foal to Indian Haven this season before being bred back to the same sire. The two exceptions are Madame Marjou, a half-sister to smart juvenile Katherine Seymour, who is in foal to the Irish National Stud’s Verglas, and Sopran River, who is in foal to Pyrus. Indian Haven will cover both mares this season.

The current 15 members of the Waterford Hall broodmare band are spread between four studs in Ireland, with the bulk at Hyde Park Stud and Liseux Stud, and a mare apiece boarded at Horse Park Stud in County Wicklow and Coneen Stud, County Tipperary.

During the last two years, Shiambouros has been busy at all the major sales, selecting fresh talent with which to support Indian Haven. “We’ve been looking to buy early, precocious types, but over time we’ll need to balance that out with some distance talent. We’re adding to our broodmares all the time, and we’ll have a look at the mares for next year and rotate them a bit so they’re not all going to Indian Haven again.”

He emphasizes that the stud is “taking the long view” and is keen to develop the pages of its mares. The stud will once again be active in buying mares. “We’re always in the market for good mares.”

While breeding to race is the ultimate aim, racing stock will take second place behind breeding for the time being. Shiambouros explains: “We’ll be looking over the foals in the summer and deciding what to keep and what to sell. We’re not averse to having colts in training, but the breeding operation is the focus, so we would probably prefer fillies that can eventually be bred from.”

Waterford Hall is not ruling out the possibility of adding to its stallion roster, in addition to expanding the broodmare band. Shiambouros says: “Owning another stallion is something we’ve discussed. If the right deal came along, we’d jump on it.”

Although Waterford Hall has yet to consign in its own name, the stud has already enjoyed success at the sales with foals sold through other consignors. Most notable among these successes is the 260,000gns price tag achieved by Tara’s Girl’s Inchinor colt, bought last year at Tattersalls by Malih Al-Basti.

Other notable Waterford Hall mares include Darsenia, a resident at Hyde Park Stud. Unplaced in her only two starts at three, the five-year-old daughter of Ashkalani is out of a half-sister to the 1999 Prix de Diane winner Daryaba.

Alongside Darsenia at Hyde Park is the First Trump mare Nom Francais. Placed in moderate company over two miles, the ten-year-old is a half-sister to the ultra-tough sprinter Perryston View, who won the Group 2 Temple Stakes by five lengths as an eight-year-old. Nom Francais is dam of two winners to date, both by Mind Games, and both successful over six furlongs as juveniles.

Among the mares resident at Liseux Stud is Please Be Good, a half-sister to Gleeson and Smith’s Zetland Stakes winner Forest Magic, who Shiambouros says was once considered a Group 1 horse, but was compromised by a pelvic injury. His half-sister, bought at Deauville’s December sale in 2004, is maintaining the family connection.

Maine Lobster, placed over six-furlongs at two, is another mare to boast strong black type. The daughter of Woodman is out of Capades, a Grade 1 winner at two who went on to win several graded stakes.