Sir Prancealot. (Elite International Photo)
Elite International Sire Sir Prancealot Achieves First North American-Bred Winner At Del Mar
Elite International Press Release
DEL MAR, Calif.—Lord Prancealot, a 2-year-old colt by the prominent international stallion Sir Prancealot (Ire), etched a spot in history on July 29 as the first North American-bred winner for his sire with a dominant debut in a 10-horse maiden special weight race at Del Mar. Guided by Racing Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, the youngster powered to a front-running, 3 1/2-length victory in :58.62 for the five-furlong dirt test, emulating his sire as a winner at first asking.
Lord Prancealot was bred in California by Jeff Ganje, who campaigns the colt in partnership with Edward “Rusty” Brown. The Jeff Bonde trainee, who is the third winner from as many starters for the stakes-winning Country Reel mare Disko Dasko (Fr), is being pointed to the $125,000 I’m Smokin Stakes for state-breds on September 8 as his follow-up race.
He hails from the first North American-conceived foal crop of the elite global sire Sir Prancealot, a precocious winner of three of six turf starts as a 2-year-old in Europe, including the Group 2 Polypipe Flying Childers Stakes and an additional stakes race in 2012.
Initially retired to stallion duties in his native Ireland at 3 and utilized as a shuttle stallion to Australia for the 2017-2022 Southern Hemisphere breeding seasons, Sir Prancealot shot to immediate success as Europe’s champion first-season sire of 2016 by winners and progeny earnings, ahead of the sensational Frankel (GB). His auspicious early crops included three runners who succeeded at the highest levels of racing in the United States: 2019 American Oaks (G1) winner Lady Prancealot (Ire) and the multiple Grade 1-placed, multiple Grade 2 winners Beau Recall (Ire) and Madam Dancealot (Ire).
In 2020, he began standing at Rancho San Miguel in California, where he has attracted great attention. In addition to covering nearly 400 mares during his first four breeding seasons in the U.S., he was also represented by two West Coast yearling sale-toppers in 2022.
“Having such an impressive debut winner at Del Mar is no surprise for me after the time I’ve spent around Sir Prancealot,” said Adrian Gonzalez of Checkmate Thoroughbreds, who manages the stallion’s U.S. syndicate. “He is all class, and the support he has been given since he first became available to U.S. mare owners has been tremendous. I am confident this is just the tip of the iceberg for Sir Prancealot’s first American crop.”
Rancho San Miguel owner Tom Clark echoed Gonzalez’s appreciation for the breeders who have supported Sir Prancealot over the past four years, many of whom have acquired quality mares with diverse bloodlines specifically to complement the globe-trotting stallion.
“We are extremely proud to offer mare owners a proven sire with impeccable conformation and credentials,” Clark said. “In fact, we are very excited to announce that, due to the tremendous commitment he has received from shareholders, we have now secured his services as a permanent member of our stallion roster. Sir Prancealot will no longer shuttle out of the country; instead, he will be available for inspection by breeders here at our farm year-round.”
By the Mr. Prospector-line stallion Tamayuz (GB) out of stakes winner Mona Em (Ire), by Catrail, Sir Prancealot has sired 13 international black-type winners and the collective earners of more than $15 million to date. The 13-year-old stallion stood for a $10,000 fee at Rancho San Miguel in 2023.
