Racing: Top son of Monsun to stand in NZ

Shuttle stallion Vadamos will stand at Rich Hill Stud in the Southern Hemisphere. Photo / Getty Images

Rich Hill Stud will be the Southern Hemisphere home of the blue-blooded European group one winner Vadamos from next year.

The stud, with support of a high-profile group of New Zealand breeders, has bought 50 per cent of the stallion, who will shuttle to New Zealand from 2017 onwards.

The French-bred Vadamos combines a highly-successful sire line that has already proved its potency in this part of the world together with an outstanding female family.

He is by the German-bred Monsun, who has made an impact in Australia by siring three of the past four Melbourne Cup-winners: Protectionist, Fiorente and this year's hero Almandin.

"Vadamos is a magnificent individual with a race record to match. He's arguably the fastest and best-bred son of Monsun to go to stud and we're delighted to have secured him for Australasian breeders," Rich Hill's John Thompson said.

Monsun has produced an impressive 17.5 per cent stakes winner to runners, with 65 group winners - 22 of them at group one level - and 112 stakes winners.

Vadamos was one of his very best and he won the group one Prix du Moulin at Longchamp, the group two Prix du Muguet at Saint Cloud, the group two Oettingen-Rennen at Baden and the group three Prix Messidor at Maisons-Laffitte from the stable of leading international trainer Andre Fabre.

"Vadamos always impressed me with his raw talent," said Fabre, who has prepared 180 group one winners.

"It is well documented that no other horse in my yard could beat him in the mornings and his final 200m time in the Moulin of 10.47s is absolutely top-class."

Vadamos, who will stand the Northern Hemisphere season at Tally Ho Stud in Ireland, won eight races from 1600 to 2400m and he ended his career with fourth placings in both the Cox Plate and the Emirates Stakes.

"To get this son of Monsun is unbelievable," Thompson said. "He's from one of the Aga Khan's great families and he's one of the best bred group one winning stallions going to stud anywhere in the world."

Vadamos is out of the Peintre Celebre mare Celebre Vadala, a half-sister to the group one winner Valixir.

"Sir Peter Vela, of Pencarrow Stud, Greg Tomlinson, of Nearco Stud, and Valachi Downs' Kevin Hickman are the key people in the syndicate and we've joined them with John Camilleri, of Sydney, who bred Winx and Vancouver, and Andreas Putsch, of Haras de Saint Pair in France, who both raced Vadamos," Thompson said.

- NZ Racing Desk