A week after Harry Angel and Battaash made successful returns in England, winning Group 2 races in England last week and Hunt winning a Group 1 in the USA, it has been announced the first son of Dark Angel, Don't Bother Me (Rock N Rolla (Mac)) is going to stand at stud in South Australia.
Harry Angel and Battaash were the two highest rated sprinters in the world last year.
Dark Angel, the rising star of Ireland breeding ranks was the sire of 23 individual group or stakes horses in 2018 with his service fee having risen from 7,000 Euro to 85,000 Euro - maybe Ireland's answer to our own I Am Invincible.
Dark Angel was a top class 2yo winning the Middle Park S (Gr1) and Mill Reef S (Gr2) amongst his four wins and sired three Group One winners in 2017; Harry Angel (July Cup Gr1, Haydock Sprint Gr1) and Battaash (Longines Sprint Gr1, King George S Gr2).
He has sired 44 stakes winners from 405 winners, an 11 percent stakes winners to winners ratio,finished second on the sires list in England in 2017 and is currently second on the list in 2018.
They are not just sprinters though with Group One 1600m inners in Persuasive and Hunt as well as Fanciful Angel which was second in last year's Arlington Million in 2017 andTip Two Win, runner-up in this year's English 2000 Guineas.
Don't Bother Me, who will be standing at Glenrae Stud won five races, including one as a two-year-old, from 1200 to 1500m for $AUD204,000 in stake earnings.
He was placed in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas Trial, Ballycorous Stakes (Gr3), 4th Irish Derby Trial and also placed in rich handicaps in the Ascot Heritage Stakes and Newmarket Wokingham.
During his career he raced against and beat Group One horses like The United States, Dibayani, George Vancouver, Leitri Mor, and in Macau racing as Rock n Rolla he won 2 races from three starts beating New Zealand Group One horses Hunka Eagle and Allen Eagle.
Don't Bother Me is a brother to Ideal Approach a winner of seven races in France and Europe
His dam, Faleh is a daughter of Silver Hawke and was bred by Sheikh Hamdan. She is a half-sister to leading sprinter in England Magical Memory (Zebedee) 8 wins including Duke of Yorke Stakes (Gr2) and placed in the Haydock Sprint Cup Gr1.
Her dam Marasem (Cadeaux Genereux) is a sister to Group 2 winner Sayedah, the dam of Sandreamer, a SW in Italy and Group 3 placed in England.
Also in his family is David Hayes trained Ventura Storm (Zoffany) a winner of six races and placings in the St Leger, 2nd to Winx in the Turnbull Stakes (Gr1) and 3rd Australian Cup (Gr1), the Chris Waller trained Alward a stakes placed winner of five race and stakes placed Fastnet Rock filly Assume who was sold to leading New Zealand Stud Pencarrow Stud, she had a filly by Frankel last year.
Don't Bother Me's maternal sire Silver Hawke (Roberto) was the sire of 70 stakes winners including English Derby winner Benny The Dip but it has been as a broodmare sire he leaving a lasting legacy with winners of over $144 million and 93 stakes winners including Nathaniel a leading second season sire in GB this year, Playful Act, Ticker Tape and the Lloyd Williams Group One winner Seville.
Silver Hawke is also the sire of Japanese star Grass Wonder, the grandsire of the highly touted Arrowfield Stud stallion Maurice.
Don't Bother Me is also a 3/4 genetic brother to Gutaifan (Ire) a record breaking 2yo winning the Flying Childers Stakes Gr2, Prix Robert Papin Gr2 and 2nd Prix Morny Gr1, Gutaifan has been chosen as a stud mate to his sire Dark Angel and has just finished his second season at Yeomanstown Stud.
Gutaifan is the highest rated 2yo by Dark Angel with a rating of 118. Don't Bother Me is also bred on a similar cross to Harry Angel who is by Dark Angel out of a Cadeaux Genereux mare, Don't Bother Me being by Dark Angel out of a Silver Hawke mare out of a Cadeaux Genereux mare.
Don't Bother Me (Ire)-Rock N Rolla (Mac) was sourced out of Ireland by leading Macau based trainer James Moore, the syndicate that raced him are looking forward to supporting him at stud with some very nice mares now being purchased in Australia.
Rock N Rolla will be the first horse to have raced in Macau to stand at stud, is the first son of Dark Angel in Australia and is free of Danehill/Danzig blood.
He will be standing for a fee of $3,300 at Glenrae Stud.