Charm Spirit shuttles to Windsor Park
The Qatar Bloodstock-owned son of champion sire Invincible Spirit quickly settled in to his new role when taking up stallion duties at Tweenhills this year, and the team at Windsor Park are delighted to offer him to Australasian breeders.
Rodney Schick, joint-owner of the stud, said: "Charm Spirit is a cracking stallion prospect and we're very proud to join with Sheikh Fahad and the Royal Family of Qatar to make him available on our stallion roster at Windsor Park.
"We have been looking for a stallion with the right race record, pedigree and physicality. In Charm Spirit I believe we've found that horse, one which will particularly suit the Australasian conditions and marketplace where his sireline is performing so well."
Assigned a Timeform a rating of 127, Charm Spirit was inspected in Europe late last year by leading New Zealand bloodstock agent Bruce Perry who described the horse as: "A magnificent individual with a great temperament. He is masculine and full of quality."
Perry approached Qatar Bloodstock manager David Redvers to help him secure the stallion for the New Zealand breeding industry. Redvers commented: "Charm Spirit gave Sheikh Fahad, his brothers, and his father, Sheikh Abdullah, their greatest ever day on a racecourse when winning the Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot on QIPCO British Champions Day in October. That day he beat the best milers in Europe and did so convincingly. He is one of the most exciting horses to retire in the World this year and we are delighted to continue to support the New Zealand industry by sending him to Windsor Park."
Group One placed as a two-year-old, Charm Spirit won five times at three and signed off a stellar career with a brace of top-level victories against older horses over 1600m (one mile). He is the highest earning son of champion sire Invincible Spirit, who stands for €100,000 at the Irish National Stud, and whose yearlings sold up to €1.1 million last year.
Invincible Spirit's sire sons include I Am Invincible, whose yearlings sold for up to Aus$750,000 at the 2015 Sydney Easter Yearling Sales, and whose oldest progeny include top sprinter Brazen Beau, winner of this season's Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap and recently syndicated for Aus$10 million.
Charm Spirit will stand at Windsor Park for a service fee of NZ$25,000 + GST with a live foal guarantee.