The limited stocks of quality and commercial trotting stallions available Down Under in the flesh have received a boost with Haras des Trotteur's purchase
of E L Titan.
A well-performed son of Muscle Hill and closely related to Cantab Hall, E L Titan is in quarantine in America and arrives in Australia next month.
He will stand at Cobbitty Equine Farm in NSW alongside Haras des Trotteurs’ Cantab Hall horse On A Streak, also at a fee of $3500, and be available to New Zealand
breeders via fresh chilled semen.
“We could have probably stood him for around $5000- $6000, but we’ve found there’s a real sweet spot at $3000-$4000 with trotting breeders and we want to give him every possible chance,” said Pat Driscoll.
“Because we’ve bought him and he won’t be shuttling, and we don’t have those costs which can run to 100k, we can afford to discount him so to speak.” Driscoll has been turning to American stallions in recent times due to his broodmare band now being by predominantly by French sires.
The Cantab Hall horse Volstead was first acquired for two seasons as a shuttle sire and he’s been making a big impression with his first crop of two-year-olds this year, although he is not available this season due to his owner not authorizing the use of his frozen semen.
E L Titan was lightly raced over three seasons, recording seven wins and eight seconds in 20 starts for stakes worth over $700,000
As a two-year-old, he won an International Stallion stakes at The Red Mile beating Trixton in 1.53.4, while at three he was second in a Breeders Crown to Father Patrick and the Canadian Trotting Classic.
He returned to race at four briefly due to a rule at the time that required stallions to race on before standing at stud, so their progeny would be eligible for Stakes races
at The Meadowlands. E L Titan won the Sebastian K Invitational in a lifetime
record of 1.51.2f and then stood at stud that year anyway.
Garland Lobell sister Canland Hall, the dam of Cantab Hall.
Courtney Hall was a sister to them and she’s produced E L Titan along with a brother in E L Ideal (1.52.1, $831,000) and also Appomattox (1.52.2, $620,000) and E
L Rock (1.53.4, $380,000).
“We were interested in E L Ideal but just missed out on him when he was sold to Europe,” said Driscoll.
“Knowing we liked him when E L Titan became available due to his Finnish owner passing away, we were given the first option on him.”
Quite apart from being a son of Muscle Hill and a brilliant cross for mares by the likes of Love You and the other French stallions, E L Titan also appeals as a cross for mares by the likes of Andover Hall and Angus Hall.
The pedigree produces a 3x3 cross to the sister's Amour Angus and Canne Angus in a case where ‘you can’t get too much of a good thing’.
E L Titan has been standing at Blue Chip Farms at a fee of $6000 alongside the likes of Bettor’s Delight and Chapter Seven as well as the trotting stallions Back Of The Neck (1.51, $1.4m) and Crazy Wow (1.51.2, $2.5) and Driscoll has also secured frozen semen from the latter pair.
Back Of The Neck is a son of Ready Cash who was bred in America, while Crazy Wow is a son of Crazed who has been performing well with a first crop of three-
year-olds this year.
Their stud fees will be announced within the next fortnight. Frozen semen has also been secured from the international trotting star Ecurie D (1.49.1, $1.5m).
Bred by Jean Pierre Dubious and by his Italian-based sire Infinitif (Pine Chip-Coktail Jet cross), Ecurie D was a G1 winner in Europe before racing in America and winning two Breeders Crowns, one for Dexter Dunn last year.
Ecurie D’s dam is bred on a Muscles Yankee-Love You cross so he is yet another wonderful example of Franco-American breeding.
by Frank Marrion
