Two-year-olds for 2025: A look at interesting stallion debutants in Europe
- Julian Schaffelhofer
- Mar 9
- 4 min read
This year, there could be some promising two-year-olds available for "new" stallions. I have taken a closer look at some interesting stallions and the auction results of their first year.
Alson, Windstoß, Japan – Three for Germany
The first offspring of Alson, Japan and Windstoß could be seen on German racetracks in 2025. Japan in particular is likely to be represented with numerous starters - he was the most active stallion of these three and covered a total of 82 mares in 2022. By comparison: Alson covered 53 mares, Windstoß only 12 .
Alson: A strong market launch
Alson's first crop was well received at last year's auctions. The multiplier of his stud fee, which came to an overall AVGxFEE of 7.2 , was particularly impressive. This is certainly also due to the quality of the broodmares. It will be exciting to see how the first offspring will perform on the German racetracks this year.
Japan: A Double-Edged Sword
I had mixed feelings about Japan last year. I was able to see him at the Etzean stud farm and found him extremely impressive - his class and his high purchase price as a yearling are still evident today. His yearlings achieve an average AVGxFEE of 4.3 . But a closer look at the auction results shows that while some offspring achieved high prices, others changed hands for just a few euros or went to Eastern Europe. Not all of them were able to meet the high market expectations. The years 2025 and 2026 will be crucial for the Galileo son.
Gust of Wind: The Surprise of the Year
For me, Windstoß was the positive surprise of the last auctions. His few offspring made headlines and may have attracted some breeders to Röttgen this year. The attractive breeding offers from the Röttgen stud farm were also a welcome stimulus.
Look at the nominations:
• Winter favorite: 17 of 80 entries come from one of these stallions (21.25%).
• Winter Queen: 10 out of 86 nominations (11.6%).
Since many of these horses are entered for auction races and often only entered the ring for that reason, the corresponding prices/statistics should, as always, be interpreted with caution.
International perspective: A'Ali, Palace Pier & Co.
Let’s take a look abroad, where two-year-olds play a much bigger role than in German racing.
A'Ali – An underrated sire?
A'ALI will also cover at Newsells Park Stud in 2025 and achieved some impressive auction prices last year. The Society Rock son produced several yearlings over the 100,000 euro mark and achieved an AVGxFEE of 4.5 - a decent result considering his stud fee of 5,000 pounds. It will be interesting to see whether his offspring will be able to compete early in the year.
Palace Pier – A Big Question Mark
Palace Pier was an outstanding racehorse, but his start as a stud did not go smoothly. He began his career at Dalham Hall Stud with a stud fee of 55,000 GBP , was shuttled to Australia for a time, and has now been reduced to 32,000 GBP . His AVGxFEE of 1.3 is not very convincing. Nevertheless, the stables say that his two-year-olds show potential - the coming months will show whether he can convince in terms of sport.
Space Blues – Precocity to be expected?
The highly successful Space Blues , a specialist in sprint and mile distances, covered for 17,500 Euros in 2022. His yearlings achieved an AVGxFEE of 3.1 , indicating solid market acceptance. Due to his pedigree, he could produce some precocious two-year-olds .
St Mark's Basilica – First Season for the Champion
St Mark's Basilica was a terrific racehorse: World Champion 3yo, European Champion 2yo and Cartier Horse of the Year . He started 2022 with a stud fee of 65,000 euros , which was reduced to 40,000 euros for 2025 - for me a much more attractive option than, for example, Palace Pier . His first yearlings achieved top prices of up to 1.7 million euros , which indicates that there are great expectations of him. As a Champion 2yo , his inheritance should favor precocious offspring.
Victor Ludorum – The hyped Shamardal son
Victor Ludorum moved to the Haras d'Etreham for 2025 - a positive development in my opinion. He received a lot of support and was able to impress with an AVGxFEE of 3.7 for his sold yearlings. Eleven of his offspring achieved prices over 100,000 euros , which speaks for great interest.
A horse to keep an eye on:
• Aktivist (Victor Ludorum x Akribie) owned by Gestüt Röttgen has been nominated for the winter favorite. His sister Akronym already showed precocity as a two-year-old during the Derby week in Hamburg in 2024. So there could be a lot of potential here for the second half of the year.
Conclusion: Who will prevail?
There are many exciting stallion debuts in 2025, both in Germany and internationally. While the two-year-old races here are not as important as in England, Ireland or France, my attention is increasingly turning to two-year-olds abroad. The auction results are also more realistic. I am following the offspring of ST MARKS BASILICA, VICTOR LUDORUM and, with regard to his stud fee, A'ALI very closely and with courage.
The coming years will show which stallions will prevail – because one thing is certain: not all of them will make it this time either. Promised.
JS
Source of numbers: G1 Bloodstock Review
