Siskin to Join Shadai Roster for 2021

This year's Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) winner Siskin will stand at Shadai Stallion Station in Hokkaido, Japan, for a fee of ¥3.5 million (approx £26,000/€29,000). It was revealed in June that breeding rights in the son of First Defence had been sold to an undisclosed group, with rumors having circulated for a while following the colt's unbeaten juvenile career. Owned and bred by Khalid Abdullah, the second foal out of the winning Oasis Dream mare Bird Flown completed his 2-year-old season with victory in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (G1) and took classic honors this year when seeing off Vatican City (IRE), among a host of Ballydoyle runners, at the Curragh. The colt is the headline name for former Juddmonte stallion First Defence, a top-level winner himself when landing the 2008 Forego Handicap (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, and who was sold to Saudi Arabia at the end of 2016. First Defence—by Unbridled's Song and out of Honest Lady, a grade 1-winning half sister to Chester House and Empire Maker—is responsible for three individual group/grade 1 winners, the others being Close Hatches and another Juddmonte runner, Antonoe. Trained by Ger Lyons, Siskin was also third behind Mohaather (GB) in the Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1) and fourth in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (G1) behind Persian King (IRE). He finished his career when running ninth in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T) at Keeneland. Siskin will join an illustrious roster that includes leading Japanese sires Lord Kanaloa (JPN) and Heart's Cry (JPN) plus Bricks and Mortar, the 2019 Horse of the Year and champion turf horse in the United States.