Selecting a suitable Stallion can be a daunting task given the seemingly endless choice and the propensity for stallions to go in and out of fashion so quickly and sometimes even before any of their progeny have raced!

Whilst personal preferences will always prevail, below are some selection criteria which should be borne in mind when making your decision.

1. Conformation, temperament and pedigree compatability

2. Number and quality of mares covered

3. Who is using the sire/buying the progeny?

4. Sire’s foal and yearling pipeline and sales history

5. In the case of new sires, likelihood of horse being “shipped out” before progeny reach sales

6. Ratio of winners/runners and runners/foals

7. Median rating of all sires' progeny

8. Likely sales price of foal/yearling (very difficult to predict 2 or more years ahead due to the sudden swings in fashion, often for no apparent reason)

9. Continued support of Sire (not all stallion studs keep mares themselves) – will be reflected in bookings, sales and fee

10. For first season sires, achievements of first dam and, particularly, of their siblings. For others, the horse himself must justify his existence

11. Nomination cost relative to expectations at sales

12. Sire availability