Cangon Stud Farm owner Jamie Mackay has announced that Snapy Halo, a Group 1 winning son of Southern Halo, has been retired to stand at his Hunter Valley based property in 2011.

“We are delighted to get hold of a horse the quality of Snapy Halo,” said Mackay.  “We are standing him in conjunction with Kitchwin Hills Stud and some of their clients so he is going to get some great support from his owners.”

“On top of this we are offering breeders a limited opportunity to purchase a Lifetime Breeding Right in the horse which is priced really attractively.”

The winner of 6 races from 19 starts, Snapy Halo was an exceptionally fast horse, winning races from 1000m to 1600m in the sort of times that stamp him as a horse of the highest calibre.

Recording 1000m in a blistering 0:55.97, Snapy Halo also won over 1200m in 1:8.16, 1400m in 1:20.58 and by 3 lengths at Group 1 level over 1600m in 1:32.49 before being shipped to Australia to join the stables of leading Sydney based sire trainer John O’Shea.

Plagued by soft tracks in his Australian career, Snapy Halo still managed a fast finishing sixth in the famous Group 1 Doncaster Handicap, beating the likes of Group 1 winners Theseo, Typhoon Tracy, Mentality, Black Piranha and Triple Honour.

“He came to me an outstanding looking stallion and if he gets them anything like himself, he’ll leave horses of enormous quality,” said O’Shea.

Snapy Halo is by one of the best sire of sires in the world, Southern Halo, who was Argentina’s leading sire from 1994 to 2000, and in 2004 and 2007. He sired more than 100 stakes winners including 50 winners at the Group 1 level, 16 of which were champions.

Many breeders are familiar with this star stallion through the deeds of his Champion Sire son More Than Ready (stands at $99,000) but this sire line is also represented in Australasia by Dubleo (sire of Group 2 winning mare Dubleanny), Perfectly Ready (Leading First Season Sire in NZ), My Halo (sire of 6 SW), Mr Nancho (sire of Group 1 winner Nacho Man) and Sebring (stands at $38,500).

His dam side is no less impressive being out of the Group 3 winning Ringaro mare Esnaola who has achieved what very few mares can do anywhere in the world – produce 3 Group 1 winners.

“I think it’s pretty fair to say that Snapy Halo is the best bred son of Southern Halo to ever stand in Australasia which certainly bodes well for his chances,” said Mackay.

Besides Snapy Halo, Esnaola is also the dam of exciting young Group 1 winning stallion Sebi Halo and the Champion Older Mare, Halo Ola. She has also produced a further three black type placed runners and all this has come from just nine foals.

A full brother to Snapy Halo, Sebi Halo has kicked off his stallion career in great order having produced a Group 2 winner among 8 stakes winners in his first two crops.

“We would really encourage breeders to come and inspect this horse as he will attract plenty of bookings on type alone,” said Mackay. “He is a true Group 1 performer with an exceptional pedigree and looks. He ticks all the boxes for us”

Snapy Halo will stand his first season at a fee of $6,500 plus GST. A Lifetime Breeding Right is priced at $10,000 plus GST.