Let's Sheikh on it: Magnier brokers horse peace deal to settle feud
The two giants of the breeding world Jon Magnier (left) and Sheikh Maktoun (centre right) have buried the hatchet according to speculation in the bloodstock industry
SPECULATION abounded in the bloodstock world at the Keeneland thoroughbred sales this week that John Magnier and Sheikh Maktoum have brokered a peace deal in a dispute which has cost both sides dearly.
First evidence of a difference between the pair emerged two years ago when the Sheikh commenced a boycott of all bloodstock sired by Coolmore stallions.
And, last year, it led to a spectacular bidding duel between the pair, which resulted in a new world record for an untried racehorse, Coolmore stomping up over $16m (€11.5m) for the colt it subsequently named 'The Green Monkey'.
Both have suffered as a result of the boycott, with Godolphin, the racing arm of the Sheikh's bloodstock business, enduring a very poor season on the track.
By refusing to buy Coolmore sired offspring, he was basically handicapping his own chances of winning the top prizes, one racing insider said.
For Coolmore, the boycott was less damaging, but it will have done the operation absolutely no good.
The colt first picked up an injury which kept him away from racing last year and now his three-year-old season looks like passing without him having set foot on the racetrack. An absence of any such bidding duels between the pair for any of the lots at this week's Keeneland Sale was blamed for a near 24pc drop in average bloodstock prices.
Over two days, Coolmore paid $16.85m (€12.13m) for 11 horses, while the Sheik bought 15 at a cost of $16.2m (€11.66m).
John Magnier, the Coolmore chief, wouldn't answer directly when asked if he and Sheikh had agreed to a truce.
But, John Ferguson, the agent for Sheik Maktoum said: "They bid on the horses they want; we bid on the horses we want."
Sources said as well as a poor season on the racetrack, the boycott was in danger of damaging the Sheikh's own bloodstock business, which trades under the Darley Stud banner.
But the ban was lifted earlier this year when Darley splashed out to acquire last year's champion, two-year-old colt Teofilo, a son of the Coolmore stallion Galileo. At Keeneland, the average price paid for a horse fell by 23.6pc from last year to €310,342.
While the existence of a row was never openly acknowledged, industry watchers put it down to a perception by Sheikh that Coolmore, and, more particularly, its racing arm Ballydoyle, had failed to give significant support to the Dubai World Cup meeting.
This was started by Sheikh in 1996 in a bid to promote Dubai internationally, and included the card in the richest race in the world.
