January 9th 1999

£4000 prize could be for you in ITBA drive

Thanks to Maurice Burns of Rathasker Stud, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association is offering a great prize to a lucky breeder next February.

Pay your membership fee of £40 before February 1 - or join up now if you are not already a member - and you will be included in a draw for a free nomination to the first season sire Titus Livius which will be standing at a fee of 4000gns. The draw will take place at the Goffs February Sale which is scheduled for Monday 8 and Tuesday 9.

What is there to know about Titus Livius? The horse retires to Rathasker Stud which has established an enviable record for standing successful, commercial sires and breeders can have every confidence in their new stallion.

This well bred horse was a tough, fast racehorse and looks like the type to get precocious, early running two year olds. He will cover a full book of mare in his first season.

Titus Livius was a top two year old which was first past the post three times, all in group races. He won the Criterium des 2 Ans at Evry (Gr.2) and Prix Eclipse at Deauville (Gr.3) but was disqualified after winning the Prix d'Arenberg at Longchamp (Gr.3). At four years he added the Prix du Gros-Chene at Chantilly (Gr.2) to his already impressive tally of wins.

All his victories were over either five or six furlongs. He earned more than £170,000.

A hugely consistent runner, Titus Livius was also placed a host of times and these included many group races.

He was runner-up in the Kings Stand Stakes (Gr.2) at Royal Ascot, the Prix de Meautry (Gr.3) at Deauville and the Prix Saint-Georges (Gr.3) at Longchamp and was third in the Prix Maurice de Gheest (Gr.1) at Deauville and the Prix du Petit Couvert (Gr.3) at Longchamp.

Titus Livius is very well bred on both sides of his pedigree. He is by Machiavellian out of Party Doll, a mare by Be My Guest out of Midnight Lady, by Mill Reef. First we will look at the exploits of Machiavellian, one of the best stallions based in England at the Dalham Hall Stud where his stud fee is private. This top rated two year old in Europe (5lbs ahead of everything else that year), Machiavellian has gone on to become one of the leading sires of his generation and his runners have already won more than £4.5 million.

These include Group One winners Rebecca Sharp, Invermark, Vettori and Almutawakel.

The dam of Titus Livius is Party Doll and she was a very good racemare in France winning three listed races.

Three of her first four foals have won and her 1997 filly by Machiavellian which is a full sister to Titus Livius was sold as a foal for £140,000. Party Doll is a half sister to seven winners and also to the dam of the classic placed Streisand.

The third dam Mia Pola was the second best two year old filly in France and her six winners include Regal Bearing who was a successful sire. Titus Livius is not the only top class runner of recent times in the pedigree.

Bringing the family right up to date is Dream Well who won both the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) and the Budweiser Irish Derby this year.

Titus Livius joins Mujadil, Goldmark and the veteran Red Sunset at Rathasker Stud and this fine farm just outside Naas has a long and distinguished history going back generations. In 1985 the late Paddy Burns purchased it and it is now owned and run by his son Maurice.