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Love is in the air: Roaring Lion ready to launch stallion career on Valentine's Day
By Harry Allwood
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
Harry Allwood visited multiple Group One winner Roaring Lion at Tweenhills in Gloucestershire on Thursday and discovered he will be in plenty of demand.
Roaring Lion enjoys a stroll in the sunshine at Tweenhills on Thursday
Roaring Lion’s early lessons in love have gone without a hitch and there will be an extra splash of romance when he starts his second vocation - his connections revealing on Thursday that he will launch his stallion career on Valentine’s Day.
The four-year-old will not be a complete novice on February 14 when the first of up to 150 mares booked for him to cover over the months ahead begin to arrive at his door.
As is usual at Tweenhills Stud, Roaring Lion’s new home in Gloucestershire, he has had a little practice – enjoying a liaison with what David Redvers, owner and manager of Tweenhills Stud, described as “his first wife”.
“Roaring Lion has settled in at Tweenhills incredibly well and everything has gone well so far,” he said on Thursday morning.
“He covered a test mare recently and that went smoothly, so it has been a seamless journey for him since his arrival.”
Covering a test mare, one called Jessie in Roaring Lion’s case, is something all newcomers at Tweenhills experience the month before business begins.
Once mid-February arrives, Roaring Lion will discover just how much breeders crave the input of a horse who won the Coral-Eclipse, Juddmonte International, Irish Champions Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
Roaring Lion's initial covering fee has been set at £40,000
The Cartier Horse of the Year’s services will be required morning, noon and night. He will cover three mares a day - at 7am, midday and then 5pm. There will also be occasions when he covers at 10pm.
“We try to keep them in a regular routine, but each horses routine will be tailored to suit them,” Redvers said. “We will monitor their weight, condition and behaviour and will try to tailor their routine so they are happy all the time.”
Roaring Lion will be on duty until the beginning of June and will then have a month off before possibly travelling across the southern hemisphere to continue his second career on foreign shores.
The Qatar Racing-owned colt will then head back to Tweenhills in December and continue his usual regime.
The lifespan of a stallions’ stud career can last for more than 20 years and Redvers hopes that will be the case with Roaring Lion.
His initial stud fee has been set at £40,000. The success of his progeny will determine whether that figure rises or falls.
Zoustar will also be standing at Tweenhills
Redvers expects the son of Kitten’s Joy to cover between 120 and 150 mares in his first season, the same as record breaking Australian first-season sire Zoustar, who has also joined the Tweenhills stallion roster this year along with 2018 Qatar Sussex Stakes winner Lightning Spear.
“Once a stallion has become proven, the demand can then increase dramatically, but their first year will probably be their busiest year until they have runners,” he said.
“We are giving Roaring Lion the best chance we can give him as he will also cover our best racing mares - including Simple Verse, Just The Judge and Kiyoshi.
“He is in high demand already, though, and the likes of Coolmore Stud and the Aga Khan Stud will be using him this year. It is very exciting and we can’t wait for him to begin.”
Before he does, staff at Tweenhills will ensure he is in peak shape.
“All newcomers walk around five miles every morning in hand on our all-weather circuit and will lunge every other afternoon for 20 minutes to make sure everything is OK with their wind,” Redvers said.
“The stallions at Tweenhills Stud will still go through the same training regime once the stud season starts but we will scale back on the lunging as they will be a lot busier, so we allow them to rest more.”
Roaring Lion should get some early nights. There will be little rest once Valentine’s Day dawns.
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