Expert Eye’s son Mezcala produced a devastating late burst to win the Buckingham Palace Stakes over seven furlongs at the Royal Ascot meeting under Tom Marquand (Picture: Mathea Kelley)
Paardeberg Stud’s Gr 1 Breeders Cup Mile-winning stallion Expert Eye has had continued success through his overseas progeny since departing from the U.K. and the former Juddmonte-owned stallion can now count himself among the select stallions in the world who have sired more than one Royal Ascot winner.
His Jack Channon-trained four-year-old gelding son Mezcala started 9/2 joint favourite for the Buckingham Palace Stakes over seven furlongs last Thursday carrying 9 stone 1 off an OR (Ofiicial Rating) of 94. He dwelt from draw 30 of 31 losing about a length. Tom Marquand then sat on him patiently behind a crowd of horses who had come over to the outside and in the closing stages his turn of foot and finishing speed were so powerful that he was able to easily burst through the narrow gap available and win by a neck.
Expert Eye’s five-year-old daughter Snellen had earlier run a fine race in the Gr 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes over about a mile (7 furlongs and 213 yards). She won the Listed Chesham Stakes for two-year-olds over seven furlongs at the Royal Ascot meeting in 2023 and last year she finished second, beaten a length, in the Kensington Palace Stakes over a straight mile at the Royal Ascot meeting. She started 16/1 in the Duke Of Cambridge last Wednsday and after being shuffled right back before the turn she ran on well in the straight to finish a 5,25 length fifth.
Expert Eye is himself a Royal Asccot winner having won the Gr 3 Jersey Stakes over seven furlongs in 2018.
The Jersey Stakes was interestingly won this year by a horse Gaynor Rupert bred and owns together with Coolmore, a fine looking specimen by St. Mark’s Basilica called Thesecretadversary.
Paardeberg Stud’s new stallion Kikkuli, a Kingman half-brother to Frankel, was unlucky not to win the Jersey Stakes too, losing it on the headbob in 2024.
Expert Eye is an immensely strongly built horse and stands over a lot of ground.
Paardeberg Stud report him to be producing strong, athletic individuals.
They will hopefully inherit his fine temperament too. He is a calm and relaxed individual and is thus very easy to handle.
His first crop are currently weanlings.
He is a proven sire of quality international performers and it is unlikely Juddmonte would have ever let him go had his career not coincided with the like of the one and only Frankel, Kingman, Oasis Dream and Bated Breath.
They only let Expert Eye go when his first crop were halfway through their three-year-old year, so he hardly had an opportunity to prove himself, and he was let go to make room for Chaldean, a son of Frankel who won the Gr 1 Dewhurst Stakes and the annual first British classic race of the season, the Gr 1 2000 Guineas.
Expert Eye’s sire Acclamation is proving to be a noteworthy Sire Of Sires as his son Dark Angel (Champion Sire in the UK in 2025) is the leading sire of sprinters in Europe this year, while his sons Mehmas, Harry Angel and Aclaim are also prominent on that list.
Expert Eye himself is proving versatile as a sire.
He has produced the like of Gr 2 winner over seven furlongs Witness Stand, but also the like of Beset, a dual Listed winner from a mile-and-two-furlongs to a mile-and-a-half.
Another noticeable trend with Expert Eye’s active progeny is how often they are able to run and their longevity. He obviously produces very sound individuals.
This good looking bay stallion’s profile is being enhanced rapidly and he should win a lot of support from breeders in South Africa.
