FAMILY TIES - SOFT LIGHT

Gabriella Herbert looks to stallion Soft Lights and what might be when it comes to his progeny.

I must admit that I was lacking inspiration for this week’s column. There was plenty of great racing over the weekend, predominantly at Leopardstown, and still nothing jumped out at me as particularly noteworthy from a pedigree perspective. Perhaps I am much too cautious of sounding repetitive, but even so, Harzand’s current trajectory as a National Hunt influence has been well-reported on lately, as has that of Jukebox Jury, whose progeny have also been flying.

It is not easy (not for me, anyway) to predict the quality of a potential jumps stallion before he has had any representation on the track, but I thought I’d take this opportunity to do so regardless. I think that Haras de Colleville’s Soft Light could capture the imagination of the British and Irish jumps market before too long. As a slightly obscure French racehorse with an attractive pedigree, I reckon it would only take a couple of smart winners at Auteuil before the National Hunt consignors or the point-to-point sphere latches on to him – at least, it has worked that way for horses like Karaktar and Beaumec De Houlle.

But what’s to like about him? Well, he’s by Authorized, who should need no introduction as a source of class, both on the Flat and over fences – he has supplied the sport with champions such as Tiger Roll, I Am Maximus, and Nichols Canyon, plus his Irish Derby-winning son Santiago is now covering at Coolmore’s Castle Hyde Stud.

Admittedly, Soft Light’s own race record never reached those lofty heights, but he did win on debut at two over a mile, before falling just short in a couple of Group 2 races in his three-year-old year. He then finished sixth behind Waldgeist in a strong Arc field which was reasonably creditable given his form at the time and eventually retired as a five-year-old, following success in a Listed race over a mile and four furlongs at Craon.

Soft Light is also a half-brother to City Light, one of the speedier sons of Siyouni who struck in the Prix de Saint-Georges (G3) and the Prix du Pin (G3) before retiring to Haras d’Etreham. City Light was fully booked in 2024 and has been operating at very healthy strike rates with his first few crops of runners on the flat. Incidentally, their dam Light Saber has also thrown Busybeingfabulous, a son of Soldier Of Fortune who ended up in Scandinavia, where he did become a Listed winner and Champion miler. Light Saber won twice herself, but is superseded by the achievements of her mother, the Irish River mare Leariva, who won two Group 3 races in France and the Grade 1 International Stakes in the US.

It's probably much too early to say with any confidence whether Soft Light might be useful as a jumps sire, given his first crops haven’t been large. However, given how quickly the French get going with their youngsters, it might not be too long before we could find out.

written by Gabriella Herbert