Speed is coming to White Robe Lodge in the form of new stallion Ghibellines.
The group 2 winner will make his way to the North Taieri stud in the coming weeks to start his stallion career after a short - but successful - career on the track.
The son of world-leading stallion Shamardal had just eight starts - five as a 2yr-old, and three as a 3yr-old earlier this season.
But he all but secured a stallion career of some description with a win in the 2014 Todman Stakes at Rosehill in March last year, beating Magic Millions winner Unencumbered in the process.
White Robe Lodge stud manager Wayne Stewart said the double whammy of pedigree and racetrack performance really captured the stud's attention.
''To get a horse with performance and pedigree, it's unreal,'' Stewart said.
White Robe Lodge has forged its reputation as a fine producer of staying types, but the addition of Ghibellines alongside resident sires Raise The Flag and Gallant Guru will give an extra punch to some of the stud's broodmares, and produce some early starters.
''It should help mature them a little earlier and put some speed into the bloodlines,'' he said.
The off-track attraction of Ghibellines is easy to see on his dam side.
His dam, AJC Sires' Produce Stakes winner Camarilla (by Elusive Quality), has a faultless record at stud with all four of her foals to race having returned to the birdcage at the head of the field.
Ghibellines' half-sister is star filly Guelph, a four-time group 1 winner including the ATC Sires' Produce Stakes and the 1000 Guineas.
His other siblings are Dazzler and Inner Circle.
There is some staying pedigree one step back, as Camarilla is out of Queensland Derby winner Camarena.
But there is precocious speed, as Camarilla is a blood sister to champion juvenile and 3yr-old colt Sepoy, who set a record at the Sydney Easter Sale this year when a colt of his sold for $1.6 million.
Ghibellines was sourced for White Robe Lodge by Auckland bloodstock agent Michael Otto, who also secured Yamanin Vital for the stud.
He will stand at an introductory fee in 2015 of $5000 plus GST.
The announcement comes off the back of another solid weekend for the stud. Broadside (by Raise The Flag) and Jackfrost (by Gallant Guru) won at Trentham on Saturday, and the Darren Weir-trained Doctor Care (by Gallant Guru) was a rating 82 winner at Morphettville the same day.
- Additional reporting NZ Racing Desk
