moyglare stud – Building
Success from Tradition.
moyglare stud – Breeding Strategy
The mares are the great pride and passion of moyglare stud. The ideal cycle is as follows: the young fillies are bred on site, go into training, race successfully, then return to the stud farm as broodmares after their racing career. The focus is on the company‘s own bloodlines, which are sometimes supplemented with additional purchases. A well-known example is the American mare Switch, a double Grade One winner who was acquired by moyglare stud for 4,3 million dollars. Walter Haefner himself believed in the positive influence of American mares for revitalising a stud’s own stock.
A long line of successful female racehorses has been bred by moyglare stud, performed on the racecourses and then returned home as broodmares.
The stud’s broodmares, the pride and passion of moyglare
moyglare stud – Breeding Successes
Number one on the honour roll of the stud’s many famous broodmares is Polished Gem, who was crowned broodmare of the year several times. Born at the stud, she won as a two-year-old and went on to become a fantastic dam. She produced ten winners, including the filly Search for a Song, the double winner of the Irish St Leger who has now also switched to breeding, Free Eagle, the winner of the Group 1 Prince of Wales‘s Stakes in Ascot, and Sapphire, who was victorious in the Group 2 Champions Fillies and Mare Stakes at Ascot. Polished Gem is also the dam of Kyprios, Moyglare’s exceptional super horse. The colt has won 17 of his 21 races, including 8 Group 1 races, and the Goodwood Gold Cup and the Ascot Gold Cup twice.
Search for a Song, daughter of the fantastic dam Polished Gem
and double winner of the Irish St. Leger in 2019 and 2020
Polished Gem was the daughter of Trusted Partner, who was also bred by the Haefner family, won the Irish 1000 Guineas and gave birth to twelve winners in her progeny, including two winners of Group 1 races.
Following this pattern, it would be possible to list dozens of moyglare‘s self-bred great broodmares. An example is Joailliere, who won well-dotted races in Ireland and Germany and whose daughter Homeless Songs went on to win the Irish 1000 Guineas. Dress To Thrill won three group races in a row before winning the Group 1 Matriach Stakes at Hollywood Park. Dance Design won the Irish Oaks and two Group 2 events and then switched to breeding in the USA, where she produced several winners.
Belleza, the moyglare-bred filly who won group races in the USA in 2025
Mad About You won high-class races at the Curragh before going on to produce Mad Cool, a Group 1 winner in Japan, and Soul Seeker, a nine-time winner in England, among others. The dam of Mad About You was Irresistible Jewel, also homebred, who won the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stake at Ascot and produced Royal Diamond, winner of the Group 1 Irish St. Leger, and Princess Highway, who in turn won the Ribblesdale Stakes, among others. One of the latest examples on this list is Bellezza. The filly, bred by moyglare, won two group races in 2025 at the US racecourses of Belmont and Saratoga.
Aptostar should definitely be mentioned too. Walter Haefner, who has always admired US horse breeding, bought the winner of the Belmont-run Group 1 Acorn Stakes in 1989 after her racing days. To this day, she is one of the strongest influences on moyglare stud’s mighty broodmare band. Her descendants have earned Group and Graded blacktype throughout Europe, in the United States and in New Zealand, which also includes fillies who have won the prestigious Irish Oaks, Irish 1000 Guineas and Irish St. Leger.
Walter Haefner with the filly Arburie, one of his early winners in Ireland
When the mares are sent for mating, moyglare often uses the world‘s best stallions, including top sires such as Dubawi, Dark Angel, Frankel. Not This Time, Curlin, Into Mischief, Kingman and Sea The Stars.
