Poulains the following spring, presided
here for 17 years and sired three Group
1 winners—one of whom, Literato, ar-
rived as his heir in 2009.
Though Kendargent has kept the line
fashionable, Gibson concedes that stal-
lions like Literato are at the mercy of
a market notoriously addicted to com-
mercial reputation. Literato mustered
a Group 1 winner from a debut crop of
just 37, but is still having to graft away
at €3,000.
"If you actually want a runner, then
buy a Literato," Gibson says. "For his
quality, his fee is nothing. The market
works à la mode, and I think stallions
are killed in the market far too quickly.
Literato has always been difficult, com-
mercially, because of his size. Nobody
understood that, in size, he always pro-
duces foals that are literally like the
dam. We invested in him, we used him
with our own mares, but it was difficult
to convince people."
Now Montaigu must hope that the
market proves more enlightened about
its most brilliant graduate. After all,
Wings of Eagles had the same, elusive
balance achieved by Pour Moi's own
sire, Montjeu: stamina combined with a
tremendous cruising speed and turn of
foot.
I n t h e p r o c e s s , o f co u r s e , W i n g s o f
E a gles highlighted the emergence of
