Building on early promise proves difficult for Orpen; Sire in focus Martin Stevens on a stallion noted for passing on speed and precocity.

WINNER of the Prix Morny at two, placed in the Irish 2,000 Guineas at three and hailing from the family of leading sire Machiavellian, Orpen retired to Coolmore with all the right credentials to flourish at stud.

And when the Prestige Stakes winner Gracefully and the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Torrestrella emerged from his first crop, it looked as though he would become a leading light of the stallion ranks.

However, five years after Torrestrella won the French Classic, she remains her sire's only Group 1 winner in Europe, and in 2008 Orpen was exiled to stand in France.

Perhaps the Australian-bred War Artist, already a winner at the highest level in South Africa, will double Orpen's tally of northern hemisphere Group 1 winners this season.

The gelding, who was placed in both the Golden Jubilee Stakes and the July Cup last year, is set to make his comeback in the Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle on Saturday, having been sidelined since last summer due to a colic infection.

Unsurprisingly for a sire who showed plenty of speed on the track, and whose services many breeders would have used with the objective of producing a sharp runner in mind, progeny by Orpen have made most of their starts - 78 per cent to be precise - over 1m or shorter. Their best wins-to-runs strike-rate of 12 per cent is over 6f, the Chipchase Stakes trip.

The fact that all bar one of Orpen's 11 European-bred runners with a Racing Post Rating of 106+ won at two on either their first or second start gives an indication of their precocity. It also endorses the chances of once-raced Mistic Magic as she bids to break her maiden in the 7.25 at

Newbury tonight.

Between 1m1f and 1m4f, runners by Orpen have acquitted themselves quite well, with a strike-rate of nine per cent.

But from 76 outings over 1m5f and beyond, they have recorded only two victories.

Their wins-to-runs ratio is relatively consistent across the spectrum of varying ground conditions, although their 14 per cent strike-rate in heavy is particularly eyecatching.

Collateral Damage, set to run in tomorrow's Carlisle Bell, is an example of one who seems to have shown a preference for softer going, with all his three wins coming when soft appeared in the going description. The going at Carlisle is good, good to firm in places, with only light showers forecast today ahead of a sunny day tomorrow.

Key progeny characteristics Overall winners-to-runners strike-rate of 47 per cent.

Many are precocious, and 81 per cent of his runners have an RPR of 105+ winning on their first or second start at two before September. Several, including Orizaba, a nine-length debut winner, and Sweet Treat, a six-length debut winner, have created big impressions on their first runs.

Return a 10.6 per cent strike-rate in three-year-old handicaps, for a level-stakes profit of pounds 88.16.

Optimum distance has proved to be 6f, although they return respectable strike-rates at all distances up to 1m4f. Beyond that, they have recorded only two wins from 76 runs..Orpen's Flat runners distance wins runs % 5f 44 464 10 6f 90 772 12 7f-1m 125 1,464 - 1m1f-1m2f 40 433 - 1m2f+ 23 327 - wins-runs % P/ L 2yo non hcp 61-607 10 -pounds 168.80 3yo non hcp 50-535 9.3 -pounds 208.70 4yo+ non hcp 26-308 8.4 -pounds 120.10 2yo hcp 11-115 9.6 -pounds 40.63 3yo hcp 88-834 10.6 +pounds 88.16 4yo+ hcp 86-1,062 8.1 -pounds 171.60 Overall 322-3,461 9.3 -pounds 621.67 ground wins runs % Heavy 29 211 14 Soft 39 421 9 Good to soft 29 371 8 Good 50 637 8 Good to firm 68 785 9 Firm 13 142 9 race 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Group 1 1 1 1 1 Group 2 1 5 1 5 Group 3 5 4 3 5 Listed 410 7 9

CAPTION(S):

War Artist: one of the best sons of Orpen is due to make his comeback on Saturday