Stallion Stars of 2011/2012

Tara Madgwick – Wednesday, 1 August 2012

 

August 1 means the start of a new racing season in Australia so we’ve decided to review the sire tables for the season that was and hopefully offer some insight for the future.

Riding the crest of a massive wave in 2011/2012, Coolmore heavyweight Fastnet Rock has finished the season as Champion Australian sire by earnings and stakes-winners with 130 winners of $12.6 million in prizemoney.

Fastnet Rock  set a new seasonal prizemoney record for a stallion in Australia with a stellar list of superior progeny headed by 16 stakes-winners including four-time Group I winner Mosheen, dual Group I winners Atlantic Jewel and Sea Siren as well as top class colt Group I winning colt Foxwedge, not to mention his New Zealand based Group I winners Planet Rock and Rock ‘n’ Pop, who is now being trained in Australia by Gai Waterhouse.

Driving his success were his three year-olds which accounted for $7.4 million of his total earnings, while his 15 two year-old winners of $2.5 million in prizemoney gave the promise of big things to come in the new season ahead.

An interesting statistic for Fastnet Rock is that even though his 130 individual winners put him fourth on the leading sires by individual winners list, those 130 winners generated 231 wins which was 15 more wins than any other sire including those with more winners.

In other words, his progeny are more likely to win multiple races which is good news for racehorse owners and explains why this phenomenally talented sire is indeed the heir apparent to his sire Danehill and commands a fee of $220,000 this spring.

Leading Australian Sires by Earnings 2011/2012 (all figures Arion)

Stallion Ccode Yof – To Stud	Farm / 2012 Fee	Rnrs	Wnrs	Wins	SW(SWins)	Earnings	Best Performer
Fastnet Rock (AUS) 2001 – 2005	Coolmore $220,000	273	130	231	16(31)	$12,683,189	Mosheen – 1,976,000
Lonhro (AUS) 1998 – 2004	Darley $110,000	273	129	210	8(16)	$9,391,368	Pierro – 2,946,150
Redoute’s Choice (AUS) 1996 – 2000	Arrowfield $137,500	267	131	197	12(16)	$8,648,647	Master of Design – 770,700
More Than Ready (USA) 1997 – 2001	Vinery $121,000	238	99	170	9(17)	$7,831,145	More Joyous – 2,033,400
Commands (AUS) 1996 – 2000	Darley $66,000	289	137	216	10(16)	$7,197,975	Rain Affair – 813,400
Bel Esprit (AUS) 1999 – 2003	Eliza Park $27,500	285	127	215	2(10)	$6,575,510	Black Caviar - 2,297,000
Encosta de Lago (AUS) 1993 – 1997	Coolmore $88,000	297	131	197	10(11)	$6,227,297	Polish Knight – 420,725
Exceed and Excel (AUS) 2000 – 2004	Darley $66,000	257	121	201	7(10)	$6,156,460	Helmet – 930,000
Snitzel (AUS) 2002 – 2006	Arrowfield $33,000	119	65	122	6(10)	$5,782,889	Snitzerland – 874,500
Testa Rossa (AUS) 1996 – 2001	Vinery $33,000	274	122	189	7(9)	$5,457,320	Ortensia – 396,500

An interesting observation is the domination of Australian bred sires with More Than Ready (USA) the lone shuttler to make an impact in the Top 10, although seven of the Top 10 stallions are in fact sired by shuttle sires.

The trend continues further down the list with Elusive Quality (USA) the only other shuttle sire to hold a position in the Top 20 sires by earnings.

This is a phenomenon that can be attributed in some part to the outbreak of EI, which saw many shuttle sires miss out that year or cover restricted books with a good example being High Chaparral (IRE), who was without three year-olds, which are his great strength.

Another sire in the Top 50, but with limited numbers of runners is Street Cry (IRE), who was without two and three year-olds last season.

Both stallions are now shuttling regularly to Australia and have good crops coming through so expect them to be bounding back into the Top 10 if not this season, certainly the next.

First Season Sires

Stallion Ccode Yof – To Stud	Farm/ 2012 Fee	Rnrs	Wnrs	SW(SWins)	Earnings	Best Performer
Casino Prince (AUS) 2003 – 2008	Patinack $27,500	36	8	1(3)	$730,960	All Too Hard - 418,700
Husson (ARG) 2003 – 2007	Patinack $22,000	26	11	2(2)	$494,525	Hussousa – 170,000
Court Command (AUS) 2003 – 2008	Wattle Brae $13,750	27	8	0(0)	$356,300	Robert’s Command – 73,500
Bernardini (USA) 2003 – 2007	Darley $55,000	29	4	1(1)	$334,900	Meidung – 106,000
Magnus (AUS) 2002 – 2008	Eliza Park$17,600	21	5	0(0)	$318,475	Imprimis – 69,380

<img “=”" alt=”" align=”left” src=”http://www.racenet.com.au/breeding/news_images/sires/casino-princenew_300.jpg”>It was a Patinack quinella in this division with CasinoPrince(pictured)  topping the list by earnings and his stablemate Husson (Arg) by winners, something few would have predicted 12 months ago.

Given the benefit of strong support from the Patinack owned broodmare band and the advantage of John Thompson to train, these young sires have delivered the goods and it will be interesting to see if their strong early showing can be maintained.

Several of the high profile shuttle sires with progeny of this age can be expected to fire up over the next 12 months, so this is a list with potential for big change, however at this point in time Casino Prince is holding all the aces with a potential spring superstar in Black Caviar’s half-brother All Too Hard.

Second Season Sires

Stallion Ccode Yof – To Stud	Farm / 2012 Fee	Rnrs	Wnrs	SW(SWins)	Earnings	Best Performer
Artie Schiller (USA) 2001 – 2007	Emirates $22,000	55	24	4(4)	$1,578,535	Laser Hawk – 569,100
Written Tycoon (AUS) 2002 – 2007	Eliza Park Qld $15,400	58	29	2(2)	$1,481,935	Alezan Thunder – 250,100
Ad Valorem (USA) 2002 – 2007	Darley $16,500	51	28	2(2)	$1,254,704	Pied a Terre – 252,300
Nadeem (AUS) 2003 – 2007	Little Avondale, NZ $8,800	69	31	2(2)	$1,194,370	Specter – 179,650
Churchill Downs (AUS) 2003 – 2007	Exported to Libya	81	34	0(0)	$1,080,706	Emerald Downs – 87,905

Artie Schiller (USA)  aside, this is far from a vintage group of sires and many (including several further down the list) have already been moved on from where they started their career and in some cases a long way on with former Blue Gum Farm resident Churchill Downs exported to Libya earlier this year.

Artie Schiller has very good statistics and will get plenty of support in Victoria, while it will be interesting to see what sort of reception former Victorian Written Tycoon is afforded in Queensland where he will now be based at Eliza Park’s new operation in the sunshine state.

One Queensland farm happy with the efforts of their sire is Eureka Stud, who stand Red Ransom’s Group I winning son Red Dazzler.

He produced 29 winners of $1million in prizemoney to be the leading Queensland based second season sire of 2011/2012.

Red Dazzler is yet to sire a stakes-winner, however anyone who attended the Randwick Barrier trials on Monday morning will think he has one in the pipeline in the shape of the Gai Waterhouse trained filly Kuchinskaya.

A $165,000 Magic Millions purchase for Star Thoroughbreds from the Newgate Farm draft, Kuchinskaya won her trial by five lengths in the fastest heat over that distance leaving Blue Diamond runner up No Looking Back in her wake.

A smart winner at Rosehill from a handful of starts earlier in the year, Kuchinskaya looks primed to start her spring campaign with a bang.

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