If there is a Racing God this foal will be a champion
When 10-year-old mare Happy Henrietta made her way to the Newmarket saleyard last year for the Inglis Winter Thoroughbred it was very nearly a one way ticket to the knackery.
|
Widden Open Days Showcase Stars
Picturesque Widden Stud is situated a good four hour drive from Sydney in the pristine Widden Valley.
|
Vinery Sires on Show
Hospitality and horses is what it was all about in the Hunter Valley at the weekend with Vinery Stud’s More Than Ready (USA) and Testa Rossa both represented by stakes-winners on Saturday as well as being on show for broodmare owners during morning parades at the farm.
|
Yarraman Value on Show at Open Day
Broodmare owners have been spoiled for choice in the Hunter Valley over the weekend with many of our leading farms opening their doors for stallion parades including the Mitchell family owned Yarraman Park which is home to three stallions including Magic Albert, who went agonizingly close to siring his third Group One winner at Rosehill on Saturday.
|
Diva’s Baby to Debut
The first foal of triple Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva has been a headline horse since he was born, the son of champion European sire Galileo (IRE) set to make his debut at Geelong on Tuesday under the name of Rockstardom.
|
Something Missing From Memsie
The Group Two MRC Memsie Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday week is being billed as a ‘clash of the titans’ with the likes of So You Think, Shoot Out, Typhoon Tracy and Predatory Pricer set to do battle, but one rival they won’t have to worry about this year is perennial Memsie starter El Segundo, who won the feature in 2006.
|
Thinking Outside the Square
Two seemingly unrelated events in bloodstock news this week have given me pause for thought to recall a horse that lays claim to being the most influential Australian thoroughbred on the world breeding stage in recent times, a horse that has also had a hand in the two biggest news stories of the week – Strawberry Road.
|
Under the Radar
End of season Australian Sire Lists published earlier this week on Breednet highlighted the very top achieving sires, but there were many sires who featured further down that also enjoyed productive seasons and are worthy of some recognition.
|
Australian Sire Table Wrap Up - Redoute’s Rules
The curtain came down on the Australian racing season for 2009/2010 on Saturday, a year made remarkable by the resurgence of Arrowfield Stud heavyweight Redoute’s Choice and the arrival of a group of young stallions that promise to be the generation leaders of the future, check out all the winners of our Australian Sire Lists.
|
Australian Sire Table Wrap Up - Stratum Dominates
As a Golden Slipper winning son of champion sire Redoute’s Choice there was always high expectation placed on Stratum.
|
Australian Sire Table Wrap Up – The Future and the Past
Champion sires of the future and past stars whose legacy lingers.
|
The Surprise Packet
What to do with Danehill line mares is a conundrum every commercial breeder faces and while the search for the so called ‘perfect outcross’ continues, there is one shuttle sire that is putting together some formidable statistics to suggest he may offer hope in that regard.
|
What Works in Hong Kong?
The value of the Hong Kong market should never be underestimated by commercial Australian breeders so at the end of the Hong Kong racing season we thought it prudent to check out the leading sires list and see just what stallions have done the job and will be popular with Asian buyers come yearling sale time next year.
|
Sire Medians – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
We get a great deal of audience feedback at Breednet highlighting the need for unbiased information on sales results for stallions, so here it is.
|
Sireline Stars of the Group One Season
Group One racing for this season in Australia concluded last weekend with the running of the Tatts Winter Stakes, high class Redoute’s Choice filly Melito adding yet another Group One victory for the ever dominant Northern Dancer sireline.
|
The Weanlings You Have To See
He was the highest rated two year-old colt of his generation and comes from one of the most desirable families in the studbook that produced the sale-topper at Inglis Easter this year – so is it any wonder his weanlings are generating the right sort of talk.
|
See All The Action - Inglis First Season Sire Weanling Parade
The 2010 Inglis First Season Sire Weanling Parade was conducted this morning at Newmarket and screened live on TVN, but for those who may have missed it we have a pictorial capturing some of the highlights.
|
A Starspangled Family
Boutique Victorian breeding operation Makybe has achieved fame and fortune through the deeds of champion mare and triple Melbourne Cup Makybe Diva, but it is the performance of a champion sprinter that is writing the latest chapter in their growing success.
|
Starspangled Triumph at Ascot
When he thrashed a high class field to win the Group One MRC Caulfield Guineas last spring, many believed Choisir colt Starspangledbanner was the best three year-old sprinter miler in the country and at Royal Ascot last night he proved he was also probably the best in the world.
|
Hands Up?
Hands up all the breeders that have made a profit in the past twelve months? Hands up all the breeders that believe the present level of stallion service fees gives them a fighting chance of making ends meet from their commercial breeding operation? My eyes wander over the amassed crowd looking for a signal, a sign of success and contentment.
|
Stradbroke/Derby Favourites Before They Were Stars
Seasoned Group One campaigner Whobegotyou is a hot favourite for the Group One QTC Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm, but this well tuned racing machine was not always the sleek thoroughbred we will see in action this Saturday.
|
Belmont Pictorial from Caroline Searcy
TVN’s Thoroughbreds host Caroline Searcy is currently holidaying in the US where she attended the star studded Belmont Stakes meeting in New York at the weekend.
|
The Ultimate Form Reversal
We’ve all seen cases of a horse that seems to have no chance of turning the tables on a rival, yet pulls himself off the canvas and delivers the goods – this is the scenario that has unfolded during the past season in our third crop sires table which has seen the ultimate form reversal.
|
Zarita Retired to Stud
As a dual Group One winner of more than $1,6 million in prizemoney, star mare Zarita has been a great favourite with many punters and racegoers, her owners this week deciding to draw the curtains on a wonderful racing career with her next engagement a trip to Coolmore Stud.
|
Team Arrowfield Put Finishing Touches on Alverta
When an ugly duckling called Alverta walked into the stables of fledgling Scone trainer Paul Messara in 2005 it can be safely assumed he never thought she would be the horse to bring him his first Group One success, but an impressive trial at Muswellbrook on Thursday morning now has connections looking optimistically towards another Group One assignment, this one at Royal Ascot next month on June 19.
|
Kitchwin Hills Attracts the Right Crowd
Progressive boutique farm Kitchwin Hills opened the gates last Saturday afternoon, inviting broodmare owners to inspect their two stallions for this spring in Dane Shadow and the much admired new addition Duporth.
|
Arrowfield Stallions on Show
Arrowfield Stud has not launched a new stallion since 2006 when Snitzel and Starcraft joined the roster so there was a large crowd in attendance at the farm on Saturday morning for the first public viewing of new recruits Manhattan Rain and All American.
|
The Vintage Crop
In the context of this story, ‘Vintage Crop’ is not the Irish racehorse who shot to fame when winning the Melbourne Cup in 1993, but rather a ‘Vintage Crop’ of three year-olds back in 1999, who now fill the top three spots on the Leading Australian Sires List by winners.
|
Affordable Value
Last week we ran a piece of editorial highlighting several sires we deemed to represent good value in commercial terms of providing a realistic shot at three times service fee in three years time and this week we are following up with a selection of sires in the under $15,000 bracket.
|
Where is the Value?
There has been much feedback contributed by our audience over the past week highlighting unrealistic service fees and stallions that seem to be overpriced, but what about value, is there any to be found?.
|
More Feedback on Service Fees
The topic of service fees is apparently a hot one judging by the responses we have had to a couple of recent Breednet articles.
|
Audience Feedback – The New Pecking Order
A story published last week on Breednet highlighting the new pecking order of Australia’s most expensive sires and calling for feedback on service fees has been widely read and garnered some interesting responses.
|
The New Pecking Order
With the release of fees from all the major farms it’s a good time to have a look at the new pecking order for our most expensive sires led by Redoute’s Choice, who has reclaimed top billing from archrival Encosta de Lago.
|
A to Z of the 2010 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale
The dust has settled on the 2010 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, so what did we make of it, good, bad and otherwise.
|
Why Were People Surprised?
Supposedly we learn from our mistakes and ideally we should use history as a guide in moving forwards and that being the case why were some people so surprised at the largely lacklustre outcome of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale last week? Those who remember the crash of 1990 would have been prepared for that and for a few more years of pain to come.
|
A Tale of Two Slipper Runners
Leading Golden Slipper fancies Chance Bye and Brightexpectations will reunite at Rosehill this Saturday for the first time since they were foals growing up in the lush undulating paddocks of Torryburn Stud at East Gresford.
|
Spreading the Joy
A trio of weekend stakes-winners owe their selection and purchase as yearlings to pedigree analysis and for one of them, there is an additional twist of a bargain purchase made good.
|
Sales Are Up, But is Anyone Making Money?
There is no denying that recent results from yearling sales in Australasia indicate the bloodstock market is rebounding in a healthy fashion, but despite the increases, it still seems many breeders are asking themselves the question – are these yearlings not making enough money or were the service fees we paid too high?
Australasian yearling sales this year have pretty much across the board posted rises in average in the region of 20 to 30% , while the largely disappointing clearance rates of last year have also improved markedly.
|
Stars for the Future at Strawberry Hill
Sunday Joy, Ha Ha, Tuesday Joy, Universal Queen, Samantha Miss – we saw them all on a recent visit to John Singleton’s boutique Strawberry Hill Stud at Mount White less than an hour’s drive north of Sydney.
|
Premier Stats Get Them Here
Get all the statistics for the 2010 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale here – Leading Sires (Encosta de Lago), Buyers (Form Bloodstock, Sth Africa) and Vendors (Grange Thoroughbreds).
|
Double Danehill - The First
When talented filly Psychologist powered away to score a scintillating win in the Group Three MRC Blue Diamond Prelude on Saturday she wrote her name into the history books as the very first stakes-winner to carry a double cross of champion sire Danehill, a development that will have pedigree buffs the world over considering the implications.
|
Mamzelle Dynasty Going Strong
Back in the mid 1990’s, the Ron Quinton trained mare Mamzelle Pedrille was racing up a storm in Sydney winning 11 races including the Group Two STC Theo Marks Stakes providing much excitement for her owner breeder Ray Gall, who together with his son Brett still retain a keen interest in racing and breeding through the many descendants and close relations of their original star mare.
|
A to Z of Inglis Classic
There has been a distinct lack of atmosphere at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale in the past few years, but the old January buzz was back at Newmarket as a result of one man, Mick Tubman and his decision to roll the dice with a $15,000 filly called Chance Bye – fairytales can indeed come true.
|
Inglis Classic Sale Statistics Overall
Leading Sires (Snitzel), Buyers (Bert Vieira), Vendors (Golden Grove) – get them all here.
|
A Jewel in the Emirates Crown
It’s a scarcely remembered fact that Emirates Park did in fact breed champion sire Encosta de Lago and sold him as a yearling at Inglis Easter back in 1995 for $140,000, so when his now 21 year-old mother Shoal Creek delivered a foal last spring it was not hard to see why all at Emirates were delighted.
|
The Story Behind Military Rose
The scintillating win of top class filly Military Rose in the Magic Millions Two Year Old Classic last Saturday was the cause of much excitement for many people including Verna and David Metcalfe of Middlebrook Valley Lodge, who sent in some magnificent photos of her baby half-brother by champion three year-old Haradasun that inspired me to write this story.
|
MM Statistics Sessions One to Four
Leading Sires (Redoute’s Choice), Buyers (Laird Racing Stable), Vendors (Strawberry Hill Stud) – get them all here.
|
More Covering Statistics 2009
Earlier this week we published a story on Breednet detailing the covering statistics as sourced from the Australian Studbook for the first season sires in 2009 with Widden Stud’s Northern Meteor the most popular of the group with 192 mares – the story was so well read we decided to look at another group of sires, those that stood for the biggest service fees.
|
Magic Millions 2010 –The Flip Side of EI
The 2010 Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast has special significance this year as it is the first yearling sale to showcase youngsters conceived in the dark days of 2007 when the EI outbreak crippled the industry leaving destruction and chaos in its wake.
|
Darley Open the Doors to Media
A gaggle of media types descended on Darley Stud at Aberdeen on October 13 to witness firsthand the commitment made by Sheikh Mohammed to his rapidly burgeoning bloodstock and property interests in Australia, with Breednet's Mark Smith putting together a pictorial of the day.
|
Learning to Listen
Can horses make us into better people and help us to learn more about ourselves? Yes is the answer to that question and to find out more read on.
|
Small Miracles
The death of a broodmare and or foal is always tragic and as sad as it is, it’s a scenario that is very much a part of every breeding season, but from just such a tragedy has come a small miracle at Rosari Farm, a boutique breeding operation near Warwick in Queensland.
|
The Value in Late Foals
Foals born with a late November/ December foaling date frequently carry some sort of stigma into the sale ring as yearlings and for the astute buyer prepared to exercise some patience they can represent outstanding value.
|
Victoria Derby - The Dance They Choose to Dodge
Worth a whopping $1,5 million in prizemoney the Group One VRC Victoria Derby has again failed to attract the interest of connections of many of our leading three year-old colts.
|
The Miss Andretti Story
Our reigning Australian Horse of the Year is West Australian sprint star Scenic Blast, but two years ago it was another explosive WA speedster taking all the honours in Miss Andretti, who is now basking in the joys of motherhood having produced her first foal at Toolooganvale Farm in early September.
|
The Miss Finland Story
For Arrowfield Stud, the story of Miss Finland has been a fairytale ride from the start and with the star mare producing her first foal last week, the champion daughter of Redoute’s Choice has entered the next phase of a remarkable career.
|
The Wonders of Widden
Breednet writer Mark Smith made the trek to Widden Stud last Thursday where there was a gathering of champions on both two and four legs.
|
Newmarket in Half a Day
The last day of our recent holiday was spent enjoying a lightning tour around Newmarket, the ‘Horse Capital’ of the UK where we took in a couple of major farms and visited the racecourses, the gallops and the stable of leading trainer Jeremy Noseda, where our daughter Jasmine made the acquaintance of Group One winning mare Fleeting Spirit.
|
Irish National Stud
While on holiday in Ireland we took in one of the ‘must do’ things for every tourist and that is a visit to the Irish National Stud where you can say hello to Melbourne Cup winner Vintage Crop.
|
Coolmore/Ballydoyle - The Secrets to Success
BALLYDOYLE – Our afternoon at Ballydoyle was made all the more interesting and enjoyable by leading work rider Lynn McKeown, who also works in the office and gave us a guided tour of what is widely regarded as the finest private training establishment in the world.
|
Coolmore/Ballydoyle - The Secrets to Success
COOLMORE- A Group One quinella last Sunday for the Coolmore/Ballydoyle team in the Group One Phoenix Stakes at The Curragh with Alfred Nobel and Air Chief Marshal, followed by a Group One win for Rip Van Winkle in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on Wednesday are the latest chapters in what has become a global success story and after visiting the world renowned stud and training stables in Ireland while on holiday it’s not hard to see why they get it so right, so often.
|
