The New Wave of Sire Talent

By Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense (USA) from a Golden Slipper runner-up in Crowned Glory, Hallowed Crown comes from the family of champion sire Zabeel, so has a strong female family and if you are a bit iffy on the Street Sense, he can always be marketed as a grand-son of the late great Street Cry!

Hallowed Crown has gone to the paddock after losing his unbeaten mantle in the Group II ATC Roman Consul Stakes, but will no doubt get every opportunity to improve his record in the autumn for James and Bart Cummings.

The horse that won that Roman Consul Stakes is Brazen Beau and as the best son to date for reigning Champion First Season Sire I Am Invincible, he too is on the radar as a sire prospect.

Already a two time Group II winner, the Chris Waller trained colt was beaten a long head by Almalad in the Group I BTC JJ Atkins Stakes during the winter and will be given his chance to win a Group I in the VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes over 1200 metres at Flemington, a race his trainer won last year with Zoustar.

On the pedigree front he has a double cross of two sires that have been very influential in Australia in Danzig and Bletchingly and while his immediate female family is far from exciting at face value, he traces back to a North American mare called Windy Answer, who is also the ancestress of champion sires Encosta de Lago and Flying Spur.

Third to Hallowed Crown in the Golden Rose was Northern Meteor colt Shooting to Win, who has since upped the ante in winning the Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas over star Victorian colt Rich Enuff.

An impressive physical type from the family of very successful sires Danewin and Commands, Shooting to Win has also gone to the paddock with Peter and Paul Snowden looking to the autumn to enhance his prospects further.

Given the limited edition nature of the progeny of his sire Northern Meteor, who died tragically last year, this horse is going to attract attention from all the major farms as his career unfolds with his owners keen to race on for at least another year.

Champion sire Redoute's Choice, whose sons have proven so successful at stud, added a new Group I winner to his tally last Saturday when Hampton Court won the Spring Champion Stakes.

A $500,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the family of Makybe Diva, he has a lot to like about him although obviously is more of a stayer than a sprinter, which may lessen his commercial appeal at stud for those who believe a sire must have explosive speed.

A horse on the up, connections are now looking to Melbourne with the Cox Plate a possibility, albeit requiring a late entry and the Victoria Derby, for which the horse has been trained.

One candidate that does have explosive speed is three year-old Encosta de Lago colt Rubick, who beat his elders when resuming to win the Group II MRC Schillaci Stakes over 1000 metres last Saturday.

He's already been snaffled by Coolmore and will be out to improve his record on the Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes, which is shaping as a very competitive race.

A blue-blood from the family of champion sire Redoute's Choice, Rubick will hopefully be a good replacement for his sire Encosta de Lago who turned 21 this year.

Sebring has emerged as one of the best young stallions in the country and his two best sons have been racing well this spring and would undoubtedly make great stallion material.

Dissident and Criterion were both juvenile stakes-winners that have trained on to win at Group I level at three and are now back competing at that level as four year-olds.

Dissident won the Group I MRC Memsie Stakes and VRC Makybe Diva Stakes this spring before finishing a close second in the Group I MRC Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, but sadly bled at his next run so has gone to the paddock for the mandatory three months ban.

Criterion has missed a place just once in four runs this spring and showed he was ready for his grand final in the Cox Plate next Saturday with a long head second to Fawkner in the Group I MRC Caulfield Stakes last Saturday.

Both horses tick a lot of boxes and will be the ones to take Sebring forward as a possible sire of sires.

Two year-old colt Vancouver has only won a Listed race at this point with the ATC Breeders Plate on his resume as a debut win, but the manner in which he did it suggests there might be more to come.

Prepared by Gai Waterhouse, the son of Medaglia D'Oro (USA) is a half-brother to Group I winner Juste Momente from a daughter of star mare Skating, so it's a pedigree that screams sire potential if measures up to the best in the autumn.

Click here for the Breednet Sire Prospect Tracker.