The 2015 Hunter Valley stallion parades proved to be as popular as ever despite encountering extreme weather conditions that badly affected Sunday's schedule.
The majority of studs reported very pleasing attendance figures with countless enthusiasts making the trip to Australia's thoroughbred breeding capital for what to many has become an annual ritual.
Emirates Park was one outfit to be delighted with the interest shown in Dream Ahead (USA) and Al Maher, it's Murrurundi line-up for 2015. Two days of outstanding weather on Friday and Saturday witnessed a steady stream of breeders passing through the stud's familiar gates.
"I'd personally like to thank everyone who visited Emirates Park
last weekend," says CEO Trevor Lobb. "The long-range forecasts predicted very
daunting weather conditions on the Sunday, yet it didn't stop a big number of industry
participants making the parades another resounding success.
"Though our two stallions are both very well known to breeders these days, there was definitely renewed interest in Dream Ahead due to the outstanding impression he has made with his first 2-year-old runners in Europe. Those who hadn't seen Dream Ahead for a season or two seemed to make a point of inspecting him again this year. His first overseas runners are undoubtedly capturing attention here in Australia."
The performances of first-crop 2-year-olds by Dream Ahead have been a feature of the current European juvenile racing season. The internationally acclaimed sprinter already has 12 individual winners to his credit with the promise of much more to come. His progeny include the Group 3 winner Final Frontier and last weekend's York Gimcrack Stakes (Gr.2) placegetter Raucous, both youngsters rating alongside the best performers seen in the division thus far into the season.
"There was even more interest in Al Maher this year," Lobb continued. "I think the remarkable feats of Delicacy in mid-year reminded everyone of his proven ability to sire a major Group 1 winner."
Lobb concluded: "The Hunter Valley stallion parade weekend each August is very important for both broodmare owners and stallion operations alike. One gets a privileged opportunity to view some of the world's very finest thoroughbred sires in one relatively concentrated area while the other gets to gauge the level of interest for each upcoming season. Based on what we experienced, 2015 promises to be particularly encouraging on everyone's behalf."
News from Emirates Park
