Tycoon
Tara captured the last Group I event of the Australian racing season at Doomben
last Saturday when taking out the Tatts Tiara so it's time to take a look back
and see just what happened in our Group I racing this season.
72 Group I events were conducted in Australia and were won by 60 individual
horses with Winx (Street Cry (IRE) the standout performer as the winner of six
of them.
Other multiple Group I winners were Black Heart Bart (Blackfriars) with four
wins at the elite level as well as two time winners Egg Tart (Sebring), Global
Glamour (Star Witness), Jameka (Myboycharlie (IRE) and Le Romain (Hard Spun
(USA).
Australian bred horses won the lion's share of Group I races with eight imported
gallopers claiming eight victories including Almandin (Ger) winning the
Melbourne Cup, while seven Kiwi breds won seven Group I events – five of them
three year-olds.
The most expensive Group I winner bought at auction as a yearling was Awesome
Rock (Fastnet Rock), who won the Group I VRC Emirates Stakes (2000m) and was
bought by Spicer Thoroughbreds as a Magic Millions yearling from the draft of
Newgate Farm for $575,000.
The least expensive was Yankee Rose (All American), who was plucked from the
Inglis Classic Yearling Sale by Darby Bloodstock for just $10,000 from the
draft of Widden Stud. They also secured the second cheapest yearling purchase
to win a Group I race in Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign, who came out of
the same sale for $20,000.
That can't just be luck!
The most successful sire of Group I winners was Arrowfield Stud's Not a Single
Doubt, who delivered four of them – Secret Agenda, Scales of Justice, Clearly
Innocent and Extreme Choice.
Other sires to produce more than one Group I winner were Snitzel (Redzel,
Russian Revolution, Invader), Choisir (The Mission, Divine Prophet), Fastnet
Rock (Awesome Rock, Catchy), High Chaparral (IRE) (Montoya's Secret, Tivaci),
Ifraaj (GB) (Gingernuts, Jon Snow) and Stratum (Takedown, Stratum Star), Street
Cry (IRE) (Winx, Heavens Above) and Teofilo (IRE) (Palentino, Humidor).
The Danehill sireline proved the dominating factor with 20 of the individual 60
stakes-winners sired by Danehill line sires, while a further six Group I
winners were from mares sired by Danehill line sires.
Also worth noting the success of stallions bred from Danehill line mares,
notably Sebring, Star Witness and Teofilo (IRE). Bringing them into the
equation means no fewer than half of our Group I winners had Danehill feature prominently in
their pedigrees.
14 years after his death, Danehill still exerts a powerful influence over our
racing and breeding industry with his sire dynasty now stretching in all
directions right around the world.
He had just four direct sons in Blackfriars, California Dane, Fastnet Rock and
Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) sire Group I winners and while his champion son
Redoute's Choice did not get on the board this season, his sons Not a Single
Doubt, Snitzel, Stratum and Beneteau all did.
Fastnet Rock also proved himself as a Group I sire of sires with his son
Foxwedge tasting elite success with Foxplay.
The most successful broodmare sire was Zabeel with four Group I winners –
Bonneval, Clearly Innocent, Humidor and Sense of Occasion.
Other broodmare sires with multiple Group I winners were Encosta de Lago
(Divine Prophet, Impending, Invader), General Nediym (Lasqueti Spirit, Hey Doc,
Jameka), Redoute's Choice (The Mission, Inference) and Rubiton (Flying Artie,
Redzel).
Two of the hottest sires in the country in I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) and
Written Tycoon (Iglesia) featured with one Group I winner each in I Am a Star
and Tycoon Tara.
Both stallions are free of Danehill blood and promise to take the breeding
industry in a slightly different direction in coming years as their better bred large crops of foals come on line.
I Am Invincible represents the Green Desert branch of the Danzig line, while
Written Tycoon is a grand-son of former champion shuttle sire Last Tycoon, a
grand-son of Northern Dancer.
Both stallions also have growing numbers of sons at stud with the potential to establish
their influence further as the years unfold.