Retiring talented colts to stud early at the end of their 3YO season is common practice for high profile candidates given the finances at stake, but for colts that race on and test their mettle further on the battleground of the track a successful stud career can still unfold with 10 of the Top 20 sires in Australia this season racing as older horses.
I Am Invincible and So You Think have both sired the winners of over $19million in prizemoney and both raced beyond their 3YO season.
I Am Invincible scored his best win at four in a Group III sprint and was second to champion sprinter Takeover Target in the Group I SAJC Goodwood Handicap, while So You Think travelled the world at age four and five contesting countless Group I races after departing Australia as a dual Cox Plate winner.
Nicconi, Deep Field and Tavistock all scored their career best wins as four year-olds, while Spirit of Boom waited until age six to win not one, but two Group I races, kind of an irony given his reputation for siring precocious 2YO’s.
Toronado (IRE) was a Group I winner at three and at four after starting his career as a Group II winning juvenile.
Street Boss (USA) posted both of his Group I wins at four, while Shocking and Magnus also tasted elite success at four and they round out the sires in the Top 20 that raced on as older horses.
Rebel Dane, who will be Champion 2YO Sire thanks to his star filly Fireburn, and late charging first season sire Hellbent are two more stallions starting to hit their straps that did their best work on the track as older horses.
There is a raft of young up and coming sires that fit the less obvious profile for sire success of having achieved their best results later in life.
Aquis based Pierata is an obvious one winning the Group I ATC All Aged Stakes at four and finishing second in the same race as a five year-old before retiring with earnings of $5.8million.
He stands at a fee of 44,000 and is lining up for his third season at stud.
Also from Aquis, first season sire Jonker is the first son of Spirit of Boom to go to stud and won the Group I MVRC Manikato Stakes at age six. He stands at a fee of $16,500.
Newgate Farm took the decision to race on for another season with high class Snitzel colt Wild Ruler and were rewarded when he claimed his first Group I in the MVRC Moir Stakes at four. He stands at a fee of $38,500.
Widden Stud are standing high class middle distance horse Russian Camelot (IRE) who won the SA Derby at three and trained on at four to win the Group I MRC Underwood Stakes and was third in the Cox Plate.
They also stand brilliant Written Tycoon stallion Dirty Work, who did his best work at four winning the Group II MRC Schillaci Stakes.
Both horses are second season this spring and Russian Camelot stands at a fee of $22,000 and Dirty Work at $16,500.
Kitchwin Hills are putting their faith in Graff, who was a top class three year-old that achieved his career best win at five in the Group II MRC Caulfield Sprint.
He stands at a fee of $13,200 and will look to follow up on the stud success achieved by another Group II winning son of Star Witness in Star Turn, who sired his first Group I winner this season in Startantes.
Leneva Park’s Fierce Impact (Jpn) is a second season sire that made a huge impact when he settled into Australia as a tried horse winning a pair of Group I races a 1600m at age six.
The son of Deep Impact stands at a fee of $16,500.
