While still seven short of the remarkable first-season record set by Lindsay Park's Without Fear (Fr) in 1975-76, Better Than Ready's progeny have had an astonishing start to their careers on the track, with 23 winners from 47 runners, compiling a total of 37 wins.
And it has been a dominance born in a very competitive environment. Newgate's Deep Field took his total of first-crop winners to 21 over the weekend, the most successful ever for a Hunter Valley-based stallion, but while he has kept on the heels of Better Than Ready for most of the year, he looks set to be unable to surpass him with just three days left of the season.
For the first time since 2009-10, there will be four first-season sires with ten or more winners, with Rubick (15) and Shooting To Win (10) also enjoying strong starts.
Better Than Ready | Standing at Lyndhurst Stud
The past 12 months have been a whirlwind for the Kruger family at Lyndhurst Stud, with a huge fourth-season in the breeding barn, where Better Than Ready served 236 mares, leading in to a remarkable first season on the track, which has seen his service fee rocket from $9900 to $33,000 (inc GST).
"Ever since they had their first official trials, we sensed something, because if they weren't winning they were running second," Jeff Kruger told TDN AusNZ. "They came out and hit the ground running, it’s been really good."
"They came out and hit the ground running, it’s been really good." - Jeff Kruger
"He was the first one to crack 20 in 40 years. Deep Field has been keeping him pretty close. It’s been a great achievement from him."
He won’t win the title of Champion First Season Sire, with another Queensland-based stallion, Sidestep, to claim that thanks largely to the success of filly Kiamichi in the G1 Golden Slipper S, but his total prizemoney of just short of $2 million would have been enough to claim that honour in seven of the past eight seasons.
His latest winner was his first in Victoria when the Yulong-owned Green Rules debuted with an all-the-way victory at Bendigo for Nathan Dunn.
Better Thinking put on a similar front-running display at Toowoomba on Saturday to also win on debut, a style of racing that has become synonymous with the sire.
"I was talking to (Better Thinking's trainer) Tony Sears before yesterday, and he expected her to win. He said, she'll just jump and run and he's got a couple of them and they all seem to do the same, it’s a good trait to have," Kruger said.
He expected her to win. He said, she'll just jump and run and he's got a couple of them and they all seem to do the same, it’s a good trait to have." - Jeff Kruger
That his 2-year-olds have continued to win later in the season is a good sign for the first-crop's prospects when they turn three next Thursday.
Raising expectations
But while their success has been very much welcomed by Kruger, he says the expectations have been raised.
"Like anything, he has to keep stepping up to the mark. He has to get a few more stakes winners and turn these winners into black type. But I think there is everything there to show that might happen," he said.
He has to get a few more stakes winners and turn these winners into black type. But I think there is everything there to show that might happen,." - Jeff Kruger
As for his future crops, he will have similar numbers of 2-year-olds to the track next season off a similar quality of mare to what he had in his first year.
"The quality of mare has been just average for a horse like this standing in Queensland," Kruger said. "The next two years, the quality hasn’t changed, but coming into this season his entire book is almost entirely from the Hunter Valley. The quality will go up for sure. I don’t expect him to slow down winners-wise."
With the increase in demand, Lyndhurst has opted to keep his number of mares to around 200 for the 2019 breeding season at his much-higher fee.
Lyndhurst Stud is one of the last family-operated farms left in Queensland
The stallion himself is 'as good as gold' according to Kruger, who admitted the success of Better Than Ready has led to a need to re-evaluate several aspects of Lyndhurst's operations.
"There's really only two or three family-operated farms left in Queensland, Eureka, ourselves and Oaklands with the likely sale of Wattle Brae. I guess the best outlook for us is our yearling sales next year and beyond," he said.
"Just like anyone else, we have to keep upgrading our own mares, so we can compete at the higher end of the ladder. It’s exciting times ahead, that's for sure."
