Cover Image: Sharon Lee Chapman

It is always a packed weekend in the Hunter Valley as studs busily prepare to welcome breeders and agents alike to cast their eyes over the newest stars to grace their roster for the 2019 season.

All have exceptional credentials - maybe not in every single category of pedigree, physicality and performance, but they have earned their rightful place on the stallion roster.

Today we finish off our 'Let's get physical' NSW series with New South Wales' first season sires Brave Smash (Jpn), Harry Angel (Ire), Mendelssohn (USA), Real Steel (Jpn), Santos and Saxon Warrior (Jpn).

Brave Smash (Jpn)

Standing at Aquis Farm for $22,000

Tosen Phantom (Jpn) - Tosen Smash (Jpn) by Tokai Teio (Jpn)

James Mitchell - Mitchell Bloodstock

"Brave Smash is a good looking mid-sized bay horse, with a great depth of girth and shoulder! Short cannons and low slung hocks, which we like to see in all our horses."

"Obviously being a Japanese import his pedigree is fairly obscure down here, but have no doubt this horse was a genuine Group 1 sprinter! A complete outcross which is important, he will suit our Danehill line mares Fastnet Rock, Redoute's Choice, Snitzel, Not A Single Doubt etc."

Mike Fleming - Bhima Thoroughbreds

"Brave Smash really impressed me actually, and we're sending him several mares off the back of how he looked on type. He looked very much like an Australian horse, rather different to the other Japanese sires I've seen. He's a strong sprinter build, medium sized with plenty of quality."

"We're sending a few mares to him, a few different physical types but largely those who I think he can add some strength through the shoulder. I don't think he'll necessarily need a strong robust type of mare, as he has plenty of power himself. Overall on type he should be fairly straightforward to mate."

Harry Bailey - Inglis

"Physically he is not what one expects of a Japanese-bred horse as he is built very much in the mould of an Australian sprinter. He is strong, with good forearm, gaskin, hip and hindquarter. He is a handsome horse and as you would expect of a horse that raced at the highest level across multiple seasons, he is a well-conformed, sound-looking horse."

"Research shows there to be good chemistry between Sunday Silence and Danehill, with the likes of Your Song, Sunday Joy and Kermadec as evidence of this, so given Brave Smash is a descendent of Sunday Silence, mares from the Danehill line look very interesting for him. Given he was a 2-year-old stakes-winner himself and has the shape of a sharp horse, it wouldn’t surprise if he was to be a source of precocious stock."

Harry Angel (Ire)

Standing at Darley for $22,000

Dark Angel (Ire) - Beatrix Potter (Ire) by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)

Mike Fleming - Bhima Thoroughbreds

"This horse looks fast - it's not surprising he was such a brilliant sprinter. He has great movement and very strong, clean hocks, using himself particularly well behind. Harry Angel is similar to an Australian-style sprinter, while not overly big he looks like he will produce an early maturing type which is of obvious appeal to our market."

"It's fantastic to have the best son of Dark Angel standing in the Hunter Valley. This is a sireline made for Australia, with his progeny representing precocity and toughness that trains on. I have several mares heading to him this season."

Bryce Bevan - Inglis

"Dark Angel has proven to be such a dominant speed influence in the Northern Hemisphere, so to have his best son standing in the Hunter Valley this season is a very exciting opportunity for Australian breeders. Harry Angel was a horse I was eager to see in the flesh and he did not disappoint. As you would expect of a champion sprinter, he is very strong but has plenty of quality and moves well for a fast horse."

"He’s probably not a dissimilar shape to the likes of Snitzel or Not A Single Doubt, but the fact that he has a Danehill-free pedigree opens up a huge number of options for breeders looking for an outcross to that sireline. He is a most interesting proposition."

Mendelssohn (USA)

Standing at Coolmore for $17,600

Scat Daddy (USA) - Leslie's Lady (USA) by Tricky Creek (USA)

Adrian Hancock - Magic Millions

"He was a very neat, quality individual. A load of presence, a medium-sized horse by a great stallion, and he himself was a US$3 million yearling - with reason!"

"I’d say he’s a stallion that will lavish fast Australian, good strong mares."

Bryce Bevan - Inglis

"He is impossible to fault physically, which is hardly surprising considering he cost US$3 million as a yearling. For breeders looking for a Danehill-outcross, a son of Scat Daddy of this quality is sure to represent an appealing option. "

"He has got a physique to suit most mares and his extraordinary quality is sure to compliment a significant proportion of the broodmare population. His half-brother, Into Mischief, is the US equivalent to I Am Invincible, so his credentials as a young sire are incredibly strong."

Real Steel (Jpn)

Standing at Arrowfield Stud for $16,500

Deep Impact (Jpn) - Loves Only Me by Storm Cat (USA)

Scott Holcombe - Milburn Creek

"He is my pick of Arrowfield's Japanese horses, lots of quality, great head, rein, clean limbs, shoulder and hip."

Andrew Williams - Bloodstock Agent

"This is a lovely cut of a horse and top racehorse. He has lovely scope and quality about him and plenty of length of rein."

"Given the enormous pedigree of this horse, I'm sure he will have every opportunity to succeed at stud. Being a Deep Impact from a Storm Cat mare, out of a Mr Prospector mare - add some Danehill to the mix with a fast daughter of Redoute's Choice or sons, Fastnet Rock or Exceed And Excel, and the progeny will embody the best bloodlines the world can offer."

Harry Bailey - Inglis

"He is very athletic looking with a lovely shoulder and plenty of rein to complement his generally handsome physique. Whilst precocious enough to win as a 2-year-old, he very much fits the model of a miler, as reflected by his top-class form in and around that trip."

"He is another to offer an outcross to Danehill blood and given his scope, he looks sure to appeal to people with typical daughters of the likes of Exceed And Excel, Snitzel and Not A Single Doubt as examples. As was noted at the parade, Deep Impact has performed extremely well when crossed with Danehill and it is also significant that his third dam, Miesque, is one of the all-time great producers."

Santos

Standing at Aquis Farm for $16,500

I Am Invincible - Ghaliah by Secret Savings (USA)

Jo Griffin - Lime Country

"I think Santos is a horse with a lot of I Am Invincible about him, he’s attractive, has good length and height but still with refinement, he reminds me of his sire particularly around his head and with that depth of girth."

"We’ve got a young maiden mare, she’s a half to an I Am Invincible, we don’t want to spend too high a service fee on her, she’s quite neat and short coupled, her dam is a General Nedyim mare and we think that he would be the perfect stallion for her, adding some scope, length and obviously gives us good value with the I Am Invincible that her half-brother picks up."

Mike Fleming - Bhima Thoroughbreds

"Santos is a lovely balanced horse with lovely scope and quality and an enormous girth. I was impressed with how well he moved, he walked very easily over the ground and was light on his feet. He's a great colour and has an attractive head."

"This horse is not difficult to mate with his pedigree as an outcross sire. Given the season his sire I Am Invincible has just had and the start to stud his son Brazen Beau had last season, I should think this horse should be a fairly straightforward decision for many breeders. We have several mares on farm who are booked to go to him."

Saxon Warrior (Jpn)

Standing at Coolmore for $24,750

Deep Impact (Jpn) - Maybe (Ire) by Galileo (Ire)

Andrew Ferguson - Bell River Thoroughbreds

"Saxon Warrior I really liked. I think he will suit Australian conditions, and he looks like an Australian-type stallion. I’ve seen a number of the Deep Impact sires that have come out here and he’s probably the pick of what I have seen."

"He’s a relatively easy stallion to mate to, he should suit most mares, an outcross line and most breeders in Australia are well aware of the effect of Deep Impact and his loss."

Bryce Bevan - Inglis

"He is an interesting horse because his pedigree combines both speed and stamina, with his race record showing him to have inherited a pretty much ideal balance of both. He was a fabulous 2-year-old that progressed again at three, with his form suggesting he was best at a mile. He is an athletic-looking horse, strong, with good range to him."

"Again, it’s not hard to see him complementing a broad cross section of mares from a physical standpoint. I spoke to a number of people after the parade weekend who had been very taken with him which was interesting. The fact that his pedigree includes three of the most influential stallions in history – Deep Impact, Galileo and Danehill - is also sure to appeal to plenty of people."