Comparing the Class of 2005

While expectations were high for Fastnet Rock when he went to stud in 2005, few could have believed he would have the global influence as a stallion that he has had.

But while a legend was being created at Coolmore in Australia, across the Tasman, in the same year two freshman stallions were set to make impressions that would reshape the breed across both Australia and New Zealand in Savabeel and High Chaparral (Ire).

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Meanwhile, Arrowfield stood its first son of Redoute's Choice in Not A Single Doubt and would build a real stallion of influence from a modest opening fee.

In the latest of our series, which compares the relative success of stallions from the same year at various key points of their careers, we take a look at the class of 2005.

Note: This article examines stallions who stood their first seasons in 2005 only. Data has been sourced from Arion and Studbook.

Stallion fees set

The two headline new stallions of 2005 were Fastnet Rock at Coolmore and Shamardal (USA) at Darley.

Fastnet Rock was a Group 1 winning son of champion stallion Danehill (USA), who had bloomed in the second half of his 3-year-old season, winning the Lightning S. and Oakleigh Plate before finishing second in both the Newmarket H. and TJ Smith S.

Travel sickness ruined plans for him to compete at Royal Ascot in 2005 and he was retired to the Hunter Valley to begin what would be a phenomenal breeding career, standing for an opening price of $55,000 (inc GST).

Shamardal was a European superstar, winning the G1 Dewhurst S. at two and the G1 St James Palace S., G1 Prix Du Jockey Club and G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains at three and being crowned champion 3-year-old miler of Europe. He too stood for $55,000.

Elvstroem was a six-time Group 1 winner and he began his career at Blue Gum Farm in Victoria at $38,500, while next on the pricelist were the G1 Australian Guineas winner Al Maher, who stood at Emirates Park for $27,500, and Footstepsinthesand (GB), the unbeaten G1 Two Thousand Guineas winner, who was at the same price at Coolmore.

Charge Forward, who had won the G1 Galaxy earlier that year, began his stint at Arrowfield in 2005 at $22,500 (inc GST).

While we have generally only looked at Australian-based stallions in these articles, it’s worth noting that Savabeel stood his first season at Waikato Stud in 2005 at NZ$35,000, while High Chaparral debuted at Windsor Park Stud at NZ$22,000.

Table: Season 1 books

Big books

Given his record as a dual Group 1 winning son of Danehill, it was hardly surprising Fastnet Rock was the most in demand stallion of 2005. He was the only first year stallion with a book of over 200 (208), while Al Maher was also very well-patronised in his first season with 180 and Elvstroem had 166.

Tsuimai, who made a very bright start at Oakland Stud before his death in 2008, was well supported in Queensland, with 141 mares, ahead of Kempinsky, who stood for $8800 (inc GST) at Newlands Thoroughbreds in Victoria and served 136 mares.

Stromberg Carlson served 129 mares at Raheen Stud, while Not A Single Doubt had a book of 128 in his first season (off a fee of $13,750 (inc GST), three more than his fellow Arrowfield freshman Charge Forward.

In what was a busy year for first season stallions across the Tasman, One Cool Cat (USA), standing at Cambridge Stud led the way with 148 mares followed by High Chaparral and Savabeel, who both had 128.

On the market

The first crop's performance at the yearling sales is always a crucial time for any stallion and in the 2008 sales season, it became immediately clear that Fastnet Rock was the top seed with the market.

All in all, he had 99 of his first crop sell at an impressive average of $241,664 and a median of $200,000. There were three future Group 1 winners by Fastnet Rock sold that year, Irish Lights, Rock Classic and Wanted, who was the top priced colt of the first crop at $800,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. The top filly was sold for NZ$700,000 at Karaka.

Elvstroem's progeny had the second highest average at $104,637, with 74 sold in total, while Shamardal's 46 yearlings averaged a tick under $100,000. Charge Forward's 48 sales averaged $89,467.

Al Maher had big numbers through the sale, 93 in all, with an average of $68,507, while Not A Single Doubt provided an excellent return on his first season service fee with his 55 yearlings averaging $62,154.

Table: First crop sales averages

Hitting the track

Not A Single Doubt would lead the first season sires in 2008/09 in terms of individual winners with 13 to further add to his upward trajectory, but it was his Arrowfield barnmate Charge Forward who would claim the honour as Champion First Season Sire.

He had the quality filly Headway, who would later go on to be his first Group 1 winner, to thank for that. She won both the Listed Chairman's S. and the G3 Sweet Embrace S. With seven winners from 31 runners, Charge Forward's progeny won over $1.15 million.

Fastnet Rock was second in terms of both prizemoney and individual winners, with 12 of his first crop victorious as 2-year-olds, and total earnings of $892,479. Wanted was his sole stakes winner that season, claiming the G3 Kindergarten S.

Dane Shadow finished third on the Sires' Table, with his six winners highlighted by Listed winner Shellscrape, while WA-based Oratorio was fourth and Shamardal fifth, with 12 winners but none at stakes level.

The leading first season sire on stakes winners in that season was Al Maher with two from his seven individual winners, Majestic Music and Speedy Natalie.

Table: First season sires

Backing up the early numbers

By the fifth year at stud, a stallion's career trajectory is close to being defined, and coming after their first 2-year-olds hit the track and the market has assessed a couple of crops, it’s an interesting time to look at numbers.

EI had caused its fair share of issues with shuttle stallions and as such the locals had taken control of the numbers.

Fastnet Rock had his biggest ever book in his fifth year, with 273 mares, at a 2009 service fee of $60,500 (inc GST).

The strong start from Dane Shadow's progeny on the track saw him nearly double his numbers from his first book (84) to 166 in his fifth year at $16,500 (inc GST), while Not A Single Doubt's numbers had grown to 148 as he remained at the same service fee as he debuted at.

Mungrup Stud's Oratorio reached a high tide mark of 142, up from 86 in his debut year, while Niello had 134 and Elvstroem 127.

Injury had curtailed Shamardal's career in Australia and he served just 34 mares in 2009.

In contrast, demand for High Chaparral exploded in what would be his final season in New Zealand and he served 191 mares, while Savabeel served 130.

Second season results

After failing to win Champion First Season honours, Fastnet Rock asserted himself back at the top of the pack in the second season battle. He had 59 winners for the season, nine at stakes level including the three Group 1 winners listed above. All in all, his progeny won $5.715 million in 2009/10.

That just eclipsed what High Chaparral achieved in Australia that year, with $5.37 million, led by Cox Plate hero So You Think (NZ) as well as multiple Group 1 winners Monaco Consul (NZ) and Shoot Out.

Shamardal got his first Australian Group 1 with the VRC Oaks winner Faint Perfume and had 39 winners in all in Australia, seven at stakes level earning just under $4 million.

Al Maher continued to produce a significant amount of winners and his 51 was second only to Fastnet Rock, while Not A Single Doubt had 43 winners that season, including his first stakes winner Doubtful Jack.

Ongoing market support

When their fifth crop hits the sales, a stallion is very much in the heart of their career and the market has pretty much made their mind up on the desirability of their progeny.

Looking at this class, the sales results tell us that the demand for Fastnet Rock's progeny remained extremely strong, despite four previous years of big books. The yearling market couldn’t get enough of them, despite a somewhat uncertain five years in the lead-up to the 2012 sales season.

He had 119 yearlings sell in 2012 at an average of $227,147 and an aggregate of over $27 million. The sales average to service fee ratio is around 3.5, which is quite remarkable for a top end stallion. That included the NZ$1.75 million David Ellis paid for a colt at Karaka, while there was another $1 million colt purchased by James Bester at the Easter Yearling Sale.

Shamardal only had 11 yearlings through the ring, and not surprisingly, they were in demand, selling for an average of $109,594, while Charge Forward continued to be popular, with 44 sold at an average of $74,977.

Not A Single Doubt's star continued to grow and he had 58 yearlings sell that season, the second most of that class of 2005, at an average of $63,215, or around five times on the service fee.

Demand for Oratorio had surged in WA to a point where he averaged a very respectable $55,000 for 34 yearlings sold.

As it stands in 2020

Fastnet Rock has become one of the most influential stallions of the past 15 years and is clearly the top of his class from 2005, having been Australia's Champion Stallion on two occasions.

Still going strong at 18 years of age, he served 98 mares at a fee of $165,000 in 2019 and again shuttled to Ireland in 2020.

Globally, he has had 155 stakes winners in a remarkable 16 countries and 37 individual Group 1 winners across the world.

In terms of his Australian crops, which we concern ourselves with in this article, he has had 983 winners from 1320 runners and 117 stakes winners. His Australian progeny have earned over $150 million in prizemoney since they hit the track. He has 21 sons at stud in Australia, while he now has 21 stakes winners as a broodmare sire.

Not A Single Doubt, recently retired from stud duties, was the one which has made the most progress from where he first started out. His final season service fee was $110,000, a huge jump from that $13,750 in his first year. He has produced 628 winners, 69 stakes winners and 11 Group 1 winners.

Charge Forward, who is now at Murrulla Stud, has produced 19 stakes winners, including two Group 1 winners and 316 winners all up. He has also found considerable success as a broodmare sire, having sired the dams of two recent Golden Slipper S. winners.

Dane Shadow, who passed away late last year, proved a very consistent stallion with 339 winners to date, including 10 stakes winners, while Al Maher remains active and has produced 660 winners, including 35 at stakes level.

Two phenomenal sires came out of New Zealand in that year, 2005, and their stats are also well worth reflecting on.

Savabeel, a five-time Champion Sire in New Zealand, has produced 644 winners from 909 runners, including 97 stakes winners, 18 of them at Group 1 level.

High Chaparral Southern Hemisphere sired progeny (New Zealand and Australia) featured 586 winners to date, with 67 stakes-winners including 12 individual Group 1 winners.

Table: Class of 2005 - Current Stats for Selected Stallions

*Australian/NZ-bred produce only