Australian Group 1 breakdown: Season 2020/21

This racing season featured somewhat of a peculiarity in that while there were 74 Group 1 races, there were 75 Group 1 victors, because of a rare Group 1 dead heat in the Oakleigh Plate between Portland Sky (Deep Field) and Celebrity Queen (Redoute's Choice).

Those 75 Group 1 victories were split between 60 different horses, 37 separate trainers, 29 individual jockeys, 46 different sires and 51 different breeders.

Those stats are quite similar to the numbers from 2019/20, which we summarised around the same time last year.

The most successful sire, in terms of total Group 1 wins, was Grangewilliam Stud's Zed (NZ), with all five of his victories coming through the season's most prolific top-flight horse, the star mare Verry Elleegant (NZ), who looks a huge chance to be the first New Zealand-bred horse to be named Australian Racehorse of the Year since Sunline (NZ) (Desert Sun {GB}) in 2001/02.

Global phenomenon Frankel (GB) had four Australian Group 1 victories from his progeny, two from star filly Hungry Heart, and one each from Converge and Mirage Dancer (GB), while Waikato Stud's Ocean Park (NZ) had four top-flight wins, two each from Tofane (NZ) and Kolding (NZ).

The Australian-based sire to have four Group 1 wins was Written Tycoon, who heads to Yulong Stud in 2021 off his best-ever season which included dual Group 1 wins from Ole Kirk and elite victories from his daughters Pippie and Odeum.

In terms of the most individual Group 1 winners for the season, on three each are both Written Tycoon and Frankel, and joining them is Rosemont Stud's Shamus Award, whose breakout season included Group 1 wins from Mr Quickie, Duais and Media Award.

Table: Leading Group 1-producing sires in Australia, 2020/21

The source

Of the 75 Group 1 victories in Australia in 2020/21, 45 of them were by horses bred in Australia, a ratio of 60 per cent. That is a slight drop from last season, when it was 63 per cent. Those 45 races were won by 38 individual horses.

It was a particularly fruitful year for New Zealand-bred horses, which had 17 wins, 24 per cent of the overall total and a jump from the 10 victories of 2019/20. Verry Elleegant's dominance helped this but it is also noteworthy that New Zealand-bred 3-year-olds won all four Group 1 Derbies in Australia, led by Explosive Jack (NZ) (Jakkalberry {Ire}), who won both the Australian and South Australian Derbies.

There was a season-on-season drop off in the number of Northern Hemisphere-bred victories in Australian Group 1 races, with five from Ireland, four from Great Britain, one from South Africa, one from Japan and one from the United States. That's a total of 12, down from 15 in 2019/20.

Table: Multiple Group 1 winners in Australia, 2020/21

The most successful breeder in terms of Group 1 wins was Don Goodwin, the breeder of Verry Elleegant, while Godolphin and Bob Peters had four apiece.

Three of Godolphin's four winners were bred in Australia in Bivouac (Exceed And Excel), Anamoe (Street Boss {USA}) and Savatiano (Street Cry {Ire}), while the other, Cascadian (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) was bred in the UK, and raced in France for André Fabre before coming to Australia.

Peters' remarkable record only got stronger in 2020/21. He had four Group 1 wins as a breeder, two from Arcadia Queen (Pierro) and one apiece from Celebrity Queen and Truly Great (Dundeel {NZ}). Peters also had an additional Group 1 winner in his colours as an owner, in Inspirational Girl (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}), who he purchased as a yearling.

Gallery: Bob Peters' 2020/21 Group 1 winners

Other notable breeders with multiple Group 1 winners for the season include Gilgai Farm, with Ole Kirk and Masked Crusader (Toronado {Ire}) and WA's Anita Vale Stud with Elite Street (Street Boss {USA}) and Portland Sky.

In terms of broodmare sires, Redoute's Choice and Danroad were tied on five Group 1 victories apiece. Danroad is the damsire of Verry Elleegant, while Redoute's Choice's influence continues to be felt with four individual Group 1 winners for the season as a broodmare sire with Arcadia Queen (two), Anamoe, Savatiano and Artorius (Flying Artie).

The former Vinery Stud shuttle stallion More Than Ready (USA) also had four individual Australian Group 1 winners from his mares this season in Celebrity Queen, Bivouac, Media Award and Forbidden Love (All Too Hard).

Table: Leading Group 1-producing broodmare sires in Australia, 2020/21

The cost of a Group 1 winner

In terms of their yearling prices, the most expensive Group 1 winner for the season was Ole Kirk, who cost $675,000 at the 2019 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. G1 VRC Oaks winner Personal (Fastnet Rock) cost $640,000 at the 2019 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, while G1 Champagne S. winner Captivant (Capitalist) was a $550,000 yearling purchase at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

At the other end of the spectrum were a trio of Group 1 winners which cost less than $10,000 as yearlings. G1 Australasian Oaks winner Media Award was a $5000 buy at the Inglis Melbourne Gold Sale in 2019, while dual Group 1 winner Behemoth (All Too Hard) cost $6000 from the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale in 2017.

The G1 Goodwood H. winner Savatoxl (Kuroshio) was initially purchased for $8000 at the Inglis Melbourne Gold Sale, before then being sold for $18,000 at the Red Centre Sale later in his yearling season.

All in all, 31 of the 60 Group 1 winners, or just over 50 per cent, were sold at a yearling sale in either Australia or New Zealand. The average price of those horses as yearlings was $194,645, at a median of $130,000.

Star graduates

Ten of those 31 Group 1 winners were sold through the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, while seven were purchased through the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka.

Four were purchased from the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale (Nature Strip (Nicconi) was offered but passed in through that Sale), while three were sold through the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and the Inglis Melbourne Gold Sale.

In terms of the most successful vendors from Australasian yearling sales, Waikato Stud had three sales graduates win Group 1 races in Australia this season, Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel), Mo'unga (NZ) (Savabeel) and Kukeracha (NZ) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). Gilgai Farm, Newhaven Park, Riversdale and Rosemont Stud had two Group 1-winning graduates apiece.

Also noteworthy as a vendor is Tyreel Stud, who sold dual Group 1 winner Montefilia (Kermadec {NZ}) as a weanling and a yearling, but also sold Behemoth as a weanling.

They were two of the four Group 1 winners who were sold as weanlings in Australia, both of them coming through the Inglis Great Southern Sale while Krone (Eurozone) and Stay Inside (Extreme Choice) came through the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.

Waller to the fore again

Trainer Chris Waller's incredible run of success continues with his 15 Group 1 wins in total, which was the equal second best seasonal tally of his illustrious career. Those 15 wins came from eight individual horses with four of them, Verry Elleegant, Hungry Heart, Kolding and Nature Strip winning multiple Group 1 races.

Perth-based Grant and Alana Williams had five Group 1 wins across four Group 1 winners, who were all owned by Bob Peters, while Ciaron Maher and David Eustace as well as James Cummings had four Group 1 victories for the season.

The season was also notable for trainers getting their first Group 1 wins, with Paul Preusker, Annabel Neasham, Kerry Parker, Edward Cummings, Denis Pagan and Chris Calthorpe all joining that club along with partnerships Richard and Michael Freedman and Tom Dabernig and Ben Hayes.

James McDonald led the way in terms of jockey successes with eight Group 1 victories for the season, three more than he achieved last campaign. Craig Williams had five, including the final two Group 1s of the season aboard Tofane.

Tommy Berry and William Pike each had five Group 1 wins, while a resurgent Glen Boss and an emerging Jamie Kah had four apiece along with experienced hands Luke Currie and Nash Rawiller.

We will provide a similar breakdown of the New Zealand Group 1 season on Friday.

Table: Multiple Group 1-winning trainers in Australia, 2020/21