Cover image courtesy of Shannay Vandyk
Palace Pier is a nice horse, lovely, a lot of quality about him, a lot of Kingman about him actually. I think that being a son of I Am Invincible, who works here with the Invincible Spirit line, people will back into him. His race record speaks for itself; he won nine of 11 which is freakish, and he was a Champion 3-Year-Old and a lovely family behind him as well. He’s lovely – a really athletic horse with a lot of quality about him.
He’ll suit a lot of those Danehill mares and he’s a total outcross for those Danehill mares isn’t he? A lot of those mares, you can imagine the likes of the Snitzel mares and the Fastnet Rock mares, they’d be really suiting him and they’re good quality mares too.
Gallery: Images from the Darley stallion parade, images courtesy of Darley
Darley have sent down some of their best, they’re backing them and it’s worked in the past with their previous shuttle stallions, with the likes of Medaglia D’Oro and Street Boss who was obviously was massive down here as well. When they send horses down, they click and people get behind them. I’m sure this fella will get every chance.
Pinatubo is hard to fault. He’s a lot of quality, moves well, lovely head, athletic. He was Champion 2-Year-Old and he was so tough, six from six as a 2-year-old. A total outcross, from the family of Invincible Spirit – you can’t help but fall in love with him when you see him. He’s just a gorgeous horse and I’m sure that he will get a quality book of mares and anyone who sees him will be looking to book a mare in, I’m sure.
I had never seen Too Darn Hot before, but he’s a gorgeous horse. He looks like a Dubawi – he’s lovely and athletic, with a lot of quality about him. There’s a bit of Singspiel in there too. I’d seen his foals before I saw him, and he was leaving lovely, lovely foals.
Brian McGuire
Bivouac is a lovely horse. You can see even a bit of More Than Ready in him, but even just watching the videos during the parade and you see what he did to Nature Strip at Flemington – it just reminds you of how good and dominant the horse was. He’s a lovely style of horse, with a good head. I’d have thought he will have covered a massive book last year, with good mares, and he’ll have the same this year. If there’s going to be an heir to the throne for Exceed And Excel, it’s going to be him I’d say.
He did that at three and four but people forget that he was still sharp enough to be winning a Lonhro Plate and a Kindergarten really early on in his 2-year-old career, so he was a horse that I’d imagine showed a lot of real, early, precocious speed.
