Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Lyndhurst Stud’s prolific juvenile producer Better Than Ready could very well have one of the most exciting prospects he has ever had in Skirt The Law who posted an ultra-dominant victory at Doomben on Saturday, taking her record to a perfect two from two.
The Tony Gollan-trained filly signalled she might be one to follow when running her rivals ragged to post an excellent 2.8l debut victory at Doomben last month.
Sent back to the same track on Saturday, the filly put even more daylight between her and the field, serving her counterparts a 5.3l defeat and booking her ticket to the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic in the process.
The filly was one of four winners for her sire on Saturday, with fellow juvenile Tahkian Bubbles, who was tasting victory for the first time at Rockhampton, also among the victors.
While the season is still at a formative stage, Saturday’s haul moves Better Than Ready into pole position to retain his crown as Australia's leading sire of 2-year-olds by winners. He currently sits one winner ahead of I Am Invincible, while a whole host of top-class stallions, including Zoustar, Exceed And Excel and Better Than Ready’s familiar foe, Spirit Of Boom, have all been represented by two individual winners this season.
Timely update
Skirt The Law herself was bred by Lyndhurst Stud and is out of Listed-placed mare Outlaw Kate (Exceed And Excel), who was acquired by the Queensland operation for $30,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2019.
Following the purchase, the page has continued to be updated, most notably when Outlaw Kate's half-brother, Masked Crusader (Toronado {Ire}), snared the most high-profile victory to date in the 2021 G1 William Reid S. and in the process provided Skirt The Law a timely update ahead of her going under the hammer on the Gold Coast.
Skirt The Law as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
The filly eventually made $170,000 at the Magic Millions sale in January, catching the eye of her subsequent trainer, Gollan, John Foote Bloodstock (FBAA) and Black Soil Bloodstock.
“She was always a lovely, athletic type, without being a standout, but she had a lovely page which got her into the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Her mother is a half-sister to Masked Crusader who just prior to the Magic Millions won his Group 1,” recalled Kruger.
“She looks a very exciting prospect for Better Than Ready and Saturday's performance was brilliant, which gained her a starting berth in the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast.
“She (Skirt The Law) looks a very exciting prospect for Better Than Ready and Saturday's performance was brilliant, which gained her a starting berth in the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast.” - Jeff Kruger
Skirt The Law was conceived in 2019 when his fee was set at a career-high fee of $33,000 (inc GST), having stood his previous four seasons at $9900 (inc GST). The colossal rise was in response to the son of More Than Ready (USA) finishing the 2018/19 season as the Champion First Season Sire by winners. In fact, the 23 individual winners he sired in his first season with runners was the best haul of scorers since 2010 and has yet to be bettered.
Given the higher quality of mares that follows a fee hike, Kruger said he is looking forward to seeing what other potential stars can emerge from the 2019 crop.
“This current batch of 2-year-olds are from his best crop of mares. He got a lot of support in the Hunter Valley from this particular crop and we would expect nothing to be any different if not better with his 2-year-olds,” he said. “I don’t know the reason why he is better than every stallion as far as getting juvenile winners is concerned, they just jump and run early, right from the moment they start trialling.”
Crowning glory
Better Than Ready was crowned Australia’s leading 2-year-old sire last season, producing 25 winners from 70 runners, two ahead of his nearest rival Spirit Of Boom.
Better Than Ready | Standing at Lyndhurst Stud
“The amount of juvenile winners he and Spirit Of Boom get here in Queensland is just unbelievable. He (Better Than Ready) had 70 2-year-old runners last season and just to get that many juvenile runners to the track, bearing in mind all the variables, it is just amazing to get that many horses to the track, let alone for a lot of them to win,” said Kruger.
In 2020, his fee was shaved back to $30,000 (inc GST), before standing the 2020 term for a private fee and this year he has covered mares at $24,200 (inc GST) and Kruger is hoping his current crop of 2-year-olds can fire and the stallion's fee can return to the higher echelons.
“His book of mares was good this year, but they were nothing like the sort of mares he covered for his current crop of 2-year-olds.
“There is no denying that Better Than Ready really needs another Group horse to get his fee back to where we had it at $30,000 because we are currently at $24,200 (inc GST). We would like to get his fee back to where it was in 2019 because those better-quality mares certainly come from those farms that can afford to pay that fee and that’s where those mares come from.
“We would like to get his (Better Than Ready's) fee back to where it was in 2019 because those better-quality mares certainly come from those farms that can afford to pay that fee ($33,000 inc GST) and that’s where those mares come from.” - Jeff Kruger
“There are no shortages of mares for him, but if we are going to get the better quality of mares for him like we did with the current crop of 2-year-olds we need to get his fee back to where it was.”
There is nothing like a top-class colt, gelding or filly to reignite breeders' interest in a stallion and Kruger is hoping that Skirt The Law can prove the catalyst this season.
“Hopefully, a horse like Skirt The Law can do that for him. He has a couple of good 3-year-olds as well and he may just have one of the best 3-year-olds in the state as well in Steady Ready, he looks really good. You then have the older horses like Apache Chase and Alpine Edge.
“Apache Chase is well into his preparation whereas Alpine Edge has trialled well and is about to commence his preparation. I believe he is very well and I believe he is going to New Zealand for a Group 1, so we need those older horses to step up as well.”
Covered by Spirit Of Boom
As for Skirt The Law’s dam, Outlaw Kate, she foaled a colt by Widden Stud-based sire Nicconi this season and was on Saturday covered by Eureka Stud’s headline stallion, Spirit Of Boom, whom the Krugers have shares in.
Spirit Of Boom | Standing at Eureka Stud
“We bought her at Magic Millions in foal to Flying Artie, but we bought her with the intention of putting her in foal to Better Than Ready, which is how we got Skirt The Law and she then slipped the next foal and went to Nicconi. Her Nicconi colt is lovely and she was covered yesterday (Saturday) by Spirit Of Boom,” explained Kruger.
When Better Than Ready is mated to daughters of Exceed And Excel the cross has produced 10 winners from 13 runners and as a result Kruger is doing his best to snap up as many daughters of the Darley stallion as possible.
However, Spirit Of Boom also works well with the son of Danehill (USA), with the nick producing seven winners from seven runners, including stakes winner Ef Troop, and Kruger said he is often competing with the McAlpines for the daughters of Exceed And Excel.
“Exceed And Excel mares tend to go well with both Better Than Ready and Spirit Of Boom and I think Eureka Farm would tell you likewise.
“Exceed And Excel mares tend to go well with both Better Than Ready and Spirit Of Boom and I think Eureka Farm would tell you likewise.” - Jeff Kruger
“We’ve actually been online bidders on a number of Exceed And Excel mares throughout the years and actually been outbid by Harry McAlpine a number of times, so we are thinking along the same tracks with that. We probably have half a dozen of them now and I wish I had more.”
