Anamoe to commence stud career at Darley Kelvinside at $121,000

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

When the curtain eventually falls on the glittering career of Anamoe, he will take up residency as a stallion at the Kelvinside property of Darley Australia in New South Wales, and the son of Street Boss, who boasts 14 wins - nine of them at the highest level - will stand his first season at a fee of $121,000 (inc GST).

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Anamoe will be a barnmate of nine stallions, and they include the great Exceed And Excel, as well as exciting youngsters Bivouac, Pinatubo (Ire), Palace Pier (GB) and Too Darn Hot (GB).

Meanwhile, eight stallions will be based at Darley’s Northwood Park in Victoria. They include Anamoe's sire Street Boss, who returns to Victoria after two seasons in New South Wales, plus Blue Point (Ire) and Brazen Beau.

Anamoe is without doubt the star attraction, and given his long list of achievements, combined with his good looks and outstanding temperament, he is sure to be extremely popular.

“Obviously, it’s highly anticipated; it’s been the talk of the sales and track for a little while now, so it’s nice to put a definitive number against it,” Darley's Head of Stallions, Alastair Pulford, told TDN AusNZ.

“He is already assured of widespread support from across Australia and New Zealand with leading breeders queuing up to have representation in his first crop. He’ll get as much support as we’ve ever given a first-season sire, and obviously, with some justification. All of the best breeders want to support him and why wouldn’t they? He’s such a beautiful horse.

“He’s a one-in-a-decade horse, or even more, one in two decades.

“I’m confident that his ‘book full’ sign will be up very, very quickly.”

After joining Darley in 2003, Pulford has worked with some amazing stallions, including the recently retired Lonhro (a sire of 95 individual stakes winners and 13 individual Group 1 winners), as well as Exceed And Excel (209 individual stakes winners and 17 individual Group 1 winners).

Pulford claims Anamoe is one of the best horses to retire to stud and is supremely confident his new career, at stud, will be as good, if not better, than his current one on the racetrack.

“As a nine-time Group 1 winner, he’s probably the best Australian horse to retire in 15 years. So You Think was a 10-time Group 1 winner before him and before that there was Lonhro (11 Group 1s), so they don’t come along often, these horses,” Pulford said.

“Invariably, these elite horses make top-class stallions.”

The 4-year-old possesses a staggering winning strike rate of 56 per cent and has won in top company at two, three and four.

He has won Group 1s over 1400 metres, 1500 metres, 1600 metres and 2000 metres, while his 1200-metre runs include victories in both the G2 Todman S. and the G2 Run To The Rose and placings in each of the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 Golden Slipper S.

Anamoe is basically the complete package.

“That’s what sets him apart from Lonhro and So You Think, they didn’t win a Group 1 at two,” Pulford explained.

“He was an unbelievable 2-year-old; he drew barrier 15 in the Slipper and ran a phenomenal second, then won the Sires’ on his ear. He was up and about early; he won the Merson Cooper (at his second start), so he was there from day dot,” said Pulford.

“He’s got plenty of speed, there’s no doubt about that; he’s a dual Group 1 winner over seven furlongs and absolutely elite over a mile.”

Before taking up residency at Darley Kelvinside in Aberdeen, Anamoe may head to Europe in search of another Group 1, possibly in the Queen Anne S. (1609 metres) at Royal Ascot in June. The bay or brown entire has also been nominated for the 1609-metre Lockinge S. (also 1609 metres) at Newbury in May.

Anamoe’s fee will not change regardless of what happens, should he head abroad.

“His fee is set in stone now,” Pulford added.

Continuing to Excel

In the wake of Lonhro’s retirement, Exceed And Excel is well and truly the veteran of Darley’s star-studded roster.

The evergreen stallion has enjoyed a tremendous season, with no less than nine stakes horses in his current juvenile crop, including the dual Group 2 winner and G1 Golden Slipper S. runner-up Cylinder.

He is 18th in this season’s Australian Sires’ Premiership (by earnings), second on the 2YO Sires’ list and third on the table of Broodmare Sires.

Exceed And Excel will serve a limited book at an unchanged fee of $132,000 (inc GST).

“He’s top of the roster and he deserves to be, he’s had a fantastic year,” Pulford said.

“Aged certainly hasn’t wearied him.

“I think, at $120,000 plus GST, he actually looks pretty good value and I’m sure people will realise that.

“He’s a highly respected stallion with all the justification in the world for that (fee).”

Exceed And Excel also enjoyed a stellar sales season, with his average across Australasia in 2023 (for 31 yearlings sold) $466,564. His top-seller was a colt out of Ichihara (General Nediym), which made $1.8 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. He was bought by Kia Ora Stud Pty Ltd and TFI from the Corumbene Stud consignment.

Wild about Harry

Dual Group 1 victor Harry Angel (Ire) has done an outstanding job during his fledgling career at stud and his fee increases from $16,500 (inc GST) to $33,000 (inc GST).

Harry Angel sits second on the First Season Sires’ table, with three individual stakes winners - Arkansaw Kid, Tom Kitten and Stretan Angel - combining for five wins and $958,770 in prizemoney.

Godolphin homebred Tom Kitten was an impressive winner of the Listed Fernhill H. earlier this month, while Stretan Angel won as she pleased in Listed grade in Adelaide on Saturday.

Harry Angel’s second-crop yearlings realised up to $400,000 and averaged nearly eight times his service fee, with 100 per cent clearance rate across all Book 1 offerings.

“His progeny are going great guns on the track and they sell superbly,” Pulford commented.

“He does throw a good sort, we know that.”

Street Boss heads south

With Anamoe set to take up residency at Kelvinside, his sire, Street Boss, returns to Northwood Park in Victoria to join new recruit Paulele, following two seasons at Kelvinside.

Street Boss’ fee is $66,000 (inc GST), which is down on last year's $77,000 (inc GST).

“He has to make way for Anamoe,” Pulford explained.

“Street Boss spent most of his Southern Hemisphere career in Victoria. Moving him to New South Wales was fantastic, the breeders got a good look at him and supported him extremely well, but equally, Victoria is the right place for him now and he’ll get a great deal of support down there, they’re very happy to have him back.”

Street Boss is the sire of 18 individual stakes winners in Australia and New Zealand, including recent G1 Rosehill Guineas runner-up Pericles.

Young guns ready to explode

As well as the established stars, Darley has a number of emerging sires that are highly regarded and full of promise.

Bivouac has been well-supported in his first two seasons, covering more than 135 mares in each of his first two seasons. His fee remains at $66,000 (inc GST).

The fee for Blue Point remains unchanged, meaning he will again stand for $44,000 (inc GST). A winner of three Group 1 sprints at Royal Ascot, Blue Point had 56 yearlings sell at an average of $190,0764, and a colt out of Bumbasina (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) consigned by Segenhoe Stud, realised $900,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Gallery: Some of Darley's stallion roster in 2023

Pinatubo - a three-time Group 1-winning son of Shamardal (USA) - covered 131 mares in his first season Down Under and he will again stand for $55,000 (inc GST).

The fee for Ghaiyyath (Ire) - once the highest-rated horse in the world - also remains unchanged and he will command $27,500 (inc GST), while Champion 2-Year-Old Earthlight (Ire) will stand for $16,500 (inc GST), down from $22,000 (inc GST),

Palace Pier - a five-time Group 1-winning son of Kingman (GB) - drops from $55,000 (inc GST) to $44,000 (inc GST) and Victor Ludorum (GB) - a two-time Group 1-winning son of Shamardal - goes from $24,750 (inc GST) to $16,500 (inc GST).

The progeny of Dubawi’s (Ire) Group 1-winning son Too Darn Hot were popular at the yearling sales, averaging $193,577, and a filly from Enbihaar (Magnus) from the Vinery Stud draft, fetched $1 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Too Darn Hot remains unchanged at $44,000 (inc GST).

Gallery: Some of Darley's stallion roster in 2023

Champion 2-Year-Old Microphone stays at $33,000 (inc GST) and his first-crop yearlings were also in high demand, averaging in excess of $150,000 in 2023.

“All of them that had yearlings go through the ring had a fantastic sales series,” Pulford remarked.

“Blue Point led the averages, Too Darn Hot had a $1 million yearling and Microphone had a $750,000 top-seller off a $35,000 service fee.

“They’ve all gone exceptionally well, the market has really liked what they’ve seen.

“It’s exciting times for those horses and we’re looking forward to seeing their 2-year-olds emerge in time.”

Astern on the ascent

The beautifully bred Astern celebrated his maiden Group 1 winner in the spring when Golden Mile took out the Caulfield Guineas.

The dazzling recent winner of the G2 Arrowfield Sprint, Aft Cabin, plus Parisal and Affaire A Suivre (NZ) are also new stakes winners for Astern this season.

On the back of his success, Astern’s fee rises from $11,000 (inc GST) to $22,000 (inc GST).

“He, along with Kermadec and Brazen Beau, is a proven stallion that can get you a proper horse and get you a good sales horse,” Pulford said.

“We think they are all priced to meet the market.”

Table: Darley, Kelvinside, NSW stallion fees for 2023, *all prices inclusive of GST

Table: Darley, Northwood Park, VIC stallion fees for 2023, *all prices inclusive of GST