Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
While his days in the covering shed are no longer, the echoes of Lonhro’s name will be heard for many seasons to come in Australian racing circles.
Lonhro’s daughters produced 16 stakes winners last season which is his best season to date as a broodmare sire.
Daughters of Lonhro produced the winners of 26 stakes events last season which is the most of any of the top 10 sires on the Australian Broodmare Sires' Premiership.
Of the leading broodmare sires in Australia, Lonhro maintains the best stakes winners to runners strike rate.
Darley’s Brazen Beau and Arrowfield’s Snitzel are the strongest nicking stallions with daughters of Lonhro.
An Australian Champion Racehorse title, Champion Sire and now one of the country’s leading broodmare sires, there is little wonder as to why Lonhro is widely referred to as the ‘people’s horse’. The sire of over 1000 individual winners, close to 100 stakes winners and numerous titles to his name, Lonhro has been a horse of a lifetime for Darley’s Australian operation. Last season the 25-year-old produced a host of stakes performers including G1 Rosehill Guineas winner Lindermann, but it was his performance as a broodmare sire that really had people talking. In the 2022/23 racing period, Lonhro’s daughters produced 23 stakes winners across six countries including Godolphin’s own G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Golden Mile (Astern).
| 1 | Redoute's Choice | 661 | 295 | 12 | 21 | $32,369,709 |
| 2 | Encosta De Lago | 729 | 317 | 19 | 24 | $32,259,598 |
| 3 | Exceed And Excel | 466 | 201 | 15 | 18 | $25,546,390 |
| 4 | Fastnet Rock | 635 | 277 | 16 | 22 | $24,718,150 |
| 5 | Flying Spur | 458 | 191 | 6 | 10 | $22,489,202 |
| 6 | Lonhro | 477 | 225 | 16 | 26 | $22,220,106 |
| 7 | More Than Ready | 531 | 229 | 10 | 14 | $21,005,087 |
| 8 | Street Cry | 303 | 136 | 16 | 22 | $17,969,858 |
| 9 | O'Reilly | 309 | 152 | 7 | 8 | $14,440,813 |
| 10 | Snitzel | 357 | 191 | 5 | 7 | $13,907,857 |
Table: The 2022/23 Australian Champion Broodmare Sire table
With seasons earnings exceeding $22 million, Lonhro has enjoyed his best period to date having finished sixth on last season’s Australian Leading Broodmare Sire tables. Entering stud in 2004, he is one of the youngest sires of the top 10 stallions represented which bodes well for the 11-time Group 1 winner’s future as a maternal sire. Not only was it the former champion sire’s best season to date by earnings, but he was also the most represented sire by stakes winners with his daughters producing the winners of a combined 26 stakes races for the period. The next closest was the highly regarded broodmare sire Encosta De Lago whose daughters produced the winners of 24 stakes events for the period.
| Lonhro | 5.80% |
| Redoute's Choice | 5.70% |
| Fastnet Rock | 5.20% |
| More Than Ready | 5.10% |
| Exceed And Excel | 4.60% |
| Encosta De Lago | 4.40% |
| Flying Spur | 3.90% |
Table: Leading broodmare sires by stakes winners to runners
While his runners naturally increase with time, Lonhro’s daughters are maintaining an exceptional stakes winners to runners strike rate of close to six per cent which is the best of his peers. In a testament to his versatility, of the stakes winners produced from daughters of Lonhro last season, four were juveniles while 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds accounted for five and eight of his stakes winners respectively. While over 50 per cent of his maternal stakes winners last season were bred by Darley and raced in the Godolphin blue, three were sold at public auction for an average purchase price of $100,000 and a further three black-type winners were homebreds.
| Brazen Beau | 11 | 3 | 27% |
| Snitzel | 11 | 3 | 27% |
| Astern | 8 | 2 | 25% |
| Medaglia D'Oro | 21 | 5 | 23% |
| Street Boss | 13 | 3 | 23% |
| I Am Invincible | 19 | 3 | 15% |
| Fastnet Rock | 13 | 2 | 15% |
| Exceed And Excel | 50 | 7 | 14% |
| Street Cry | 15 | 2 | 13% |
| Helmet | 15 | 2 | 13% |
Table: Lonhro's broodmare sire nicks
With breeders on the hunt for Danehill (USA)-free blood, daughters of Lonhro have become a sought-after commodity in the bloodstock marketplace. There are no surprises when it comes to Lonhro’s maternal sire nicks with seven of the top 10 stallions by stakes winners to runners being Darley-based sires. While his former barn-mates account for a significant proportion of the sample, there is certainly plenty of diversity in the sirelines represented.
Descendants of Invincible Spirit (Ire), including reigning Champion Sire I Am Invincible and his son Brazen Beau, have a strong affinity with Lonhro with the nicks accounting for 15 per cent and 27 per cent stakes winners to runners respectively. Danehill is represented by four of the top 10 nicks with Snitzel, Fastnet Rock, Exceed And Excel and Helmet all represented by multiple stakes winners from Lonhro mares. Descendants of Machiavellian (USA) being Astern, Medaglia D’Oro (USA) and Street Cry (Ire) account for nine of Lonhro’s maternal stakes winners and further testify his genetic affinity with an array of bloodlines. Shuttling to Darley’s Lexington-based Jonabell Farm from 2012 to 2014, Lonhro’s daughters are represented by over 60 runners in the United States with over six per cent of those being stakes winners.
Lonhro
With over $107 million in earnings and nearing 70 maternal sired stakes winners worldwide, Lonhro has certainly confirmed his status of one of Australia’s leading broodmare sires of the modern era. While the stud career might be over for the well-regarded ‘people's horse’, Lonhro’s legacy will continue to live on through his sons and an ever-expanding group of promising broodmares. It appears only a matter of time before the former Australian Champion Racehorse and Champion Australian Sire adds yet another accolade to his mantel in the form of Champion Australian Broodmare Sire.
