Cover image courtesy of Vinery Stud
Breeders, bloodstock agents, sale house representatives and racing fans flocked to the Hunter Valley and surroundings for the annual stallion parades.
Dubious a favourite
Kitchwin Hills has welcomed back Dubious to his place of birth for the 2023 breeding season. The son of Not A Single Doubt will stand alongside the handsome Graff.
Bloodstock agent James Mitchell of Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA) rates Dubious highly.
Dubious | Standing at Kitchwin Hills
“Dubious is a beautiful horse. So strong and really well balanced with a great temperament,” Mitchell said.
“His yearlings were very good and went to many of the top stables. Huge chance.”
Jimmy Umwala of Avesta Bloodstock was also taken by the G3 Breeders' Plate winner, “As a breeder you always have to look out for those diamonds in the rough. You have to back a couple of smokies and in the lower price bracket I think that Dubious as a horse with good 2-year-old speed could be a surprise package.”
“As a breeder you always have to look out for those diamonds in the rough... I think that Dubious as a horse with good 2-year-old speed could be a surprise package.” - Jimmy Unwala
Coolmore’s global superstars
Coolmore Stud, Australia will stand a roster of 15 stallions for the 2023 breeding season. Standing his first season at Coolmore is Snitzel’s son Best Of Bordeaux, among others on the roster is the Champion First Season Sire in Australia, Justify (USA) and the exciting pair of Home Affairs and Wootton Bassett (GB) who continue to leave breeders in awe.
Jo Griffin of Lime Country Thoroughbreds has been a supporter of Wootton Bassett, “He is a super exciting horse for Australia and he looks fantastic. We’ve (Lime Country Thoroughbreds) done well at sales and on the track with his sire Iffraaj.
Jo Griffin | Image courtesy of Inglis
“We have always liked the types from this sireline and we have a couple of lovely Wootton Bassett foals on the farm.
“I am also delighted to have Starspangledbanner back in Australia and he looks great. We have got a couple of mares booked into him. It is very hard to find proven horses at the sort of value that he is.”
Debbie and Lara Kepitis have a soft spot for the outstanding Home Affairs, a dual Group 1 winner of the Lightning S. and the Coolmore Stud S.
“Our standout is Home Affairs. It is brilliant to see how well he has taken to stud duties, and we look forward to seeing more of his foals on the ground in coming weeks.
“It is such a tough decision with so many magnificent stallions available on the Coolmore roster, most of our selections have been made with a few still to come once a few more foals arrive. We will definitely be supporting our stallion Home Affairs again that is for sure.”
Home Affairs | Standing at Coolmore
Ben Culham, bloodstock consultant at Magic Millions, was pleased with Best Of Bordeaux.
“He was a Magic Millions graduate bred by Gerry Harvey. He was a wonderfully tough and fast racehorse.
“He has a lot of High Chaparral (damsire) about him. Which is a wonderful sign for Best Of Bordeaux given High Chaparral's increasing influence on the Australian Stud Book, and of course he’s by a Champion Sire in Snitzel.”
“He (Best Of Bordeaux) has a lot of High Chaparral (damsire) about him. Which is a wonderful sign given High Chaparral's increasing influence on the Australian Stud Book, and of course he’s by a Champion Sire in Snitzel.” - Ben Culham
Widden Stud's roster packed with class
Antony Thompson’s historic Widden Stud welcomed attendees to the picturesque New South Wales nursery to view their nine-strong roster headed by the brilliant Zoustar.
Widden Stud also welcomed the dual Group 1 winner Jacquinot for the 2023 breeding season.
Louis Mihalyka of Laurel Oak Bloodstock (FBAA) made his annual trek to attend the parade.
Louis Mihalyka | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Well, we (Laurel Oak) enjoy going to Widden. We’ve got involvement in Rebel Dane, Zoustar and Jacquinot (life-time breeding), so we’ve got shares in those stallions,” Mihalyka told TTR AusNZ.
“We’ve also got a lifetime breeding right in Portland Sky. However, we always go to Widden as our first port of call, plus we enjoy their hospitality; even if we didn’t have involvement in those we would still go anyhow.
“Jacquinot has only been at Widden a short while. He looks fantastic and in great order, he has started to let down, but next year he’ll look different.”
“Jacquinot has only been at Widden a short while. He looks fantastic and in great order, he has started to let down, but next year he’ll look different.” - Louis Mihalyka
Mihalyka has fond memories of Rebel Dane as a racehorse, having carried the Laurel Oak Bloodstock (FBAA) silks to victory in two Group 1 victories, and then of course he is the sire of Laurel Oak’s Golden Slipper heroine Fireburn.
“We’ve had great success with Rebel Dane, and so we know what tends to work with him. We believe he is of great value. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had the numbers to keep him in front of the public eye,” Mihalyka said.
“It’s hard to knock any of the stallions on the roster. We’re very much into pedigrees, so my preference of stallions usually comes back to which stallions will suit the mare.
Rebel Dane | Standing at Widden Stud
“They all stack up on race performance. Rebel Dane won two Group 1s, Trapeze Artist won four, Jacquinot won a Golden Rose and a Group 1 at weight for age, and Portland Sky won an Oakleigh Plate and joined a very elite group of 3-year-olds to do so.
“And I think Supido, although not a Group 1 winner, is from a fantastic female line that traces directly back to Northern Dancer’s tale female line. We sent a mare to Supido that was a great mating on paper and the resultant yearling is very, very nice.”
Griffin feels that Zousain, a Group 1-placed son of Zoustar, standing at a fee of $22,000 (inc GST) for 2023 is great value.
“Zousain has been a real favourite for Lime Country at a lower fee. He was looking fantastic at the Widden parade.”
“Zousain has been a real favourite for Lime Country at a lower fee. He was looking fantastic at the Widden parade.” - Jo Griffin
Vinery Stud boys impress onlookers
Vinery Stud also hosted their annual stallion parades. Showing off their six-strong roster in the sunshine.
The champion All Too Hard heads the roster and is joined by the up-and-coming Star Turn and Ole Kirk, and Exceedance whose first runners will be seen on tracks this season.
Star Turn | Standing at Vinery Stud
Shelly Murtagh of Noorilim Park made the journey to Segenhoe-based property from Victoria to view the stallions.
“As usual Adam (White) and his team turned on a great day for us.
“The stallions all looked great, and I have to say All Too Hard has to be one of my favourite stallions both on type and value for money.”
“The stallions all looked great, and I have to say All Too Hard has to be one of my favourite stallions both on type and value for money.” - Shelly Murtagh
All Too Hard the sire of Alligator Blood and Forbidden Love amongst others proved a real fan-favourite with Mihalyka also noting the sire’s record.
“It’s part of the annual tradition to go to Vinery Stud. They don’t have a new stallion this year, but you keep your finger on the pulse of who’s there and who’s at the stud,” he said.
“The stud does a great job at promoting their stallions. They really remind how good certain horses were, we got a reminder of how good a racehorse Exceedance was.
Exceedance | Standing at Vinery Stud
“And how well Star Turn is doing at stud, and you also get a reminder of how good a job All Too Hard has done at stud. He just keeps featuring and he’s got an outstanding produce record.
“They quoted his figures and his stakes winners and winners to runners and it was a highlight on how well his progeny do on the racetrack.”
