Cover image courtesy of Coolmore
There is no denying the breeding industry can be fickle; stallions in demand one day can quickly fall from favour if a ‘sexier’ counterpart comes along. However, some stallions we consider ‘Under the Radar’ continue to perform at the elite level. While they might not currently have a multiple G1-winning superstar on the track, they have proven in the past to be more than capable of producing a quantum of high-class runners.
Coolmore Stud’s Pierro is one such stallion.
He was arguably overlooked in TTR’s ‘Value Sire’ series earlier in the year when the question was posed about proven stallions. After all, Pierro won the G1 Golden Slipper, then swept the G1 Sires’ Produce S. and the G1 Champagne S.
Showing bulldog-like tenacity, Pierro trained on as an autumn 3-year-old, winning the G1 Canterbury S. and G1 George Ryder S. He left no questions unanswered about his ability as a racehorse.
Sire results mirror track success
Retiring to Coolmore in 2013, Pierro initially served a book of 199 mares at a fee of $70,000 (inc GST). The 2014/15 crop yielded 11 stakes winners, including Arcadia Queen (born 2015), owned by Bob Peters Investments, who captured the G1 LKS Mackinnon S., G1 Kingston Town Classic, and G1 Caulfield S.
Another standout from that crop was Regal Power (born 2015), also bred and raced by Peters Investments, who claimed the G1 Railway S. and G1 Kingston Town S., along with The All-Star Mile.
Earlier and subsequent crops continued to produce high-quality runners such as Shadow Hero, winner of the G1 Randwick Guineas and G1 Spring Champion S., and Pinot, winner of the G1 VRC Oaks and G3 Ethereal S., before her early retirement.
Pierro | Standing at Coolmore
Levendi, the G1 Australian Derby hero, and Pierata, who won the G1 All-Aged S. among others, exemplify Pierro's versatility and success on the track. Both have since retired to stud, with Pierata showing promise at Yulong.
Pierro's progeny include 38 individual stakes winners of 73 stakes races, with 68 of them achieving stakes-performed status. Despite these achievements, Pierro's stud fee for this season stands at $55,000 (inc GST), marking a decrease from his peak fee of $137,500 (inc GST) in 2020, while in 2017, he stood for a career-low of $49,500 (inc GST).
Proven sire
Coolmore’s marketing and nominations representative, Tom Moore, highlighted to TTR AusNZ, “Pierro is a firmly established proven sire amongst the Australian stallion ranks, and one of very few with no Danehill in his pedigree.”
Pierro has shown a strong affinity with daughters of Danehill (USA) sires or sirelines. Pairings with Flying Spur yield a 14 per cent stakes winner to runner ratio, while Exceed And Excel, another son of Danehill, achieves 13 per cent.
“Pierro is a firmly established proven sire amongst the Australian stallion ranks, and one of very few with no Danehill in his pedigree.” - Tom Moore
Redoute’s Choice, a son of Danehill, maintains an 11 per cent ratio and notably sired the dams of Arcadia Queen and Regal Power.
“This is an important element of his appeal, given the proliferation of Danehill within the local broodmare population and how effective he has been with them. When you have a stallion capable of producing the likes of Arcadia Queen, Pierata, Shadow Hero, Regal Power, Levendi, Pinot and Furore standing at a fee of $55,000 (inc GST), it is easy to see why he is perceived by breeders as being great value this season.
“All the aforementioned progeny of Pierro have Danehill close up in their pedigree, but the Pierro/Redoute’s Choice cross is proven to be right up there with well-known crosses like Fastnet Rock/Galileo, Zoustar/Fastnet Rock and Starspangledbanner/High Chaparral, in that it just keeps producing results at the elite level.
Tom Moore | Image courtesy of Inglis
“That said, he’s also been extremely effective with Flying Spur, Exceed And Excel and Fastnet Rock mares amongst others. In addition to this he’s also proving to be an extremely effective broodmare sire and can already be considered a significant sire of sires through the deeds of Pierata.”
Plenty of upside
Another positive aspect of Pierro is the versatility he imparts to his progeny. His offspring include Derby winners, Oaks winners, and top-class sprinters like Pierata.
Moreover, Pierro has demonstrated an ability to produce talented 2-year-olds, akin to his own early success. He sired Tulip, winner of the G3 Magic Night S. and fourth in the G1 Golden Slipper, as well as Paris Dior, who won the G2 Percy Sykes S. and was second in the R. Listed Inglis Millennium. Bellevue Hill, another of his progeny, triumphed in the G3 Schweppervescence and placed in the G2 Todman S.
Pierata | Standing at Yulong
“Pierro is an extremely versatile stallion—he has produced stakes winners from 1000 to 2800 metres and can sire high-class 2-year-olds as well as Oaks, Derby, and Guineas contenders.
“It is crucial for breeders to start their mares off well and give them a chance to produce winners, so we see him as a great option for young mares to kickstart their breeding careers with a proven sire at a value fee.”
Supporters of Pierro also have plenty of upside, with Coolmore and other breeders sending the son of Lonhro some of their best broodmares.
“Pierro is an extremely versatile stallion—he has produced stakes winners from 1000 to 2800 metres and can sire high-class 2-year-olds as well as Oaks, Derby, and Guineas contenders.” - Tom Moore
Notably, Pierro was selected as the second mate for the legendary mare Winx (Street Cry {Ire}). Their resulting filly was sold for $10 million at this year's Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
“Over the past few years, he has covered quality books of mares and has progeny out of the likes of Winx, Samantha Miss, Lasqueti Spirit, Celebrity Queen, and Dear Demi, as well as half-siblings to Storm Boy, Shadow Hero, Learning To Fly, Classique Legend, and Melody Belle set to compete. When you consider all this and compare him to his contemporaries, he clearly offers considerable upside.”
