Matings Mix: Morley a believer in bay dominant stallions at Glenlogan

Cover image courtesy of Glenlogan Park

“Geographically standing stallions was always a challenge for Glenlogan,” said Steve Morley, noting that whilst they were able to stand the four-time Group 1 winner Show A Heart at a peak fee of $33,000 (inc GST) serving good numbers, it was “still difficult to get that national recognition.

“We wanted to be breeding with top-end stallions, so we had to decide if we wanted to continue to swim against the tide or change the way we went about things.”

And so, the decision was made to relocate existing stallions whilst holding on to a couple of favourites; Show A Heart passing away at Glenlogan just last year aged 25 whilst at the age of 28 Falvelon is enjoying a happy retirement.

“We love him (Falvelon),” Morley said, “he has had an incredible life and is still enjoying it!”

Strong broodmare band

Not standing stallions enabled Glenlogan to concentrate on accruing quality broodmares and their current band is strong. They also set about taking shares and breeding rights in a number of stallions; a mixture of the proven and the up-and-coming.

“We were also in a few colts packages with Henry Field's team and Vinery, so, we have some lovely young sires coming through, in addition to the 20 stallions we currently have allocations for.”

“We only stopped our involvement in the colt packages as we did so well and don't have the numbers of mares to support too many more stallions at this stage.”

Deciding which mare goes to which stallion is “a relatively easy” process with Morley noting that “with access to 20 stallions there is always the right nick to be found, we rarely have have to look outside that group of horses.”

The exception to that being Glenlogan's support of several champion stallions they don't have interests in or if “a really attractive first-season stallion” pops up.

Morley, who works hard all year with the reward of a two-month break over the winter months, starts the process of pedigree study in March, making the decisions by April.

“Because we already know which stallions we are using I can start quite early,” he said.

Morley is a big believer in pedigree whilst also taking conformation into consideration as well as the commercial aspects. Glenlogan has a good winners-to-runners strike rate, something he is proud of.

“You don't have to tick every single box for every single mating but there are pedigree patterns that have a negative impact,” he said, ensuring that those sort of matings don't take place with Glenlogan mares.

“If you breed a horse who doesn't have those negative factors to their pedigree you are already ahead,” he said.

Breeding with four or five of his own mares whilst also making recommendations for clients, Morley boasts an enviable record having planned the matings that produced the big-race winners Savabeel, Toorak Toff, Woorim (Show A Heart), Startantes (Star Turn) and Cheeky Choice (Redoute's Choice).

Bay dominant stallions excelling

He has his theories, one being that bay dominant stallions have “a greater chance of succeeding than those who are not.”

Whilst not suggesting that horses who are not bay dominant can't succeed, noting that neither Snitzel or Zoustar are, he has always taken note of some of the great bay dominant success stories such as Danehill (USA), I Am Invincible, Redoute's Choice, Fastnet Rock and High Chaparral (Ire).

As well as a couple doing so well in Queensland in recent times; Spirit Of Boom and Better Than Ready.

This is one of the reasons that Morley is such a big fan of Newgate Farm's G1 Moir S. winner Wild Ruler. Whilst with only one crop of foals on the ground it is too early for him to be officially declared bay dominant, he is yet to sire a chestnut.

A big, big fan of Wild Ruler

Morley has been “a big, big” fan of Wild Ruler, still remembering “the exact second I first saw him as a yearling.”

Keeping a close eye on his racing career, one that saw the son of Snitzel win six of his 15 starts, Morley was keen to see Glenlogan support him and he could not be happier with the results so far.

“We had six Wild Ruler foals born on the farm last year and every one of them is by far the best foal each mare has had.

“He is siring beautifully shaped, athletic horses.”

“I am very keen to keep following and supporting him during his career,” he added, singling out four particuarly nice mares Glenlogan have lined up for Wild Ruler this spring.

Currently in foal to fellow Newgate stallion In The Congo, the stakes-placed dual city winner Biscara (Rubick), a $130,000 purchase at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, is one on his list; this mating providing for a 4 X 4 cross of Redoute's Choice's dam Shantha's Choice (Dancing Show), the grandam of Rubick.

Also a stakes-placed multiple city winner is Stellar Magic (Star Turn), a $140,000 from last year's National Sale who is currently in foal to Hellbent.

A Group 3-placed, two-time metropolitan winner who has the great Emancipation (Bletchingly) as her fourth dam, Aperitif is an Inglis Chairman's Sale graduate bought for $385,000 two years ago. She missed to Wild Ruler last year but is having a second crack; the mating one with interesting male line-breeding patterns, Wild Ruler bred on a Bletchingly/Snippets/Seattle Slew (USA) cross whilst Aperitif is Seattle Slew/Snippets/Bletchingly.

A stakes-placed imported half-sister to the Northern Hemisphere Group 3 winners Hoh Buzzard (Ire) (Alhaarth {Ire}) and Ashdown Express (Ire) (Ashkalani {Ire}), Navajo Dreamer (Ire) (Dream Ahead {USA}) also heads to Wild Ruler whilst a couple of well-related mares are booked in to visit his sire.

Support for Snitzel

One of those, purchased for $500,000 at this year's Inglis Chairman's Sale is Rocha Clock (Pierro), the G3 Dark Jewel Classic winner whose dam is the G2 Wakeful S. winner Rocha (Encosta De Lago).

The other, Air Spirit (Spirit Of Boom) foaled a "lovely" Snitzel filly a few weeks ago and returns to that Champion stallion.

Morley was delighted to secure that four-time winner for $240,000 at the Magic Millions two years ago, Air Spirit being a mare who fits in nicely with another of his breeding theories.

“I love horses whose sires have shown a real affinity with the families they are from,” he said, noting that Air Spirit is closely related to Spirit Of Boom's stakes winners Prince Of Boom, Keshi Boom and Simply Fly.

A couple for Vinnie

Continuing on the path of supporting Australia's best stallions, Glenlogan also have a couple lined up for I Am Invincible; Glenlogan's high-achieving homebred Sunlit (Snitzel) and the $475,000 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale purchase Aliferous (Hinchinbrook).

A lightly raced two-time winner, Sunlit is proving to be one of the most exciting young broodmares in the country with her first two foals both stakes winners; the G3 B.J McLachlan S. winner The Novelist (Written By) and this year's R. Listed Inglis Millennium winner Fully Lit (Hellbent).

Fetching $420,000 at this year's Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, her yearling filly is the most expensive North Pacific to go through a sales ring so far and she is currently in foal to Zoustar, due early next month.

I Am Invincible has had 24 runners out of Snitzel mares so far and 21 of those are winners.

Aliferous, winner of the G3 Adrian Knox S. was not served last year, her first foal born last spring being an I Am Invincible colt. She is one of her dam's three stakes winners, the others being the Listed Lord S. winner Ulundi (Helenus) and the Listed Victoria Gold Cup winner Durnford (Helenus).

Zoustar always on the list

Zoustar is on every big breeder's wish list and Glenlogan have three visiting that Widden star; Authentic Jewel (I Am Invincible), Super Too (Hinchinbrook) and Boomtown Lass (Spirit Of Boom).

A stakes-placed city winner, Authentic Jewel was secured for $650,000 at his year's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale having won four times for the Tony Gollan stable. She hails from the Diamond Lover (Sticks And Stones) branch of the prolific Eight Carat (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {Ire}) family.

It is still early days for this Zoustar/I Am Invincible cross but of the first nine runners, seven are winners with two of those earning black type. Meanwhile five of Zoustar's six runners out of Hinchinbrook mares are winners; a continuation of the success that is the Zoustar/Fastnet Rock cross (three Group 1 winners so far).

Purchased for $575,000 at the 2019 National, Super Too is a three-time Group-placed, dual city-winning half-sister to the Singapore Champion 2YO Super One. She is currently in foal to that stallion's sire I Am Invincible having foaled a filly by another of his sons in Home Affairs last September.

In the placings four times in Listed company, Boomtown Lass won six times at metropolitan level. She is currently in foal to I Am Invincible having had her first foal, a Written Tycoon colt, last spring.

Glenlogan are also supporting Zousain, Exceedance, Tiger Of Malay, In The Congo, Jacquinot, North Pacific, Anders, Brave Smash, Russian Revolution, Hellbent, Captivant and Pierata.

All young stallions who Morley has faith in. “We are in a good position with those horses if they kick goals, and we think that they can.”

Table: Mating plans for some of Glenlogan Parks's broodmare band