Cover image courtesy of Vinery Stud
Currently leading the Australian First Season Sire table, Ole Kirk has progeny earnings of $2.1 million with two stakes winners, King Kirk and R-Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner O’ Ole.
Vinery pleased with his start
“We couldn’t have asked for a better start with his first crop. We had a bit of hope that he’d have a positive start given the feedback we got from trainers. They’ve all got good brains which helps, but considering he got a Magic Millions 2YO winner and a Breeders’ Plate winner is pretty special,” said Vinery Stud’s Harry Roach.
“Ole Kirk was a talented 2-year-old himself, and his sire gets plenty of good ones at that age, but it did take us a bit by surprise when considering his own career. He was a superior 3-year-old, and we think it sets the tone for what is to come.”
Harry Roach | Image courtesy of Vinery Stud
Ole Kirk won the Listed Talindert Stakes on debut at two, then ran third in the G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes and G1 Champagne Stakes as well as fourth in the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes. At three, he won the G1 Golden Rose and G1 Caulfield Guineas.
“We recognise how hard it is to get a stallion at this calibre, and we are grateful to have a horse showing this much promise. The whole team here is really excited for what is to come. There is more quality coming through, with the next crop looking good and now he’s doing well, he’s getting more strong pedigreed mares which will set him up for more success.”
All of this from eight runners
Ole Kirk sits sixth on the first season sire table by number of runners, and second equal by number of wins with three. With four race wins by their progeny are the sires Farnan, Wootton Bassett (GB), and Sandbar.
| 1 | Ole Kirk | 8 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | $ 2,116,275 | O' Ole - 1,927,750 |
| 2 | Wootton Bassett (GB) | 12 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | $ 1,062,725 | Gallo Nero - 382,100 |
| 3 | Lucky Vega (Ire) | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | $ 1,020,080 | Within the Law - 973,000 |
| 4 | Farnan | 19 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | $ 790,725 | North England - 603,400 |
| 5 | Bivouac | 13 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | $ 421,075 | Beiwacht - 211,875 |
| 6 | King's Legacy | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | $ 317,120 | Open Secret - 125,000 |
| 7 | Dirty Work | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | $ 274,195 | Do I Feel Lucky - 241,700 |
| 8 | Graff | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | $ 232,100 | Grafterburners - 189,000 |
| 9 | Cool Aza Beel (NZ) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $ 214,700 | Cobra Club - 94,000 |
| 10 | Sandbar | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | $ 210,550 | Shaggy - 173,375 |
| 11 | Doubtland | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | $ 198,315 | Tom - 98,325 |
| 12 | Hanseatic | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | $ 151,660 | Tiz Worthy - 48,075 |
| Total | 101 | 26 | 31 | 5 | 7 | - |
Table 1: Top 12 First Season Sires 2024/25 to Feb 27 sorted by earnings
This table is likely to change dramatically in the next few months as we head towards the three Sydney juvenile Group 1 races, and the number of 2-year-old races begins to increase. So far this season, Australia has seen 152 juvenile races, won by 122 horses, with 29 stakes races won by 25 horses.
The first season sires account for a small portion of this with a total of 37 individual winners, led by five stakes winners of seven stakes races.
Ole Kirk has had eight runners so far for the two stakes winners. “It’s always good when they get to the track at this point even without winning, but with Ole Kirk’s strike rate, it’s an exciting position for him,” Roach said of Ole Kirk’s eight runners to date.
“It’s always good when they get to the track at this point even without winning. ” - Harry Roach
“We follow the jump outs and trials closely and there are a number of Ole Kirks who look promising if they push on into the autumn. Anthony and Sam Freedman have a filly who has won two jump outs and looks progressive. Annabel Neasham has one we’ve been watching, and we have a number in our system who have good ability but look like spring 3-year-olds.”
Ole Kirk’s return home to Premier
Ole Kirk was sold by Gilgai Farm at the 2019 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $675,000 to Mark Player’s International Thoroughbred Solutions. Eleven representatives of his second crop will be available at the 2025 sale.
“I always like when a stallion is a nice yearling themselves, it flows onto when their stock are the same age. His yearlings are consistent types physically with the same strong round hindquarter that he has himself,” said Roach.
“His yearlings are consistent types physically with the same strong round hindquarter that he has himself. ” - Harry Roach
“We have four in our Premier draft and I really like the filly from Sheezdashing who was second in the Australasian Oaks. The filly is a really good representation of Ole Kirk with good size and strength and typical of his stock, she will continue to mature with time.”
Lot 460, she is the second foal for Sheezdashing (Myboycharlie {USA}) who was a winner over 1400 metres, and placed in the G1 SAJC Oaks, G1 Queensland Oaks, G2 Let’s Elope Stakes and Listed Warrnambool Cup. Her first foal is unraced 2-year-old filly Shalwedash (Shalaa {Ire}).
Vinery’s other three Ole Kirks headed to the Inglis Premier Sale are all colts and perhaps the most interesting on paper is Lot 144, a son of stakes placed Divanation (All Too Hard) who is the best progeny of Cups champion and Horse Of The Year Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert King {Ire}). Lot 124 is the first foal of unraced mare Dangerous Liaison (Choisir) who is a daughter of dual Listed winner Secret Liaison (Artie Schiller {USA}), and Lot 214 is a half-brother to two stakes placed winners in Baha Mar (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Ellerslie Lace (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). Lot 214's dam only arrived in Australia recently and her first local foal is 2-year-old filly Sourseane (Siyouni {Fr}).
Lot 460 - Ole Kirk x Sheezdashing (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Gilgai Farm’s pair of fillies
Gilgai Farm, who sold Ole Kirk as a yearling, have two fillies by him in their 2025 Inglis Premier Yearling draft.
“I foaled down his mother, and him, and he was a nice yearling, the second highest price in his year,” said Gilgai Farm’s manager Kelly Skillecorn.
“He’s not overly big but his whole family, Black Caviar, Magnus, All Too Hard, they’re all massive, and he seems to be throwing bigger horses. It’s a throwback to Helsinge who was a massive mare. She had only one small foal, the dam of Ole Kirk. The rest have that big frame.
“He’s (Ole Kirk) not overly big but his whole family, Black Caviar, Magnus, All Too Hard, they’re all massive, and he seems to be throwing bigger horses.” - Kelly Skillecorn
“It’s a good family, a Victorian family. Every horse on the page is bred by my boss Rick Jamieson and Rob Crabtree, they developed the whole thing. It’s a very local Nagambie family, I could throw a stone from here and land it on Rob’s property. You’ll notice that anyone that has daughters of Helsinge that aren’t here (in Victoria) are struggling to breed winners, all the good ones have been born here.”
Ole Kirk is the first foal of unraced mare Naturale (Bel Esprit) whose second foal is G3 Quezette Stakes winner Gimme Par (Not A Single Doubt), while she has an unraced 3-year-old full brother to Ole Kirk named Christiansen, a 2-year-old full sister named Float On, and sadly her 2023 foal was still born. Her 2024 mare return is still pending, and she was covered by Toronado (Ire) to be due in 2025.
Naturale is a full sister to unbeaten Champion mare Black Caviar and a half-sister to Group 1 winner and successful sire All Too Hard.
The two yearling fillies in Gilgai Farm’s draft are both second foals out of Group winning mares. “They are basically the same horse, big strong athletic fillies who can walk for Australia. Exactly the same horse but in different colour bodies,” said Skillecorn.
Gallery: Yearlings offered by Gilgai Farm at the 2025 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, images courtesy of Inglis
“They are both bigger and stronger than he was, it seems to be a trait of his, the ones we sold last year were the same, and if I was looking for an Ole Kirk, I’d look for a big strong one. That’s the family’s strength. That’s what I’d want, I wouldn’t waste my time on anything else.”
Lot 341 is the second foal of G2 Queen Of The South Stakes winner Music Bay (Choisir) whose first foal is an unnamed 2-year-old full brother to this filly. This is the family of Group 1 winners Piachay (NZ) (Danasinga) and NZ Champion 3YO Filly Eastern Joy (NZ) (Three Legs {GB}).
The second foal of G3 SAJC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner She Shao Fly (Epaulette) is Lot 455. She Shao Fly’s first foal is 2-year-old gelding Aerodrome (Ole Kirk) who is with Michael Freedman. She Shao Fly is a half-sister to G1 South African Derby placed Samurai Blade (Where’s That Tiger {USA}).
