Cover image courtesy of Eureka Stud
Eureka Stud will offer an unchanged line-up of Spirit Of Boom, young gun Don Corleone, and quiet achiever Encryption at their Cambooya locale for the 2025 season. Despite another great season with his juveniles, Spirit Of Boom's fee remains unchanged.
Boom season keeps Spirit fee unchanged
Evergreen sire Spirit Of Boom will remain at $38,500 (inc GST) for the third year, despite a landslide season with five individual juvenile stakes performers, including multiple stakeswinner Shining Smile, Listed winner and Group-placed Gin Spirit, and stakes-placed Extractor, who kicked off his career with third in the $1 million Golden Gift. His 114 winners and over $7.8 million in prizemoney so far this season has him nudging into the top 20 sires Australia wide.
His progeny were yet again popular at the yearling sales, selling up to $575,000 and averaging $175,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January, with 35 of his offspring selling for $100,000 or more this sale season.
Eureka Stud’s Nominations and Bloodstock Harry McAlpine acknowledged the effects the economy has had on breeders across the industry, and said that this had been factored into the decision to keep Spirit Of Boom at the same fee.
Spirit Of Boom | Standing at Eureka Stud
“There's a bit of speculation that we would have gone up, just off the back of obviously a very good 2-year-old crop that he's produced this year,” he said. “We just thought it was the fairest thing to do, to look after the breeders and to look after him. He’s very strategically priced as a great value proven option, and it has certainly put him in good stead to cover a full book this year.
“He’s a real standout this year at that fee, and I think he will be a no-brainer for a lot of breeders. He’s a proven sire who ticks all the boxes.”
“I think he (Spirit Of Boom) will be a no-brainer for a lot of breeders.” - Harry McAlpine
Spirit Of Boom has 26 chances to add to his winners tally on Saturday, among them is pre-Christmas juvenile winner Midnight Spirit, who resumes in the Listed Dalrello Stakes, and emerging talent Boomtown Boss, who lines up in the G2 Queensland Guineas. McAlpine indicated that the 3-year-old gelding, a last start winner of the Listed Daybreak Lover Stakes, could develop into a G2 Stradbroke Handicap contender over the winter carnival.
“He’s got multiple stakeswinners across every crop he’s had to race, they do well at two, and then they train on. There’s not really much they can’t do."
The next Not A Single Doubt?
Don Corleone, the multiple Group 1-performed son of super sire Extreme Choice, was well received in his first season in Queensland, serving 133 mares last spring; he will stand in 2025 at an unchanged fee of $13,200 (inc GST, No Foal Refund).
A $650,000 weanling selected by China Horse Club and Newgate Bloodstock from the draft of Gilgai Farm, Don Corleone was a debut winner at Randwick in the January of his juvenile year, and would contest both the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes, finishing second to Little Brose, and all three legs of the Sydney juvenile Triple Crown.
He recorded second placing in the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes after a dynamite run to finish fourth in the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes, before a highly credible run for sixth in the G1 Champagne Stakes.
Don Corleone | Standing at Eureka Stud
Returning as a 3-year-old, Don Corleone ran a blistering seventh in the G2 Run To The Rose, beaten just 1.47l by the winner Cylinder, before recording placings in the G2 Danehill Stakes and Listed Gothic Stakes.
As the only sire son of Extreme Choice available in Queensland, Eureka Stud are pleased to offer this “exceptional opportunity” again in 2025.
McAlpine is buoyed by the fact that Don Corleone covered a full book last year despite an influx of new stallions to the state, and expects to see the same level of enthusiasm for him this season.
“We’re very much looking forward to seeing his first foals, and if they look anything like him, then he’ll be covering full books for the rest of his life,” McAlpine assured. “He was only three, rising four when he came off the track, so he was only a boy.
Harry McAlpine | Image courtesy of Black Soil Bloodstock
“But now he’s had a covering season, he’s transformed into a man. There’s a lot of Extreme Choice about him, but he also throws back to his grandsire, Not A Single Doubt. We love that sireline.”
“If (Don Corleone's first foals) look anything like him, then he’ll be covering full books for the rest of his life.” - Harry McAlpine
McAlpine “would like to think” that Don Corleone could follow in the footsteps of Not A Single Doubt and emulate his success, particularly with their similar profiles; neither horse notched that top flight win despite many talented performances on the track, and the breeding legacy left by the latter is any studmaster’s dream.
“It’s a sireline that just keeps kicking,” McAlpine said. “If Extreme Choice could establish himself as a sire of sires, then Don Corleone will be next in line.”
Encryption meets market with reduced fee
With his oldest progeny now four and with his first crop producing multiple Group winner Cifrado and G3 Grand Prix Stakes winner Encoder, both of whom have over $1 million in prizemoney, Encryption will continue to offer value to Queensland breeders this season as his fee reduces to $9900 (inc GST, pay on live foal) from $11,000 (inc GST).
Encryption | Standing at Eureka Stud
The only son of Lonhro standing in the Sunshine State has seen his progeny earnings soar over $3.1 million so far this racing season, with the Queensland carnival likely to be a fertile hunting ground for his offspring again. A $320,000 Eureka Stud graduate at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale when purchased by Cliff Little, Cifrado will fly his flag this Saturday in the G2 Victory Stakes for trainer Rex Lipp, as will debutante Provoker in the Listed Dalrello Stakes on the same card.
“He's been going well,” McAlpine said. The reduction in fee is, again, a careful reflection of the place the market is currently in. “The stallions that are in his selling range have had a very tough time this year, so he’s been a bit of a victim of the market. The fee drop recognises that.”
Lonhro | Image courtesy of Darley
With the recent retirement of Denman, Encryption remains one of the links left to the Lonhro sireline, and certainly ranks amongst the most accessible.
“Lonhro was a favourite of many, so it’s great that we can offer a bit of that line,” McAlpine said. “It’s nice to be able to continue that legacy, and with such a blueblooded horse such as himself.”
| Spirit Of Boom | Sequalo | $38,500 | $38,500 |
| Don Corleone | Extreme Choice | $13,200 | $13,200 |
| Encryption | Lonhro | $9900 | $11,000 |
Table: Eureka Stud's stallion service fees for 2025, fees include GST
