Cover image courtesy of Oakland Park Stud
The Thoroughbred Report caught up with Oakland Park Stud’s Neville Duncan to reflect on Fancy Red’s impressive win, the current form of Sessions, their approach to racing homebred runners, and what lies ahead for their stallions leading into the 2025 season.
Fancy Red powers home to claim the Listed Belmont Oaks
Last Saturday at Bunbury, Oakland Park Stud’s home-bred filly Fancy Red (Sessions) completed an outstanding hat-trick with a last-to-first victory in the Listed Belmont Oaks. The filly had already shown serious potential with back‑to‑back wins over 1400 metres at Northam and Pinjarra at her last two starts. Stretching out to 2019 metres with ease, she stormed down the outside rail on a heavy track to win by just under 2.5l from Kimberley Rose (Hellbent) and Lillian (NZ) (War Decree {USA}).
Fancy Red became the latest Belmont Oaks winner for trainer Adam Durrant, Oakland Park’s Neville and Susan Duncan, and the stud’s resident stallion Sessions, following their success with Ihts Closing Inn (Sessions) in 2023.
“It’s always exciting to win a stakes race, actually it is always exciting to win any race,” Duncan said. “It was a good win, as it is always unexpected when there are so many unknowns.
“She hadn’t been that distance, she had actually only been as far as 1600 metres. It really was a big effort. The race was run about 6l faster than the colts edition won by Arcadia Park, and she looked full of running. It was a really good effort.”
“She (Fancy Red) hadn’t been that distance, she had actually only been as far as 1600 metres. It really was a big effort.” - Neville Duncan
Fancy Red’s pedigree may not scream out for stamina, her dam Showme Thediamonds (Show A Heart) won over 1200 metres, but she had already produced Diamond Made (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), winner of the G3 Adrian Knox Stakes over 2000 metres. Fancy Red’s grandam, Diamond Desire (Twenty Four Karat {USA}), amassed nine wins up to 2200 m, showing her staying ability.
Oakland Park acquired Showme Thediamonds for just $5000 via Belmont Bloodstock (FBAA) at the 2019 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. After producing Fancy Red, she was moved on, and has since produced a Rommel weanling filly.
Fancy Red marks the seventh individual black‑type winner for Sessions, and his second in as many weeks, following Repossession in the Listed Beaufine Stakes (1000 metres) at Pinjarra.
Racing strategy: Sell the ones people want, race the rest
When asked about his breeding and racing philosophy, Duncan reflected on a long history of applying simple, effective strategies. “It goes back well past 20 years. I have always been a big reader and like learning about the theories of breeding horses,” he explained.
He recalled an article by a prominent American breeder that shaped his approach, “Sell the horses the people want, and race the others, and that is pretty much what I have done.”
Duncan continued, “It’s funny how it works also, as you sell the ones that are worth something, keep the rest and often they are the ones that go good. It works for us anyway.
Neville Duncan | Image courtesy of Oakland Park Stud
“We very much enjoy winning any races, and we get great enjoyment out of seeing our horses that we have bred win races with other owners also. I am very lucky as we have a very good team at Oakland Park.
“It’s driven by myself, but my man in charge (Adrian Brown) is very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and he is second to none. We have two other staff who have been with us for 18 years, without them putting things into place, we wouldn’t be where we are. It really is a team effort, and we have a great team.”
Sessions in great form
The timing of Sessions’s recent success could not be better, with breeding season approaching.
A son of Lonhro, Sessions was a classy five-time winner, including in the G2 The Shorts Handicap over 1200 metres, and he placed in the G1 Manikato Stakes and ran fourth in the G1 Galaxy Handicap.
Sessions | Standing at Oakland Park Stud
His record at stud is solid, 108 winners from his runners, equating to a 63 per cent strike rate, and seven stakes winners, including Fancy Red and Repossession in recent weeks.
Duncan is proud of the stallion’s consistency. “Sessions is doing a great job. A parameter that I like to use is the Apex parameter. He is in the top 10 Apex A Horses in Australia. The Apex A indices is something I put a lot of credit in, and he is ahead of some of the big guns, believe it or not. So he’s doing a really good job,” he said.
“His winners to runners is fantastic, and his average earnings per horse is really good, and stakes money is a lot less here than it is in the eastern states. So he is going well from our point of view.”
“His (Sessions) winners to runners is fantastic, and his average earnings per horse is really good, and stakes money is a lot less here than it is in the eastern states.” - Neville Duncan
Duncan also pointed to longevity in his progeny. “He doesn’t seem to get many 2‑year‑olds or early 3‑year‑olds, so he’s dragged down a bit by those horses, but his first crop he’s got 90 per cent winners to runners, his second crop close to that as well. So as they get further into their life, the chances of getting a winner is almost certainly more than 80 per cent, which is figures you don’t see often.
“It’s been going really well with Sessions in recent times, we have had 28 runners of progeny by him, and 26 have won. We have six unraced that are yet to come, but even with them included the statistics would still look very good.”
“... We have had 28 runners of progeny by him (Sessions), and 26 have won.” - Neville Duncan
Among the unraced horses is a 3‑year‑old named Acorn, which Duncan has affectionately noted, “They say you shouldn't name a horse after your stud, but I guess Acorn is pretty close, with its Oakland link. Let’s hope he can be pretty good.”
He also acknowledged the influence of mares in producing stamina, noting Sessions himself was a short‑course sprinter, but his progeny “do seem to get that staying gene in there, which means they can be versatile.
“Sessions has now had three stakes winners over a trip, there is no doubt that mares contribute to that, as much as some stud masters dont want to tell you, but genetics are 50/50 split between the stallion and the mare,” Duncan summarised.
Sessions stands this season for a fee of $9900 inc GST.
Ingratiating shaping up nicely
Also joining Sessions at stud is Ingratiating, a son of Frosted (USA) now in his second season. “Ingratiating is exciting,” Duncan said.
“We limited him to 100 mares last year, but his conception rate was through the roof, and he was getting a lot of mares in foal first time, so he was efficient with his work. We stretched another eight mares into him late in the season as a result.”
A Listed juvenile winner and strong Group-performer, he demonstrated toughness and longevity across multiple seasons, finishing in the placings of major juvenile races including the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes, and the G1 Golden Slipper, he then trained on to win the G3 Vain Stakes as a 3-year-old, plus the G3 Bletchingly Stakes as a 4-year-old.
Ingratiating | Standing at Oakland Park Stud
Duncan confirmed it was this versatility and performance as a 2-year-old that attracted them. “To front up in both of those races and finish in the placings was a great effort,” he said.
“If he had won either of the big races at two, he would likely be standing in the eastern states at a much higher fee. He won stakes races as a 2-year-old, 3-year-old and as a 4-year-old.
“He is out of a good Lonhro mare, and as a yearling he rated very high on the Darley ratings. He’s a good looker and you would think they would make nice sales horses also.”
Ingratiating is set to stand this season for $9900 inc GST.
Shooting To Win: Proven and productive
Completing the 2025 roster is Shooting To Win, a stallion who continues to make a strong impact, especially in Western Australia in recent times. He has sired 277 winners from 426 runners at a very good 65 per cent strike rate and has produced 12 stakes winners, including two Group 1 winners.
Shooting To Win | Standing at Oakland Park Stud
“Shooting To Win currently sits third on the West Australian sires list, and his first West Australian bred youngsters are rising 2-year-olds so we are looking forward to them,” Duncan said.
“He is a really good-looking stallion, a real big muscular beast. Being a Darley stallion he is very well-mannered, all three of our stallions have been through that system and they are very well-educated, which makes the process so much easier for us.”
Shooting To Win will stand this season for $6600 inc GST.
