Cover image courtesy of Inglis
The Tait family’s Twin Hills Stud in Cootamundra stands a four-strong roster of stallions, led by Peltzer, a son of So You Think (NZ) whose first crop of juveniles included Listed-winning emerging stayer Buccleuch, and G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Daumier, whose first yearlings will light up the sales ring this autumn.
Proprietor Olly Tait confirmed that 25 of the resident broodmare band will head to Daumier, including a half-sister to stakes winning juvenile My Gladiola (I Am Invincible), and 10 have been penciled in for Peltzer to continue his strong start to stud. They are flanked by stud stalwarts Smart Missile and Hallowed Crown, with former stallion Denman retired from stud duties in May of this year.
Twin Hills standing behind own stallions
Among the cohort visiting Daumier are Something Silver (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}), a six-time winning descendant of dual Group 3 winner Shelbourne Lass (Brocco {USA}), and Sense And Reason (Exceed And Excel), whose five wins came at city level.
Olly Tait | Image courtesy of Twin Hill Stud
“They’re two very good mares,” Tait said. “Something Silver is a very big mare and Daumier is quite a neat little horse, so that'll suit physically. She had a $375,000 yearling this year, and her first foal by Exceedance has won a couple of times.
“With our own stallions, we're looking to support them with some very good mares. He's (Daumier) in his third season, so that support continues. He’s a Blue Diamond winner and any stud in Australia is very fortunate to be able to stand a winner of a Blue Diamond that they get fresh off the track, which we did, so we take that opportunity very seriously, and send him mares that reflect our belief in him.”
“Any stud in Australia is very fortunate to be able to stand a winner of a Blue Diamond that they get fresh off the track, which we did (with Daumier), so we take that opportunity very seriously.” - Olly Tait
That too is a reason Daumier will get Sense And Reason, who Tait credited as a very good producer; her daughter Reasonable Point (Blue Point {Ire}) was second in the Listed Talindert Stakes on debut as a juvenile. She is due to foal to Daumier this season before visiting him again, as is Something Silver.
“She’s been a fantastic producer for us,” said Tait. “She also had Belieber early in her career, who was fourth in a Breeders’ Plate and was a very smart horse. So again, we’re just trying to give Daumier the opportunity with some nice mares.”
Shivani (Sebring), the half-sister of My Gladiola, will also visit Daumier. My Gladiola flashed home from last to finish second in the G3 Quezette Stakes on Saturday.
Peltzer’s eldest crop have just turned three, and Tait expects to see more of them emerge this season as they mature. Among his book this season will be Head To Head (I Am Invincible), a daughter of Group 1 winner Foxplay (Foxwedge), and Let Me Sleep On It (Redoute’s Choice), a Listed winner currently in foal to Shinzo.
Peltzer | Standing at Twin Hills Stud
“His (Peltzer) first season of runners was very promising,” Tait said. “He’s had four winners, and his sire So You Think had about the same at the same stake. He’s also had the stakes winner Buccleuch, who’s been a very dominant winner in Melbourne. Lots of stallions can't get a top notcher and Peltzer has already displayed that he can get a horse with a whole heap of class, so that is very encouraging.”
“Lots of stallions can't get a top notcher and Peltzer has already displayed that he can get a horse with a whole heap of class, so that is very encouraging.” - Olly Tait
Thanks Gorgeous added a Group placing to her record with a third in the G3 Quezette Stakes on Saturday; the daughter of Peltzer has also run second twice, on both occasions running into the smart fillies Signature Scent (Written Tycoon) and Ole Dancer (Ole Kirk).
“He's (Peltzer) not a baked cake yet, but he's only got his first 3-year-olds, and we're very encouraged by what we see,” said Tait.
Strong desire for first season sires
The commercial appeal and strength of the performances of many first season sires this breeding season have led to Tait sending several blue ribbon mares to the best colts just entering stud. One such mare is Moral Reasoning (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}); a juvenile winner on the dirt and stakes-placed, she heads to Rosemont Stud’s Schwarz for her first cover in Australia.
Schwarz | Standing at Rosemont Stud
“Schwarz is a very good looking horse with plenty of substance, and she's a mare who probably needs that,” Tait said.
Moral Reasoning is out of a half-sister to G1 Breeders' Cup Mile winner Karakontie (Jpn), with her close family also featuring last year’s Champion Sprinter in Spain Vicious Harry (Fr) (Harry Angel {Ire}) and South African Group 1 winner Amanee (Pivotal {GB}).
“Obviously, he's (Schwarz) a first season sire and a Group 1-winning sprinter by the Champion Sire Zoustar, so he should have commercial appeal, certainly in year one. We’re really just wanting to have exposure to him in his first year. He deserves to be popular.”
“He (Schwarz) deserves to be popular.” - Olly Tait
Standing for $38,500 inc GST, Schwarz cemented his spot at stud with victory in the G1 William Reid Stakes in the autumn, but a stud career had been on the cards long before; in 2024, he won the G2 Missile Stakes - which several have missed a shot at this season when the meeting was canned last weekend and Racing New South Wales elected to not reschedule the race.
Azula (Maurice {Jpn}) will likely join Moral Reasoning on the truck south after delivering her Home Affairs colt later in August; the juvenile Listed winner is booked to visit new Widden Victoria stallion Southport Tycoon, a Group 1-winning son of Written Tycoon who also stands at $38,500 inc GST.
Azula | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“I own her in partnership with John McDonald and Matthew Ennis of Group 1 Goldmine,” Tait said. “They identified Southport Tycoon as a yearling through their pedigree analysis and then he obviously became a really good horse, so they bought into him as a consequence of that. So they were keen to support him.
“And she's a lovely mare, a stakes-winning 2-year-old. She's about to have her first foal. She's in the foaling paddock at the moment, due to foal to Home Affairs. Hopefully she can throw some good horses.”
My Obsession (Lonhro), the dam of Group 3 winner Vagrant (Pariah), has been promised to Coolmore Stud’s City Of Troy (USA); the Cartier Horse Of The Year has landed down under and exited quarantine early last week, and will stand at Jerry’s Plains for $49,500 inc GST.
City Of Troy (USA) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He was an extraordinary racehorse,” Tait said. “He won the Dewhurst, the Derby, the Juddmonte International, and the Eclipse. He’s as good a race horse as you can get.
“And she’s (My Obsession) a very good mare. Her progeny have plenty of size on the whole, and he’s a medium-sized horse so I thought that would be suitable. We've got a lovely Justify filly out of that mare to go to the sales next year, and look, as a racing fan, he's (City Of Troy) a horse that I really liked, so it's nice to be able to send him one of our better mares.”
“As a racing fan, he's (City Of Troy) a horse that I really liked, so it's nice to be able to send him one of our better mares.” - Olly Tait
A recent acquisition, Group-placed I Am Invincible mare Lucicello is bound for Darley’s next best thing, Broadsiding, who commands a fee of $66,000 inc GST in his first season at stud.
“We bought her in foal to Ozzmosis,” Tait said. Twin Hills paid $225,000 for the grey daughter of 11-time winner Lucciola (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}) at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale this year.
“She’s a big mare, and Broadsiding was just a very good racehorse. He’s maybe a bit on the small side, so putting some size to Broadsiding might be helpful, and it may refine her size as well.
Lucicello | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“He's a high profile first season horse, so we’re very much looking to the commercial market, but I think it'll suit physically as well. And he's, again, a horse that should be able to hopefully throw some good racehorses. What Too Darn Hot has achieved in two seasons is fantastic, and Dubawi is one of the phenomenons of the breed.”
The up and coming types
A self-professed fan of Kia Ora Stud’s Farnan, Tait is sending Von Trapp (Frankel {GB}) to Farnan this season after two foals by Zoustar. She is due to deliver her next foal by Pierro in mid September.
“We bought her in foal to Zoustar, and she will have a nice filly going to the sales next year,” Tait said. A $350,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale purchase for Twin Hills, Von Trapp was offered by Element Hill, who imported her in utero in her dam Chortle (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a full sister to globetrotting Group 1 winner Hunter’s Light (GB).
“I’m a big fan of Farnan, he was a very good racehorse, a very good 2-year-old with a very good pedigree. He's got all the credentials to be a good stallion, and it's working out that way.”
“He's (Farnan) got all the credentials to be a good stallion, and it's working out that way.” - Olly Tait
Farnan finished his first season of 2-year-olds nipping at Ole Kirk’s heels for the Champion First Season Sire title, beating him on individual winners and stakes performers.
Farnan | Standing at Kia Ora Stud
“We’ve sent mares to him previously, I’m a big believer in him,” Tait said.
One of the better mares visiting an emerging sire offsite is Starla (Snitzel), a five-time metropolitan winning daughter of stakes-placed Houston Benefactor (Encosta De Lago) from the close family of G2 Bill Stutt Stakes winner Sovereign Nation (Encosta De Lago) and New Zealand Champion 3YO Filly Princess Coup (Encosta De Lago). She missed last season to Maurice (Jpn), having been purchased for $240,000 in the 2024 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale while in foal to Wootton Bassett (GB).
This season, she will cross the Tasman to visit Super Seth, whose eldest crop just turned four.
Super Seth | Standing at Waikato Stud
“I own the mare in partnership with Richard Pegum, and Richard owns a share in Super Seth,” Tait said. “Our attention was probably put in that direction because Richard had a share, but he's got off to a really good start at stud. He looks very promising, and so it'll be nice to get a foal by him next year.”
“He (Super Seth) looks very promising, and so it'll be nice to get a foal by him next year.” - Olly Tait
Waikato Stud’s Super Seth signed off the 2024/25 racing season in style with four individual Group 1 winners, including Guineas winners Linebacker (NZ) and Feroce (NZ), and Group 1-winning juvenile La Dorada (NZ).
“She's (Starla) empty at the moment,” Tait added. “She's got a lovely Wootton Bassett colt who is heading to the sales in 2026, so we're excited about him because she's a high class race mare by Snitzel, so she's a very attractive broodmare prospect.”
Speaking of attractive broodmare prospects - Tait signed the docket for star sprinting mare Olentia (Zoustar) at the recent Magic Millions Virtual Sale, with a hefty price-tag of $2.6 million. He was bidding on behalf of Qatari racing giants Wathnam Racing, and confirmed the mare's racing career has finished. No stallion has been decided yet.
“She is at Twin Hills, but she'll be heading to England later in the year,” Tait said.
