Cover image courtesy of Blue Gum Farm
Blue Gum Farm’s Sean Dingwall was open about the difficulties caused by the lack of options at the top end of the market, and the news that Toronado (Ire) would miss the season was compounded by the sad deaths of Wootton Bassett (GB) and Snitzel.
“We had half a dozen (mares) going to Toronado, and we’ve ended up having to send a few of them back up to the Hunter Valley to their owners. We had four of our own and we’ve had to find other stallions for them too,” said Dingwall, who was driving his truck from Victoria to the Hunter Valley when TTR called.
“More often than not we’ve had to send ours to the Hunter, too. We have equity in a number of stallions in the Hunter Valley.”
Toronado (Ire) | Standing at Swettenham Stud
A lack of high-end options makes life difficult
The three losses leave the top commercial ranks quite thin with only eight stallions standing above $80,000 in 2025. They are Extreme Choice, Zoustar, Too Darn Hot (GB), I Am Invincible, Ole Kirk, Anamoe, Dundeel (NZ) and Home Affairs. But most of these were already fully booked before the season began.
“There’s been a lot of juggling this year. We’ve been sent a few curveballs this season. Everyone has been scrambling because there’s very much a lack of proven stallions this year with Snitzel, Wootton Bassett, and Toronado out. There’s three off the top of my head.
Sean Dingwall | Image courtesy of Blue Gum Thoroughbred
“Unfortunately, that’s left a gap in the proven stallion ranks. When it happens suddenly and you've got to backtrack, the other (top-end) horses are full so you’re trying to find a horse where you can actually get a slot for a mare.”
With most of the most popular stallions already booked out, it leaves broodmare owners with a dilemma. “You are trying the best option, and sometimes that’s taking a punt on a third or fourth season horse and you’ve got to hope they get runners early.”
“You are trying the best option, and sometimes that’s taking a punt on a third or fourth season horse and you’ve got to hope they get runners early.” - Sean Dingwall
When asked how Blue Gum Farm takes that gamble, Dingwall said, “You look at stallions that sold particularly well. The two likely favourites for the First Season Sire title this year will be Home Affairs and Stay Inside, so we’ve supported both of them and we are backing that one of them will end up Champion (First Season) Sire, and certainly after the trials last week, both of those horses would have plenty of bookings, so they’ll be full too, I imagine.”
Blue Gum’s top broodmares and where they are going
“We have a lot of young mares recently retired from Trilogy Racing who are on their first foal.” Trilogy’s Jason and Melanie Stenning are major shareholders in Blue Gum Farm.
Trilogy-raced Queen Of Dragons (Pierro) won twice including the G3 Kembla Grange Classic and is a maiden mare. “Queen Of Dragons was booked to Wootton Bassett. It was very unfortunate what’s happened, and we’ve switched her to Broadsiding. It’s the best sire line in the world with Dubawi and Too Darn Hot. He’ll tidy her up a bit as he’s a good looking, shorter coupled horse.”
Queen of Dragons | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Trilogy’s G3 Frances Tressady Stakes winner Chaillot (Testa Rossa) was Group 1-placed in the 2023 G1 Tattersall’s Tiara, and her only foal so far is an In The Congo yearling filly. “She’s a Group 1-placed mare, and we are excited to see what she throws. She goes to Ozzmosis this year.”
Of the mares with a track record, winning mare Kemeri (Denman) is a half-sister to Affair To Remember (Toronado {Ire}). “Kemeri was booked to Toronado and we’ve had to change. She’ll go to Stay Inside.”
Last season’s juvenile winning filly Queen Of Clubs (Maurice {Jpn}) resumed with a fourth in the G2 Tea Rose Stakes. Her dam, Libre A Vous (Fr) (Redoute’s Choice) heads back to Maurice (Jpn). “She’ll be bred back to Maurice to get a full to Queen Of Clubs. With Queen Of Clubs running in a Group 1 on the weekend, we really feel she’s a Redoute’s Choice mare with a future. That cross (Maurice over Redoute’s Choice) runs at about 20 per cent so (this mating) continues that cross.”
Libre A Vous (Fr) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Libre A Vous was purchased by Trilogy Racing at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $340,000. Blue Gum Farm sold Queen Of Clubs for $300,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale to Portelli Racing, and her Street Boss (USA) filly sold at this year’s Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale for $65,000 to Cumani Racing and McKeever Bloodstock. Libre A Vous has a yearling colt by Anamoe.
“I think Nakoa is one of the best-bred mares in the world. She’s a War Front mare who is a full sister to two Group 1 winners and a half-sister to another. We bred her to essentially the best stallion in our time in Wootton Bassett. She’s certainly one we are excited about and for a first foal, her colt is a really nice foal.”
Nakoa (USA) is heading to City Of Troy (USA) as a substitute for Wootton Bassett. Nakoa’s full sister Brave Anna (USA) was crowned Champion 2YO Filly in Europe in 2016 thanks to winning the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes and G3 Royal Ascot Albany Stakes. Her full brother Hit It Like A Bomb won the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.
Nakoa (USA) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Dual Group 1 winner Opera Singer (USA) (Justify {USA}) was crowned Champion 2YO Filly in Europe in 2023 and is Nakoa’s half-sister. They are all out of G3 Ballyogan Stakes winner Liscanna (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}).
My Wish puts the focus on Flying Artie
On Sunday night, My Wish (Flying Artie) added his second stakes win in the G3 Celebration Cup at Sha Tin. His trainer Mark Newnham is setting him for the G1 Hong Kong Mile in December. It adds to Flying Artie’s strong year with Asfoora winning another Group 1 in Europe. Sixties won the G3 Ming Dynasty two weeks ago, and In Flight won the G3 Sir John Monash Stakes at the end of July.
“He’s having a great year. Sixties comes from his second largest crop ever, who were bred off the back of Artorius winning the Blue Diamond. We think he’s the best value sire in the country at $11,000 and we supported him well last year. This year we will send a couple of mares too.
My Wish | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“Sir Artie won on Saturday at Rosehill and My Wish in Hong Kong. The owners of his dam went back to him and have a full brother to My Wish who is a lovely yearling. We’ve had a very good response this year.
“He’s been knocked around in the sales ring a bit. They are very El Prado line horses, they aren’t pretty horses but at the end of the day they can all run. (As yearlings) they are a bit immature and a bit scopier, they don’t carry that rounded shape that attracts buyers in the beauty contest.
“One thing about them, they’ve all got great structure, and it doesn’t matter if they are big or small. My Wish is a little horse and he had a first starter in Tasmania the other day who looked like he was 17.2hh. It doesn’t seem to matter what size they are, he’s putting ability into them.”
Flying Artie | Standing at Blue Gum Farm
Flying Artie has 11 individual stakes winners led by Group 1 winner Artorius and Asfoora, while Group 2 winner Democracy Manifest has earnings over $1.1 million.
“Bob Peters is sending multiple mares this season and it’s fantastic to see the dams of Asfoora (Golden Child), Giannis (Palace Rock) & Illyivy (Indirect) all coming back to him this season,” added Nominations Manager Phil Marshall.
Young sires showing the goods so far
G2 Todman Stakes winner Sejardan’s first crop will be at the yearling sales in 2026. “He’s doing a really good job and will have yearlings going to the sale this year. We expect to see half a dozen at the Gold Coast and the same at Melbourne," said Dingwall.
“People will get a good look at them this year. They are lovely horses, we are very excited about him. The third season is always hard, but he has 75 mares booked this year which we are rapt with. He’s got more than enough on the ground to show whether they are good enough or not." Blue Gum will support him with 15-20 mares.
“Sejardan is such an easy stallion to breed to. He's incredibly difficult to fault from a conformation point of view. Incredibly good looking and very colonial with his strength and bone. This allows for a wide range of mares to be suitable,” said Marshall.
Sejardan | Standing at Blue Gum Farm
Winning mare Cinzia (Choisir) will go back to him. “This was an easy mating off the back of the cracking Sejardan filly she produced last year who sold at this year’s Inglis Sydney weanling sales to Nick Taylor's Riverstone Lodge for $80,000,” said Marshall.
Group 3 winner Sharnee Rose (Nadeem), winning mare Statuette (Redoute’s Choice) who is the dam of stakes placed pair of Deserved (Dundeel {NZ}) and Providenceprovides (Real Impact {Jpn}), and Group 3-placed Gosh (Ire) (Peintre Celebre {Ire}) all head to Sejardan. Gosh is the dam of this year’s G3 Shaftsbury Avenue Stakes winner Is It Me (Iffraaj {GB}).
Group 2 winner Oxley Road’s first foals are arriving in 2025. “We are very happy with him. The foals we are seeing on the ground are spectacular. They are really taking after him. He’s a beautiful horse and for a cheap horse, we are thrilled with what we’ve seen,” said Dingwall.
Oxley Road | Standing at Blue Gum Farm
Among the mares being sent to Oxley Road by Blue Gum and Trilogy is winning mare Showada (Encosta De Lago) who is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Zacada (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}). Joining her is winning mare Baubo (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) who is a half-sister to Group 2 winner and G1 Thorndon Mile-placed Lady Kipling (NZ) (Savabeel), who in turn is the dam of Group 2 winner Fascino (NZ) (Charm Spirit {Ire}).
