Cover image courtesy of Yarraman Park Stud
The turn of the new year heralds many things, among them is the beginning of the yearling sale season and the downhill race to the autumn carnivals. It also provides a good stopping point to check in on who’s knocking things out of the park amongst the sires.
Two-year-olds put Hellbent on top
It’s early days for the juveniles, with just 363 individual runners to date in Australia (approximately 2.9% of the foal crop), and it is Yarraman Park Stud’s Hellbent who sits on top by earnings, with his six runners securing more than $860,000 in prizemoney.
| Hellbent | Yarraman Park Stud | 6 | 2 | 1 | $863,140 | Revengeance |
| Too Darn Hot | Darley | 6 | 2 | 2 | $430,145 | Tornado Valley |
| Trapeze Artist | Widden Stud | 4 | 1 | 1 | $425,500 | Where's the Circus |
| Street Boss | Darley | 4 | 1 | 1 | $300,749 | Calamari Ring |
| Russian Revolution | Newgate Farm | 4 | 2 | 0 | $292,265 | Lumbini |
| Sword of State | Cambridge Stud | 2 | 2 | 1 | $271,750 | Warwoven |
| Spirit of Boom | Eureka Stud | 6 | 3 | 0 | $270,550 | Scartoon |
| Home Affairs | Coolmore Stud | 6 | 1 | 0 | $226,700 | Guest House |
| Extreme Warrior | Rosemont Stud | 6 | 2 | 1 | $218,505 | Eternal Warrior |
| Stay Inside | Newgate Farm | 3 | 2 | 1 | $210,275 | Incognito |
Table: The current top 10 sires of 2-year-olds, by earnings
Much of that has come courtesy of Revengeance, who was third on debut in the G3 Breeders’ Plate before returning to Rosehill in November to win the $1 million Golden Gift. If connections are so inclined, that prize pool should all but guarantee him entry for the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes in 2026.
Hellbent | Standing at Yarraman Park Stud
Neck and neck for second spot is Too Darn Hot (GB) and Trapeze Artist, with the former pulling ahead by just $4500 in earnings. Too Darn Hot is the only stallion to currently have two juvenile stakes winners in Australia; G3 Maribyrnong Plate winner Tornado Valley and G3 Gimcrack Stakes victress Shiki.
Spirit Of Boom - seventh by earnings - currently leads by juvenile winners, bearing the distinction of being the only sire with three individual winners at the time of writing.
While multiple Champion 2YO Sire Snitzel currently sits in 15th place, he does have the distinction of having three sire sons (Sword Of State, Russian Revolution, and Trapeze Artist) within the top 10.
Street Boss’s big spring results in big lead
The deeds of Godolphin duo Tempted and Tentyris have propelled their sire Street Boss (USA) firmly to the top of the 3-year-old sire rankings, with million-dollar margin back to I Am Invincible in second place. The Darley stalwart has managed this feat with half the number of runners as the second seed, but Tempted’s second in the G1 The Everest and Tentyris’s G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes domination have gone a long way.
| Street Boss | Darley | 35 | 12 | 4 | $5,246,740 | Tempted |
| I Am Invincible | Yarraman Park Stud | 75 | 32 | 5 | $4,275,160 | Ohope |
| Ghaiyyath | Darley | 31 | 12 | 4 | $2,869,585 | Observer |
| The Autumn Sun | Arrowfield Stud | 25 | 10 | 2 | $2,632,775 | Autumn Boy |
| Snitzel | Arrowfield Stud (dec) | 65 | 29 | 3 | $2,447,440 | Matias |
| Bivouac | Darley | 52 | 18 | 2 | $2,044,500 | Beiwacht |
| Ole Kirk | Vinery Stud | 49 | 14 | 2 | $2,031,725 | Ole Dancer |
| Zoustar | Widden Stud | 69 | 21 | 1 | $2,007,710 | Plaintiff |
| Wootton Bassett | Coolmore Stud (dec) | 59 | 16 | 2 | $1,916,305 | Wodeton |
| Written Tycoon | Yulong | 63 | 26 | 3 | $1,842,145 | Tycoon Star |
Table: The current top 10 sires of 3-year-olds, by earnings
Street Boss | Standing at Darley
I Am Invincible leads by individual stakes winners, with five, and remarkably the Blue Army can claim his top earner Ohope as one of their own. The colt has amassed close to $1 million in earnings, almost all of which was earned this past spring.
Street Boss and third seed Ghaiyyath (Ire) tie for stakes winners with four apiece. Darley shuttler Ghaiyyath was a name seldom mentioned before the spring, but his first 3-year-olds delivered Darley what they asked of him - namely, a Derby winner, which he achieved with Observer in the G1 Victoria Derby.
Much of the attention this spring has been on The Autumn Sun’s daughter Autumn Glow, undefeated winner of the $10 million Golden Eagle, but his 3-year-olds continue to kick goals, headlined by G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Autumn Boy.
The stallions with the most individual winners reads as a Champion Sire honour roll; I Am Invincible leads the way with 32 individual winners, followed by Snitzel with 29. Written Tycoon and Capitalist tie for 26 winners each, with Zoustar snapping at their heels, having posted 21 to date.
Sword Of State heads first season standings
Home Affairs might have entered the new year atop the first season sires’ rankings, but Cambridge Stud resident Sword Of State swiftly dethroned him, courtesy of Warwoven’s Eagle Farm victory on Saturday. He now sits a comfortable $50,000 clear of Home Affairs in second place, with pre-Christmas leader Extreme Warrior a tick behind.
| Sword Of State | Cambridge Stud | 2 | 2 | 1 | $271,750 | Warwoven |
| Home Affairs | Coolmore Stud | 6 | 1 | 0 | $226,700 | Guest House |
| Extreme Warrior | Rosemont Stud | 6 | 2 | 1 | $218,505 | Eternal Warrior |
| Stay Inside | Newgate Farm | 3 | 2 | 1 | $210,275 | Incognito |
| Pinatubo | Darley | 5 | 0 | 0 | $96,800 | Tales Of Time |
| Wild Ruler | Newgate Farm | 7 | 0 | 0 | $68,650 | Stretan Ruler |
| Tiger Of Malay | Newgate Farm | 7 | 0 | 0 | $62,020 | Tigroni |
| Acrobat | Coolmore Stud | 6 | 1 | 0 | $48,040 | Acrodance |
| St Mark's Basilica | Coolmore Stud | 2 | 1 | 0 | $47,575 | Aristopolos |
| Splintex | Darling View Thoroughbreds | 7 | 0 | 0 | $39,400 | London Rose |
| Profiteer | Newgate Farm | 3 | 0 | 0 | $39,400 | Star Of Jamaica |
Table: The current top 10 first season sires by earnings
While Home Affairs has been fruitful across the Tasman in New Zealand, Sword Of State, Extreme Warrior, and fourth seed Stay Inside all share honours as the only sires with two winners in Australia, as well as the only sires in the premiership with a stakes winner. Sword Of State’s daughter Torture (NZ), winner of the Listed Debutant Stakes, will cross to her home country in the coming weeks to take her place in the R. Listed Karaka Million 2YO.
Sword Of State | Standing at Cambridge Stud
Stay Inside secured a stakes winner across the pond with Lassified in the Listed Wellesley Stakes, to go with his G3 Breeders’ Plate winner Incognito, who returned to the trials on Friday with a comfortable victory over his rivals.
Newgate Farm residents Wild Ruler and Tiger Of Malay tie with Darling View Thoroughbreds’ Splintex for most individual runners in Australia to date; all have seven each.
All four Newgate Farm first season sires have made it into the top 10, and all three from Coolmore have also made it in.
The spring of Ghaiyyath
Four individual stakes winners puts Ghaiyyath squarely on top of the second season sires’ rankings. Different Gravy, Yum, and Freedom Flame all joined Observer as stakes winners for their sire, putting him a comfortable $600,000 margin clear of his closest rival.
| Ghaiyyath | Darley | 31 | 12 | 4 | $2,869,585 | Observer |
| Ole Kirk | Vinery Stud | 54 | 15 | 2 | $2,223,125 | Ole Dancer |
| Bivouac | Darley | 57 | 18 | 2 | $2,091,230 | Beiwacht |
| Wootton Bassett | Coolmore Stud (dec) | 64 | 16 | 2 | $2,000,405 | Wodeton |
| Tagaloa | Yulong | 56 | 15 | 2 | $1,629,475 | Salty Pearl |
| Farnan | Kia Ora Stud | 65 | 18 | 1 | $1,479,195 | Ninja |
| King's Legacy | Coolmore Stud | 57 | 17 | 0 | $1,093,460 | Kujenga |
| Admire Mars | Arrowfield Stud | 23 | 9 | 0 | $857,815 | Planet Red |
| Earthlight | Darley | 22 | 7 | 1 | $803,890 | King Of Light |
| Lucky Vega | Yulong | 31 | 8 | 0 | $779,175 | Within The Law |
Table: The current top 10 second season sires by earnings
Ghaiyyath | Standing at Darley
Last season’s Champion First Season Sire Ole Kirk is holding steady in second place, over $100,000 in earnings clear of Bivouac in third position. The Vinery Stud resident's first Group 1 winner arrived in the form of Ole Dancer in the G1 1000 Guineas - a talented 2-year-old who relished the mile, just like her Caulfield Guineas-winning sire.
Bivouac had a wonderful spring with Beiwacht, who turned from boy into man to emulate his father in the G1 Golden Rose, smashing the race’s previous record time by nearly half a second. In the achievement, he has no doubt cemented a spot at stud beside his sire at Darley at the end of his racing career.
Three Darley horses fill out the top 10 for second season sires, with former shuttler Earthlight (Ire) sneaking in. His talented son King Of Light took all before him in the West Australian 3-year-old races, culminating in a fifth straight victory in the G2 West Australian Guineas.
Kia Ora Stud resident Farnan ties with Bivouac for the most individual winners - 18 each - and experienced a red-letter day on Saturday thanks to new juvenile winner Knightsbridge and new stakes winner Ninja taking home the G2 Vo Rogue Plate.
