Celestial Legend heads Woodside Park roster for 2026

Cover image courtesy of Woodside Park Stud

Victoria’s Woodside Park have announced their 2026 roster, dropping the fees for all their six stallions. The announcement will be a breath of fresh air for Victorian breeders feeling the pinch of the current economic climate, particularly in the middle of the market.

Milers make good sires

Celestial Legend, the G1 Randwick Guineas and G1 Doncaster Handicap victor, stood his first season at $27,500 including GST and covered a book of 94 mares. He drops slightly for his second season to $24,200 including GST.

“He was an outstanding racehorse winning the Randwick Guineas clocking 1:33.94s despite sitting three-wide without cover. And he followed up with a Doncaster Mile victory with a spectacular turn of foot,” Woodside Park’s Stallion Nominations Manager Mark Dodemaide said.

Purchased by Legend Racing from Arrowfield Stud for $220,000, Celestial Legend debuted as a May juvenile, running second to $3 million yearling Kandinsky Abstract (Zoustar), before winning at his next start.

At three, he ran second to future G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Ozzmosis in the Listed Heritage Stakes when resuming, before powering into the autumn where he won the G2 Hobartville Stakes, G1 Randwick Guineas and G1 Doncaster Handicap in successive races.

“He was tough as nails in the Randwick Guineas and absolutely brilliant in the Doncaster, which are characteristics rarely found in the same stallion package. He’s 16 hands and a good-looking, athletic grey horse.”

Arrowfield Stud’s investment into Joint South African Horse of the Year National Colour (Saf) (National Assembly {Can}) has paid dividends with the triple Group 1 winner producing two Group 1-winning sons in Rafeef and Mustaqueem, both by Redoute’s Choice and both standing at stud in South Africa.

National Colour also produced the unraced Snitzel mare Sarraqa, who is the dam of Celestial Legend. The dual Group 1 winner is by Dundeel (NZ), a son of High Chaparral (Ire) which is a line known for producing outstanding colts, and Dundeel’s figures show this same bias with eight Group 1 winning males and two Group 1 winning fillies.

With sire sons like Super Seth – a recent $70 million acquisition by Coolmore Stud – and Castelvecchio, the future of Dundeel as a sire of sires looks assured.

A proper racehorse

Benbatl returns for his third season at Woodside Park at a fee of $16,500 including GST, a reduction on 2025’s fee of $22,000. The son of Dubawi (Ire) shuttles to Japan, where his first crop are 3-year-olds. His first Australian crop are weanlings, and he has 44 live foals in his first crop.

“He was a proper racehorse with a World Thoroughbred Ranking of 125 and twice, crowned Champion Older Miler in Great Britain,” said Dodemaide.

A tough racehorse who raced for five successive seasons, and won in each of them, from a Group 3 win in England at three, three Group 1 races in three countries at four, followed by Group 2 wins at five, six, and seven.

In his 4-year-old year, Benbatl won the G1 München Bayerisches Zuchtrennen over 2000 metres, the G1 Caulfield Stakes over the same trip, and the G1 Dubai Turf over 1800 metres.

“His first foals here are in the Dubawi mould. Most have that typical dishy Dubawi head. Very muscular, good shoulders and hind quarters, with nice short cannons.” His first Japanese crop are led by Listed Hanshin Sumire Stakes winner Large Ensemble (Jpn).

One of 316 stakes winners for Dubawi, it is the Champion Sire’s sons who are proving exciting on a global stage currently. Night Of Thunder (Ire) was crowned the British and Irish Champion Sire for 2025, while Too Darn Hot (GB) and Ghaiyyath (Ire) are making an impact in Australia.

Beautifully bred, Benbatl is a son of dual Group 1 winner Nahrain (GB) (Selkirk {USA}), crowned Champion 3YO Filly in GB (Long) in 2011. She is the dam of two Group 1 winners, the other being G1 The One Thousand Guineas winner Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}). His second dam is Group 2 winner Bahr (GB) (Generous {Ire})

Ideal VOBIS stallion

Proven sire Shalaa (Ire) enters his tenth season at stud in Australian in 2026, and he will stand for $13,200 including GST, a reduction from $19,800 last season. A brilliant juvenile, who won twice at Group 1 level at that age, Shalaa trained on to win at Group 3 level as a 3-year-old. At stud, he has 23 stakes winners, led by G1 AJ Moir Stakes victor Mornington Glory.

“He’s an ideal VOBIS Gold and VOBIS Sires stallion. He’s also a proven 2-year-old sire with six 2-year-old black-type winners (and counting),” said Dodemaide.

Shaquero ranks as one of his best juveniles, winning the G3 Pago Pago Stakes, G3 Breeders’ Plate and R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic in his 2-year-old season.

“Frankie Dettori rated him the fastest 2-year-old he had ever ridden after they won the Middle Park Stakes and also said he didn’t meet a horse fast enough to lead him.”

Shalaa has had a good season with Welwal (GB) winning the G3 Doncaster Prelude in March with Roselyn’s Star adding the G3 Star Kingdom Stakes on the same day. King’s Secret won the Listed Canterbury Sprint in January, and in Japan, Invincible Papa won the G3 CBC Sho in August and there was talk about him coming to The Everest which didn’t eventuate.

The underdog in Delaware

G3 Prix Daphnis winner Delaware (GB)’s oldest crop are 2-year-olds but he is yet to have a runner from his small first crop. At a reduced fee of $6600 including GST in his fifth season, down from $7700 last year, breeders will have to take a punt on him based on the 70 live foals he’s had in his first three crops.

“Delaware could be the dark horse of our roster. Breeders only want to talk about their Delaware foals and yearlings when they visit the farm.”

A winner at two, Delaware improved to win a Group 3 at three, and add additional Listed races at five. A tough racehorse who endured five seasons of racing in three different countries, Delaware could be a smokey once his foals get to the track.

He’s certainly well-bred enough, being by unbeaten Champion Sire Frankel (GB) out of winning Oasis Dream (GB) mare Zatsfine (GB), who is a half-sister to four-time Group 1 winner Proviso (GB) (Dansili {}), G1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes winner Byword (GB) (Peintre Celebre {USA}) and G3 Kingston Town Stakes winner Finche (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

Proven options for breeders

Proven stallions Foxwedge and Rich Enuff round out the roster.

Rich Enuff, a 14-year-old son of Written Tycoon and one of his first sons to retire to stud, will stand for $11,000 including GST a slight fall on last year’s fee of $13,200. The sire of ten stakes winners from seven crops probably should have a Group 1 winner by now with $2.7 million earner Abounding running second in the G1 Tatt’s Tiara, and G3 Roma Cup winner Oscar’s Fortune running second in the 2023 G1 Winterbottom Stakes. He is also a winner of The Quokka with earnings over $1.4 million.

Rich Enuff is also the sire of Wunderbar, so far the only horse to have beaten Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}), having bested him twice early in the world champion sprinter’s career.

Foxwedge is entering the twilight of his career. The rising 18-year-old has been a steady source of stakes winners during his career. When he arrived at Woodside Park Stud, he’d sired 11 stakes winners, and his tally has now hit 27. His fee drops to $7700 including GST, down from $8800 in 2025.

“He’s one of the best value stallions in the state and a Foxwedge filly can win a decent race and be a valuable broodmare,” said Dodemaide. Of Foxwedge’s five Group 1 winners, four are fillies, led by locally raced Foxplay and Volpe Veloce. Foxwedge is the damsire of six stakes winners, led by G3 San Domenico winner Sweet Ride who stood his first season at Widden Stud in 2024.

Table: Woodside Park Stud's 2026 service fees, including GST