Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
While Snitzel appears firmly on track to claim a fifth Australian sires’ premiership and Home Affairs looks to have the first season title secured following Guest House’s G1 Golden Slipper Stakes triumph.
Attention is now turning to the increasingly tight battle for Champion Second Season Sire. With only a handful of metropolitan wins capable of dramatically shifting the standings, the next two months loom as crucial for several emerging stallions.
As of the morning of May 20, Ghaiyyath (Ire) leads with progeny earnings of $4,963,248, with Farnan only $46,940 behind on $4,916,308, while fellow Darley Stud resident Bivouac currently sits third on $4,848,655.
| 1 | Ghaiyyath (Ire) | 46 | 23 | 32 | 5 (8) | $4,963,248 | Observer - $2,668,250 |
| 2 | Farnan | 102 | 40 | 55 | 2 (3) | $4,916,308 | Ninja - $1,109,675 |
| 3 | Bivouac | 91 | 38 | 53 | 3 (4) | $4,848,655 | Beiwacht - $1,830,700 |
| 4 | Wootton Bassett (GB) | 94 | 40 | 50 | 3 (3) | $3,996,200 | Napoleonic - $367,300 |
| 5 | Ole Kirk | 86 | 38 | 54 | 3 (3) | $3,875,936 | Ole Dancer - $1,064,375 |
| 6 | Tagaloa | 74 | 29 | 38 | 2 (3) | $3,607,255 | Salty Pearl - $823,750 |
| 7 | Lucky Vega (Ire) | 48 | 19 | 30 | 1 (1) | $2,357,070 | Cherry Bomshell - $801,500 |
| 8 | Graff | 48 | 13 | 18 | 1 (1) | $2,190,807 | Grafterburners - $1,602,300 |
| 9 | Anders | 91 | 26 | 41 | 3 (4) | $1,955,273 | Single Choice - $470,650 |
| 10 | King's Legacy | 90 | 31 | 38 | 1 (1) | $1,991,040 | Kujenga - $228,125 |
Table: Australian Second Season Sires Premiership
Ghaiyyath at the top of the tree
Four-time Group 1 winner Ghaiyyath stood for $27,500 (inc. GST) in his first season and was reasonably popular from Northwood Park in Victoria, with his first crop resulting in 74 live foals, who are the current crop of 3-year-olds.
He leads the second season sire premiership with progeny earnings of $4,963,248, with just under $2.7 million of that earned by his star colt Observer.
Ghaiyyath (Ire) | Standing at Darley
Ghaiyyath’s four Group 1 wins as a race horse ranged in distance from 2000 metres in the G1 Eclipse Stakes and G1 York International Stakes and up to 2400 metres in the G1 Grosser Preis Von Baden and G1 Coronation Cup. However, he also won at Group 3 level over a mile as a 2-year-old.
Class matters most and he has quickly found a place as a provider of 3-year-olds with a touch of class that can stretch and excel beyond a mile.
“We at Darley are very fortunate that we have two leading stallions in the race for the leading Second Season Sire Premiership and it comes to no surprise to us with the quality of both Ghaiyyath and Bivouac.” Darley Stud’s Nominations Manager Arvin Chadee commented.
“Ghaiyyath the highest rated son of Dubawi, he just kept progressing. Although he was a Group 3 winning 2-year-old, he kept progressing as he got older to eventually become the highest rated horse in the world.
Arvin Chadee | Image courtesy of Darley
“So it comes to no surprise to us that he's right in the thick of it, in terms of with his first group of 3-year-olds, headed of course by Observer.” Arvin Chadee
“So it comes to no surprise to us that he's right in the thick of it, in terms of with his first group of 3-year-olds, headed of course by Observer who obviously was mightily impressive when in the Australian Guineas showing that he had the speed from the Dubawi line, but then stretching out to the VRC Derby where he obviously was very similar or was almost like a mirror of watching Ghaiyyath himself, front running and putting his opposition horses to the sword.”
The lead is only small however, and particularly with prizemoney the way it is, a few wins at metropolitan level can change everything.
The star performers for the second season boys
Ghaiyyath leads the way clearly in terms of individual stakes winners, with five individual stakes winners from eight stakes victories. His progeny were always expected to improve as 3-year-olds, and improve they certainly have.
As 2-year-olds, the progeny of Ghaiyyath in Australia included two winners from 15 runners and only $160,290 in earnings, so to now have five individual stakes winners and earnings of $4,963,248 with another year on boardd has been an outstanding achievement.
Those stakes winners include Observer, Storm Leopard, Different Gravy, Freedom Flame and Yum.
Observer | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
But the clear highlight has been Observer, who has now been retired and will stand the 2026 breeding season at Darley Stud’s Victorian base, Northwood Park, at a fee of $33,000 (inc. GST).
Observer was the winner of the G1 Victoria Derby, G1 Australian Guineas, G2 Autumn Classic and G1 Moonee Valley Vase.
“Having Ghaiyyath return back to Northwood Park is huge for us and especially our Victorian operation where Ghaiyyath is probably the standout stallion there in Victoria," Chadee said.
“It’s exciting with Observer and he looks another candidate look his sire, to carry on that Dubawi legacy, so we are looking forward to him standing alongside his sire.”
“It’s exciting with Observer and he looks another candidate look his sire, to carry on that Dubawi legacy, so we are looking forward to him standing alongside his sire.” - Arvin Chadee
Bivouac, Wootton Bassett (GB), Ole Kirk and Anders all have three individual stakes winners, while Farnan and Tagaloa have produced two individual stakes winners each.
Beiwacht has been a star performer for his sire Bivouac, winning the G1 Golden Rose in spectacular fashion and showing his class when beating his elders in the G1 All Aged Stakes before running a gallant second in the G1 Canterbury Stakes.
Big Sky was a winner of the G3 Chairman’s Stakes at his second start after winning on debut. Unfortunately, he suffered a little niggle afterwards when favoured for some of the major G1 2-year-old races, so he may become a ‘what if’ story.
Bivouac | Standing at Darley
“Bivouac, was also was a very good 2-year-old himself, but he really hit his straps as a 3-year-old sprinter, winning the Golden Rose and then the Newmarket. But again similarly as a four-year-old winning the Derby Sprint back down the Flemington Straight and running second in an Everest." Chadee said.
“So it’s no suprise to see Bivouac and Ghaiyyath’s progeny improve from 2-year-olds into their 3-year-olds season and hopefully beyond.”
“So it’s no suprise to see Bivouac and Ghaiyyath’s progeny improve from 2-year-olds into their 3-year-olds season and hopefully beyond.” - Arvin Chadee
Wootton Bassett has sired a smart bunch of 3-year-olds with Napoleonic, Palaton and West Of Swindon, and if Napoleonic makes the field off the ballot in the G1 Doomben 10,000 this weekend, he could be a strong chance to become a Group 1-winning star for his sire and a commercial sire prospect of the future.
The late Wootton Bassett (GB) | Image courtesy of Coolmore Stud
For Ole Kirk, his standout performer is clearly G1 Thousand Guineas winner Ole Dancer, while Anders is represented by Group 2 and Listed winner Single Choice. Farnan’s son Ninja has been a Group 2 and Group 3 winner, while Salty Pearl has been a Group 2 winner and Group 1 performer for her sire Tagaloa.
Only 15 second season sires have celebrated a stakes winner this season so far in Australia.
Ole Kirk | Standing at Vinery Stud
Along with those already mentioned, Lucky Vega (Ire), Graff, King’s Legacy, Hanseatic, Dirty Work, Earthlight (Ire) and Prague have all sired at least one stakes winner.
Who is the 'strike-rate king'?
There is clearly one stallion who has dominated in terms of strike rate in both winners-to-runners and stakes winners-to-runners, and that is Ghaiyyath.
He has had the fewest runners among the top 10 stallions, with only 46 runners, but has produced 23 winners at an outstanding 50% winners-to-runners strike rate.
His stakes winners-to-runners ratio sits at a remarkable 10.9%, while 21.7% of his winners have been successful at stakes level this season.
The stallions with the most winners are currently Farnan and Wootton Bassett, tied with 40 winners each. Farnan has achieved that from 102 runners, while Wootton Bassett has had 94 runners.
Bivouac and Ole Kirk sit just behind that pair with 39 and 38 winners respectively. Bivouac has produced those results from 91 runners, while Ole Kirk has had 86 runners.
Stallions that may lack the headline performers but possess strong winners-to-runners ratios include the former Arrowfield Stud shuttler Admire Mars (Jpn), who has sired 15 winners from only 33 starters, and the Cambridge Stud-based Hello Youmzain (Fr), who has sired 16 winners from only 29 starters in Australia.
Admire Mars (Jpn) | Standing at Shadai Stallion Station
There’s no doubt the Second-Season Sire battle is going to go right down to the wire. Whether it comes down to one stakes winner during the Queensland Winter Carnival, or simply an accumulation of consistent provincial and metropolitan performances, it is shaping as a premiership race worth following closely - and one that could change on a week-to-week basis.
