Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
In 2025/26, 440 horses won 606 black type races in Australia.
Those 440 horses were by 189 different stallions which shows abundant sire quality across the industry.
In New Zealand, 117 horses won 144 stakes races, and they were sired by 67 different stallions.
This depth of stallion numbers is one aspect, but when the figures are collated to show which sires won the most races, the data shows why the big commercial guns dominate in the sales ring. Those big name stallions also dominate on the racetrack, indicating that there’s a strong connection between what sells and what runs.
Autumn Glow is the queen
While the nominees for the 2025/26 Australian Horse Of The Year have yet to be announced, there are four horses who have had the most media speculation on the subject. Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun), Sir Delius (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) all won three individual Group 1 wins for the season, while Half Yours (St Jean {Ire}) enters the discussion as the G1 Caulfield Cup and G1 Melbourne Cup double winner.
With six individual stakes races won in the season, Autumn Glow is the horse who won the most black-type events in 2025/26. She won more than half of the stakes races won by her sire The Autumn Sun, who sired five individual winners of 11 stakes races this season.
Autumn Glow | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I’d imagine at some stage she’ll get down to Melbourne,” Autum Glow’s trainer Chris Waller told racing.com recently.
“There could be a bit of backwards and forthing (with Sydney). The whole prep isn’t locked in yet, but we’re pretty decisive on the Winx Stakes as the starting point.” The G1 Winx Stakes is set to run on August 22.
Both Autumn Glow and Sir Delius are set to trial on Friday at Randwick, while Via Sistina is in foal to Dubawi (Ire).
The big guns dominate on track
There aren’t many surprises at the top, although the spread of sirelines does show a move away from Danehill’s dominance.
He’s still the very best with Snitzel having a marvellous season with 17 individuals winning 28 stakes races. His most stakes winning runner for the season was Lazzura who won three black type events including the G1 Coolmore Classic. He also had three individual stakes winners in New Zealand.
Snitzel | Image courtesy of Arrowfield Stud
Zoustar comes in second with 12 individual winners of 19 races with his busiest stakes winner being Joliestar who won four stakes races this season. Joliestar won both the Group 1 races attributed to Zoustar, being the G1 TJ Smith Stakes and G1 Canterbury Stakes.
I Am Invincible achieved 11 individuals who won 14 stakes races and it was Caballus with three stakes race wins who led his cohort this season. Caballus won the G1 Newmarket Handicap and Charm Stone added the G1 Manikato Stakes. He also sired New Zealand's G1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes winner Seize The Day.
I Am Invincible | Standing at Yaramman Park
Street Boss (USA) also sired the winners of 14 stakes races but with seven individuals. His daughter Tempted won four stakes races while Tentyris won three.
So You Think (NZ), Written Tycoon, and Trapeze Artist all sired eight individuals who won 12 races. Panova, with three stakes wins, was the top for Trapeze Artist, while Skyhook’s trio of stakes wins put him on top for Written Tycoon. So You Think’s Getta Good Feeling won three stakes races this season.
Capitalist also sired the winners of 12 stakes races, taking seven individuals to achieve the feat. His gelding son King Of Roseau was his busiest with four stakes wins. Two stallions achieved ten stakes race victories, being Too Darn Hot (GB) who spread them across eight individuals while Playing God took six different runners to get 10 stakes wins.
Capitalist | Standing at Newgate Farm
Snitzel dominates the Group 1 list
It’s the ability of the big gun sires to get Group 1 winners that makes them so attractive in the yearling ring and Snitzel had six individual Group 1 winners with Lazzura joined by Baraqiel who won the G1 AJ Moir Stakes, Transatlantic who won the G1 Toorak Handicap, and last year’s G1 Golden Slipper winner Marhoona who won the G1 Galaxy Handicap.
Two of the three Sydney Group 1 races for juveniles went Snitzel’s way too with Campione D’Italia winning the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes and Fireball winning the G1 Champagne Stakes.
Lazzura | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Street Boss and The Autumn Sun both sired the winners of five Group 1 races, but Street Boss did it with four individuals and The Autumn Sun with two.
Tentyris won a pair of Group 1 races, the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes and G1 Lightning Stakes, while Street Boss’s others were G1 Australian Derby winner Green Spaces, G1 Futurity Stakes winner Pericles and G1 Surround Stakes winner Tempted.
As well as the brilliant Autumn Glow, who won the G1 Epsom Handicap, G1 George Ryder and G1 Verry Elleegant, The Autumn Sun sired Autumn Boy who won the G1 Caulfield Guineas and G1 Rosehill Guineas.
Autumn Boy | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Three stallions celebrated three Group 1 wins this season but only Bivouac achieved that with more than one horse. His filly Fireball Miss won the G1 Queensland Oaks while his exciting colt Beiwacht won the G1 Golden Rose and the G1 All-Aged Stakes. The other two sires were Fastnet Rock and Frankel (GB) with Via Sistina (Ire) and Sir Delius (GB) respectively.
Eight different stallions had a pair of Group 1 wins, but only Pride Of Dubai and I Am Invincible achieved that with two different horses. Nine individual horses won two Group 1 races.
Fireball Miss | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Juvenile speed still king in the ring
While less than 20% of the foal crop will be seen at the races at two, horses who can achieve this feat are still the ones who excite the buying bench. There’s a simple reason for this. Horses who can race at two have longer careers with more starts than those who start later. And this isn’t just a random fact, it was proven in a study done by Sydney University looking at over 100,000 racehorses.
Of course there is a difference between having one start in July and winning a stakes race, and that while educational run certainly shows a statistically better chance of being better across a career, it’s not the thing to write headlines about. That aside, a glance over the horses who could win at black type level as juveniles are an indication of what is going to be sexy in the sale ring of the future.
With 71 stakes races for juveniles, it’s no surprise to see Snitzel on top again. His progeny won seven of those 71 races with his pair of Group 1 winners taking out two stakes races each, while Aurum Belle won a pair and The Next Episode won a single stakes race.
Extreme Choice | Standing at Newgate Farm
Extreme Choice won four juveniles stakes races with three individuals. Paradoxium won twice at black type level, with Hidrix and Berzelius taking home one each.
“The Golden Rose is a possibility but so could be a trip to Melbourne for races like the Moir or the 3-year-old races like the Danehill Stakes. I'm not closing the door on anything,” trainer Bjorn Baker told racenet.com.au about Paradoxium’s spring plans.
With three stakes wins apiece are Champion First Season Sire Home Affairs via G1 Golden Slipper winner Guest House and Gin Twist who won a pair of stakes races. Trapeze Artist, Stay Inside and Too Darn Hot (GB) all sired three individual juvenile winners of three stakes races.
Home Affairs | Standing at Coolmore Stud
Eleven stallions sired the winners of two juvenile stakes races with All Too Hard, Brazen Beau, I Am Invincible, Street Boss, Sword Of State, Toronado (Ire), and Wild Ruler all doing that with two different individuals.
Among the first season sires who are ones to watch into the future, are the already mentioned Home Affairs, Stay Inside, Sword Of State and Wild Ruler. Additionally, St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) sired unbeaten Aristopolos whose six wins included two at Listed level. Palace Pier (GB), Extreme Warrior, Captivant, and Pinatubo (Ire) all celebrated a juvenile stakes winner.
Broodmare sires in Australia
The Danehill sire line dominated on the broodmare sire chart where Danehill’s son Fastnet Rock will win the 2025/26 Australian Champion Broodmare Sire title.
Fastnet Rock’s daughters have produced horses with progeny earnings in excess of $36 million this season. He also leads the stakes race chart with 15 individuals who won 22 races, lead by Joliestar who is out of Fastnet Rock’s daughter Jolie Bay.
Fastnet Rock | Image courtesy of Coolmore Stud
Redoute’s Choice continues to show his class, seven years after his death, with his daughters producing 13 winners of 19 stakes races this season. Exceed And Excel keeps the Danehill theme going with 11 winners of 17 races, and Snitzel pops up again with his daughters producing 10 winners of 14 races.
In among them is Street Cry (Ire), from the Mr Prospector (USA) line, whose son Street Boss was strong on the sire’s lists and Street Cry comes in third by stakes races won out of his daughters with 18 stakes races won across 11 individuals.
Street Cry (Ire) | Standing at Darley
Hello Youmzain caps strong season
The final stakes race of ANZ season ran on Thursday, after being postponed from last Saturday, and it was Hello Youmzain (Fr)’s juvenile filly Back Of The Bus (NZ) who was successful in the Listed Ryder Stakes.
“She is a really tough and brave filly,” trainer Tony Pike said.
“She (Back Of The Bus) is a really tough and brave filly.” - Tony Pike
“She has been consistent all season and has done a really good job, winning the series final at Ellerslie, third in the Castletown and now a stakes win in the Ryder. I couldn’t have asked for much more this prep, she has done a good job for a cheap purchase.
“We will just have a look at what is coming up around the 3-year-old races and how she pulls up. She probably prefers just a bit of easing in the ground, so we could possibly give her a short freshen-up and then possibly look at the early spring 3-year-old fillies races before they start stretching up over a trip.”
Hello Youmzain will be crowned New Zealand’s Champion Second Season Sire for 2025/26, beating Circus Maximus (Ire). Hello Youmzain’s progeny have earned NZ$1.4 million in the season, while Circus Maximus concluded the season on NZ$1.3 million.
Hello Youmzain (Fr) | Standing at Cambridge Stud
New Zealand summary
In New Zealand 117 horses won 144 stakes races. Well Written (Written Tycoon) won the most at five, including the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas.
Following Well Written were five horses who won three stakes races each over the season, including exciting unbeaten juvenile Lara Antipova (Russian Revolution), dual Group 1 winner First Five (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) and G1 New Zealand Oaks winner Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) who came to Australia and added the G1 Australian Oaks to make it four stakes wins in ANZ for the season.
Well Written | Image courtesy of Race Images South
Inflamed (NZ) (Ghibellines) and Platinum Attack (Santos) were the other two horses with three stakes wins in New Zealand for the season.
Savabeel, who died in June aged 24, headlines the stakes race table with nine winners of 11 stakes races. Almanzor (Fr) sired five winners of seven races.
This season’s Champion Sire Proisir lead the cohort of five stallions whose stock won six stakes races in the season. He sired four individuals to achieve that six wins, led by Waitak (NZ) who won a pair of Group 1 races in the spring.
Proisir | Standing at Rich Hill Stud
Rising star Hello Youmzain (Fr)’s stock won six stakes races and he achieved this with five different horses. Ocean Park (NZ) and Ghibellines both took four horses to win six races, while Written Tycoon won six races with two horses as Captured By Love joined Well Written on his scorecard.
Of the first season sires, only two managed to sire a stakes winner in New Zealand and they are two names that have been in the headlines all season in Australia too. Home Affairs sired a pair of stakes winners Kinnaird and Miss Janet, while Stay Inside added Lassified.
Across the second season sires, Hello Youmzain had the most stakes wins in the season, followed by Circus Maximus (Ire) who sired a pair including G1 NZ Derby winner Road To Paris (NZ). Lucky Vega (Ire), Bivouac, Banquo, Wootton Bassett (GB), Ancient Spirit (Ger) and Cool Aza Beel (NZ) all had a stakes winner each in New Zealand.
