Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
It’s still over a month until the first 2-year-old trials in Australia, but that hasn’t stopped the team at The Thoroughbred Report from getting a little bit excited about who we might see out and about by the next group of first season sires.
TTR had a look at the upcoming crop of first season sires – stallions whose oldest foals have just turned two – and used the Australian and New Zealand Stud Books to count how many of their first crop have been named.
New Zealand has already seen their first juvenile trials with Joe Doyle-trained 2-year-old gelding Enviable (NZ) (Ace High) winning at Te Rapa over 730 metres in a field of five. This trial was won last year by With A Vengeance (Exceed And Excel) with Kinnaird (Home Affairs) in second. Kinnaird went on to win the G2 Eclipse Stakes while With A Vengeance won on debut.
Kinnaird | Image courtesy of Peter Rubery (Race Images)
At Foxton, Zousun (NZ) (Zousain) won a 600 metre trial on Tuesday. Trainer Johno Benner sent out the two runners in the event with gelded Zousun finishing a half-neck in front of the filly By The Sword (NZ) (Sword Of State).
With an average of nearly 50 horses a day getting named at Racing Australia, this is an ever-evolving list. However, if a horse is to trial at the end of September, they will be in work and on the way. And they can’t trial without a name.
This list will demonstrate which horses have shown enough precocity that their owners are getting prepared for the trials by getting their horse named. For the last two years, this list has also picked out a few stars. In 2024, Bivouac had the most youngsters named at this point, and he’s just been crowned Australian Second Season Sire. Hello Youmzain (Fr) was second and he has added the Champion Second Season Sire title in New Zealand to his New Zealand Champion First Season Sire for 2024/25.
Last year, Home Affairs led the charge with 27 named at this point, and he’s Australia’s Champion First Season Sire for 2025/26.
Home Affairs | Standing at Coolmore Stud
These numbers are going to be low because it’s so early in a stallion’s career. In twelve months time, less than 20% of the whole Australian 2024 foal crop will have faced the starter. If the numbers are so low, why do we care so much? Science. More specifically, a study done by Sydney University that found horses who have their first start as 2-year-olds will have a longer career and more starts than those who wait. If your horse has the soundness and precocity to race at two, you are in for a good fun long ride, on average.
And as the last two years of this article have shown, there is some correlation between having horses named early and winning seasonal titles as a sire later on.
Anamoe leads the charge
It is no surprise to anyone who follows racing that Anamoe comes out on top here. Even without access to the data, racing fans would know that Godolphin names their homebred horses early in the process, so any stallion standing at Darley has a small advantage here. Not only that, but Anamoe was the stand-out First Season Sire in the ring this year.
His 64 lots sold across the sale season in 2026 made an average of $404,000 and were bought by many of the big stables across Australia and New Zealand.
Anamoe | Standing at Darley Australia
He ran early himself, first seen when fifth in the Listed Debutant Stakes in October before winning the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes in mid-November at his second start. He went on to win Group 1 races at two, three, and four, proving to be a well-rounded racehorse with the type of race record that meant he could stand his first season at $121,000 inc GST and cover 149 mares. He has 111 live foals, of which 38 have been named (34%).
Anamoe’s most expensive yearling, the $1.1 million colt from Listed winner Secret Trail (Denman) has yet to be named.
$1.1 million Anamoe x Secret Trail colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
In The Congo could be the smoky
G1 Golden Rose winner In The Congo has been overshadowed lately by his younger sister Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun), but he might just end up back in the headlines this season. He stood his first season at $33,000 inc GST and ended up with 100 live foals in his 2024 crop. Of those, 16 have been named, making him the second most popular stallion at this early stage of the game.
In The Congo | Standing at Newgate Farm
At the sales, 47 of his first crop found new homes at an average of $118,400. His most expensive lot was the colt, bought by Gai Waterhouse, Adrian Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds, for $625,000. Out of Stolen Jade (So You Think {NZ}), he’s been named Drums Are Beating.
Drums Are Beating | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Jacquinot gets the trifecta spot
G1 Golden Rose and G1 CF Orr Stakes winner Jacquinot, who also began his career at $33,000 inc GST, sits in third with 14 of his first crop already named. His 2024 born foals number 109, so he also has the numbers on the ground to make an impact on the First Season Sire chart this season.
Jacquinot | Standing at Widden Stud
Jacquinot had 55 yearlings sold across 2026 at an average of $117,600 and his most expensive lot has been named Front Cover. The colt from Bonheur (I Am Invincible) cost Ciaron Maher Racing $425,000 from Widden Stud.
Artorius, Hitotsu and State Of Rest (Ire) all come in equal fourth place with ten named foals each.
Jacquinot x Bonheur colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
A strong percentage representation
Of the 20 first season sires across Australia and New Zealand, six stallions have 14% or more of their first crop already named. Anamoe leads at 34%, while Signore Fox is second on 21%. The son of Exceed And Excel only has small numbers with three named from 14 live foals. In third is Cape Of Good Hope (Ire), who again shows how percentages off small numbers can be skewed with two members of his first crop of 10 foals (20%) now named.
In The Congo has 16% of his first crop already named, while Lightsaber and Dalasan both have 14%. West Australia’s Lightsaber has nine of his 64 first crop members named, while Dalasan has 8 of his 58 first crop named.
Signore Fox | Standing at Alma Vale Thoroughbreds
The millionaires sit at 21%
In 2026, there were 42 yearlings who sold for seven figures and of those 21% have already been named. This equates to nine horses, led by $1.8 million filly Tavolara (Snitzel) and $1.6 million filly Beautiful Life (Snitzel).
Stormy Girl (Zoustar) cost $1.4 million, and costing $1.3 million each were Noongar (Home Affairs) and Tabiche (Too Darn Hot {GB}). Desert Girl (I Am Invincible) was a $1.25 million purchase, and Star Of The Top (I Am Invincible) cost $1.2 million.
Azyaa (Extreme Choice) was $1.1 million, and rounding out the group is the $1.05 million purchase Valhalla Star (I Am Invincible).
$3 million Extreme Choice x Pretty Brazen colt | Image courtesy of Inglis
The year's sale topper, the Extreme Choice colt from Group 2 winner Pretty Brazen (Brazen Beau) has yet to be named. The $3 million purchase from Lime Country Thoroughbreds' Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft was bought by Coolmore's Tom Magnier.
