Victorian stallion parades: Who impressed, who surprised and who could be the value?

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Breeders, bloodstock agents, sale house representatives and racing fans gave their opinions on the stallions at Widden Victoria who paraded on Friday along with Woodside Park, and many of those TTR spoke to also attended parades at Darley’s Northwood Park, Swettenham, Lovatsville and Yulong on either Thursday or Sunday.

“It was a great weekend. All the farms were well supported and the stallions were presented in excellent condition,” Magic Millions representative Tim Brown said.

Southport Tycoon keeps turning heads

At Widden’s Victorian parade on Friday, it was their dual Group 1 winner Southport Tycoon who caught the attention of many breeders. His first crop are due this spring and he already has four live foals updated into the Australian Stud Book.

“I went to Widden as we have a vested interest in Southport Tycoon. I spoke to a few breeders there about their Southport Tycoon foals, so that was very pleasing. From the photos and the videos I saw of the foals from the people that came up to me, he's really stamped them, which was very pleasing to see,” Phil Wells from Bennett Racing said.

“He's a perfect blend of his two bloodlines. If you see him now that he’s let down, you see a lot of Written Tycoon in him. But he's very More Than Ready over the back. That was the most attractive thing about him when we first bought him. He has that real athleticism, which is a lovely blend, but he does look very much like his father now.

“A few of the owners who originally raced the horse have retained a small part of their share in the horse when he was sold to Widden and they've gone out actively and bought very good mares to go to him and now they're having foals, so it’s an exciting time.”

Southport Tycoon is out of a full sister to American Listed winner Grace And Power (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}) from the family of Artorius.

“On the Friday we went to Widden and the star was Southport Tycoon. We used him a lot last season and bought a few mares specifically for him. He looked fantastic. It’s a great sire line and that’s where I think Southport Tycoon is a great chance. Horses that win the Australian Guineas generally make stallions and he won the Manikato as well,” Willaroon Thoroughbred’s Sally Watkins said.

“Southport Tycoon impressed me. He looked like a real stallion,” breeder Graeme Ward said.

Ward has a soft spot for Russian Camelot (Ire) and he was another on the Widden Victoria roster who garnered several positive comments about his physique.

“Look, I have a five-year love affair with Russian Camelot. I have two young horses by him. I know he needs to do something more, but he’s just such a stunning horse. Very light on his feet. He's probably the second-best looking horse I've ever seen after So You Think. He was the best one,” Ward said.

Russian Camelot’s oldest crop have just turned four and he’s represented by 22 winners including Group 3-placed pair Beyond Question and Morgana.

“Russian Camelot is a really nice horse. He's leggy, athletic, and he's going better than I think a lot of people thought at this early stage. He's had some pretty handy horses going earlier than what you would have expected, including Ride Like Michelle who won at Swan Hill the other day over 975 metres and absolutely bolted in,” Watkins said.

“I really like that classic Thoroughbred type. I actually sent a Zabeel mare of mine to him and the foal is a 2-year-old now. I had no intention of ever trying to sell him because he’s a patience job. He’s my vanity project, my Melbourne Cup horse.”

King Colorado, whose first crop are yearlings this season, was one that Tim Brown from Magic Millions picked out as one who might surprise people.

“It was a good parade at Widden on Friday. I thought King Colorado could be the dark horse that people are overlooking a bit. He's a very good-looking horse, good walker, and he was a Group 1 winner,” Brown said.

“Calyx was a better than average sire, and we lost him far too soon.” King Colorado and Calyx (GB) are sons of Kingman (GB).

“They all looked fantastic. Nicconi is 21 this year and he looked like he was 12. He looked absolutely brilliant. He's a great bread and butter horse,” Watkins said. Proven sire Nicconi has 31 stakes winners with two at Group 1 level, led by Horse Of The Year Nature Strip.

“Sentimentally, Nicconi at 21 looked pretty good. And the cheapy Bruckner. He blew me away. I immediately wanted to send a mare to Bruckner,” Ward said.

Bruckner, a Group 3-winning son of Snitzel, has his first 2-year-olds this season.

The first season sires get attention

Across all the different farms and visitors that TTR spoke to, people kept coming back to three of the first season sires being Vinrock at Yulong, Diego Velazquez (Ire) at Swettenham, and Espionage at Lovatsville.

“Of the first season sires, Vinrock was a standout. He was a good horse, looked very good, athletic,” Brown said.

“Swettenham’s Diego Velasquez is a nice horse and Espionage as well. I thought it was quite a good lineup for the first season sires in Victoria.”

Sally Watkins at Willaroon concurred.

“At Swettenham, we just went in to have a look at the new horse Diego Velazquez. I thought he was lovely, very athletic, really nice leggy horse and I liked him a lot. A good mover and correct. He should appeal to the Australian speed mares,” Watkins said.

Diego Velazquez, a son of Frankel (GB), was a Group 2 winner at two and three and won the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois at four.

“On Sunday I went up to Swettenham and they always put on a great time. Their new horse, Diego Velazquez is such a beautifully bred horse and he won a race that a lot of great horses have won. He raced on for three seasons, which is the real plus. He's just a real quality type, not a typical Frankel. He doesn’t have that coarseness that you can get (with Frankel). He looked a good bet for some of the heavier-set mares in Australia. He was very light on his feet,” Wells said.

“Adam (Sangster) said that he had the Toronado fillies in mind when he first saw him and I can see what he means by that. We (Bennett Racing) have bought a few internationals from Europe and they're getting very expensive, so to have access to this style of horse is great.”

Vinrock, the first winner of both the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes and G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes in forty years, had everyone talking.

“At Yulong I thought Vinrock was a really nice horse. He's very typical I Am Invincible, and when you look at what Home Affairs is doing, the sire line is going well,” Watkins said.

“Espionage is a really nice horse. But when they pay a fortune for them as yearlings, they generally are good types. He is quite striking. I will probably use him this year.”

Winner of the G3 Breeders’ Plate on debut, Espionage was a $1 million purchase by James Harron Bloodstock.

“Lovatsville’s new horse (Espionage) is a stunning looking horse. He’s got great angles about him. Well defined muscle. I've been fortunate to buy quite a few group winners by Zoustar and he has so many attributes that I like about Zoustar,” Wells said.

“Very typical, and also very precocious looking, normally they can be a smidge more scopey and I can see why this horse ran earlier than they normally do.”

Having just arrived out of quarantine to Woodside Park was Into Mischief (USA) son Laurel River (USA). The winner of the G1 Dubai World Cup as a 6-year-old raced from three till seven and is by arguably America’s greatest ever sire with a record-equalling seven USA Champion Sire titles.

“At Woodside, I was very interested in Laurel River because I’ve raced a lot of horses in America. He was a seriously good racehorse and he’s well bred by Into Mischief. He was exactly what I thought he’d be; plenty of scope and a good shape about him. He’d only arrived out of quarantine the day before,” Wells said.

“I hope people get behind him. There's always that bit of a stigma with the American dirt horses, but I remember when Street Cry came here and people steered away from him, but he’s the same profile.

“When dear old Snitzel was alive, you chuck an American dirt pedigree mare to him and he’d thrive on it. There’s no reason why it can't work the other way.”

The Dubawi sire line has plenty of fans

Dubawi (Ire) has really made his mark lately with his sire sons thanks to Champion Sire in GB and Ireland Night Of Thunder (Ire) and the successes of Ghaiyyath (Ire) and Too Darn Hot (GB) locally.

“Ghaiyyath is gorgeous. I’ve always liked him. I bred to Night Of Thunder when he came out here and of course he hasn’t come back, but he’s proven to be a superstar in Europe. I like Night of Thunder. I really like Ghaiyyath. I love Benbatl. I love the sireline,” Watkins said.

“Observer is very like his father.” Observer retired to Darley after winning the G1 Victoria Derby and G1 Australian Guineas.

“Benbatl is a gorgeous horse. We saw him on Friday at Woodside. We’ve sent three mares to him (in earlier seasons) and each one of those foals has been the best foal that mare has had. He’s a lovely animal, with a beautiful head. If I’m being really critical, he’s a touch longer than Dubawi, but is a lovely horse.”

Written Tycoon and a few others catch the attention

Around the different farms, a few other stallions stood out to those who headed along to see them.

“The old boy (Written Tycoon) looked fantastic. It’s a credit to the team, the way he looked. Yulong have done a terrific job with him,” Watkins said.

Brown picked out Paulele as one to watch with his first crop just turned two. He also liked Yulong’s Zoustar son Growing Empire.

“I thought Paulele has done well physically (in the past 12 months) and it'll be quite interesting to see how they are received because he definitely had more speed than most of these sires. He could win over 1000 metres at two. He’s probably underestimated because he won his Group 1 in the West,” Brown said.

“Growing Empire has done extremely well in the last year and paraded superbly. He’s let down into a very nice horse.”

Hospitality and personality still matters

The racing industry is built on relationships and for many of those who attended the different farms over the past few days, it was these relationships that keep them coming back.

“I only went to Widden. I’ve had a 30-year relationship with them and I love their stallion parades. All the stallions that they paraded looked terrific, the property looked terrific and the hospitality was outstanding. I went home half a kilo over weight for age!” Graeme Ward joked.

“They had pizzas and champagne and the morning tea was great. What they've done to that property since they took over is amazing. It really looks gorgeous.”

Another thumbs up for Widden’s hospitality was from Brown. “Everybody seemed to be in a positive frame of mind, so that is good for the industry. Widden had the best food and plenty of it. Got to give them the thumbs up there,” Brown said.

Lovatsville got plenty of praise too.

“We finished up at Lovatsville. They have a good vibe and I feel like they're really trying to help out breeders there. Sam's got a good group of stallions. The cup winner Gold Trip has let down into a lovely animal,” Wells said.

“Everyone just seems so happy. Afterwards, people don't leave, they hang around and Sam is a great bloke who is having a go at looking after everybody. He had great food. He's a very personable bloke and it’s certainly flowing through to everything.”

Sam’s snags had a couple of mentions with Will Stott from Inglis mentioning them after the Thursday parade, and Sally Watkins added her seal of approval on Monday.

“I've got to mention the Lovatsville sausages, they were outstanding. I actually asked Sam where he got them and they come from the butcher in Seymour apparently. I'm going to have to make a special trip down there in business hours to stock up!” Watkins said.