Which stallions impressed in the Hunter Valley? Part 1: 'They really are the stars of the show'

Cover image courtesy of Newgate Farm

The Hunter Valley has been a hive of activity this week, where, for four days, breeders, owners, trainers, and the public descend en masse to view the stallions standing at stud in the region this year.

Amongst the mix were Newgate Farm, Darley, and Yulong’s new Segenhoe locale, all parading newly retired colts ready to make their mark on the next generation, while Yarraman Park Stud welcomed the crowds to their Friday night parade of their roster, headed by the now 22-year-old multiple Champion Sire I Am Invincible.

It is a time to finalise decisions on matings, or have your eye caught by someone new - or, potentially, by the development of an older stallion from one year to the next. What everyone is looking for is different, so fortunately it is a location with plenty of choice.

The new hot property

Newgate Farm’s daily parades ran on Friday and Saturday, where the star attraction to many was the addition of Wodeton, the multiple Group 1-performed son of Wootton Bassett (GB) who has joined Henry Field’s roster in collaboration with Coolmore Stud. Standing at $16,500 (inch GST), he is expected to serve a full book, and Riverstone Lodge are among the local farms signed up to send him mares.

“The team saw him this week and has just been raving about him,” said Riverstone’s George Gillfeather. “He’s a really exciting addition to the Valley, at a very good price. We’re sending him a few.”

Yulong launched their inaugural public parade at their new Segenhoe location during lunchtime on Saturday, showcasing their four Hunter Valley stallions, including new editions G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Devil Night and G1 Galaxy Handicap winner Private Harry.

Devil Night, a $1.4 million son of Extreme Choice on top of his juvenile Group 1 victory, was a particularly popular new edition. While his father serves a small book at a fee of $385,000 (inc GST), Devil Night will cover his first book of mares at a fee of $33,000 (inc GST).

Swettenham Stud’s Nominations and Bloodstock Manager Marcus Heritage was in the Valley to see some of the outside stallions Swettenham mares would be patronising, and Devil Night received a big tick of approval from him.

“We have a couple of mares booked to Devil Night,” he said. “He is very typical of what you expect with Extreme Choice. He was the one out there I was most excited to see, and he certainly more than met my expectations.”

Darley condensed their parade offerings in 2026 to a Saturday afternoon parade, where one of the headline acts was the newly retired, dual Group 1 winner Tentyris. The son of Street Boss (USA) didn’t take long to sell out for his inaugural stud season at $88,000 (inc GST).

“It’s an incredible calibre of stallions we have access to now, especially the calibre of young stallions coming through the ranks,” said Bangaloe Stud’s Julie Ritchie. “Anamoe and Tentyris, they really are the stars of the show at Darley.”

Broadsiding, now awaiting his first crop of foals, was another young sire who caught Heritage’s eye.

“He was the one I was most taken by at Darley,” he said. “I thought he was an even better model of his father, and with a very strong back end. He should be quite suitable for quite a range of mares. He was obviously very well supported in his first season and they have said he is already full this year, and you can see why.”

The crowd favourites

It is always a pleasure to see how stallions grow and mature with every year, and Astute Bloodstock’s Will MacDonald was especially pleased to see Lucky Vega (Ire) again in the flesh at his new Southern Hemisphere home of Yulong Segenhoe.

“Lucky Vega is a horse I have always loved,” he said. “I am a little bit biased, because I worked with him when I was at The National Stud, but I have always been a big fan of him. He’s doing very well down here.”

A consistent stallion who earned himself a strong fee rise in 2026 is Hellbent, who stands for $55,000 (inc GST) this season. Heritage was pleased to see the familiar traits of Hellbent’s Champion Sire father coming through strongly in the 14-year-old.

“Hellbent is very well regarded,” he said. “He’s doing a good job both in Australia and in Hong Kong. He’s certainly a stallion on the up, he is a very, very good looking horse, and he has good daughters too so he should be a promising broodmare sire in the future, just like his father.”

Heritage was also drawn to G1 Golden Rose Stakes winner In The Congo - whose half-sister Autumn Glow added a fourth Group 1 to her resume in Saturday’s G1 Winx Stakes. The flashy son of Snitzel will welcome his first 2-year-olds to the track this spring.

“I've always been a fan of In The Congo,” Heritage said. “He was a tough, on speed, fast horse on the track, and a half relation to Autumn Glow who we all know was a beautiful yearling. If he can throw yearlings anything like his half-sister, he should be on the right path.

“He is one that we have bought multiple mares in foal to and we have foaled quite a few down over the last few seasons. I have been pretty impressed by his first crop of yearlings. He’s throwing very nice types and consistently doing so. and we love the Snitzel bloodline.

“There are a lot of sons coming through - Wild Ruler has been doing well, Switzerland and Shinzo have been exciting at Coolmore, and we have Lofty Strike with his first yearlings this year. A Champion Sire should be able to get a champion son, so it is just a matter of where that son is coming from and there are plenty of options out there right now.”

The consistent producers that Danric Lodge’s Operations Manager Louise Lindsay was most pleased to see were Newgate Farm’s Tassort and Brutal (NZ), the latter of whom experienced a particularly strong season in 2025/26, finishing with a seasonal strike rate of 57.5% winners to runners.

“At Newgate, I very much liked Brutal,” said Lindsay. “And Tassort as well. We are very partial to him, so it was nice to see him. He has let down even more nicely over the last couple of years since we have come to see him, so it was lovely to see how mature he is now.”

The unmissable champions

There are some horses that will always stand out above all others, both in the flesh and in the records of what they can produce. Alabama Express, who heads the Yulong Segenhoe roster, was one such horse for Duncan Ramage of DGR Thoroughbred Services (FBAA).

“I hadn’t seen him in the flesh before, and I was really pleased to see that he looked just like what I had hoped, because he’s certainly performing very well as a young stallion,” he said. “He’s a lovely horse.”

Ramage had the same appreciation for nine-time Group 1 winner and Horse Of The Year Anamoe when visiting Darley on Saturday afternoon.

“As you would expect when handpicking the best performed, best bred horses from the hundreds to thousands the operation has in training worldwide, there’s not a single bad looking horse on the roster, but the standout is the obvious one, it’s Anamoe,” he said. “He was everything on the racecourse. He’s by the right sire and he is just a lovely individual to look at.

“His sales results reflected that in year one. Year one horses can outsell themselves, so now we are going to see if they can run.”

“Anamoe just blows you away,” MacDonald said. “He just fills the eye. He is an incredible horse. He was too expensive for us to buy at the sales this year, but hopefully we get the chance for a good one in the near future.”

Lindsay was drawn to another star of the Darley roster in Too Darn Hot (GB), who had another son enter stud this season when G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Tropicus retired to Vinery Stud.

“We have always really loved Too Darn Hot at Darley,” Lindsay said. “So to see him again in person was wonderful. He’s just an absolutely magnificent, striking horse and it’s a sireline going so strongly here.”

And it is unmissable to come to the Valley and not visit a champion on his home turf.

Gallery: I Am Invincible at the 2026 Yarraman Park Stud stallion parade

“It was so good to see Vinnie, as they call him,” said Lindsay. “I was just astounded at how incredible he looked for being 22 years old. He was absolutely breathtaking. He is just a beautiful, beautiful stallion. We are very glad we came.”

The parades continue on Sunday with morning and afternoon appointments at Coolmore Stud, while Vinery Stud, Arrowfield Stud, and Widden Stud will run their final parades in the morning. Alma Vale Thoroughbreds will host parades by appointment.