Matings Mix: The stallions who just make sense for Blue Gum's mares

The beginning of August brought a season of change at Jason and Melanie Stenning’s Blue Gum Farm, but one that has been in the works for some time as the stud has sought to further upgrade their bloodstock ahead of the 2026 breeding season.

The new-look stallion roster has welcomed Libertad, a Group winner in all four seasons he raced, and Pierata's best son Coleman to its ranks to stand alongside proven sire Flying Artie and the promising Oxley Road, while the investment of quality broodmares has been bigger than ever in the last 12 months.

With the foaling season well and truly underway and the covering season within eye sight, Blue Gum’s Director of Bloodstock Suman Hedge takes a moment to share some of the high calibre mares now residing at the Euroa property and where they will be heading this spring.

Vinnie mares book tickets to the Valley

Blue Gum has made several tactical additions to the broodmare band since the start of the year, but two stand out more than most, and not just because of their purchase price - although that certainly is a factor.

“La Mexicana was purchased by Jason and Mel this year in the Inglis Online June Sale for $920,000 and is the most expensive mare they have purchased to date,” said Hedge.

Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) was on the docket alongside Blue Gum for La Mexicana (I Am Invincible), offered in foal to Too Darn Hot (GB) in June by POB Bloodstock. The winner of the G3 Kevin Hayes Stakes and the Listed William Crockett Stakes amongst six victories, plus a handful of further stakes placings, she has already made quite the splash with her progeny in the ring.

“A beautiful mare, La Mexicana has had stellar results at stud with a Snitzel colt fetching $1.7 million and a Snitzel filly selling for $700,000,” Hedge said. “A strong athletic mare with plenty of leg, we felt a return mating to Too Darn Hot to whom she is presently in foal was the mating that made the most sense for her.”

La Mexicana’s first foal Testament (Snitzel) was purchased by James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership, Tony Fung Colts, and Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. At the same venue this year, it was Chris Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock who outlaid $700,000 for Mexican Snitzel (Snitzel), and the mare has another Snitzel filly to go through the ring next year for breeder B2B Thoroughbreds.

Another daughter of I Am Invincible bought this year is California Gallant, who was purchased at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale in foal to G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Switzerland. The full sister to multiple stakes winner - and now international stakes producer - Houtzen (I Am Invincible) delivered a filly on August 17.

“Jason and Mel purchased this mare at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale for $475,000,” said Hedge. “She was a million dollar yearling herself and her progeny to date have sold very well.”

Lime Country Thoroughbreds have been the vendors of both of California Gallant’s foals to date, selling Sequoia (Stay Inside) for $380,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale to James Harron Bloodstock and Michael Freedman’s fillies partnership, then selling her Snitzel colt for $650,000 for KPW Bloodstock at the same venue this year.

“She was strongly recommended for purchase by our Racing and Operations Manager Colum McCullagh who knew of her racing talent whilst working with Peter Snowden,” Hedge said. “We have booked her to Zoustar whom we think will complement her nicely on type and pedigree.”

The queens staying local

Some of the mares will only have a short journey to make this season, with the beloved Queen Of Dragons (Pierro) trekking less than an hour to be covered by Ghaiyyath (Ire), who returns to Darley’s Northwood Park this spring at a new fee of $88,000 (inc GST).

“Queen of Dragons is a mare close to the hearts of Jason and Mel being one of the first Group winners they purchased and raced,” Hedge said. “She is a beautiful daughter of Pierro and full sister to the very talented Group 2 winner Paris Dior.”

The winner of the G3 Kembla Grange Classic and fourth in the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes won by Orchestral (NZ) (Savabeel), Queen Of Dragons was a $330,000 yearling purchase for Trilogy Racing, the Stennings’ racing arm, and CB Bloodstock. She joined the breeding band last spring as a 5-year-old, having well and truly earned her purchase price back, when she patronised first season sire and four-time Group 1 winner Broadsiding.

Descending from 11-time winner - of which four were Listed wins - Nanny Maroon (Alquoz {USA}), Queen Of Dragons is closely related to G2 Challenge Stakes winner De Lightning Ridge (Tale Of The Cat {USA}) and multiple Group 1 performer To Catch A Thief (U S Navy Flag {USA}).

“This mare is just about to foal to exciting first season sire Broadsiding and this year is booked to go to his barn mate Ghaiyyath. We believe this is an ideal physical and pedigree mating and we feel Ghaiyyath is a very promising young stallion who will only shine further as his mare quality improves.”

Our Queen (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) will have a similar length of journey to visit Toronado (Ire) at Swettenham Stud.

“Our Queen is another talented mare that was raced by Jason and Mel, winning four times and placing second at Listed level,” Hedge said. “By one of the best stallions in the world in Night of Thunder, Our Queen also has depth in her female line.”

A half-sister to Stateside stakes winner Raven’s Cry (Ire) (Raven’s Pass {USA}), Our Queen comes from a prolific family cultivated by the Wildenstein family's Dayton Investments in Europe, an entity that was purchased in full by leviathan breeders, the Wertheimers, in 2023.

The close family is highlighted by Listed winners and multiple Group performers Sacred Spirit (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) and Sarrasin (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}), plus G1 Irish Derby winner Zagreb (USA) and three-time Group 1 winner Steinlen (GB) further back.

“A sharp mare that belies her pedigree that has several stakes winning and performed staying types, the team felt Toronado was an ideal first mating,” said Hedge. “We love Toronado, who is doing an outstanding job at his home at Swettenham Stud. We are supporting this stallion strongly and believe his best is yet to come.”

Setting them up right

Hedge highlights two more high profile maidens that will have their first covers this spring for Blue Gum, both of whom have been booked to sires on a rapid upward trajectory to get them off on the right foot.

“Paradise City is another Group winner purchased and raced by the Stennings,” Hedge said. Paradise City (Deep Field) had been a $300,000 yearling purchase for the Stennings and she picked up $440,000 in prize money and bonuses alongside her seven wins.

“This daughter of Deep Field was a very competitive race mare, with her career peaking with victory in the Group 3 Frances Tressady Stakes. She is booked for her maiden cover to champion young stallion Home Affairs. He is a stallion that has taken all before him and after dominating with his 2-year-old, he has hit the ground running with his 3-year-olds.”

Home Affairs sent out Natural Fling to be his first 3-year-old stakes winner in the G3 Quezette Stakes on August 15, and the filly has trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy eyeing a G1 Moir Stakes tilt after her eye-catching four-length demolition.

“We think it’s a well-balanced mating and we like that Home Affairs really stamps his progeny, which is always a nice thing for a maiden mare,” Hedge said.

The well-related Sunset Dreaming (Impending) has been booked to Yarraman Park Stud’s progressive Hellbent to reproduce a cross that has already worked wonders for the family.

“Our team picked out Sunset Dreaming at the 2025 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and purchased her for $250,000,” said Hedge. “Kept in training and moved to Tony Gollan, this Impending mare raced very well and importantly added two stakes placings to her resume.”

A four-time winner of nearly $430,000 across her whole career, Sunset Dreaming ran second in the Listed Just Now Stakes and third in the Listed Nudgee Stakes last December, plus she picked up a fourth in the Listed Keith Noud, twice running into Midnight In Tokyo (Kobayashi), now a Group winner.

“A stakes-placed daughter of a stakes place-getter in Whatalovelyday, Sunset Dreaming is a half-sister to the very talented Hellbent Group 1 winner Benedetta,” Hedge said. “Given this, we felt the obvious mating was to book Sunset Dreaming to Hellbent to breed a very close sibling to this outstanding mare.”

Given G1 Goodwood Handicap victress Benedetta (Hellbent) made $1.9 million to the bid of Yulong at this year’s Inglis Chairman's Sale, it could be a very lucrative cross indeed.

A gun mare returns to a gun stallion

The last Blue Gum mare in the spotlight this spring is Don’ttelltheboss (Street Boss {USA}), a $450,000 winner and placed in the G3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes and the G3 Typhoon Tracy Stakes. The best performed granddaughter of G1 Australasian Oaks runner-up Cancanelle (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), she knocked it out of the park with her first foal born at Blue Gum in 2023, and sometimes there is no need to reinvent the wheel.

“Don’ttelltheboss was a more than handy race mare who was twice Group 3 placed,” Hedge said. “Jason and Mel purchased her at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale and mated her to Stay Inside with the resultant colt becoming the very talented stakes winner The Machine Gun. A Listed winner for the astute Peter Snowden stable, he is being readied for a host of nice races in the spring.”

Unbeaten in his two starts to date, The Machine Gun (Stay Inside) won the Listed Tattersalls Stakes during the Queensland winter carnival and currently holds a nomination for the G1 Golden Rose Stakes in September. He was a $300,000 Gold Coast purchase for Jason Warren Racing, Trilogy Syndications and Hedge last year.

“The team felt the most prudent move was a return mating to Newgate Farm’s Stay Inside, who has made a promising start to his stud career, and along with Home Affairs looks like one of the emerging young stallions coming through,” Hedge said.

It is never a hard decision to repeat a winning formula. Meanwhile, Don'ttelltheboss has colts by Russian Revolution and Ozzmosis waiting in the wings, and if they can be half as good as their older brother, she could turn into a very exciting broodmare indeed.

Table: 2026 mating plans for some of the Blue Gum Farm broodmares