Matings Mix: Replicating what works at heart of Vinery Stud's spring plans

Cover image courtesy of Vinery Stud

The 2026 covering season commenced on Tuesday, and the stallion barn at Vinery Stud was even more of a hive of activity than usual. The addition of a trio of stallions from Kia Ora Stud - Farnan, Captivant, and Kia Ora homebred and raced Group 1 winner Tropicus - has expanded the roster to nine stallions across the fee spectrum.

Vinery Stud’s General Manager Adam White shared that the stud will be throwing its support behind the roster’s young stars again this year, with particular emphasis on Ole Kirk, the Champion First Season Sire of the 2024/25 racing season, Farnan, who was the leading first crop sire of winners that same season, and Tropicus, winner of this year’s G1 Oakleigh Plate.

“We have been quite active in the marketplace this year, giving our broodmare band a boost and therefore supporting our exciting young stallions with some nice commercial mares going forward,” White said.

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Two tactical selections for Tropicus

The latest son of Too Darn Hot (GB) to retire to stud in Australia, Tropicus ticked off the same Group 1 win as Snitzel, Starspangledbanner, Russian Revolution, and Fastnet Rock before him when claiming this year’s Oakleigh Plate. Add to that two Group 3 wins and a handful of Group placings when in the care of Anthony and Sam Freedman, he well and truly earned his spot on the Vinery roster at an introductory fee of $27,500 (inc GST).

Kia Ora Stud have committed a large number of the cream from their broodmare band to support the stallion in his first season at stud, and Vinery have matched them with several high quality young mares. White highlighted a brace of well-related mares early in their stud careers who have made their way into Tropicus’s first book.

Hearts Are Racing (Hellbent) was a $90,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale purchase for the Vinery team from Bell River Thoroughbreds. The daughter of triple Listed winner and stakes producer Hoss Amor (General Nediym) was a winner for Tony Gollan and visits Tropicus in her first season at stud.

“She is probably physically my favourite mare that we have purchased this year, so much so that I took a share in her myself,” said White. “She’s a daughter of Hellbent, who had a great year and I would say will develop into quite a successful broodmare sire also.

“Hearts Are Racing is out of Hoss Amor, who won her three stakes races at two and is also the mother of Group 3 winner Quantico. I am really looking forward to seeing the result next year because he is such a good looking horse and she has a big amount of quality.”

A seven-figure yearling purchase, Quantico (I Am Invincible) won the G3 Southern Cross Stakes and the Listed MSS Security Sprint Handicap en route to collecting over $460,000 in prize money on the track. Through stakes-winning ancestress Loving Cup (Bluebird), this is the family of G1 Toorak Handicap winner Attrition (Churchill {Ire}) and dual Listed-winning West Australian sprinter Wind And The Lion (Written By).

Vinery will also send Yasmeen (Astern), an Eagle Farm winner who was purchased at the same venue in 2025 for $200,000. She delivered an Ole Kirk colt that season and returned to the same stallion, with a mid October due date.

“Yasmeen has produced a very nice type of colt,” White said. “We were fortunate that, after we purchased Yasmeen, her half-sister produced Incognito, winner of last season’s Group 3 Breeders Plate.”

Yasmeen’s dam Runway Runaway (Starcraft {NZ}) hit the board with her first foal, Listed Cap D'Antibes Stakes winner Fox Swift (Foxwedge), and her daughter Bleu Zebra (I Am Invincible) has set the sales ring alight several times now with $1 million for G3 Breeders’ Plate winner Incognito (Stay Inside), a $600,000 Pinatubo (Ire) filly selling at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale this year, and herself making $725,000 at the same venue in May.

Yasmeen is the last foal of her dam, who was a half-sister to multiple Group winner White Moss (Mossman) and Listed winner White Sage (Reset), all daughters of New Zealand Champion 3YO Sprinter Pay My Bail (NZ) (Justice Prevails).

“It is a family that has a lot of 2-year-old form through it and Tropicus had great talent as a juvenile, winning on debut at Caulfield, then he would of course train on to win the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate,” White said. “So we feel he is a really nice match for Yasmeen.”

Mares More Than Ready to head to Ole Kirk

Ole Kirk earned himself a fee boost this season into the elite six-figure market, having produced his first Group 1 winner last season with G1 One Thousand Guineas victress Ole Dancer - and with it, the Vinery team have been keen to keep the quality up to him. A cross the team has been keen to exploit with him is his affinity for More Than Ready (USA) mares; from six runners, he has produced five winners including dual stakes winner and G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes third Legacy Bound (Ole Kirk).

Quite understandably, they were keen to repeat the exact pairing, and Legacy Bound’s dam Sanaya (More Than Ready {USA}) heads back to him this spring.

“Legacy Bound is a horse who we have had a great deal of success with, he is a multiple stakes winner and Group 1-placed when third in last year’s Coolmore Stud Stakes,” White said. “She is due to foal to Ole Kirk again this spring and will go back to him this season.”

Ciaron Maher Bloodstock, Stallion Match, and Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA) paid $360,000 for the full sister to Legacy Bound at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Sanaya will have a filly by Exceedance to sell in 2027.

Five-time winner Rapt (More Than Ready {USA}) - a product of her super sire’s last season shuttling to Australia - will also head to Ole Kirk for her maiden cover this year.

“Rapt is a lovely More Than Ready mare that we purchased this year at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale with some partners,” White said. “We were over the moon to pick her up for $200,000. She had good form as a juvenile, she was a Sydney metro winner of over $300,000 in prize money, and she is a half-sister to Group 1-winning mare Tashi. That half relation is a daughter of Sebring, so she is actually a three-quarter-sister.”

G1 Tattersall’s Tiara victress Tashi (Sebring) was bred and raced by Corumbene Stud, and retired to their broodmare barn last year to visit Zoustar. Their dam Ghenwaa (Street Cry {Ire}) is a winning half-sister to Listed scorers Taraayef (Lonhro) and Haybah (More Than Ready {USA}) from the immediate female family of Rebel Raider.

Rapt just missed out on black-type herself when fourth at Listed level.

“A good type of mare, if she had picked up black-type, she makes four times as much,” said White. “But we saw that she clearly had the racetrack ability and she has every chance of producing a good horse, as any black-type performer would be. For her first season we will send her to Ole Kirk, giving us the same cross that produced multiple stakes winner Legacy Bound.”

When it is a cross that works, it certainly bears repeating.

Maiden mares make their way to Farnan

Firing on all cylinders as his first crop turn four, Farnan sits second only to Ole Kirk by fee on the Vinery roster, having made the short journey from where he kicked off his career at Kia Ora Stud. The Vinery team have embraced his presence in the stallion barn with full force, and White picked out two maidens who will start their breeding careers with the son of Not A Single Doubt.

“Merchant Queen was a very talented racemare from New Zealand, who we purchased this year on Gavelhouse,” said White.

Merchant Queen (Merchant Navy) was a NZ$92,500 purchase for the team in Gavelhouse Plus’s 2026 National Online Breeding Stock Sale. A four-time winner, she also ran second in the G3 Almanzor Trophy and third at Listed level for respected Kiwi trainer Stephen Marsh.

Merchant Queen's dam O'Reilly Cyrus (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) was also a four-time winner and is a half-sister to Group 3-winning Savour The Moment (NZ) (Pins). Their dam is a half to the dam of Group 1-winning trio Headturner (Anabaa {USA}), O’Marilyn (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), and Anacheeva (Anabaa {USA}).

“We were quite keen on her as a yearling so knew she was a good type of mare, which is why we targeted her when she came up for sale,” White said. “Merchant Queen started her racing career off in spectacular fashion winning her first three starts before becoming Group placed when second in the Group 3 Almanzor Trophy at start number four.

“She will visit Golden Slipper winner Farnan in her first season - he has proven that he can get early running types and this should set her produce record up quite well.”

Another maiden booked in to Farnan is Zouperb (Zoustar), a seven-time winner whose 15 placings include a brace of Listed performances for Adam Campton.

“Zouperb is a mare that we purchased in a private deal with some good partners,” White said. “Part of our strategy in buying new mares is to get more breeders involved with us, and it is something that is coming together nicely.

“Zouperb is an outstanding type of mare, loads of quality. She is a daughter of Champion Sire Zoustar and she had a nice winter preparation this year where she was twice placed at Listed level. We were quite keen to get some early speed over her so she will also visit Farnan this season.”

Zouperb well and truly earns her spot in Farnan’s book, being out of Listed winner Alberton Park (NZ) (Thorn Park). Her family has been particularly successful in New Zealand, with close relatives including G1 Captain Cook Stakes-winning sire Wyndspelle (NZ), Brutal (NZ), triple Group 1 winner Provence (NZ) (Savabeel) and her multimillionaire full sister Damask Rose (NZ).

“It’s a strong family that she has as her first two dams are stakes winners including her granddam who was multiple Group winner as a 2-year-old,” White said. “So this element of her pedigree should suit a Golden Slipper winner also.”

While not a maiden, Street Gossip (So You Think {NZ}), a stakes-winning full sister to G1 Queensland Oaks victress You Wahng, sneaks her way in for her second season at stud after visiting Ole Kirk last year.

“She’s another mare we were lucky enough to pick this year in a private deal, and she was a very talented racemare, having won the Listed Princess Stakes in Brisbane,” White said. “Being a daughter of So You Think, she is a perfect match for Farnan also. Ninja has returned this Spring in spectacular fashion and looks like a real live chance in the Everest.

“It’s a great sign for Farnan that his stock are improving with age and training on. Ninja is from a mare by So You Think so we're very keen to replicate this. So You Think is doing a super job as a broodmare sire with two Group 1 winners already, including a Golden Slipper winner.”

Another cross to exploit

Farnan’s luck with mares by barnmate All Too Hard is another cross that the Vinery team have been keen to replicate, currently running at 100% winners and 50% stakes winners to runners courtesy of G3 Black Opal Stakes winner King Of Pop. With that in mind, White has sent multiple stakes producer Cristal Eyes to Farnan this year.

“She is a mare we are very proud of, and who is owned by Barb Green and Brian Singer,” he said. “She had an outstanding year as a mare by producing two Group winners, Cristal Clear a son of Exceedance who won the Ajax Stakes and the exciting mare Sass Appeal who won a couple of stakes races as a 3-year-old.”

The winner of five from seven starts, 4-year-old Sass Appeal (So You Think {NZ}) has lofty goals this spring, with the G1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes firmly in her path.

“I think Sass Appeal will be a real force in the spring once she gets to a trip where she is best suited,” White said. “Cristal Eyes is a daughter of All Too Hard and will visit Farnan as it is a proven cross. Cristal Eyes is also a half sister to a stakes winner by Not A Single Doubt so this strengthens the match up with Farnan.”

Cristal Eyes’ half-sister Flying Evelyn (Not A Single Doubt) won the G3 Red Roses Stakes. Both mares are granddaughters of Bollinger (Dehere {USA}), from a family tree that has been well cultivated at Vinery Stud.

Alongside her in Farnan’s book will be another All Too Hard mare in Little Baia, who visited Ole Kirk last year for her first year at stud. Her six wins feature the G3 Aspiration Handicap, and she brings a level of prestige to the covering shed, being a daughter of dual Group 2 winner La Passe (Street Sense {USA}).

“Little Baia is a Group-winning daughter of All Too Hard who we purchased last year, and we are expecting her first foal any day to Ole Kirk, which is exciting,” White said. The Vinery team went to $310,000 to secure Little Baia at the Gold Coast last year.

“I think her early speed will also help her get an early runner with her few foals. In his first crop, Farnan sired the Black Opal stakes winner King Of Pop from a mare by All Too Hard, so the cross has already been successful and the match up is perfect physically. All Too Hard is a bit like So You Think in that they were both champion racehorses, great stallions and doing a super job as broodmare sires.”

And with All Too Hard only turning 17 this year, the Vinery team can be certain it’s a prolific matchup they can continue for quite some time to come.

Table: 2026 mating plans for some of the Vinery Stud broodmares