The troubles of the South Australian thoroughbred industry have been well-documented over the last 12 months, with a funding shortfall from the state government leading to a strong backlash from the industry.
Leading the charge have been the major South Australian breeders, Chris Watson of Mill Park Stud and Sam Hayes of Cornerstone Stud, who foresaw the impact that the cuts in funding would have across all aspects of the industry.
The fight has led to a reprieve of sorts, with $24 million promised in the recent state budget to alleviate some of the issues, but with the prize money war escalating interstate, the South Australian industry still risks being left behind.
Cornerstone's Sam Hayes (right)
While the quality of horses being produced out of SA, through the likes of Mill Park Stud and Cornerstone Stud as well as Goldin Farms and an array of smaller breeders, remains strong, the stallion offering remains in a state of flux.
As it stands there is not one South Australian-based stallion inside the Top 100 Sires in the country this season, with Willow Grove Stud's Host (Chi), currently 128th, set to win the SA Sires' Title.
The Chilean stallion will stand his fifth season in South Australia in 2019/20 and can expect a jump in the less than 20 broodmares he served in the past two seasons, thanks largely to his Group 2 winning son Eduardo, who put him in the spotlight this season.
Eduardo's success drove a career-best season in terms of winners for the progeny of Host, with 39 individual winners and nearly $1.5m in total prize money.
Eduardo was the leading prize money winner for Host (Chi)
Second on the SA Sires' list is the South Australian stallion who had the most immediate scope for upside in terms of performance of his progeny on the track. However, Akeed Mofeed (GB) has now departed Goldin Farms and the state to stand at Swettenham Stud in Victoria.
Pan Sutong's belief in the stallion has seen Goldin Farms support with some very high-class mares, with $6 million spent on 28 of broodmares in his first couple of years in South Australia.
With two crops now at the track, he has produced 17 winners this season, with four of his first crop already stakes-placed in Sunset Watch, Poised To Strike, Twilight Run and Raging Queen.
That has propelled him into the Top 200 Sires in the country - he is currently 174th in the Australian Champion Sire standings - and with an average book of 70 in his next three racing crops, he is poised to improve rapidly.
Akeed Mofeed
The other South Australian stallion inside the Top 200 is Ducatoon Park's Barbados, who is currently 184th. With three crops now at the track, he has had 22 winners from 40 starters this season, with total prize money just shy of $1 million. That's over the double the winners he had last season and the trajectory seems to be heading in the right direction.
However, the concern is that his booking numbers aren’t heading the right way, with a reduction of his book of mares from 52 for the upcoming crop of 2-year-olds to just 14 in 2018.
Cornerstone key to stallion market
It doesn't paint the rosiest picture for South Australia breeding, but the great positive in the past few years has been the increased commitment that Cornerstone Stud have shown to its roster.
The Hayes family and the iconic Lindsay Park property, of which Cornerstone Stud is a part of, have been the driving force of the South Australian industry for over half a century.
Sam Hayes' commitment to a collection of emerging young stallions promises to ensure that it will be a dominant force going forward as well.
Expectations are high for Sir Prancealot (Ire), the son of Tamayuz (Ire), whose first Australian crop will hit the yearling sales in 2020. He has produced six stakes winners from his Northern Hemisphere progeny, while his Australian-bred weanlings fetched up to $62,000 at the recent Australian sales.
Sir Prancealot (Ire)
Having served 62 mares in his first season, he jumped to 110 last year and expectations are high for 2019 off the back of the recent success of the likes of Beau Recall (Ire) and Madame Dancealot (Ire) in the USA.
Zebedee (GB) is another stallion who has considerable overseas success, particularly in Great Britain, Italy and France where he has had eight stakes winners. His first Australian crop has produced three winners to date, and his influence should grow significantly from next season.
Sons of High Chaparral (Ire) are enjoying a strong run in Australia at the moment and Free Eagle's (Ire) first Australian crop hits the tracks in 2019/20. The stallion himself is taking a year off shuttling to Australia this spring and you’d expect that his first crop may take some time to find their feet, but they did reach up to $250,000 at the yearling sales.
Valentia, the Group 2 winning son of Fastnet Rock, also has his first crop reaching the track next season. His top priced yearling at this year's sales was $130,000 and given he himself was a stakes-winning juvenile, and with a first crop of 50 foals, you’d expect them to make an impression as 2-year-olds.
Valentia has his first crop hitting the track next season
Ambidexter has built himself nicely to 19 winners for the season with three crops on the track and is on the precipice of breaking into the Top 200 Sires in Australia. His solid, but not spectacular results are highlighted by the stakes-placed Modulate. The stats indicate that his progeny improve as they hit 4 years old, with an impressive record of 13 winners from his 18 4-year-olds to the track in 2018/19.
No new names
Cornerstone Stud is the only farm significantly investing in stallions and as it stands, in 2019, there will be no new names on the stallion roster in South Australia.
With so much uncertainly about future funding of the racing industry and the value that the state government places on the thoroughbred industry, the lack of confidence should not surprise.
South Australia has already seen several high-profile trainers depart, and should the flow on effect of that mean a less dynamic market at the yearling sales, then it becomes harder and harder for anyone looking to take a chance with a stallion in the state.
