Cover image courtesy of Kooringal Stud
Having opted to add two new stallions for the 2021 season, it has been a busy winter so far for the Lamont family of Kooringal Stud with nominations flowing and a requirement to add new blood to the broodmare band.
Sandbar, a multiple stakes-winning son of Snitzel and three-quarter brother to Golden Slipper S. winner and now Kia Ora Stud stallion Farnan, has recently joined Last Kingdom, a Group 3-winning son of Frankel (GB), as the new additions on the Wagga Wagga farm, where they will stand alongside established residents Prized Icon and The Brothers War (USA).
With his pedigree and race profile, and having been a $650,000 yearling, Sandbar is very much in the mould of the modern Australian stallion and off a starting price of $8800 (inc GST), is expected to gain considerable traction.
Sandbar | Standing at Kooringal Stud
"He's a lovely horse. He's not long arrived. We were very excited to get a hold of him. It was getting a bit close to the season, but we have got a few clients that have been keen to come into him with us. It's a good opportunity for them to access those bloodlines," Kooringal Stud Manager, Angus Lamont, said.
He's a horse that will be familiar to most Australian breeders. He won his first two starts as a 2-year-old, including the Listed Lonhro Plate at his second start, then placed in a G2 Pago Pago S. before contesting the G1 Golden Slipper won by Estijaab (Snitzel), where he finished eighth but was actually the third colt home.
In his 3-year-old campaign, he won the Listed Rosebud, and later that campaign finished fourth, beaten just 1.5l by The Autumn Sun in the G1 Golden Rose S., before finishing second in a G2 Roman Consul S. He would go on to win as a 4-year-old as well and retired with over $525,000 in prizemoney.
Angus Lamont | Image courtesy of Inglis
On type, Lamont said he fits the mould of his own sire, a four-time Australian Champion in the breeding barn.
"He's a very typical 2-year-old Snitzel type. He's got neat joints and is just a neat horse all over. There's nice length about him, good scope, and he was a get-up-and-run horse early on, who was a stakes winner at two and three. He showed pretty good form around horses like Written By and The Autumn Sun and a few others," he said.
"There's nice length about him (Sandbar), good scope, and he was a get-up-and-run horse early on, who was a stakes winner at two and three." - Angus Lamont
Being a neater stallion, Lamont feels Sandbar suits a broader range of mares, and that's something that breeders will find appealing about him.
Kooringal Stud had been searching for a stallion of his type to complement its existing offering and were able to secure him through Bloodstockauction.com in early June.
"We've been on the lookout for a while for a new horse. There's obviously a fair bit of competition about. The right horses are making a stack of money and we had been in negotiations on a few horses leading up to this point," Lamont said.
"He popped up online, actually. I had him inspected up there in Queensland. Greg Bennett had him up there and he had big wraps on the horse, and you can see why.
"We were fortunate enough to have discussions with the owners and confident enough to get a hold of him."
Kingdom of his own
Last Kingdom is a very different profile of stallion, being just the second son of Juddmonte's Frankel to stand in Australia.
Bred in Kentucky by Michael and Reiko Baum of Man O' War Farm, he was a US$500,000 (AU$662,734) purchase through the Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Nawara Stud and was sent to André Fabre in France, where he won three of his six starts, including a G3 Prix Daphnis.
Then sold to Hong Kong, he initially failed to find his best form for trainer Tony Millard and then Paul O'Sullivan, before winning a pair of races for Douglas Whyte. He had one start in Australia and was then sold at the Inglis March (Late) Online Sale to Kooringal Park client Thomas Lau.
Last Kingdom will stand at $6600 (inc GST), while Lau will support him with his own broodmare band with a view to marketing his progeny to clients in Asia.
"He's a horse that has just kept impressing me. He has improved so much since he arrived. He was very handy as an early two and 3-year-old in Europe," Lamont said.
"He keeps improving on type. He's really starting to thicken up and looks a very nice type of horse.
"He (Last Kingdom) keeps improving on type. He's really starting to thicken up and looks a very nice type of horse." - Angus Lamont
"He actually looks quite a precocious horse, even though he was an 1800 metre winner and was best at a mile. But he certainly has those neat joints and good conformation and good bone about him."
Last Kingdom's arrival at stud in Australia has certainly been well-timed considering Frankel has had three Group 1 winners in Australia this season, in Hungry Heart, Mirage Dancer (GB) and Converge.
"Frankel has gone from strength to strength and he's on fire at the moment, so we are happy to have such a well-bred horse," Lamont said.
Aquada acquisition
With two new additions to the roster, Kooringal Stud has been refreshing its broodmare offering, with six or seven new additions so far in 2021, and the possibility of more to come.
One of its purchases earlier this year was Aquada (Flying Spur), who was secured for $30,000 from Rangal Park Stud in the Inglis January (Late) Online Sale, in foal to Cliff's Edge.
On Saturday, Aquada became a stakes-producing dam with the victory of The Astrologist (Zoustar) in the Listed All Victorian Sprint Series Final at Flemington.
The 4-year-old Leon and Troy Corstens-trained gelding is one of three metropolitan winners from Aquada, joining Spirit Of Aquada (Bel Esprit) and Turn The Tide (So You Think {NZ}).
"The Astrologist looks a pretty progressive horse. He has won his last two down the straight and we are happy to see that," Lamont said.
"Aquada is getting a bit of age about her. She's rising 12. She has had six colts in a row and has been a good breeder and is back in foal again.
"They are the sort of mares that I like to get to support our stallions. You know they can do the job with any stallion. Her first three foals have been by three different sires and they have all done well."
"Her (Aquada) first three foals have been by three different sires and they have all done well." - Angus Lamont
Initially purchased to go to Prized Icon, Aquada's options for 2021 are now wide open, given The Astrologist's black-type progression.
"I’ll have to see whether she goes to one of our new stallions or I might send her outside. I just have to work that out," Lamont said.
Trading mares is also part of Lamont's strategy.
"We are always buying mares. I have bought about six of seven this year so far. I like finding them at the right price, which is not easy in a hot market," he said.
"With the online sales, it’s great to be able to access a lot more horses, but there is not the value that there was when you are at the sales with several hundred going through the ring every day.
"I go through every catalogue both here and in New Zealand and try to pick the eyes out of them. You have to set your limits and try and go with that."
