Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos
The Coolmore Stud S. is one of the great restricted sprint-races on the Australian calendar and has left an indelible mark on the global breeding scene since it was first run for 3-year-olds in 1969 (as a Principal Race), when won by champion racehorse come sire, Vain.
Initially registered as the Ascot Vale S., the race was classified as a Group 2 between 1979-2005, before being upgraded to elite-level status. Gold Edition (Lion Hunter) won the inaugural G1 Ascot vale S., before Weekend Hussler (Hussonet {USA}) took out the first G1 Coolmore Stud S. in 2007.
It is regarded as one of the country’s pre-eminent stallion-making races, and with an honour roll that includes Century, Taj Rossi, Zeditave, Encosta De Lago and Zoustar, that tag is well and truly justified.
This year’s edition has attracted a field of 17 runners, with 13 colts and four fillies set to do battle up the famous Flemington straight for the $1.2 million winner’s cheque. But with no geldings contesting this year’s race, there’s so much more on the line for every runner from a commercial standpoint - and particularly the colts.
Jacquinot (Rubick) already has a home at stud, having been purchased by Widden Stud on the eve of The Everest, while Best Of Bordeaux (Snitzel) will head to Coolmore Australia once his racing days are over. Their service fees however, could receive a massive booost with a win.
Gallery: Some of this year's Coolmore Stud S. runners who already have a home at stud once they finish racing
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Jacquinot is looking to following the same path as last year’s champion Home Affairs. Trained by Chris Waller, Home Affairs finished unplaced in The Everest, before thrashing his rivals at Flemington. Jacquinot heads to the Group 1 after a top effort when fifth, beaten 1.55l, in The Everest on October 15.
Only two of this year’s combatants are Group 1 winners already, they being – Jacquinot, who triumphed in the Golden Rose S. before tackling The Everest, and Coolangatta (Written Tycoon), who claimed victory in the Moir S. at The Valley last month.
Coolangatta is looking to become the third filly to win the race in the past five years, following Sunlight (Zoustar) in 2018 and September Run (Exceed And Excel) in 2020. Only 23 fillies have lined up in the Coolmore Stud S. in the past 10 years, with Nechita (Fastnet Rock) in 2010 the other female to taste victory during that period.
Coolangatta is looking to become the third filly in the past five years to win the G1 Coolmore Stud S. | Image courtesy of Darren Tindale
Sunlight was the lone filly to contest the race in the year she won (2018) and it would the first of three Group 1s for the daughter of the 2013 champion Zoustar. Now standing at Widden Stud, Zoustar provided the trifecta in that race, with Zousain and Lean Mean Machine filling the placings. Zousain is at Widden Stud alongside his father, while Lean Mean Machine has taken up stud duties at Aquis Farm.
Zoustar himself is a son of Northern Meteor and that horse justified his $1.85 starting price when winning in 2008. Northern Meteor became the second winner for Champion Sire Encosta De Lago, after Alinghi destroyed her rivals in the G2 Ascot Vale S. in 2004. And, Encosta De Lago won the Ascot Vale S. by a similar margin to his daughter when he saluted in 1996.
September Run notched her maiden Group 1 success when she won as a $4 favourite with Craig Williams in the saddle. Her win was a second consecutive Coolmore Stud S. for brilliant Darley sire Exceed And Excel, whose son Exceedance claimed a career-defining victory and when he was too good for another of his sons, Bivouac, in 2019. Both Exceedance (Vinery Stud) and Bivouac (Darley Australia) are now at stud, with the former’s oldest progeny set to be offered at the yearling sales in the new year.
Only one gelding has been victorious in the past 10 editions, that being Japonisme (Choisir), who won under Glyn Schofield for Waller in 2015. He continued the superb record of Encosta De Lago in the race, with the gelding’s dam Haiku being a daughter of the great stallion.
Japonisme is the only gelding to have won the G1 Coolmore Stud S. (2015) in the past 10 editions of the race | Image courtesy of Darren Tindale
Twelve months after Japonisme’s success, Artie Schiller (USA) colt Flying Artie registered his one and only Group 1 triumph and secured his future at stud. After he upstaged well-fancied quartet Astern, Star Turn, Russian Revolution and Extreme Choice – all now Group 1-producing sires – he was purchased by a partnership including Newgate Farm and China Horse Club. He too has produced a Group 1 winner (Artorius) and is currently carrying out stud duties at Newgate Farm.
In 2017, Fastnet Rock colt Merchant Navy scored an upset win when handled by Mark Zahra. He was later sold to Coolmore and headed to Aidan O'Brien’s stables in Europe. There, he became a dual-hemisphere Group 1-winning sire, after taking out the Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot. A resident stallion at Coolmore Australia, Merchant Navy has had 11 individual winners from 47 starters worldwide.
| 2021 | Home Affairs (colt) | I Am Invincible | Flying Spur | Torryburn Stud | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| 2020 | September Run (filly) | Exceed And Excel | Street Cry | Alpara Lodge | 14 | 11 | 3 |
| 2019 | Exceedance (colt) | Exceed And Excel | Thorn Park | Nick Vass | 13 | 9 | 4 |
| 2018 | Sunlight (filly) | Zoustar | Charge Forward | Widden Stud, Qatar Bloodstock, Dan Fletcher | 10 | 9 | 1 |
| 2017 | Merchant Navy (colt) | Fastnet Rock | Snippets | Chris & Jane Barham | 20 | 14 | 6 |
| 2016 | Flying Artie (colt) | Artie Schiller | Rubiton | J Shannon | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| 2015 | Japonisme (gelding) | Choisir | Encosta De Lago | Ingham Racing | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| 2014 | Brazen Beau (colt) | I Am Invincible | Snaadee | B Howlett | 16 | 13 | 3 |
| 2013 | Zoustar (colt) | Northern Meteor | Redoute's Choice | Racetree | 11 | 8 | 3 |
| 2012 | Nechita (filly) | Fastnet Rock | Peintre Celebre | Jason Abrahams & Judy Somers | 11 | 8 | 3 |
Table: The Coolmore Stud S. 2012-2021
Star stallions
Australia’s reigning Champion Sire I Am Invincible, who stands at Yarraman Park, has also had two winners across the past 10 runnings, they being Brazen Beau in 2014 and last year’s hero Home Affairs. Brazen Beau is a Group 1-winning sire who stands at Darley Australia, while Home Affairs is new to stud at Coolmore Australia.
I Am Invincible has sired two winners (Brazen Beau and Home Affairs) across the past 10 runnings of the G1 Coolmore Stud S., he is represented by five runners in 2022 | Standing at Yarraman Park Stud
Remarkably, ‘Vinnie’ has five runners in 2022 – Nettuno, Great Barrier Reef, Bews, In Secret and Queen Of The Ball.
Coolmore resident Fastnet Rock has also sired two of the past 10 winners – Nechita and Merchant Navy.
Snitzel – a four-time Champion Sire – is the only other stallion with multiple runners this year. He will be represented by Best Of Bordeaux, Lofty Strike and Doull.
Sires chasing a first Group 1
In total, 11 stallions will have progeny in this year’s Coolmore Stud S. They are: Rubick, Snitzel, Sebring, I Am Invincible, Supido, Satono Aladdin (Jpn), Capitalist, Extreme Choice, Shalaa (Ire), Written Tycoon and Zoustar.
Gallery: Sires hoping to produce a Group 1 winner in this year's Coolmore Stud S.
Young stallions Supido, who stands at Widden Stud, and Rich Hill Stud resident Satono Aladdin, are yet to produce a Group 1 winner, while Shalaa is in search of an elite-level conqueror in the Southern Hemisphere. The Arrowfield Stud shuttler’s first Group 1 winner is Leopardstown Matron S. heroine No Speak Alexander (Ire).
A quartet of fillies to take on the colts
Since being elevated to Group 1 status in 2006, the Coolmore Stud S. has been won by five fillies – September Run, Sunlight, Nechita, Headway (Charge Forward) and Gold Edition.
Coolangatta, In Secret, Queen Of The Ball and C’Est Magique (Zoustar) will be looking to follow in their footsteps.
An average of 2.3 fillies have contested the race over the past 10 editions, however, last year there was none.
The 2017 Coolmore Stud S. boasted 20 runners and six of them were fillies. Invincible Star (I Am Invincible) finished second, while Formality (Fastnet Rock) was third.
