Under The Radar: Contributer

Cover image courtesy of Mapperley Stud

With nine individual stakes winners to his name, Contributer (Ire) boasts one of the strongest winning and stakes winning strike rates among New Zealand stallions. Boasting a stakes winning strike rate of six per cent, Contributer (Ire) is well and truly making a name for himself at his Mapperley Stud base.

Entering his ninth season at stud, the former Champion Second Season New Zealand Sire has produced five individual stakes winners this season, including the G1 Zabeel Classic winner Campionessa (NZ). Also featured among his current season successes is Lions Roar (NZ), who added the G3 Summer Cup to his earlier G1 Randwick Guineas success, while Snow Patrol (NZ) earned the G2 Autumn S. at Caulfield. Additionally, Maria Farina (NZ) and Contribute (NZ) secured wins in Group 3 class in their home country.

A remarkable start

Contributer had a fairytale start at stud, siring six individual stakes winners from just 66 foals in his first crop, striking at well over nine per cent stakes winners to foals. Among his first crop stakes performers are the standout duo Lions Roar and Campionessa, who have both claimed Group 1 victories.

Table: Contributer’s stakes winning progeny

Campionessa won both starts in her first campaign as a 3-year-old before progressing through the grades. She has clearly benefited from time, just like her father, who claimed the G1 Chipping Norton S. and G1 Ranvet S. as a mature 5-year-old. It wasn’t until she was five that the daughter of Contributer tasted black-type success by winning the Listed Metropolitan Trophy and G2 Rich Hill Mile.

Now a 6-year-old mare, the Mark Walker-trained Campionessa had a remarkable season, claiming her first Group 1 victory along with three other impressive Group 2 victories. Originally passed in at the 2019 Karaka Yearling Sale, Campionessa was purchased by David Ellis for AU$60,000 (NZ$65,500) from the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale.

Progeny by Contributer might be mistaken as late bloomers, but as evidenced by stakes-performed 2-year-olds He’s Lucid (NZ) and Follow Your Dreams (NZ), his progeny are far from that. Represented by five 2-year-old winners from only a handful of starters, Contributer’s progeny are also versatile across all distances. His nine stakes winners have won 17 stakes races from 1000 metres to 2500 metres.

A testament to his versatility is his now 6-year-old Group 1 winning son Lion’s Roar, who continues to race in top form having claimed the G3 Summer Cup this season. A debut winner at his only start as a 2-year-old, Lion’s Roar has won five races at distances between 1200 metres and 2000 metres across four seasons. Prepared by the same trainer as his sire, John O’Shea, Lion’s Roar has amassed over AU$2.1 million (NZ$2.3 million) in earnings in his 33-start career. The popular campaigner was a modest NZ$65,000 purchase for Champion Thoroughbreds at the 2019 Karaka Yearling Sale.

While his first crop of foals has yielded remarkable results on the track, Contributer continues to be represented by a host of talent in subsequent crops despite limited numbers. Stakes-winning fillies She’s A Con (NZ) and Family Ties (NZ) hail from his 2019 crop of just 31 foals, while this year’s G2 Autumn S. winner Snow Patrol is one of 35 living foals from his 2020 crop.

A milestone worth celebrating

The Irish-born son of the great High Chaparral (Ire) recently brought up a significant milestone, having sired his 100th winner to date. The two-time Group 1 winner has sired an average of 40 foals per crop, but his small numbers don’t deter him from making significant waves on the racetrack.

Boasting a winners-to-runners rate of over 67 per cent, Contributer maintains an impressive stakes winning strike rate too. Of the top 20 New Zealand Sire Rankings, Contributer boasts one of the highest stakes winning strike rates (6 per cent), performing on par with Rich Hills Stud’s Proisir and ahead of Little Avondale Stud’s popular Per Incanto (USA). Notably, Contributer commands a modest fee of NZ$18,000 (plus GST) which has him placed as one of the best value sires in the country.

Yearling demand surges

Commencing stud duties in 2016, Contributer was represented by 27 yearlings at the 2019 yearling sales circuit, with an average price of just over NZ$59,000. He had just six runners in his debut season, producing two winners, including Lions Roar, who claimed a winning debut. Although there was a dip in his average yearling price initially, this quickly changed as his progeny started to make their mark. By the time of the 2021 Karaka Yearling Sale, Contributer had sired 13 individual winners and four stakes performers, including the exciting 2-year-old Follow Your Dreams (NZ) and the Group 2-placed 3-year-old filly Lily's Lady (NZ). Buyers took note, and the stallion’s sale average for the year jumped to over NZ$90,000.

Table: Contributer’s yearling sale averages ($NZ)

A Group 1 victory from Lion’s Roar and G2 Hawkes Bay Lowlands S. winner Llanacord (NZ) between the sales season and the start of the breeding season saw breeders flock to a fully-booked Contributer, who earned a fee rise from NZ$10,000 to NZ$20,000 for the 2021 season. Just a few months later, his yearling average rose again to over NZ$93,000 for the first time in his career. Since then, he has maintained strong yearling results from modest book sizes and fees. This year, his 28 yearlings fetched an average price of over NZ$84,000, almost four times their conceived price (NZ$22,000 plus GST).

Standing for a modest NZ$18,000 (plus GST) in 2024, Contributer’s best years appear to be ahead of him. With his largest crop of foals (65) since his first crop set to turn two next month, Contributer is poised for an exciting future, both with what's to come and with what is already making waves on the racetrack.