Next season's first season sire juveniles: Who has been named?

Cover image courtesy of Darley

It’s only three weeks until the new racing season, and even though the first 2-year-old trials are still a bit after that, the anticipation is building. To make matters more exciting the Australia Turf Club released the 2025 Golden Slipper nominations on Thursday.

The 2025 G1 Golden Slipper nominations were released with a list of 2094 rising 2-year-olds added by their hopeful connections. Unsurprisingly, the most commercial stallions are most heavily represented with I Am Invincible leading with 96 total (54 fillies/42 colts), Snitzel with 90 total (50 fillies/40 colts), Zoustar with 81 total (35 fillies/46 colts) and 2016 Golden Slipper champion Capitalist with 80 total (44 fillies/36 colts).

"The owners, connections and trainers of 2094 horses have taken the next step on a journey towards a life-changing moment," Australian Turf Club Head of Racing and Wagering Nevesh Ramdhani said.

“Like no other race the $5 million Golden Slipper shapes Australian racing and breeding and is the career dream of every owner, trainer and jockey when a yearling and then 2-year-old joins a stable.

“It is also very pleasing to see the top lots from our great partners Inglis and their Easter sale all nominated."

Who has been named? A look at the first sesaon sires

Because a racehorse can’t trial (or race) without a name, TTR AusNZ had a look at the upcoming crop of first season sires – stallions whose oldest foals are rising 2-year-olds – and used the Australian and New Zealand Stud Books to count how many of their first crop have been named.

It’s very early days and there aren’t many yet, but there enough to highlight which stallions have rising 2-year-olds that are showing precocity at this stage.

Leading the charge

Bivouac leads the table with 22 named foals from his first crop of 123 live foals. He ran second on debut as an October 2-year-old, was a Group winner as a juvenile then went on to win the G1 Golden Rose and G1 Newmarket at three, and the G1 VRC Sprint Classic at four.

By Exceed And Excel who is known for his 2-year-olds such as G1 Golden Slipper winner Overreach, G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Earthquake, G1 Sires’ Produce S. and G1 Champagne S. winner Guelph, G1 Sires’ Produce S. and G1 Champagne S. winner Helmet, G1 Sires’ Produce S. winner Microphone, G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Reward For Effort, G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Mischief Magic (Ire), and G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Outstrip (GB). Darley set Bivouac’s fee for 2024 at $55,000 inc GST.

“Obviously we are pleased that so many Bivouacs are up and about and in the consciousness of their trainers,” said Darley’s Alastair Pulford.

“In understanding Bivouac, he’s very much his father’s son and Exceed And Excel came out of the blocks flying, announcing himself from the word go. We fervently hope Bivouac can do the same. We’ve had very promising reports, we are encouraged, but it’s very early days, so we are cautiously optimistic. It would not surprise anyone here if he got going early much the same way as his father did.”

Thirteen of Bivouac’s named foals went through a sale and aren’t part of the Darley/Godolphin racing team, who have named seven of their Bivouac yearlings.

“He was one of the nicest foals that we saw the year we purchased him,” said Suman Hedge about rising 2-year-old colt Lavarack.

“We bought him as a weanling with Riverstone Lodge, who have put together a group to race him. He had a ton of quality, a lot of substance, a strong and active moving horse. Just all the qualities we would look for in a precocious type and a horse we have high hopes for.”

Hello Youmzain (Fr) is second by this measure with 20 named rising 2-year-olds (three in Australia and the rest in New Zealand). A Group 2 winner at two, he was a Group 1-winning sprinter at three and four. He has 95 foals in his first crop, and stands at Cambridge Stud for NZ$30,000 plus GST.

Wootton Bassett (GB), whose yearlings lit up the sale ring with three million-dollar yearlings, already has 15 rising 2-year-olds named in Australia. A proven sire in the Northern Hemisphere with nine Group 1 winners, he garnered plenty of support here and has 131 live foals in his first Southern Hemisphere crop. He stands at Coolmore for “Fee On Application” in 2024.

Anders, who won two of his six starts at two, winning the G3 San Domenico S. as an early 3-year-old comes in next with 13 named foals to date. At a fee of $16,500 inc GST in 2024, Anders showed plenty of raw speed and holds the San Domenico race record. He was very popular in his first season, with 127 live foals.

A few surprising results

The next two stallions on this list are a surprise – not winning at Group 1-level until they were older horses - and yet they each have 12 named rising 2-year-olds at this very early stage in their career. Fierce Impact (Jpn) won his only start at two over a mile, then won three Group 1 races at five and six. He has 114 foals in his first crop.

Ghaiyyath (Ire) was a Group 3 winner over a mile at two, but all his four Group 1 wins came at four and five and over 2050 metres and 2400 metres. Supported by Darley, he has 74 foals in his first Australian crop.

The surprises continue with seventh place going to the cheapest horse on the top 10 – Graff who stands at Kitchwin Hills for $9900 inc GST. Unbeaten at two, he won the G3 San Domenico at three and trained on to win the G2 Caulfield Sprint at five. With 86 live foals in his first crop, already 11 are named.

Gallery: A few surprising results within the top 10 stallions with named 2-year-olds

“We’re very happy with her – we had a pedigree update after we bought her with the half-sister winning a stakes race (Infancy won the Listed Fireball S.). She’s a feisty little filly who will be trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, and they are aiming her at the early pre-Christmas races,” said Damon Gabbedy, co-purchaser of 2-year-old filly Child’s Play (Graff).

Rounding out the top 10 are three much less surprising stallions. Both King’s Legacy and Ole Kirk have 10 named foals to date, while Lucky Vega (Ire) has nine. A dual Group 1 winner at two, King’s Legacy has 138 foals in his first crop and stands at Coolmore Stud for $22,000 in 2024.

Gallery: The stallions who rounded out the top 10 of those with named 2-year-olds

Ole Kirk made headlines with a million-dollar yearling in his first crop of 121 foals. A Listed winner at two, and placing behind King’s Legacy in the G1 Champagne S., Ole Kirk trained on at three to win the G1 Golden Rose and G1 Caulfield Guineas. He stands at Vinery Stud for $55,000 in 2024.

Lucky Vega was a Group 1 winner as a 2-year-old in Ireland, and multiple times Group 1 placed at three. His first Australian crop numbers 84 foals. Lucky Vega stands at Yulong in 2024 for $16,500.

Stallion owners whose horses aren’t on this list should shrug it off. Racing Australia approves, on average, 43 names per day of horses of all ages, so this list is ever-changing.

And we all know that winning that first juvenile race might be great for marketing but it’s not necessarily an indication of long-term stallion success!

Table: Stallions by number of named 2022 foals