Stallions poised to make an impact in 2024/25

Cover image courtesy of Coolmore

There were 13,096 live foals registered in Australia in 2022, a rise of 252 from the previous season.

The number of mares covered has remained relatively consistent across the past five years - it was 20,284 in 2021 and 20,365 in 2018, however, the number of stallions standing in Australia continues to decrease year on year. Interestingly, there were 794 in 2011, whereas in 2021, that figure dropped to 525.

Big books

In 2020, only five stallions covered more than 200 mares, and this rose in 2021 to seven.

Capitalist has covered more than 200 mares in each of his first five seasons at stud with his fee rising from $55,000 in 2017 to $99,000 in 2021. The sire of 20 stakes winners led by G1 Champagne S. winner Captivant, who now stands at Kia Ora Stud, Capitalist enjoyed seven stakes winners in 2023/24. 3-year-old gelding Encap won the G3 Ming Dynasty Handicap and ran second in the G1 Golden Rose, and 3-year-old gelding Kaizad won the G3 Carbine Club S.

Capitalist’s juvenile stakes winners for 2023/24 were the two colts, G3 Black Opal S. winner Holmes A Court and Listed Talindert S. winner Aardvark, and the filly Castanya who won the Listed Lonhro Plate. Among Capitalist’s older horses, he added Listed Ramornie Handicap winner Ka Bling and Listed Eureka Stud Classic winner Comrade Rosa who was a Group 2 winner in the previous season.

His highest priced yearling in 2024 was the $800,000 colt out of Fimatino (Not a Single Doubt) purchased by James Harron Bloodstock from Attunga Stud. The colt is a half-brother to dual Group winner and R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Shaquero (Shalaa {Ire}).

Zousain and So You Think (NZ) both produced 155 live foals in 2022, off slightly different book sizes. So You Think stood in 2020 for $38,500 and rose steeply to $77,000 in 2021 but his number of live foals only dropped slightly from 167 in 2021 to 150 in 2022. He enjoyed six stakes winners in 2023/24 with Think It Over adding the G1 Chipping Norton to take his career record to three Group 1 wins. Dual Group 1 winner Think About It added The Everest and the G2 Premiere S. in 2023/24, while 3-year-old gelding Burn To Shine became a new Group winner for So You Think when he won the G3 War Decree S.

Banana Queen, Saint Alice and Punch Lane were So You Think’s other stakes winners this season. So You Think’s most expensive yearling in 2024 was Ridgmont Stud’s filly out of Urban Rocket (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) who was purchased for $550,000 by E Lucas and BRT Bloodstock.

Zousain increased his popularity from his first season to his second, with 138 live foals in his first crop and 155 in his second, both at a fee of $19,800. In 2024, he stands at $27,500 and his first crop of 2-year-olds in 2023/24 so far has eight individual winners led by G3 Magic Night S. winner Drifting, as well as stakes placed Zouna, Chateau Miraval and The Dabble Effect.

Shamus Award enjoyed his largest crop ever with his rising 2-year-olds being 146 live foals, while first season sire King’s Legacy has 144 foals in his first crop and is joined by North Pacific who covered 202 mares to produce 130 live foals in 2022.

Flying Artie rounds out the collection of stallions who covered more than 200 mares in 2021, and he produced 131 live foals in 2022 which is his second biggest crop after his first crop of 144 foals.

Table: Stallions in Aus/NZ with more than 200 mares covered in 2021

Dominant juvenile season for Written Tycoon

In 2023/24, Written Tycoon leads the Champion 2YO Sire title with two weeks to go in the season. He has progeny earnings of $4,960,485 which is approximately $800,000 more than Too Darn Hot (GB) in second place. His 2021 born foals numbered 153 off a fee of $77,000 and despite his fee leaping to $165,000 for 2021, he still produced similar numbers with 157 live foals in 2022.

Written Tycoon’s most expensive yearling in 2024 was the filly from Group 1 winner Booker who was purchased from Coolmore Stud’s Inglis Australian Easter draft by Resolute Racing for $3 million.

Written Tycoon also has the most individual juvenile winners with 17 2-year-olds in 2023/24 who’ve won 19 races so far. In second place is Snitzel whose 14 individuals have also won 19 races, while Headwater currently sits in third with 13 individual juvenile winners this season.

It was a massive season for Written Tycoon who enjoyed three new Group 1 winners, led by G1 Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot, and 3-year-old colt Southport Tycoon who won the G1 Australian Guineas, while in NZ, 2-year-old filly Velocious won the G1 Sistema S.

Gallery: Written Tycoon's new Group 1 winners in the 2023/24 season

He had eleven individual stakes winners in 2023/24, and as well as the aforementioned Group 1 winners, 2-year-old filly Captured By Love won three group races in NZ and was third in Velocious’ Sistema S. and 2-year-old colt Althoff won the G3 Ken Russell Memorial Classic.

Biggest increase in popularity

Aside from Maurice (Jpn) and Satono Aladdin (Jpn) who both didn’t shuttle in 2020, five sires increased their popularity by more than 30 live foals across their rising 3-year-olds and rising 2-year-olds.

Flying Artie, who relocated from Newgate Farm to Blue Gum Farm in 2023, produced 78 foals in 2021 from a 2020 fee of $16,500. In the 2020/21 season, Flying Artie sired G1 Blue Diamond winner Artorius and that led to a fee increase to $33,000 in 2021 as well as a jump in popularity with 131 live foals born in 2022 off those 2021 coverings.

Artorius added the G1 Canterbury S. last season and now stands at Newgate Farm, while in 2023/24 Flying Artie added his second career Group 1 winner with Royal Ascot star Asfoora. Democracy Manifest became a new stakes winner for Flying Artie this season winning the G2 Ajax S. and G3 Cameron Handicap, while Singapore stakes winner Coin Toss was imported back to Australia where he added the Listed National Sprint Handicap at Canberra to frank his earlier Listed Singapore Guineas win.

Astern’s leap in popularity from the 2020 to 2021 covering seasons came thanks to his first crop hitting the track and including two stakes winners, Seradess and Danger Strykes. In 2023/24, Astern sired six stakes winners led by 4-year-old entire Golden Mile who added the G2 Theo Marks S. to last season’s G1 Caulfield Guineas.

Churchill (Ire) is an interesting case study as his oldest crop where only yearlings when he had his biggest rise in foal crop numbers. His first Australian foals were born in 2019, so when he covered his biggest book in 2021, they had just turned two and hadn’t done anything here yet, although he had three Northern Hemisphere stakes winners in our spring of 2021 which may have been an influence.

Spirit Of Boom has largely had consistent foal crop size at around 110 each season, but his 2020 covering season (2021 born) was his smallest in his career with 88 live foals. He bounced back to his standard amount in 2021 (2022 born) with 121 rising 2-year-olds.

Gallery: Some of the stallions to grow in popularity between recent seasons, based on foal crops

Tassort, whose first crop are about to turn three, enjoyed a leap in popularity from his first season to his second presumably based on breeders liking what they saw when his first foals were born in 2021. His fee remained the same at $11,000 for both his first and second year at stud.

Breeders who flocked to him in his second season must be pleased given that Tassort’s progeny came out flying this season with ten winners led by G1 Sires’ Produce S. winner Manaal. Tassort’s most expensive yearling in 2024 was the colt out of Ajaayeb (Snitzel) who was purchased by Richard and Will Freedman from Emirates Park for $380,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. He is the second foal of a winning half-sister to Group 3 winner Thyme For Roses (Redoute’s Choice) and his second dam is R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Augusta Proud (More Than Ready {USA}) who was a Group 3 winner as an older mare.

Table: Stallions with biggest leap in foal crop size from 2021 to 2022

New kids on the block

The first-season sires’ table always makes for interesting discussion, and 2024/25 sees a host of well-bred stallions that were well-performed on the track have their maiden crop of runners hit the track as 2-year-olds. These include G1 Golden Slipper winner Farnan, $1.4 million yearling and dual Group 1 winner King’s Legacy, globally proven sire Wootton Bassett (GB) as well as Ole Kirk and Bivouac.

Leading the charge this season is King’s Legacy who has 144 live foals, while G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (c&g) winner and G1 Blue Diamond-second Hanseatic was popular in the middle of the market with 134 rising 2-year-olds.

Unsurprisingly, proven sire Wootton Bassett was popular in his first Australian season, initially standing at $71,500 in 2021. He has 134 rising 2-year-olds and his yearlings sold exceedingly well with an average of $387,385 and three million-dollar sales; David Ellis paid $2.1 million for the first foal of his Group 1-winning race mare Avantage (Fastnet Rock) from Coolmore Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft, while at the same sale Tom Magnier paid $1.6 million for Segenhoe Stud’s colt out of Fiera Vista (Exceed And Excel). At the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Paul Moroney and C Bruggeman paid $1.4 million for the colt out of Group 1-winning mare Sunlight (Zoustar).

The list of successful stallions who have won the G1 Golden Slipper is incredible with names like Capitalist, Pierro, Sebring, Flying Spur, Danzero, Canny Lad, and Rory’s Jester. Farnan looks likely to add his name to this list with 123 live foals in his first crop and a 2024 sales average of $228,768. His most expensive yearling was a colt purchased by his trainer Gai Waterhouse in partnership with Kia Ora Stud and the Farnan partnership for $1.2 million from Bell River’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. He is the second foal of Group 1 winner I Am Excited (Snitzel).

Ole Kirk was the only other first season sire with a million-dollar yearling in 2024. Newhaven Park sold his filly out of Group 2-placed city winner Supara (Domesday) for $1 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale to Griffths De Kock Fillies Partnership and Peter Ford. The filly is a half-sister to a million-dollar yearling and Group 1-placed winner Brosnan (Snitzel).

Table: First season sires with more than 120 live foals in 2022