Racing fans were blessed with some extraordinary moments this spring; from the heartwarming local upset in the G1 Melbourne Cup to James McDonald bringing up a century of Group 1 wins. Two trainers are looking at breaking more milestones as the season progresses, and which stallions stood up and grabbed everyone’s attention?
Attendance figures show racing back in public favour
Attendance across both Sydney and Melbourne’s carnivals was the major highlight with both The Everest and the Melbourne Cup running in front of sold-out crowds. The official crowds for the Cup carnival were 81,612 on Derby Day, 91,168 on Cup Day, 50,873 people turned up on a Thursday for the Oaks and the final Champions Day saw a crowd of 62,022 people.
The Everest was sold out with 49,117 people in attendance, with ATC chair Peter McGuaran telling racenet.com.au a week after the race was won by Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai), “The ATC wants to try and accommodate as many people as we can for The Everest next year – it pains us to turn anyone away. We are trying to grow the sport, so we have to find ways to increase the crowd capacity. Obviously, we are still working on these plans but our initial thoughts are to have some marquees in the in-field so we can have general admission racegoers.”
Racing needs to take this as a win and use it to further grow our industry. Our horses are the stars, and the story around the G1 Melbourne Cup highlights that. The veterinary protocols in Victoria have provided another safe Cup, and continuing this is imperative for racing’s social licence. Some may scoff at the notion of a social licence, but the crowd figures show what can be achieved when people know our horses will compete safely.
The season so far
In 2022/23, Australia distributed $974 million in prizemoney with bonus schemes and other returns to owners nudging this over $1 billion. In the first three months of this season, approximately one third of that has been dolled out to the connections of racehorses. To be precise, $356 million has been spent on prizemoney across 5804 races, of which 166 were stakes races.
We’ve seen racehorses born in ten different nations race this season, with Australia obviously representing the largest portion of runners at 89 per cent of runners to date. New Zealand bred horses have made up 8 per cent of runners, while the other three percent were born in Brazil, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Japan, South Africa, and USA.
Leading stallions: Pride Of Dubai's spring
With Bella Nipotina, Deny Knowledge (Ire), and Pride Of Jenni it is no surprise to see Pride Of Dubai leading the 2024/25 Champion Sire table at this point in the season. His 34 winners have won six stakes races and over $14 million, led by Bella Nipotina’s $9 million haul. His six stakes winners this season have been Bella Nipotina who won the G1 The Everest and the Russell Balding S. and placed in the G1 Champions Sprint. Deny Knowledge won the G1 Might And Power S., while reigning Horse of the Year Pride Of Jenni won the G2 John F Feehan S. and placed in the G1 King Charles III S. and G1 Makybe Diva S.
Pride Of Dubai | Standing at Coolmore
Desert Lightning (NZ) won the G3 Sandown S. and was fourth in the G1 Toorak H., while Maharba won the G3 Rising Fast S. The Listed Northam Cup was won by Buckets Ridge, and Pride Of Dubai had several other stakes-placed horses this spring such as Talisay, Sirileo Miss, My Khalifa, and Fancy Man (Ire).
Snitzel may not have quite the prizemoney yet, but he leads the sire’s chart on individual stakes winners with 10 winners at black type level with eight of them being 3-year-olds led by G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Switzerland and G1 Flight S. winner Lady Shenandoah.
This spring saw him surpass 150 stakes winners among his lifetime’s progeny. “He's got it and there are not many stallions that do,” Freyer told The Thoroughbred Report when 3-year-old colt Saint Emillion won the Listed Geelong Classic to become Snitzel’s 150th stakes winner.
Snitzel | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
“He was an exceptional racehorse, he's got a great pedigree, and he's a beautiful physical specimen. He's just got that ability to transmit those genetics to a lot of his offspring. Here he is in the twilight of his career, but he's having a fantastic season. … He's been a marvel. The thing that makes them is they've just got that X-factor. Most horses who have got the genetics are capable of a really high rate in producing superior horses.”
As well as his two Group 1 winners this spring, Snitzel also sired Group 2 winner Baraqiel, Makarena and Prost, Group 3 winners Snitzanova and Bittercreek, and Listed winners Saint Emillion, Gatsby’s and Lofty Arch.
Written Tycoon with six stakes winners and Zoustar with five were the other two stallions to dominate the spring’s best races.
| 1 | Pride of Dubai | 126 | 35 | 43 | 6(6) | $14,139,590 | Bella Nipotina - $9,831,000 |
| 2 | Zoustar | 245 | 83 | 105 | 5(7) | $10,327,390 | Growing Empire - $2,722,300 |
| 3 | Fastnet Rock | 77 | 23 | 34 | 2(6) | $9,284,805 | Via Sistina - $5,919,400 |
| 4 | Written Tycoon | 216 | 65 | 80 | 6(6) | $9,084,408 | Private Life - $1,942,150 |
| 5 | Snitzel | 173 | 67 | 87 | 10(12) | $8,266,872 | Switzerland - $1,381,025 |
| 6 | I Am Invincible | 228 | 71 | 90 | 4(5) | $7,515,552 | I Am Me - $1,883,000 |
| 7 | Extreme Choice | 50 | 18 | 24 | 2(2) | $6,217,870 | Knight's Choice - $5,222,500 |
| 8 | No Nay Never (USA) | 55 | 19 | 24 | 0(0) | $5,813,124 | Lake Forest - $5,250,000 |
| 9 | Tavistock (NZ) | 72 | 19 | 23 | 1(2) | $5,230,420 | Ceolwulf - $4,070,250 |
| 10 | Per Incanto (USA) | 60 | 20 | 30 | 3(3) | $5,032,608 | Gringotts - $1,891,250 |
Table: Australian General Sires' Premiership as of November, 17, 2024
Juveniles begin their journey to the Slipper
It’s very early days with the latest crop of 2-year-olds, and we’ve only seen 26 races won by 24 individuals with six stakes races won. First season sire Farnan leads the current Champion 2YO Sire chart on prizemoney thanks to North England’s win the Golden Gift after running third in the G3 Breeders’ Plate at his only other start.
Betterlucknexttime (Zousain) and Luva Flutta (Spirit Of Boom) are the only juveniles to have two wins at this early stage.
Farnan | Standing at Kia Ora Stud
Two stallions have two individual winners being Spirit Of Boom with Cuddles For Kimmy and Luva Flutter, while Extractor ran third in the Golden Gift to lift Spirit Of Boom’s prizemoney for his juveniles, and Snitzel with Comedy and Hiatus. Snitzel has also sired New Zealand juvenile winner Storm Front (NZ).
The six stakes races have been won by the progeny of six different stallions with first season sires Ole Kirk and Lucky Vega (Ire) getting on the board thanks to King Kirk’s G3 Breeders’ Plate win and Within The Law’s R-Listed Inglis Banner S. win respectively. The other stakes races went to proven sires Extreme Choice, Written Tycoon, Magnus, and Hellbent.
| 1 | Farnan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $603,400 | North England - $603,400 |
| 2 | Lucky Vega (ire) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1(1) | $302,000 | Within the Law - $302,000 |
| 3 | Spirit of Boom | 8 | 2 | 3 | 0(0) | $298,300 | Extractor - $96,000 |
| 4 | Ole Kirk | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1(1) | $212,400 | King Kirk - $141,000 |
| 5 | Wootton Bassett (GB) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0(0) | $190,000 | West of Swindon - $190,000 |
| 6 | Extreme Choice | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1(1) | $187,250 | Bel Merci - $141,000 |
| 7 | Written Tycoon | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1(1) | $164,875 | Tycoon Star - $130,125 |
| 8 | Zousain | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0(0) | $153,040 | Betterlucknexttime - $146,600 |
| 9 | Capitalist | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $148,945 | Capitola - $74,530 |
| 10 | Snitzel | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0(0) | $144,000 | Comedy - $105,000 |
| 11 | I Am Invincible | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0(0) | $117,775 | Chisholm - $90,000 |
| 12 | Brave Smash (Jpn) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $116,600 | Strawberry Smash - $85,550 |
| 13 | Magnus | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1(1) | $112,750 | Miss Celine - $112,750 |
| 14 | Hellbent | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1(1) | $106,725 | Tremonti - $106,725 |
| 15 | I'm All the Talk | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $94,880 | Talkanco - $84,540 |
| 16 | Tassort | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $94,140 | Secret Sort - $83,100 |
| 17 | Too Darn Hot (GB) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $84,500 | Gobi Desert - $84,500 |
| 18 | Blue Point (Ire) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $75,600 | Icarian Dream - $70,400 |
| 19 | All Too Hard | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0(0) | $67,260 | Bubion - $56,000 |
| 20 | Alabama Express | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $61,840 | Strideaway - $61,840 |
Table: Australian 2-Year-Old Sires' Premiership as of November 17, 2024
| King Kirk | G3 Breeders' Plate | Ole Kirk | Oxford Angel (Nicconi) | Sold by Rosari Farm for $200,000 to Redwall Bloodstock at Magic Millions National Weanling Sale. Sold by Widden Stud for $300,000 to MyRacehorse and Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott at Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale |
| Bel Merci | G3 Gimcrack S. | Extreme Choice | Bel Mer (Bel Esprit) | N/A |
| Tycoon Star | G3 Maribyrnong Plate | Written Tycoon | Miss Iano (Equiano {Fr}) | Sold by Milburn Creek for $350,000 to Yulong at Magic Millions National Weanling Sale. Sold by Yulong for $400,000 to Lindsay Park at Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale |
| Miss Celine | Listed Debutant S. | Magnus | Charm's Honour (Strada) | N/A |
| Tremonti | Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. | Hellbent | Quachita (All Too Hard) | Sold by Redbank North for $180,000 to Darby Racing at Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale |
| Within The Law | R-Listed Inglis Banner S. | Lucky Vega (Ire) | Contract Signed (Dundeel {NZ}) | Sold by Yulong for $30,000 to Darby Racing at Inglis Classic Yearling Sale |
Table: Stakes-winning 2-year-olds so far in the 2024/25 season
Two trainers dominated this spring
Chris Waller has already won 10 Group 1 races this season with four of those won by Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) who was so impressive in demolishing the G1 Cox Plate field. She also added the G1 Winx S., G1 Turnbull S. and G1 Champion S. Of note, this breaks his own record of nine wins by this stage of the season.
His other Group 1 winners were Switzerland in the G1 Coolmore Stud S., Lady Shenandoah in the G1 Flight S., Land Legend (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Metropolitan H., Buckaroo (GB) (Fastnet Rock) in the G1 Underwood S., Private Life (Written Tycoon) in the G1 Caulfield Guineas and Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel) in the G1 Empire Rose S.
Gallery: The two trainers who have dominated this spring
Waller has the favourite, Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) for Saturday’s G1 Thousand Guineas.
Ciaron Maher leads on prizemoney with his horses having collected $36.3 million and he reached his career 50th Group 1 winner on Saturday when 3-year-old filly Another Prophet (Brazen Beau) won the G1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield.
James McDonald shines with ton
What a way to grab a record!
James McDonald became the youngest jockey in Australian history to win 100 Group 1 races with a stunning demolition of the G1 Cox Plate field on Chris Waller trained Via Sistina. “Things needed to go our way and probably the momentum of this 100 has been quite heavy,” McDonald said after the win.
James McDonald | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Especially each week, everyone's been gunning for me and I haven't been able to get the job done. I've been made to do it in a Cox Plate. I couldn't even, I couldn't even imagine it, like it's been surreal.”
This season, McDonald has won six Group 1 races, five Group 2s, four Group 3s, three Listed races and 41 other races. As well as the Cox Plate, he also won the G1 Champions Sprint on Sunshine In Paris (Invader), G1 Champions S. on Via Sistina (Ire), G1 Coolmore Stud S. on Switzerland, G1 Empire Rose S. on Atishu (NZ), and G1 Golden Rose on Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot {GB}).
