Cover image courtesy of Coolmore
Depending on how you cut the numbers, we are at about the 40 per cent mark in the 2024/25 season with one week until Christmas. With $435,263,128 paid out in prizemoney, we are at 41 per cent of the total paid out for the whole of last season.
This season, we’ve seen 5778 horses win 7446 races, and in 2023/24, there were 19,235 races which puts us at the 38 per cent mark in terms of races run. The stakes races are also at 40 per cent with 244 of the 604 races run.
Pride Of Dubai leads the Australian Sires’ Championship
With progeny earnings of $14,821,995, Pride Of Dubai currently leads the Australian Sires’ Championship from Zoustar whose progeny have earned $12,066,352 so far this season. Pride Of Dubai’s six stakes winners this season are led by his top earner Bella Nipotina, who has collected $9.8 million for her connections this season.
“The response to the stallion has been fantastic this year, thanks to Bella Nipotina and Pride Of Jenni. The perception is that he’s great value for money and has covered a great book of mares on that back of all his Group 1 success,” said Coolmore Stud’s Colm Santry. Pride Of Dubai stood at $22,000 (inc GST) in 2024.
“They are very much in the Street Cry and Danehill mould as they train on to be elite older horses. Both Street Cry and Danehill got a lot of those type of horses, and Pride Of Dubai’s getting the best of both parts of his pedigree. They train on as good tough sound older horses, who get better as they get with age.”
“They (progeny of Pride Of Dubai) are very much in the Street Cry and Danehill mould... Pride Of Dubai’s getting the best of both parts of his pedigree. They train on as good tough sound older horses, who get better as they get with age.” - Colm Santry
Pride Of Dubai is a juvenile dual Group 1-winning son of Street Cry (Ire) who is out of Danehill (USA) mare Al Anood. As the sire of 23 stakes winners, five at Group 1, this season to date, he has had 47 winners and six stakes winners who are G1 The Everest winner Bella Nipotina, G1 Might And Power S. winner Deny Knowledge (Ire), last season’s Horse Of The Year Pride Of Jenni who won the G2 John F Feehan S. and placed in the G1 King Charles III S. Maharba won the G3 Rising Fast S. and placed in the G1 Winterbottom S., Desert Lightning (NZ) won the G3 Sandown S., and Buckets Ridge won the Listed Northam Cup.
| 1 | Pride of Dubai | 140 | 47 | 57 | 6(6) | $14,821,995 | Bella Nipotina | $9,831,000 |
| 2 | Zoustar | 264 | 99 | 136 | 7(9) | $12,066,352 | Growing Empire | $2,722,300 |
| 3 | Written Tycoon | 245 | 78 | 97 | 6(6) | $9,855,965 | Private Life | $1,942,150 |
| 4 | Fastnet Rock | 88 | 29 | 42 | 2(6) | $9,655,627 | Via Sistina(ire) | $5,919,400 |
| 5 | Snitzel | 199 | 78 | 105 | 10(13) | $9,292,391 | Switzerland | $1,381,025 |
| 6 | I Am Invincible | 256 | 94 | 121 | 6(7) | $8,919,393 | I Am Me | $1,883,000 |
| 7 | Extreme Choice | 56 | 24 | 31 | 2(2) | $6,457,460 | Knight's Choice | $5,222,500 |
| 8 | No Nay Never (USA) | 60 | 22 | 28 | 0(0) | $5,969,736 | Lake Forest (GB) | $5,250,000 |
| 9 | Per Incanto (USA) | 72 | 23 | 36 | 3(3) | $5,903,547 | Gringotts (NZ) | $2,471,250 |
| 10 | Tavistock (NZ) | 76 | 23 | 27 | 1(2) | $5,475,340 | Ceolwulf (NZ) | $4,070,250 |
Table: Australian Sires Championship 2024/25 as at December 19, 2024
Second placed Zoustar has spread it wide
Currently second on the Australian Sires’ Champion is Zoustar, who is knocking on the door of his first title. His progeny have won $12,066,352 so far this season, $2.7 million less than Pride Of Dubai, but his highest earner Growing Empire has earnings of $2.7 million compared to Bella Nipotina’s $9 million.
“He’s tracking as we would expect, he’s done a phenomenal job and continues to do it. Zoustar is a winner away from 100 for the season, and might be the first stallion to get there this season,” said Widden’s Matt Comerford.
“He’s just broken the record for the most winners globally in 2024, something like 40 in front of Into Mischief and breaking a record held by Exceed And Excel. With just over six months to go, we hope he can chase down that big tally and became a champion sire.
Zoustar | Standing at Widden Stud
“There are a good spread of earnings among his stakes winners too. He’s in an exciting position, and he’s a young sire with plenty to offer, and to see him so far up with a good spread of winners is obviously very exciting.”
Zoustar’s 99 winners for the season (as at December 18) include seven stakes winners who are G2 Gilgai S. winner Right To Party who placed in the G1 VRC Sprint Classic, G2 Missile S. winner Schwarz, G3 HDF McNeil S. winner Growing Empire who placed in three Group 1s being the Manikato S., Coolmore Stud S. and The Everest. Joliestar added the G3 Show County and Olentia won the G3 Nivison S. His others were Listed winners Arts Object and She’s Got Pizzazz.
Farnan leads the Juvenile Sires
First season sire and G1 Golden Slipper winner Farnan is leading both the Champion 2YO Sire table and as a consequence, also the First Season Sire chart. Almost all of his earnings come from G3 Breeders’ Plate-placed North England who won the Golden Gift to take his earnings over $600,000.
Gallery: Well-performed juvenile stallions
“Farnan had made a sensational start with his first 2-year-olds. Headlined by North England’s strong win in the Golden Gift, which shows Farnan can throw a top-class racehorse already. There have also been many other impressive trial winners which show the depth of his first crop and his deserved place at top of the sires table heading into Christmas,” said Kia Ora Stud's Shane Wright.
“Adding to this are many 2-year-olds we are excited to see after Christmas that showed huge potential in the last few months like King of Pop, Farcited and Farnished to name a few. We anticipate there will be many more winners come January, February onwards and are also looking forward to seeing his second crop hit the Magic Millions next month, looking around there are some very impressive yearlings out of good mares.”
| 1 | Farnan | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $607,300 | North England | $603,400 |
| 2 | Lucky Vega (IRE) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1(2) | $593,000 | Within the Law | $593,000 |
| 3 | Spirit of Boom | 10 | 5 | 6 | 0(0) | $582,050 | Luva Flutta | $112,500 |
| 4 | I Am Invincible | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1(1) | $377,275 | Invincible Woman | $137,500 |
| 5 | Ole Kirk | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2(2) | $350,600 | O' Ole | $178,450 |
| 6 | Wootton Bassett (GB) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0(0) | $238,100 | West of Swindon | $190,000 |
| 7 | Blue Point (IRE) | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0(0) | $230,050 | Aleppo Pine | $103,500 |
| 8 | Snitzel | 6 | 4 | 4 | 0(0) | $207,625 | Comedy | $105,000 |
| 9 | Zousain | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0(0) | $207,040 | Betterlucknexttime | $146,600 |
| 10 | Extreme Choice | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1(1) | $196,000 | Bel Merci | $141,000 |
Table: Australian Champion Sire of 2YOs 2024/25 as at December 19, 2024
Spirit Of Boom leads the table by winners with five individual pre-Christmas juveniles, while Ole Kirk is the only sire to have two individual stakes winners so far with O’ Ole and King Kirk.
It’s very early days to be making any pronouncements about the 2-year-olds with the big prizemoney races and prestigious races, like the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic and all five Group 1 races still to come.
| 1 | Farnan | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $607,300 | North England | $603,400 |
| 2 | Lucky Vega (IRE) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1(2) | $593,000 | Within the Law | $593,000 |
| 3 | Ole Kirk | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2(2) | $350,600 | O' Ole | $178,450 |
| 4 | Wootton Bassett (GB) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0(0) | $238,100 | West of Swindon | $190,000 |
| 5 | Cool Aza Beel (NZ) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0(0) | $104,400 | Cobra Club | $94,000 |
| 6 | Hanseatic | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $91,075 | Rohesia | $46,000 |
| 7 | Graff | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $78,400 | Grafterburners | $53,100 |
| 8 | Tagaloa | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0(0) | $52,025 | Meisho | $32,600 |
| 9 | Doubtland | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0(0) | $49,750 | Leave No Doubt | $49,750 |
| 10 | Time to Reign | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0(0) | $37,720 | Crown the King | $16,400 |
Table: Champion First Season Sire Australian 2024/25 as at December 19, 2024
Written Tycoon is the leading sire of 3-year-olds
Written Tycoon leads the Australian Champion Sire of 3YOs chart from Snitzel and Zoustar. Of note, Snitzel has twice the number of individual stakes winners as Written Tycoon who has four 3-year-old stakes winners to Snitzel’s eight.
Written Tycoon | Standing at Yulong
This season to date Written Tycoon has sired G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Private Life who has earned over $1.9 million, G2 Danehill S. winner First Settler, and Listed winners Catoggio and Certain Rise.
Over in New Zealand, while not counting on this chart, Written Tycoon is the sire of G1 NZ 1000 Guineas winner Captured By Love.
“He’s such a consistent stallion, year on year he keeps on producing the winners. Obviously in the last five or six years he’s been given a better quality of mare and that’s helped him rise even further in this stature as a stallion,” said Yulong’s Sam Fairgray.
“With the amo he has out there, he’s only going to keep on strengthening as the season goes on.”
| 1 | Written Tycoon | 72 | 30 | 37 | 4(4) | $5,956,090 | Private Life | $1,942,150 |
| 2 | Snitzel | 65 | 28 | 37 | 8(11) | $5,046,860 | Switzerland | $1,381,025 |
| 3 | Zoustar | 40 | 11 | 19 | 2(3) | $3,840,760 | Growing Empire | $2,722,300 |
| 4 | Too Darn Hot (GB) | 44 | 22 | 25 | 6(7) | $3,137,545 | Broadsiding | $1,113,300 |
| 5 | Castelvecchio | 29 | 10 | 18 | 3(5) | $3,005,185 | El Castello | $1,623,500 |
| 6 | Justify (USA) | 40 | 17 | 22 | 4(4) | $2,306,851 | Storm Boy | $910,250 |
| 7 | I Am Invincible | 58 | 26 | 30 | 0(0) | $1,751,825 | Anode | $449,000 |
| 8 | Alabama Express | 44 | 11 | 15 | 1(2) | $1,737,810 | Treasurethe Moment | $1,024,750 |
| 9 | American Pharoah (USA) | 20 | 5 | 8 | 1(2) | $1,709,950 | Goldrush Guru | $1,518,550 |
| 10 | Dundeel (NZ) | 63 | 12 | 12 | 3(3) | $1,672,370 | Henlein | $443,000 |
Table: Australian Champion Sire of 3YOs in 2024/25 as at December 19, 2024
Less than a million separates Written Tycoon and Snitzel, so this race might be a tight one all seasons with two stalwart sires of the nation jockeying for position as we head into the summer and autumn carnivals.
Zoustar is in third, while the leading second season sire Too Darn Hot (GB) is in fourth overall.
| 1 | Too Darn Hot (GB) | 50 | 23 | 26 | 6(7) | $3,270,170.0000 | Broadsiding | $1,113,300 |
| 2 | Castelvecchio | 30 | 10 | 18 | 3(5) | $3,010,185.0000 | El Castello | $1,623,500 |
| 3 | Alabama Express | 48 | 12 | 16 | 1(2) | $1,808,150.0000 | Treasurethe Moment | $1,024,750 |
| 4 | Zousain | 71 | 14 | 16 | 2(2) | $1,183,135.0000 | Amelita | $254,575 |
| 5 | Blue Point (IRE) | 48 | 19 | 20 | 0(0) | $1,152,250.0000 | Aleppo Pine | $103,500 |
| 6 | Yes Yes Yes | 49 | 18 | 23 | 0(0) | $1,084,575.0000 | Firm Agreement | $276,125 |
| 7 | Tassort | 36 | 13 | 14 | 2(2) | $981,196.0000 | Ameena | $237,700 |
| 8 | Pierata | 52 | 13 | 20 | 0(0) | $954,935.0000 | Coleman | $161,000 |
| 9 | Super Seth | 25 | 7 | 7 | 0(0) | $912,990.0000 | Feroce | $599,500 |
| 10 | Exceedance | 45 | 9 | 12 | 1(1) | $788,820.0000 | Swiftfalcon | $304,000 |
Table: Leading Second Season Sire Australian 2024/25 as at December 19, 2024
