Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We could not be happier with our draft,” Darling View's Brent Atwell explained.
“To have a good number of progeny by Playing God who is so dominant in Western Australia as well as the first Splintex yearlings being offered, we are very excited.”
New beginnings for Darling View
The Darling View Thoroughbreds team is optimistic that they have the right product to capture buyers' interest at the 2025 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.
This year things are a little bit different as Darling View Thoroughbreds offer a draft under their own name rather than the historically very successful combined Western Breeders Alliance which involved a combination of Darling View Stud, Eiononcliff Park and Westbury Park.
They offer 16 yearlings in Book 1 including good representation from their resident stallions, six exciting Splintex youngsters and four by Playing God. Then in Book 2 another 12 yearlings are offered with two of them being by Splintex and six by the established Playing God.
Mare and foal at the Mundijong-based property | Image courtesy of Darling View Thoroughbreds
Adding to the draft are youngsters by So You Think (NZ), Bivouac, Capitalist, Farnan, All Too Hard, St Mark’s Basilica (Fr), Lonhro, Microphone, Xtravagant (NZ) and Star Turn, who are all by stallions based in the Eastern States, giving the draft a nice mix.
When asked about his general thoughts on offering their first draft, Atwell explained that “For the last 11 years we have been running under the Western Breeders Alliance banner and had a lot of success, with the weight of the numbers we have now, we thought it was time to step out on our own.”
“It’s good timing with Splintex just starting up sales wise and it's a nice twist that it is 100 years this year since my grandfather won the Perth Cup with a great mare called Great Applause.”
When looking at the background of the exciting young stallion, Splintex was bred by the Grimishes at Kitchwin Hills in 2016. He was the fifth foal and first colt from the O’Reilly (NZ) mare Acquired (NZ).
The exciting Splintex
Acquired is a half-sister to Hips Don’t Lie (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}), who won the 2008 G2 Reisling Stakes and dam of the stakes-winning Fastnet Rock siblings Ennis Hill and Lake Geneva. With Ennis Hill then going onto leave the Champion 2YO Australian filly of 2022-23 in Learning To Fly (Justify {USA}) who was unlucky to have not been a Group 1 winner, but she did manage to be a three-time stakes winner and Group 1-placed.
Splintex is one of three stakes horses from the mare, including the Listed Starlight Stakes winner Invictus Salute (Exceed And Excel) and Acqume (Sepoy) who was placed in the Listed Fireball Stakes.
This is one of the most current and commercial families in the Australian studbook.
Splintex | Standing at Darling View Thoroughbreds
Hips Don’t Lie is also the dam of Acrobat, who has served 530 mares in his first three seasons standing on the Coolmore roster. Another relation is Ozzmosis who was the victor in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes and served a book of 192 mares at Newgate Stud Farm in his maiden season at stud last year.
When Splintex started racing, he wore the familiar steel grey and black silks of Geoff Grimish. He was third on debut on the Randwick-Kensington course, and then won his next two juvenile starts, defeating no less than eventual Group 1 winner and now Vinery Stud sire Exceedance.
As a 3-year-old, Splintex was third in the Listed Gosford Guineas before edging out the brilliant Flit (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) to land the G2 Arrowfield Sprint at Randwick. As a 4-year-old he won the G3 Hall Mark Stakes and as a 5-year-old he won the G2 Bobbie Lewis Quality, in the latter getting the better of the outstanding filly Away Game (Snitzel).
“We are very lucky to be standing a horse of his quality, when I went to inspect him before we purchased him I wanted to see a Snitzel and he is that, he is very exciting,” said Atwell.
“...when I went to inspect him (Spintex) before we purchased him I wanted to see a Snitzel and he is that, he is very exciting.” - Brent Atwell
“As a new season horse in West Australia he has had the best numbers in 30 years, he is getting every chance.”
Splintex has served 293 mares over the last three seasons at an average of 97 per year with an outstanding 118 mares being served in his first season.
Brent Atwell | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
When asked to describe what kind of types Splintex is leaving, Atwell explained, “His best trait is that they all seem to handle themselves well, they have good temperaments, have great movement and overall solid strength and quality.”
“The Splintex foals took the eye when they were born and looked mature running types, they look forward style horses and look very much in the mould of their sire and sireline.” - Brent Atwell
“The Splintex foals took the eye when they were born and looked mature running types, they look forward style horses and look very much in the mould of their sire and sireline.”
The proven Playing God
A tough and classy campaigner who won eight of his 42 starts including consecutive runnings of the G1 Kingston Town Classic, Playing God's rise at stud has been nothing short of outstanding.
His results have done the talking and his service fee has gone from $4400 up to his 2024 listed fee of $49,500. With his two stand-out Group 1 winners being Kay Cee who has been a seven-time winner and successful in the G1 Kingston Town Classic as well as Bustler who has also won seven times in his career with his highlight being when he was victorious in the G1 Railway Stakes.
“He has really been knocking it out of the park,” Atwell said of the 17-year-old stallion who has done such a great job siring 22 stakes winners amongst his 156 runners from 218 runners.
Playing God | Standing at Darling View Thoroughbreds
That's a 71 per cent winners-to-runners strike rate; impressive on its own but it is his 10 per cent stakes winners to runners ratio and 15.1 per cent stakes-performers to runners ratio that has really earned Playing God major respect.
“He can do everything, he is a freakish stallion that is a proven upgrader, it is unbelievable what he can do," Atwell proudly emphasised.
“He is really unique in terms of he can leave anything, you can get a sharp type or you can get a rangy athlete. People should just buy them, don’t worry about what type they are, they are just very good horses and added to that his progeny are like a fine bottle of wine, they keep getting better with age.”
“He (Playing God) is really unique in terms of he can leave anything, you can get a sharp type or you can get a rangy athlete...His progeny are like a fine bottle of wine, they keep getting better with age.” - Brent Atwell
"It's a great position to be in standing the stallion and having plenty in our draft as every trainer just wants one in their stable.”
The Darling View way
When quizzed about Darling View Thoroughbreds at the moment, Atwell replied “It’s an exciting new stage for the stud, we have a lovely mix of stallions, we are presenting our own draft for the first time and everything is exciting and we feel optimistic.”
“It’s an exciting new stage for the stud (Darling View Thoroughbreds), we have a lovely mix of stallions, we are presenting our own draft for the first time and everything is exciting and we feel optimistic.” - Brent Atwell
“Everything is very positive, we are confident that we are producing good horses and that people will want them. Hopefully the market holds for us, but overall we are confident that we have the right product for everyone.”
“At the end of the day we are just trying to produce good racehorses that people can take to the track and win races. We always look to do our best and we take great satisfaction from our clients having success on the track.”
