What mares visited Too Darn Hot on Southern Hemisphere time in 2024?

Cover image courtesy of The Image is Everything

Saturday was a particularly sunny day for those who bask in the light of Darley stallion Too Darn Hot (GB), who accumulated three stakes winners between Rosehill Gardens and Caulfield, two of them collecting their first black type wins to extend his record to 23 stakes-winning progeny. He has so far produced stake winners across eight countries - certainly a perk of being a dual hemisphere sire - with a remarkable 10 being in Australia, from just two crops of racing age.

It is understandable, then, that he is a hot commodity - hotter still for not shuttling south last spring, prompting several astute breeders to send mares north to visit him. After the cancellation of his shuttle due to a short illness, it was announced in July last year that Australia's Champion First Season Sire would stand on Southern Hemisphere time for a fee of £50,000 ($100,000 ex GST).

Simon Marsh, general manager of Too Darn Hot’s breeder and co-owner Watership Down Stud, intimated in August that approximately 60 mares would visit him at Dalham Hall Stud on Southern Hemisphere time, and in December, several mares confirmed in foal to the triple Group 1 winner changed hands at auction.

At the time of writing, 12 mares have arrived in Australia having been confirmed to be covered by him in the studbook, and The Thoroughbred Report have tracked down 23 more mares in Too Darn Hot’s 2024 book.

Godolphin patronising their star with the best

Too Darn total: eight

His absence from our shores doesn’t mean that Godolphin’s Australian broodmare band would be missing out, and six of the mares with completed returns belong to the international operation. G1 Thousand Guineas winner Flit (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) is the headline act, and she is joined by fellow talented performer Thermosphere (Exosphere), winner of the G2 Edward Manifold Stakes, and Efficiently (Exceed And Excel), dam of Godolphin’s second-elect 3-year-old talent Traffic Warden (Street Boss {Ire}). All six returned to the country in late January, having been covered in September and early October.

When speaking to The Thoroughbred Report in November, Dalham Hall Stud Director Liam O’Rourke hinted at other well-related mares that had visited the stallion, including Illustrate (Street Cry {Ire}), dam of G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Daumier, and Faberge (Exceed And Excel), a full sister to Bivouac. Illustrate returned on the same flight as the aforementioned six, but has yet to have her studbook entry updated, whereas Faberge has remained in Britain.

Table: The eight Godolphin mares confirmed to have visited Too Darn Hot on Southern Hemisphere time in 2024

Fairway Thoroughbreds sending hot pedigrees

Too Darn total: three

John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds have three mares confirmed to be patronising Too Darn Hot via different sources. The only one to return to the Southern Hemisphere so far is Dynasties (Sebring), a Listed-winning daughter of G2 Moonee Valley Classic and G2 Kewney Stakes winner Empress Rock (Fastnet Rock). A homebred for Camilleri who was also placed at Group 3 level behind Espiona (Extreme Choice), Dynasties was exported to Great Britain in 2023, and returned in late December.

Also up north is Fiera Vista (Exceed And Excel), the Listed-winning dam of current G1 Golden Slipper Stakes favourite Wodeton (Wootton Bassett {GB}). Coolmore's Tom Magnier returned to the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January to purchase Wodeton’s half-brother by I Am Invincible for $1.15 million, and The Thoroughbred Report was able to ascertain at the time that his dam had been confirmed in foal to Too Darn Hot. She left the country in August and has yet to return.

Table: Fairway Thoroughbreds-owned mares confirmed to have visited Too Darn Hot on Southern Hemisphere time in 2024

Opportunities at Tattersalls Online

Too Darn total: nine

Nine mares confirmed in foal to Too Darn Hot were set to be offered in the Southern Hemisphere Session at the Tattersalls Online December Sale last year before the withdrawal of well-related Good Liza (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) She is one of three mares sent to the stallion by West Australian breeder Gary Johnson, also the owner of Believeinmiracles (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who did not make her reserve.

One other lot was sent Too Darn Hot’s way by Johnson; 4-year-old winning Zoustar mare Crimson Coronet (GB), who was acquired just five months earlier in the Tattersalls July Sale by McKeever Bloodstock for 65,000gns ($135,000). Avenue Bloodstock outlaid 100,000gns ($208,000) for the mare on behalf of a New South Wales-based client, and she touched down in Australia in January, having been covered in late September.

Gallery: Highlights from the Tattersalls Online Sale: A selection of mares confirmed in foal to Too Darn Hot, images courtesy of Tattersalls

Moulton Stud offered four mares in foal to Too Darn Hot in the online sale, including the G1 South African Nursery winner Cloth Of Cloud (SAf) (Captain Al {SAf}), who was purchased by bloodstock agent Hubie de Burgh on behalf of a client for 180,000gns ($374,000). Her 2024 Wootton Bassett (GB) colt was offered in Tattersalls’ December Sale by The Castlebridge Consignment, selling to Glenvale Stud for 200,000gns ($416,000).

Cloth Of Cloud was one of three six-figure lots in the session, with Moulton’s other top offering being Newton's Night (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) selling for 150,000gns ($312,000) to Ridgeport. A winner over a mile herself, Newton’s Night comes from a dense immediate family; her sisters include the grandams of G3 South Australia Fillies Classic Let’sbefrankbaby (Frankel {GB}) and My Oberon (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), winner of the G2 Crystal Mile and a runner-up in the G1 Doncaster Handicap.

Newton’s Night is a stakes producer already, with her 2022 No Nay Never (USA) colt Treasure Isle (Ire) a Listed winner as a juvenile and her first daughter Newton’s Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) being the dam of multiple Group-placed Space Legend (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

Gallery: Two Moulton Stud mares sent to Too Darn Hot, images courtesy of Tattersalls

Watership Down Stud sold the sale-topper with Group-placed Sedaka (NZ) (Savabeel), which was served by Too Darn Hot at the beginning of September, for the top price of 210,000gns ($436,500). Bruce Slade’s Kestrel Thoroughbreds assisted Steve and Tina Bacon’s Nocab Racing with the purchase. Slade told Thoroughbred Daily News at the time that the mare will remain in Europe for 2025, with a view to visiting another Northern Hemisphere suitor before coming home to Australia.

Hazelwood Bloodstock offered Know Thyself (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a multiple Group-placed daughter of triple Group 2-winning Fix (NZ) (Ifraaj {GB}), who was purchased by the vendor. A $1.25 million Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale graduate, Fix was most recently sold in 2017 at the Goffs Ireland November Breeding Stock Sale, where she was purchased by Blandford Bloodstock for €750,000 ($1.23 million).

Table: Mares offered in the 2024 Tattersalls December Online Sale confirmed to be in foal to Too Darn Hot on Southern Hemisphere time

Willingham shell out for the goods in December

Too Darn total: four

Tattersalls’ live sale in December also featured four offerings confirmed in foal to Too Darn Hot on Southern Hemisphere time - not counting a fifth mare who slipped after the catalogue went to print.

Willingham, one of several pseudonyms associated with Yulong Investments, paid a combined 610,000gns ($1.27 million) for two lots; Avenue Sales presented Group 3-placed Zoinnocent (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Norelands offered Listed-winning No Nay Never mare Tango (Ire), who was fourth-placed in the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes.

Avenue Sales originally also offered stakes producer Landikusic (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), but withdrew her from the sale.

The quartet was rounded out by an offering from Culworth Grounds Farm; Blessed Truly (Can) (Souper Speedy {USA}) is another pedigree becoming familiar to the Australian audience, as she is a half-sister to Ms Bad Behavior (Can) (Blame {USA}), dam of boom colt Switzerland (Snitzel). She was ultimately bought back by the vendor.

Table: Mares offered at the 2024 Tattersalls December Mare sale confirmed to be in foal to Too Darn Hot on Southern Hemisphere time

Rosemont Stud eager for more Hot progeny

Too Darn total: six

Speaking to The Thoroughbred Report last year ahead of the breeding season, Anthony Mithen of Victorian enterprise Rosemont Stud confirmed that they had six mares already booked to the Darley stallion and intended on keeping those bookings, regardless of what hemisphere he was in.

Three of their mares were, at the time, based in France where they awaited offspring by Siyouni (Fr) and would be sent to Too Darn Hot once they had foaled, at which point they would be based at Tweenhills Stud.

Gallery: Two of Rosemont’s six mares that visited Too Darn Hot last year, images courtesy of The Image is Everything

The trio included G3 Ottawa Stakes winner Aryaaf (Epaulette), a half-sister to freshman sire Doull, and Sneaky Five (Fastnet Rock), a daughter of G1 Schweppes Oaks winner Small Minds (Canny Lad) who picked up two stakes victories in her five wins.

Three further mares were booked to travel to Too Darn Hot last year, and they are led by Joyous Legend (Snitzel), a daughter of multiple Group 1-winning More Joyous (NZ) (More Than Ready {USA}). Mithen confirmed at the time that this second group would remain in the Northern Hemisphere for a second season before returning down under.

Table: Mares sent by Rosemont Stud to visit Too Darn Hot on Southern Hemisphere time in 2024

High profile purchases round out the picture, including SF/Newgate

Too Darn total: six

Four more mares arrived in Australia last month carrying positive tests to the stallion, including a trio of American mares with September coverings.

SF Bloodstock and Newgate Farm purchased two of them; Group 2-placed Cafe Society (Can) (Empire Maker {USA}) was a US$290,000 ($456,000) purchase for the partnership from Taylor Made Sales at the Fasig Tipton Lexington November Sale in 2023. She was carrying a filly by War Front (USA) at the time. At the Keeneland November Breeding Sale in the same year, they made another purchase from Taylor Made, taking home triple-Listed winner Lady Edith (USA) (Street Boss {USA}) for US$240,000 ($377,500).

The third American mare, Listed winner Liliesformillie (USA) (Pioneerof The Nile {USA}), was purchased by bloodstock agent Donato Lanni at the 2023 Fasig Tipton Lexington November Sale for US$210,000 ($330,500).

O’Rourke confirmed a handful of other well-bred mares in Too Darn Hot’s book, including G1 Woolavington 2000 winner Lady Of The House (SAF) (Dynasty {SAF}). She was a 2022 purchase at the Keeneland November Breeding Sale for Dundrum Farm, who secured her for US$55,000 ($86,500) when she was offered by Gainesway Farm.

O'Rourke also confirmed Alina (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the dam of Godolphin's Group 1-winning Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}) - another mare destined for the Yulong broodmare band, after Lucky Vega bought her from Hazelwood Bloodstock at the 2023 Tattersalls December Mare Sale for 400,000gns ($840,000).

Table: Other mares known to have visited Too Darn Hot on Southern Hemisphere time in 2024