A new chapter opens as Broadsiding joins Darley's young guns

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

After a strong season on the track, Godolphin has retired Champion 2-year-old Colt Broadsiding, son of emerging super sire Too Darn Hot (GB), to join his father on their Darley Kelvinside roster. As a 'changing of the guard' appears imminent amongst Australasia's stallion ranks, it pays to take a close look at who could be the next big thing.

Like father, like son

The Australasian breeding community was understandably excited when news broke earlier this month that Too Darn Hot (GB), Champion First Season Sire in Australia and the sire of 10 stakeswinners in the Southern Hemisphere, would be returning to Australia this breeding season. The reception has been very similar for his son Broadsiding, a winner of two Group 1s as a juvenile and a further two Group 1s this season, as well as a range of highly commendable placings at the top level.

“We announced the fees this morning and the phones have literally not stopped,” Darley’s Head of Stallions Alastair Pulford said. “Not just for me, but for the whole sales and nominations team. He's almost full in one day.

“I don't think we've ever had such a positive reaction to a first season sire. It's been fantastic.”

The interest from breeders is understandable; Broadsiding broke his maiden in the Listed Fernhill Stakes and backed up the performance a week later with victory in the G1 Champagne Stakes, fending off subsequent Group 1 winner Linebacker (NZ) (Super Seth). Proving himself a truly elite juvenile worthy of the champion title, he was victorious in his next two starts, winning the G2 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Eagle Farm, followed by the G1 JJ Atkins Stakes.

Returning as a 3-year-old, we bore witness to Broadsiding’s victory in the G1 Golden Rose Stakes first up, and gallant performances in the G1 Caulfield Guineas and the G1 Cox Plate, where he was third behind Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock).

Returning this autumn, Broadsiding clinched the G1 Rosehill Guineas over subsequent G1 Australian Derby winner Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio), cementing his status as one of our best 3-year-olds.

Many of Australia's stallion elite have had to earn their way to the top, starting from humble fees and modest book sizes, but it is not the first time that a sire has begat a sire himself from his first or second crop; Redoute's Choice provides an excellent example, producing Not A Single Doubt in his first crop of foals and Snitzel in his second. Brazen Beau was borne from I Am Invincible's first crop, and his second season produced his barnmate Hellbent.

It speaks to the quality of mares supporting a stallion early on - and, conversely, that stallion's ability to improve stock, which is particularly true of the story of I Am Invincible, who wouldn't have had nearly the same opportunities as Too Darn Hot when he opened at stud at $11,000 (inc GST) in 2010.

Broadsiding's dam Speedway (Street Cry {Ire}) certainly comes from excellent stock; a half-sister to G1 Thousand Guineas winner Flit (Medaglia D'oro {USA}), the only other stallion she had patronised in her short breeding career was Lonhro.

Too Darn Hot stood for $44,000 (inc GST) - a far cry from his current price tag of $275,000 (inc GST) - in the season she visited him; Darley ensured that their hottest commodity was given the quality to make him succeed, and no doubt they will offer the same to Broadsiding.

While the temptation was there to run Broadsiding another season, as the team had done with Anamoe, Pulford shared that the decision was made that the colt had done enough to earn his place at stud.

“We certainly discussed it at length,” he said. “It was a difficult decision, but we came to the decision that, having four Group 1s already, he had very little left to prove.”

Strains of Street Cry

Retiring from the track alongside Broadsiding is stablemate Traffic Warden, whose sire Street Boss (USA) leads the Darley Victoria roster. Standing for $22,000 (inc GST) this season, the colt is a dual winner at Group 2 level - the G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes and the G2 Run To The Rose - with a slew of top tier performances alongside.

A pre-Christmas juvenile winner at Caulfield, Traffic Warden was third in the G3 Canonbury Stakes on return in the autumn, and was beaten just 2.5l in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes and 1.98l in the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes. He was only just denied the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes by Manaal (Tassort) and again, as a 3-year-old, in the G1 Golden Rose by Broadsiding.

Pulford indicated he would be another popular option for breeders; “Whilst he's not quite as hot as Broadsiding, he's not far behind. He's going to get a lot of support, particularly when people see him. I know how good looking he is. and I know people will be very attracted to him when they see him in the flesh.”

The merit of Traffic Warden’s second placings should not be forgotten about.

“He was 40 centimetres collectively off winning two Group 1s,” Pulford said. “Until Broadsiding announced himself as a champion, he (Traffic Warden) was always the number one seed (in the racing stables).

“Traffic Warden was very highly regarded by the stable and was always going to be the big spring 3-year-old, and then, obviously, Broadsiding came along and asserted himself - but not by much.”

The blood of Street Cry (Ire) runs thick through Darley's roster; over a decade since the stallion's death, his sun Street Boss has two sons on the Darley roster, both in New South Wales, and he is the damsire of two more (Broadsiding and Cylinder). As Street Boss turns 21 in August, it is worth examining who will be his successor.

“He (Street Boss) has just proven he can do it again and again,” said Pulford. Street Boss has continued to churn out top level winners at all ages this season, highlighted by the performances of juvenile Tempted in the G2 Reisling Stakes and the G2 Percy Sykes Stakes, G2 Todman Stakes winner Tentyris, and 5-year-old Another Wil’s standout G1 CF Orr Stakes victory.

But unlike Too Darn Hot and Redoute's Choice, Street Boss has had to work for his success. His best offspring - and his sire sons - have come in the twilight of his career, with all three sire sons (Traffic Warden, Anamoe, and Hanseatic) being conceived as his fee began to time slightly. His interest didn't really start to take off until the exploits of Anamoe in 2020/21.

While many remember how great of a horse Anamoe was as a 4-year-old, Pulford pointed out that he was also an elite 2-year-old, breaking his maiden before Christmas and running terrifically in the Blue Diamond and the Golden Slipper.

“People forgot that - it's in the back of their mind - and then when they see his (Anamoe's) foals and they've got all this muscle and quality about them, they just love them.”

It remains to be seen which son will most closely follow in his footsteps; Anamoe, at his much higher fee, will receive the lion's share, but if Traffic Warden impresses as much in person as Pulford believes he will, there may be plenty of converts.

Harry Angel, on the up and up

Off the back of a stellar season on the track, highlighted by unbeaten Private Harry’s (Harry Angel {Ire}) victory in the G1 The Galaxy, Harry Angel (Ire) has earned himself a well deserved fee rise to $66,000 (inc GST) for the 2025 season. The exploits of Tom Kitten from his first crop and also of Angel Capital, one of two Harry Angel-sired stallion prospects acquired for Yulong this year, have boosted his profile further.

“He was Champion European Sprinter, so he had a bit going for him already, Pulford said. “He stood at a reasonably modest fee in his first season and was competing against The Autumn Sun and Justify for the best mares and then he had to go through those COVID years. So he hasn't ever had elite books of mares, but he's really done it at stud, and he's clearly improved his mares.

“He's a horse that's on the up and up, and as his numbers and quality have increased in the last couple of seasons, I think the results are only going to get better. This year is going to be his best yet.

“He's another one that there is a huge amount of interest, despite the fee rise and even before we announced his fee. He's just going to be full within a matter of days.”

With six of his 18 stakes winners, including both Group 1 winners, being bred and raced in Australia, it is no surprise that Harry Angel has already been popular.

He is just the latest in a series of successful shuttle sires to reach our shores, and Pulford has hopes that another of the same quality is already amongst the Darley stallion ranks; Pulford has a lot of confidence in Pinatubo (Ire) to be the next big hit among the shuttle stallions on the roster. The son of Shamardal (USA) will stand at an attractive price of $38,500 (inc GST) this year.

“He has had a couple of very big results (at the sales) and we're very pleased with the early response,” Pulford said. “I'm quietly hopeful that he'll be another Harry Angel in 12 months time.”

Exceed and Excel's logical successor

“I think we've been very conservative with Bivouac’s fee,” Pulford said. Bivouac, the elite sprinting son of pensioned Exceed And Excel, has made a tremendous impact with his first crop of 2-year-olds on the track, with four winners - crucially, though, three of them have taken out stakes races on both sides of the Tasman.

“He's had three stakes winners, I think he started off in great fashion, and we know he's going to be really popular this year. But with the market, and that goes for a few of the other horses on the roster, we just thought ‘steady as she goes’ is the right call for him.”

Bivouac’s fee remains the same as last season at $55,000 (inc GST), despite the exploits of Group 2 winners Beiwacht and Intention, and Listed winner Luana Miss. Pulford believes maintaining the stallion’s price point provides outstanding value to breeders wishing to patronise him again this year.

“He's very affordable, and I think his yearlings sold really well this year,” Pulford continued. “His second crop has outsold his first, which is always a good sign, and I think people are learning which mares to send to him. The rewards are going to be there for them hopefully in a couple of years time.”

Differing from many other sires of sires, Exceed And Excel started at the same price point as Bivouac currently sits at and never dipped below it; from his first crop, he produced four juvenile stakeswinners and a further four won stakes races later on. His fee doubled as a result - a different economic climate has led to no change to Bivouac's fee, but if he can maintain that momentum, there will more than likely be an increase in 2026.

Bivouac profiles as Exceed And Excel's logical successor among his younger progeny at stud; he brings elite Group 1 sprinting form to the table, and has started his career off on the right foot, with few other first season sires able to match his black-type performers. Just as 20 years ago, the market demands a sprinter that hits the ground running early - and Bivouac is primed to deliver.

Cylinder, his paternal half-brother who stands at Darley Victoria for $44,000 (inc GST), is a few steps behind, covering his first book of mares last year. Bivouac and Exceed And Excel have given him a blueprint for how his first crop can perform; it's a lot to live up to.

Table: Darley stallions fees for 2025 (fees include GST)