Unique double act for Juddmonte stallions

by Renée Geelen

Juddmonte Farm can claim a unique piece of Australian racing history with two of their stallions siring winners of the Gr1 JJ Atkins Plate. The 2021 running was won by Converge (Frankel-Conversely, by Shamardal) and the 2023 version by King Colorado (Kingman-More Aspen, by More Than Ready).

Of all the five Gr1 two year-old races in Australia, the JJ Atkins Plate is the both the newest and one of the oldest. First run in 1893, as a Principal race, it was given Gr2 status when the Pattern system began in 1979 and was upgraded to Gr1 status in 1985. The race has had multiple name changes and in 2013 the race was named the JJ Atkins Plate in honour of four-time Brisbane Trainers Premiership winner Jim Atkins. The other four races were granted Gr1 status as soon as the Principal racing system moved to the Pattern system. It isn’t the race that makes this achievement special. So what is it?

King Colorado and Converge are the only winners of an Australian Gr1 two year-old race sired by stallions who have never stood in the Southern Hemisphere. It isn’t a new phenomenon for Northern Hemisphere based stallions to serve mares to Southern Hemisphere time with breeders importing in-foal broodmares from England since 1820, and yet it has taken until now for two stallions to sire the winner of a two year-old Gr1 race. Australian Stud Book data found 56 unique stallions from 1992 to 2022 who have foals born here, but who have never visited Australia or NZ. These foals, from overseas coverings, are all out of mares imported while in-foal.

This data covers at least 180 foals, and includes some of the world’s greatest stallions like Green Desert, Rahy, Dynaformer, Sunday Silence, Sadler’s Wells,

Dansili, Deep Impact, etc. Some of these stallions did sire Gr1 winners in Australia from these foals; just not two year-old Gr1 winners.

This puts some context around how special Frankel and Kingman’s achievements via Converge and King Colorado are.

FRANKEL and KINGMAN create history

Converge’s dam is the Irish born Conversely (Shamardal-Melhor Ainda, by Pulpit) who arrived in Australia from Ireland on 19 January 2018, giving birth to Converge on 21 August 2018. Conversely placed as a three year-old in Ireland, retiring to stud without winning. She was covered by Frankel then sent to Australia, where Converge was her first foal. Conversely’s dam is Gr3 winner Melhor Ainda, and her second dam, Portinner, won the Gr1 Mil Guineas in Argentina and as well as Melhor Ainda, she also left Danon Go Go (Aldebaran) who won a Listed race in Japan. Since Converge, Conversely has a three yearold, Conservative (Churchill), a two yearold Coincide (Invader) who is placed this season, and a yearling by Divine Prophet.

King Colorado’s dam is USA born More Aspen (More Than Ready-Jade Aspen, by Jade Hunter) who was imported from England, arriving in Australia on 30 November 2019. She foaled King Colorado on 14 September 2020. A Listed winner in Dubai More Aspen is a half-sister to a Listed winner of nineteen races, and her second dam is Gr1 winner Northern Aspen, from the stallion making family of Bianconi, Dubai Millennium, Fort Wood, Timber Country, and Elnadim. More Aspen’s first three foals were born in England. The 2017 foal died and her second and third foals are currently unraced. She was covered by Kingman and travelled to Australia where King Colorado is her fourth foal, and she also has a yearling by Pride of Dubai.

But the stars of this story are Frankel and Kingman. Both Gr1 winners, Gr1 sires, both standing at Juddmonte Farm, and both available to Southern Hemisphere time.

Frankel (Galileo-Kind, by Danehill) has eight crops of racing age in the Northern Hemisphere and has served a few mares each off-season to Southern Hemisphere time resulting in 83 live foals, of which ten are stakes winners with Converge and dual Gr1 winner Hungry Heart being the standouts of that group. He’s also sired GB born local Gr1 winner Mirage Dancer in his collection of Gr1 winners in this region. Frankel’s stud career has been outstanding from the moment his first runners came to the races. He was the fastest sire to leave fifty group winners, and was British Champion Sire in 2021. With 31 individual Gr1 winners and 122 stakes winners (as at June 2023), these numbers are likely to be out of date by the time this issue is printed and posted to readers.

Kingman (Invincible Spirit-Zenda, by Zamindar) has six crops of racing age in the North, and he has only 21 Southern Hemisphere timed foals, obviously led by King Colorado. All up, Kingman as 64 stakes winners with seven of those winning at Gr1 level. Gr3 Geelong Cup winner Emissary is a local winner, although GB born. His low numbers in this region are bound to increase now he’s left a two year-old Gr1 winner on Australian soil.

Anticipation is the word over at Kingstar Farm with the first two year-olds by their boom juvenile Unite and Conquer about to hit the track and their first yearlings by Time To Reign gearing up for the sales.

“Unite and Conquer was a natural talent. He had raw speed and he won two Stakes races before Christmas of his two year-old year. His progeny have the same strength, bone and athleticism. Across two crops we’ve seen consistent types and from reports back from breakers and pre-trainers, I don’t think we’ll have to wait long to see just how good they are. We are very excited about seeing the first crop of Unite and Conquer,” said Kingstar Farm’s Conor Phelan. “Time