Vinery Stud

Shouts of joy rang out at Vinery when their Gr.1 winning sire Exceedance’s first runner, Dublin Down, won the Gr.3 VRC Maribyrnong Plate. Dublin Down was a Gold Coast Magic Millions graduate from Edinburgh Park Stud, while Vinery’s own yearling drafts have produced many other wonderful racetrack graduates like multiple Gr.1 winner Artorius, Golden Slipper winner Farnan, and 2YO Magic Millions winner Exhilarates to name just a few.

How would you sum up your 2024 draft?

“Buyers have come to expect yearlings of the highest quality from Vinery,” said Vinery’s Harry Roach, “and this year’s Magic Millions draft is certainly no exception. We offer physical athletes with pedigrees to match, by a very healthy cross section of the country’s best credentialled stallions both young and proven. Our graduates have quite a strong record at the Magic Millions and this is something that everyone from Vinery takes great pride in.

With 41 yearlings on offer, Vinery’s draft is packed with commercial sires, brilliant pedigrees, and every horse has been brought up on Vinery’s proven Gr.1 producing land. The stallions represented in the draft are All Too Hard, Zoustar, Bivouac, Snitzel, Deep Field, Exceed and Excel, Exceedance, Flying Artie, Ghaiyyath, Kingman, Lonhro, Maurice, Microphone, Pariah, Pierro, Russian Revolution, Shamus Award, So You Think, Star Turn, Tagaloa, The Autumn Sun, Too Darn Hot, Castlevecchio, Contributer, Toronado, Wootton Bassett, Written By, and of course their first season sire Ole Kirk.

“There is a genuine excitement from everyone involved with Ole Kirk to be showcasing his first crop yearlings. A great number of people who bred to him have spoken very highly of his stock from the day they were born, all the way through to now, which is consistent with what we have seen at Vinery. He is represented by 35 Book 1 yearlings, which is a testament to their quality. To have a young stallion with his credentials, consistently leaving stock of such quality makes for a highly promising period ahead.”

Vinery will showcase Ole Kirk’s first crop with seven yearlings, including a half-sister to Gr.3 SAJC Breeders’ Stakes winner Kooweerup, Lot 414, out of Gr.1 winner Allez Wonder, whose seven foals to race are all winners. A half-sister to recent stakes placed winner Get Up Girl, Lot 695, is out of Gr.2 winner and Gr.1 placed Fursa. Lot 121, a filly, the first foal of group placed winner Saas Fee who is a sister to Gr.3 Maribyrnong Plate winner Hard Landing, out of Gr.1 winner Snitzerland.

“We are ecstatic with the start Exceedance has had with his first crop 2YOs. For his first runner to be a Gr.3 winning 2YO is about as good as it gets. While we believe in him so much, it was fantastic to see him begin on such a positive note and actually do it. A win like that really sets the tone for what is to come into 2024 and beyond.”

Vinery will feature three yearlings by Exceedance, whose first crop have just turned two. Lot 120 is a colt out of Gr.3 winner Runway Star, a half-sister to Listed winner What You Need, from the family of Gr.1 winner Fashions Afield. A colt out of city winner Sharpness, Lot 176, is closely related to recent Gr.1 winner Zougotcha; while the filly, Lot 874, is out of Lady Oracle, a halfsister to the dam of Gr.1 winner Kementari.

What makes the Magic Millions sales and races special?

“There is an intangible feeling that goes with being on the Gold Coast in summer, which almost makes it feel like a working holiday, and Magic Millions really embraces that.”

$2.2 million earner and multiple Group 1 winner, Artorius, was a Vinery graduate from the Magic Millions.

What changes would you like to see in the breeding or racing industry?

“The biggest threat in my eyes to both the breeding and racing industry is public perception. Vicky Leonard’s Kick Up has been a fantastic and much needed initiative that addresses the misinformation and misconceptions surrounding our industry and highlights the human connection with the horses. I think the next step is further promoting this information and content across a wider viewership to further educate the public, and I would like to see a collaborative racing and breeding industry approach towards that.”

Who are the most influential people in the industry today?

“Trainers. They have a direct impact over the success and management of the racehorses, which in turn influences stallion success, owner engagement, and horse welfare. We are very fortunate to have the best trainers in the world here in Australia to entrust our horses with. They also receive the most media airtime and do a great job in promoting our great sport. There is more responsibility attached than just being a horse trainer in 2024!”