TheBreed
A weekly analysis of the Australian Thoroughbred breeding industry
Bloodlines danny power
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Testa Rossa
The numbers don’t add up
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he biggest talking point among Australian breeders is what will happen with service fees in 2009. Certainly they will – must – come down in the wake of a dramatic drop in yearling sale returns, but by how much? Just as important an issue, and not getting the same degree of debate, is stallion covering numbers – they are just too high in any commercial climate, let alone this depressed one. Owners can hardly justify the covering of between 200 and 250 mares by individual stallions and expect brood mares owners to run a successful commercial outcome with the resultant progeny. In recent times, we have seen Bel Esprit (266) and Fastnet Rock (257 and 249) cover monster books. Australia’s two leading living stallions are Redoute’s Choice (2008 fee $330,000) and Encosta De Lago ($302,500). Their 2006 fees (2009 sale
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yearlings) were $270,000 and $176,000 respectively. So far from the 2009 Australia and New Zealand yearling sales Encosta De Lago has had 19 yearlings from 43 sold (44%) unable make more than the 2006 service fee (not counting pass ins). In Redoute’s Choice’s case it is six from 21 (29%). At the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale next month, these two stallions form the backbone of an entry of 500 in the green book – Redoute’s Choice will be represented by 75 youngsters, while Encosta De Lago has 71 catalogued. In 2006, Redoute’s Choice covered 224 mares for 159 live foals. Encosta De Lago served 230 mares for 173 live foals*. In 2008, Redoute’s Choice’s demand (at a fee of $330,000) waned to the point he covered a reduced book of 144 mares (partly a commercial decision by Arrowfield Stud, but also partly because of competition in the Hunter from Encosta De Lago), which is good news
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for those with Easter quality yearlings to sell in 2011. On the other hand, the drive by Coolmore Stud to gather mares for Encosta De Lago continued this season; he served 227 mares at his increased fee of $302,500 (from $220,000). Vinery Stud’s CEO Peter Orton, an astute market reader, already is envisaging a reduction in covering numbers for the Scone farm, particularly for the in-demand Testa Rossa. “No decision has been made, but I tend to think that his fee ($38,500 inc GST) will stay about the same but we will restrict his book to around 100 to 120 mares (TR averaged 150 mares in the last five years),” Orton told The Breed. The numbers are simple to imagine, with a greater chance of a quality yearling providing a greater return to a broodmare owner off a 100-cover season, than a 150-cover season. Interesting times lie ahead. *figures, studbook.com.au
Danny Power
tatue Of Liberty’s return to Victoria is a boost at a time when Victoria is looking for a sire to replace the loss to NSW of the reliable Testa Rossa (by Perugino), now standing at Vinery, Scone. Statue Of Liberty (br or blk h 2000, Storm Cat (USA)Charming Lassie (USA), by Seattle Slew (USA)) will stand at Eliza Park Stud, Kerrie, near Romsey, after he was seemingly lost to Japan, post EI. He last stood in Victoria at Blue Gum Farm, Euroa, in 2006 when he covered 72 mares at a fee of $8800. The boost in interest in Statue Of Liberty comes from the result of three very good Stakes winners from his first crop – the unbeaten rising star Mic Mac, Dan Baroness and Elysees – and the Magic Millions 3YO winner Tempest Tost. It’s a shame Blue Gum missed out on Statue Of Liberty. I believe they played all their cards to get the job done, but Eliza Park’s bid was too strong. Statue Of Liberty joins Coolmore’s Tale Of The Cat as a flag-bearer for the Storm Cat sireline in Australia, after a string of high profile flops that include the great racehorses Giant’s Causeway, Hennessy and Hennessy’s son Johannesburg. Storm Cat has 10 North American sons that have produced Group 1 winners, but the jury is out about his long-term influence on the breed outside his home country.
TheBreed
A weekly analysis of the Australian Thoroughbred breeding industry
Butch gets his Rakti
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Choisir earns his stripes Hands up those who thought Choisir’s lack of female pedigree would be his downfall as a sire ... let me continue typing with one hand. Choisir (ch h 1999, Danehill Dancer (IRE)-Great Selection, by Lunchtime (GB)) has had a wonderful 2009, siring the brilliant Group-winning 3YO fillies Champagne Harmony (ex Hansuyen, by Zabeel (NZ)) and Gold Water (ex Float (USA), by Devil’s Bag (USA), and the exceptional Stakeswinning 2YOs, WA-trained colt Kid Choisir (ex Friendly Seas, by Mister C. (USA)) and Gai Waterhouse’s Golden Slipper contender Horizons (ex Ubiquity, by Hurricane Sky). An interesting side note on Choisir’s eight Australian Stakes winners (he has 14 internationally) – five of them are bays, throwing to Danehill Dancer and his champion sire Danehill (who never sired a chestnut) rather than Choisir’s rich chestnut colour that is inherited from his dam-sire Lunchtime, and granddam-sire Biscay. Danny Power
Tawqeet calls Argentina home The 2006 Caulfield Cup winner Tawqeet (Ch h 2002, Kingmambo (USA)Caerless (IRE), by Caerleon (USA)), whose racing career ended with failure in the 2007 Melbourne Cup, had a reported initial book of 50 mares at stud in Argentina. Haras San Ignacio de Loyola in Buenos Aires Province, owned by leading Argentinian breeder Ignacio Pavlovsky, bought Tawqeet from Shadwell Stud last April. Mark Kelly, who manages Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid
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Gold Water
Al Maktoum’s Shadwell business in Australia, said he had discussed Tawqeet’s stud prospects with farms in Australia and New Zealand, but Angus Gold, who manages the sheikh’s racing and breeding interests worldwide, arranged the Argentinian deal. Tawqeet won two Group 1s over 2400m in Australia in the spring of 2006, the Caulfield Cup and the AJC The Metropolitan, two weeks earlier at Randwick. He was trained by David Hayes and ridden by Dwayne Dunn. Given the performance of Hussonet in this part of the world, it will be fascinating to see the reverse in action – an Australian Group 1 winner working the breed in South America. Stephen Howell
Elvstroem – don’t crow early The breeding doomsayers don’t need much to cross the box of a stallion who hasn’t left a significant mark with his firstseason runners, and there are doubters about Elvstroem (by Danehill), who has sired only one winner, the handy Viking Legend (ex Innocent Baby, by Jugah (USA)), trained by Gai Waterhouse. Just as we saw with Reset last year, and even Redoute’s Choice’s first crop in the
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2002-03 season, it is very dangerous to “pot” a stallion too soon, especially one with a pedigree and race performance like Elvstroem. Anyone who expected Elvstroem to leave precocious runners didn’t do their homework. I suspect that this time next year will be a different story on this wellpatronized stallion who stands at Blue Gum Farm, Euroa. Danny Power
Savabeel’s Emotion First-starter My Emotion’s win in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday was a first for New Zealand sire Savabeel, too, providing the Zabeel stallion with his initial Stakes win, and gives further hope to the future of the Sir Tristram-Zabeel sire-line, which also is being well represented by Darley’s promising young sires Reset (by Zabeel) and Lonhro (by Octagonal). The two-year-old filly, from Midnight Rock, by Rory’s Jester, was bought for $230,000 at the Magic Millions Premier Sale. She is from Savabeel’s first crop. The 2004 Cox Plate winner stands at Waikato Stud, Matamata (NZ) Stephen Howell
Seymour trainer David “Butch” Bourne is one of the more discerning buyers of yearlings. Bourne does a lot of homework and likes to shop frugally. He rarely misses a yearling sale, or yearling, in Australia and New Zealand. Bourne had one aim in 2009 – to buy a yearling from the first crop of six-times Group 1 winning international champion Rakti (by Polish Precedent USA)), who stands at Chatswood Stud, Seymour, for a $19,250 fee. Bourne’s liking for the sire has nothing to do with the close proximity of Chatswood to his Seymour stables, nor its marketing arm, but he thanks the boys at rival stud Blue Gum Farm, Euroa. “A few years back they sent me a video of Elvstroem’s racing career, and I spotted Rakti beating Elvstroem a couple of times on the CD,” he said. Bourne paid $20,000 for a chestnut colt by Rakti from the High Yield mare Perfectly Clear on Monday at the Adelaide Magic Millions Sales. Danny Power
Mac makes hay MacO’Reilly won his second Group 1 of the year on Saturday – the Skycity New Zealand Stakes (2000m) to give another Waikato Stud stallion, O’Reilly, his seventh success at the top level. MacO’Reilly (5yo br g O’Reilly (NZ)-Double Babu (NZ), by Centaine) cost $NZ40,000 at the 2006 NZB Select Yearling Sale. He is the ninth O’Reilly-Centaine cross to win a Stakes race. The other Group 1 at Ellerslie, the Ford City Diamond Stakes (1200m) for 2YOs, went to $NZ65,000 purchase Kaaptan (Bl g Kaapstad (NZ)-Fanny Black (NZ), by Chem (USA)). It was the eighth Group 1 winner for the Sir Tristam sire Kaapstad (dec.) Stephen Howell