SIRE TREND PREDICTIONS FOR 2024 SALES

Article by Trevor Marshallsea | Photos courtesy of Stud Farms

Million-dollar colt King’s Legacy, Bivouac and Ole Kirk are set to make a splash as stallions when their maiden crops go under the hammer at the 2024 yearling sales.

While known entities such as I Am Invincible, Snitzel, Zoustar and Russian Revolution are sure to create familiar excitement, with others such as Dundeel and So You Think likely to record upswings, King’s Legacy, Bivouac and Ole Kirk can be expected feature prominently amongst the clamour for first season sires. Bought for $1.4 million by prominent colts’ buyer James Harron at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale, King’s Legacy became a dual two-year-old Group 1 winner in taking the ATC Sires’ Produce-Champagne Stakes double in 2020.

The son of Redoute’s Choice recouped his hefty purchase price many times over in a deal to stand at Coolmore Stud, then became the most patronised first-season sire in Australia, covering 213 mares off a $33,000 service fee.

With 132 live foals at fertility of 75.5 per cent, and with his weanlings well found - his 15 at the Inglis Australian sale sold at 20 percent above the auction’s overall average - his yearlings are expected to be well in demand.

Darley’s dual G1 winner Bivouac, with 120 live foals off a $66,000 fee, is a quiet tip to deliver perhaps the strongest yearling average price next year, having drawn a high-quality book of mares in his first spring. He had the top two first-season lots at the Gold Coast National Weanling sale this year, in a colt from an Irish Invincible Spirit mare who fetched $275,000, and a $230,000 son of the G1-placed O’Rachael.

The stock of Vinery’s Golden Rose-Caulfield Guineas winner Ole Kirk (118 live foals at $55,000) are keenly expected, with effusive reports of a range of quality yearlings and strong weanling sale results, so too Kia Ora Stud’s Farnan (123 live foals at $55,000). Winner of the first leg of that 2020 two-year-old Triple Crown in the Golden Slipper, Farnan had the highest firstseason lot at the Australian weanling sale, a colt from a daughter of G1-winning mare Unearthly, who fetched $180,000.

Newgate Farm’s North Pacific (126/$22,000) and Widden’s Anders (120/$16,500) will also be well represented, while Kingstar Farm’s Time To Reign (61/$9,000) is expected to offer quality yearlings at the value end of the market.

I Am Invincible’s stock continues to only surge after his second general sires’ title in 2022-23, and likewise the evergreen Snitzel after he was leading two-year-old sire with his second Slipper winner this year in Shinzo And the ever-powerful Zoustar’s runs are on the board, backed by his second-placing by winners last season.

A son of Snitzel in Russian Revolution can be expected to sell strongly after he followed his first-season sires’ title of 2022 with the second season title last term, topping all categories. His seven stakes winnersincluding a first G1 victor in Randwick Guineas hero Communist - was five more than second-best.

Dundeel will almost certainly record a yearling sales rise after his underrated two-year-old siring credentials were proven again via Sires-Champagne winner Militarize - who backed that double by taking the Golden Rose in the spring.

And So You Think’s averages are also likely in for a bump after he not only ranked second to I Am Invincible on the general sires’ table for the second year running, but had his versatility shown through burgeoning sprinter Think About It.