Wherever in the world you’re breeding, the search for value goes on, and like we did yesterday with New Zealand sires, today we’ll take a look at some Australia sires that we think fall into that category.
Choisir (AUS) (by Danehill Dancer) strikes us as incredible value at Aus$27,500 when compared to some of the unproven, or barely proven, sires around. Champion 2-year-old colt in Australia, he was also a sprint champion in England, where he captured the Golden Jubilee (Eng-I) and King’s Stand Stakes (Eng-I) at the same Royal Ascot meet. A top 12 horse on the leading sire list in 2013, he has 53 stakes winners to his name, including a real superstar in Starspangledbanner, as well as champion New Zealand 2-year-old Choice Bro; Olympic Glory, a group I-winning 2-year-old in France; Obviously, a 2013 grade I winner in the U.S.; and other grade I scorers Sacred Choice and Historian.
Another $27,500 horse we’ll note is leading second season stallion Casino Prince (AUS) (by Flying Spur). One might be tempted to credit his star 3-year-old All Too Hard to his dam, who of course also produced Black Caviar, but that doesn’t account for his other first crop 3-year-olds Escado, successful in the South Australian Derby (Aus-I), group II winner Longport, or group III scorer Sookie.
Like Choisir, Starcraft (NZ) (by Soviet Star) was a champion in Australia and Europe. He started really well with a first crop that included Star Witness, who topped Australian classifications at 2 and 3, and multiple group I scorer We Can Say It Now. He hasn’t quite recaptured that form since, but he does now have 13 stakes winners to his credit, including other group scorers Hallowell Belle, Crafty Irna, Starcheeka, Lunar Rise, and Do You Think, and his “rebound crops” from the mares he covered after his bright first season are still to come. It doesn’t hurt that he’s already sired four stakes winners out of Danzig line mares, three from the Danehill branch, including Star Witness.
Magic Albert (AUS) (by Zeditave) started with mares of relatively modest quality but has show he’s a sire that can impart real class. His best include the multiple group I-winning Albert The Fat, the Randwick Guineas (Aus-I) victor Ilovethiscity, New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (NZ-I) captor Magic Cape, and South African group I scorer Fighting Warrior. Overall, eight of his 16 stakes winners are group winner, a pretty smart effort given his starting point.
Queensland-based Show a Heart (by Brave Warrior), who stands for $18,150 in 2013, is one of the last commercial representatives of the once-dominant Star Kingdom line. He’s got 18 stakes winners, and has some real “Saturday horses” on his resume, including Heart Of Dreams, who took the Australian Guineas (Aus-I) and Underwood Stakes (Aus-I); sprint star Toorak Toff, who is now bidding to extend the sire line for another generation; and Oakleigh Plate (Aus-I) hero Woorim.
It’s not a play for the faint-hearted, but the bold and the patient might take a look at Duke of Marmalade (IRE) (by Danehill) at $16,500. He started very quietly in Europe with his first 2-year-olds in 2012, but he’s come alive this spring, with six 3-year-old black-type scorers. If he follows a similar trend in Australia in 2013-14, he’ll look pretty useful at his current fee. He’s done well with Sadler’s Wells and Kenmare/Kalamoun, and Last Tycoon looks a positive too.
At the same fee as Duke of Marmalade is Domesday (AUS) (by Red Ransom). He had group I winner Pressday in his first crop and group I winner Doctor Doom in his second, and actually he has five stakes winners and nine stakes horses from only 89 foals in his first two crops. He’s another who could make a return to prominence with the better mares that his early success brought him.
Another at $16,500 is Al Maher (AUS) (by Danehill), who doesn’t look too expensive for a stallion who cracked the top 25 on the 2013 leading sires table. The close relative to Redoute’s Choice is sire of 18 stakes winners, including the group I-winning Fat Al, and group winners Majestic Music, Budriguez, All Legal, King Lionheart, Oasis Bloom, Speedy Natalie, and Marheta.
Like Domesday, Written Tycoon (by Iglesia) stands in Victoria. The grandson of Last Tycoon started at a very modest fee. He’s always sired plenty of winners, and has been among the leaders of his crop from the off, but he took it up a notch in 2013, with group II scorer Howmuchdoyouloveme, group winner Trump, and stakes winner Grand Tycoon. They’re improving with age, and his third crop is his biggest yet, so there is some upside potential here.
With Blackfriars making the leap from “undervalued” to “established” we’ll take Oratorio (by Stravinsky) as the value-for-money in horse in Western Australia. He can get a high-level horse for a stallion at his fee, as proved by the group II scorers Clueless Angel, Motion Pictures, and Gold Rock, and group scorer Waratah’s Secret.
At $9,900, Host (by Hussonet) is a top-six second season sire of 2013. His first 3-year-olds include Philippi, winner of the Tulloch Stakes (Aus-II) and Alister Clark Stakes (Aus-II), and runner-up in the Australian Derby (Aus-I).
By the same sire and also a second year stallion of 2013 is Husson (ARG) (TrueNicks), champion 2-year-old and miler in Argentina. He already has five stakes winners, including the group scorer Lucky Hussler. He’s already sired three stakes winners out of Danehill line mares, two from daughters of Redoute’s Choice.
Wherever in the world you’re breeding, the search for value goes on, and like we did yesterday with New Zealand sires, today we’ll take a look at some Australia sires that we think fall into that category.
Choisir (AUS) (TrueNicks) (by Danehill Dancer) strikes us as incredible value at Aus$27,500 when compared to some of the unproven, or barely proven, sires around. Champion 2-year-old colt in Australia, he was also a sprint champion in England, where he captured the Golden Jubilee (Eng-I) and King’s Stand Stakes (Eng-I) at the same Royal Ascot meet. A top 12 horse on the leading sire list in 2013, he has 53 stakes winners to his name, including a real superstar in Starspangledbanner, as well as champion New Zealand 2-year-old Choice Bro; Olympic Glory, a group I-winning 2-year-old in France; Obviously, a 2013 grade I winner in the U.S.; and other grade I scorers Sacred Choice and Historian.
Another $27,500 horse we’ll note is leading second season stallion Casino Prince (AUS) (TrueNicks) (by Flying Spur). One might be tempted to credit his star 3-year-old All Too Hard (AUS) (TrueNicks) to his dam, who of course also produced Black Caviar, but that doesn’t account for his other first crop 3-year-olds Escado, successful in the South Australian Derby (Aus-I), group II winner Longport, or group III scorer Sookie.
Like Choisir, Starcraft (NZ) (TrueNicks) (by Soviet Star) was a champion in Australia and Europe. He started really well with a first crop that included Star Witness (AUS) (TrueNicks), who topped Australian classifications at 2 and 3, and multiple group I scorer We Can Say It Now. He hasn’t quite recaptured that form since, but he does now have 13 stakes winners to his credit, including other group scorers Hallowell Belle, Crafty Irna, Starcheeka, Lunar Rise, and Do You Think, and his “rebound crops” from the mares he covered after his bright first season are still to come. It doesn’t hurt that he’s already sired four stakes winners out of Danzig line mares, three from the Danehill branch, including Star Witness.
Magic Albert (AUS) (TrueNicks) (by Zeditave) started with mares of relatively modest quality but has show he’s a sire that can impart real class. His best include the multiple group I-winning Albert The Fat, the Randwick Guineas (Aus-I) victor Ilovethiscity, New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (NZ-I) captor Magic Cape, and South African group I scorer Fighting Warrior. Overall, eight of his 16 stakes winners are group winner, a pretty smart effort given his starting point.
Queensland-based Show a Heart (by Brave Warrior), who stands for $18,150 in 2013, is one of the last commercial representatives of the once-dominant Star Kingdom line. He’s got 18 stakes winners, and has some real “Saturday horses” on his resume, including Heart Of Dreams, who took the Australian Guineas (Aus-I) and Underwood Stakes (Aus-I); sprint star Toorak Toff, who is now bidding to extend the sire line for another generation; and Oakleigh Plate (Aus-I) hero Woorim.
It’s not a play for the faint-hearted, but the bold and the patient might take a look at Duke of Marmalade (IRE) (TrueNicks) (by Danehill) at $16,500. He started very quietly in Europe with his first 2-year-olds in 2012, but he’s come alive this spring, with six 3-year-old black-type scorers. If he follows a similar trend in Australia in 2013-14, he’ll look pretty useful at his current fee. He’s done well with Sadler’s Wells and Kenmare/Kalamoun, and Last Tycoon looks a positive too.
At the same fee as Duke of Marmalade is Domesday (AUS) (TrueNicks) (by Red Ransom). He had group I winner Pressday in his first crop and group I winner Doctor Doom in his second, and actually has five stakes winners and nine stakes horses from only 89 foals in his first two crops. He’s another who could make a return to prominence with the better mares that his early success brought him.
Another at $16,500 is Al Maher (AUS) (TrueNicks) (by Danehill), who doesn’t look too expensive for a stallion who cracked the top 25 on the 2013 leading sires table. The close relative to Redoute’s Choice (AUS) (TrueNicks,SRO) is sire of 18 stakes winners, including the group I-winning Fat Al, and group winners Majestic Music, Budriguez, All Legal, King Lionheart, Oasis Bloom, Speedy Natalie, and Marheta.
Like Domesday, Written Tycoon (by Iglesia) stands in Victoria. The grandson of Last Tycoon started at a very modest fee. He’s always sired plenty of winners, and has been among the leaders of his crop from the off, but he took it up a notch in 2013, with group II scorer Howmuchdoyouloveme, group winner Trump, and stakes winner Grand Tycoon. They’re improving with age, and his third crop is his biggest yet, so there is some upside potential here.
With Blackfriars making the leap from “undervalued” to “established” we’ll take Oratorio (by Stravinsky) as the value-for-money in horse in Western Australia. He can get a high-level horse for a stallion at his fee, as proved by the group II scorers Clueless Angel, Motion Pictures, and Gold Rock, and group scorer Waratah’s Secret.
At $9,900, Host (by Hussonet) is a top-six second season sire of 2013. His first 3-year-olds include Philippi, winner of the Tulloch Stakes (Aus-II) and Alister Clark Stakes (Aus-II), and runner-up in the Australian Derby (Aus-I).
By the same sire and also a second year stallion of 2013 is Husson (ARG) (TrueNicks), champion 2-year-old and miler in Argentina. He already has five stakes winners, including the group scorer Lucky Hussler. He’s already sired three stakes winners out of Danehill line mares, two from daughters of Redoute’s Choice.
– See more at: http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/truenicks/archive/2013/07/30/undervalued-australian-sires.aspx#sthash.pAkaq92K.dpuf
Alan Porter
USA : +1 541 590 3303
+1 516 528 6559 (cell)
[email protected]