38 years on and Bluebloods still offers unbelievable value for Australian Thoroughbred Breeders. You still get STALLIONS 2026 for free when you subscribe for one year. STALLIONS is the industry bible and is worth the value of a subscription by itself. Then include 6 issues of Bluebloods and one MMGC souvenir edition. Value not to be missed.
National Weanling Sale
24 MAY 2026
Nat ional Broodmare Sale
26-27 MAY 2026
Nat ional Yearling Sale
1-2 JUNE 2026
Entries close 23 March 2026, catalogues released in April 2026
The extra bid lives here
Issue 2 - 2026
All roads lead to Inglis Easter 2026
The 2026 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling sees 472 lots catalogued for sale on Sunday 29th and Monday 30th March. The deepest pedigrees are always assembled by commercial breeders for Easter and this year’s offering looks a particularly strong one even by this sale’s own high standards.
There’s tremendous sire power,always a key determinant of sale outcomes, with current champion sire Zoustar and recent multiple champion sires I Am Invincible and Snitzel all with large offerings out of the nation’s finest mares. They are joined by 9 times Gr1 winning first season sire Anamoe and a truly mouth watering supporting cast of very successful sires from Australia and New Zealand
including their crack stallions Per Incanto and Proisir. The one and only Frankel has 10 lots catalogued and his Juddmonte barnmate has three as does Three Chimneys (USA) pin up Gun Runner. Add in Too Darn Hot, Ole Kirk, Dundeel, Toronado and The Autumn Sun and it’s evident there will be some fireworks in the bidding.
Inglis CEO Sebastian Hutch points out in his catalogue welcome that there are 80 lots who are the progeny of or siblings to Gr1 winners and 259 who are the progeny of or siblings to stakes winners. Those are impressive statistics and if the buying strength shown at the earlier sales in 2026 is any indication, Easter will be a blockbuster.
Lead Artist to Arrowfield for 2026
In one of the most significant shuttle acquisitions of recent years, Arrowfield has arranged to shuttle Lead Artist, Juddmonte’s Gr1 winning son of Dubawi out of the Frankel mare Obligate.
Arrowfield’s chairman John Messara says, “Lead Artist reminds me of Danehill, also
bred and raced by Juddmonte. His third dam is the greatest mare of the modern era, both his sire and broodmare sire are prepotent and, significantly, he is from a stallion-producing family.
“Add his high-class race performance, perfect size – a tick over 16 hands – and his handsome physique, and he is a compelling addition to the Arrowfield roster. And of course, we’ll be supporting him strongly with broodmares of our own.”
Arrowfield has an unmatched record for making stallions with earlier success stories for the farm including Danehill, Flying Spur, Redoute’s Choice, Not A Single Doubt and Snitzel just to name the standouts.
Lead Artist is bred on the elite Dubawi/ Frankel cross and his third dam has produced five individual Gr1 winners plus the multiple Gr1 placed champion sire Dansili. Further coverage can be found in this issue.
By Andrew Reichard
FEATURING
Emerging broodmare sires
When Frankel retired to stud, there were concerns that as a European based son of Galileo out of a mare by Danehill, he would struggle since that pedigree effectively ruled him out from crossing with daughters of that duo, then the region’s dominant stallions.
- Alan Porter p 16
Dubawi dazzles
The great Dubawi may be in the twilight of his career, but he is still delivering a steady stream of quality horses. In 2025 he sired more stakes winners (33) than any other northern hemisphere stallion.
- John Boyce p 20
(The
by
was described whilst a yearling by her trainer George Lambton as “the best animal I ever saw in my life.”
- Ken McLean p 44
Streets ahead
Street Boss is heavily linebred to the mighty Mumtaz Mahal and her dam Lady Josephine.
Mumtaz Mahal
Tetrarch-Lady Josephine
Sundridge)
Inglis Easter 2025 top lot 158 - Home Affairs - Shout the Bar: $3m
FEATURES
Inglis Melbourne Premier 2026 – Sales Analysis - Kristen Manning and Arion Pedigrees .23-31
Stud News – The Anamoe Collection - Renée Geelen 36-37
Pedigree Analysis - Street Boss - Ken McLean 44-49
Mystery Horse - Andrew Reichard .......................................................................................50
Pedigree Spotlight - Pericles - Andrew Reichard 83-84, IBC
RESULTS & STATISTICS
Australian
Australian
Australian Sire Lists and Statistics
New Zealand APEX Ratings, Stakes Winners, Indexes and Sire Lists 78-81
International Stakes Results & Bloodlines ......................................................................82
FRONT COVER: This beautiful head study of Juddmonte’s unbeaten galloper and champion sire Frankel, captures the magic of the great horse.
We all know and admire people and athletes who excel in every field, those who can turn their talents to any discipline.
Among thoroughbreds it’s Frankel, unbeaten in 14 starts, highest annual rated Timeform champion ever at 147, champion sire and already an emerging broodmare sire of note as Alan Porter describes in this issue.
Frankel has regularly covered elite mares to southern hemisphere time and his yearlings have been star attractions at Australian sales selling for up to $1.6 million at Easter. He has 10 royally bred yearlings catalogued for the 2026 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale on the 29th and 30th of March at Riverside Stables, Sydney.
More history to be made, surely……
Bluebloods
Unit 10, 3 William Banks Drive, Burleigh Heads Qld 4220 PO Box 2864, Burleigh Waters, Qld 4220
Distributed to newsagents Australiawide by Wrapaway Transport Pty Ltd, 36A 1 Fitzroy Street, Marrickville, NSW. Typeset by Bluebloods. While every care is taken in the compilation of this magazine, neither BlueBloods nor any of its agents
Lead Artist
John Messara calls it “a pedigree from heaven”an indisputable claim, given Lead Artist’s sire and dam sire are Dubawi and Frankel, the current superstars of international breeding, and his third dam is the celebrated blue hen Hasili. Add Group 1 success as a brilliant European miler and handsome good looks, and it’s no wonder the team at Arrowfield can’t wait to welcome their new Juddmonte shuttler in 2026.
by Kristen Manning
Lead Artist’s sire Dubawi won five of his eight starts with three victories in Group 1 company (and a memorable battle with Starcraft at his Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Gr1, 1600m finale).
At stud he has sired 316 stakes winners with 202 of those winning Group races; 64 in elite company. His overall strike rate sits at an impressive 75.4% whilst his stakes winner tally is an exceptional 17.1%.
Already 23 of his sons have sired stakes winners with Night Of Thunder, Too Darn Hot, Makfi, New Bay, Zarak, Ghaiyyath, Poet’s Voice, Al Kazeem, Space Blues and Willow Magic leading the way as sires of Gr1 winners. Several of those horses have fared very nicely in this part of the world with recent Group 1 horses for Too Darn Hot (Tropicus) and Ghaiyyath (Observer).
Lead Artist looks a superb acquisition for Arrowfield and Australian breeders generally and is sure to keep the noms team busy this year.
Frankel meanwhile never tasted defeat, his 14 stunning victories earning him two European Horse Of The Year titles and various other commendations. He has 172 stakes winners amongst his sons and daughters, 113 of those Group winners, 40 at Group 1 level. His stats also make great reading; a winners-to-runners ratio of 71.1% with 16.7% stakes winners. He is already doing the job as a broodmare sire with his daughters producing 22 stakes winners with Lead Artist amongst their three Group 1 horses; the Classic winners Sparkling Plenty and Zarigana the others. And now we are seeing the benefits of the Dubawi/Frankel combination; the two star stallions coming together in the pedigrees of 98 winners (69.5% winnersto-runners) with 21 of those being stakes winners; 14.8% stakes winners-to-runners. Lead Artist is one of the six Group 1 winners bred this way and the first on the specific Dubawi out of a Frankel mare cross. It’s still early days for this with nine winners amongst the first 14 runners; two others being stakes winners and another stakes placed.
Little wonder that John Messara is in raptures. “I haven’t been more excited about a stallion since Danehill,” he said, impressed enough with the Juddmonte home bred’s race record but all the more so by his stellar breeding. I haven’t seen a pedigree like this, with that level of pre-potency on both sides, anywhere,” he enthused.
The comparisons with Danehill are notable, both being Group 1 graduates of the outstanding nursery that is Juddmonte, both being sons of Champion Sires proven in their ability to sire successful stallions and both hailing from stallion making families. Racing five times, Lead Artist’s Juddmonte bred dam Obligate won her first three of only five starts, rapidly making her way through the classes winning at Listed and Group 2 level before a close up third in the Prix Rothschild-Gr1, 1600m. Lead Artist is her first foal and in producing a Group 1 horse she has continued the fine tradition of her family with her dam Responsible (by yet another Juddmonte star in Oasis Dream) being a daughter of the Listed winning legendary matriarch Hasili.
“One of the greatest mares of the modern era,” is how Messara describes Hasili who sits with Eight Carat and the South American mare Chaldee as the only mares to have produced five individual Group 1 winners. A daughter of the Epsom and Irish Derby-Gr1, 2400m winner Kahyasi, Hasili had seven of her eight runners win (all at stakes level) with Intercontinental,
Cacique, Heat Haze, Champs Elysees and Banks Hill between them securing 12 Group 1 victories.
Meanwhile her triple Group winning son Dansili was a great success for Juddmonte, that six time Group 1 placed Danehill horse well represented by 153 stakes winners including 24 Gr1 winners. Also dam of the Group 3 filly Deluxe, Hasili is ancestress of another 12 stakes winners with Romantica, Mirage Dancer and Belbek joining Lead Artist as Group 1 winners. Three of her sons sired stakes winners as have another five of her descendants with Dansili, Champs Elysees, Cacique, Raise The Flag and Ideal World all siring Gr1 horses.
As would be expected by a horse with such elite breeding, Lead Artist is also a very good looking horse with Messara taken by his “handsome physique.”
As would be expected by a horse with such elite breeding, Lead Artist is also a very good looking horse with Messara taken by his “handsome physique.” The stud’s Jon Freyer headed to the UK to inspect the horse and was impressed, describing him as “a lovely, well balanced individual standing at just over 16 hands.” Juddmonte’s Simon Mockridge is of course also a fan, noting that Lead Artist possesses “great balance, strength and movement.”
Lead Artist’s race record also impresses, Messara always happy to stand a high class 1600m horse. “When you get a top European miler you’ve got a tip-top horse,” he said. “A miler gives you good versatility. You can send shorter distance mares to him and get a sprinter, or mares with more stamina to get a trip,” he said, adding that Arrowfield will be supporting Lead Artist with their own mares. “I think he’ll be a very good commercial horse as well as turning into something pretty special as a stallion. We are delighted to be doing business with Juddmonte again,” Messara added, noting that “there hasn’t been a time frame set on his shuttling but it’s a long term situation. They take a long term view on their breeding programmes and so do we.”
Debuting in a Newmarket mile maiden in mid-April 2024, the John and Thady Gosden trained Lead Artist was strong to the line off a slow start, only just failing to pick up First Conquest who would go on to enjoy Group 3 success in Dubai. On the strength of that promising debut performance
Lead Artist was, a month later, favourite in a slightly shorter contest at York. Away better this time, he was always prominent in running and from the 200m was off and away, his margin a smart 4 3/4 lengths.
“He pulled nicely clear in the last furlong, that was most impressive,” John Gosden said on the day, describing his charge as “a grand horse.”
Two months later tried in stakes company for the first time, the Listed Henry Cecil Stakes at Newmarket, Lead Artist was a solid third behind two more experienced horses who’d already won at stakes level. Sent to Goodwood a few weeks later and the still improving Lead Artist showed plenty of heart in the Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes-Gr3, 1600m; taken on from a long way out but digging deep. “He is very much a horse on an upward curve,” Gosden said whilst jockey Kieran Shoemark (celebrating his 500th winner) noted that “he pricked his ears in front but was giving everything I wanted.”
Favourite in a Group 2 race at Doncaster the following month, Lead Artist was a fighting second behind the more seasoned Group 1 galloper Kinross. Back at Newmarket a month later, as the only three year-old in the race, he proved 1 1/2 lengths too strong for the favourite Liberty Lane (a horse still holding up the form lines having easily won a Listed race at Newmarket last December) in the Darley Stakes-Gr3, 1700m. “He has improved dramatically both physically and mentally and I think next year will be an exciting time for him,” Gosden predicted. A trip to Bahrain was next for Lead Artist and he was tough in the Bahrain International Trophy-Gr2, 2000m, gamely splitting the classy campaigners Spirit Dancer (who had won the same race 12 months previously) and Calif.
An uncharacteristically poor performance kicked off his next campaign, but he was quick to put that behind him as he tackled elite company for the first time; the prestigious Lockinge Stakes-Gr1, 1600m at Newbury. This is a race with an impressive honour roll and Lead Artist was certainly bred to win it. He was the third Lockinge winning son of Dubawi (after Night Of Thunder and Modern Games) whilst Frankel was successful in 2012.
Lead Artist retired to Juddmonte with an impressive record of four wins from 11 starts. That the Dubawi/Frankel combination is faring so well is of no surprise with the male strength they share (Mr Prospector, Raise A Native, Northern Dancer, Buckpasser, Native Dancer, Hail To Reason) supported by the duplication of three great mares.
It was a race in which Lead Artist (his sire’s 61st Group 1 winner) was able to show both speed and heart, making the pace and finding plenty when challenged by the favourite Dancing Gemini who’d easily won his two previous races in strong company. And in third placing was Rosallion who was coming off Group 1 mile victories in the Irish 2000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes. The form from that race continues to hold up, the fourth placed Notable Speech winning the Woodbine Mile Stakes-Gr1 and the Breeders Cup Mile-Gr1 at his last two starts whilst sixth home was Fallen Angel who won three Group 1 races in a row between August and October last year. Even the horse who ran last, Persica, was able to win a Group 3 race at his next outing.
“He’s got a great deal of talent,” John Gosden said, putting down Lead Artist’s previous defeat to the rain affected going. “He likes summer, fast ground and he showed that today. He’s a powerful horse with a lot of speed,” he said, noting the quality of the Lockinge Stakes - “it was such an elite race that if you finished in the first four, you’re a high-class horse.” The win was the first Group 1 success for the Oisin Murphy/Juddmonte combination with the jockey admitting to being pleasantly surprised by the strength of the win. “I was really taken aback by him. He has a great demeanour and shows a lot of guts.”
Lead Artist retired to Juddmonte with an impressive record of four wins from 11 starts. That the Dubawi/Frankel combination is faring so well is of no surprise with the male strength they share (Mr Prospector, Raise A Native, Northern Dancer, Buckpasser, Native Dancer, Hail To Reason) supported by the duplication of three great mares. Frankel’s dam sire Danehill is line-bred to his own third dam Natalma, the dam of Northern Dancer whilst Dubawi’s Juddmonte bred dam sire Deploy is a member of the Never Bend sire line. That horse has always picked up extremely well on strains of his half-brother Bold Reason, dam sire of Frankel’s grandsire Sadler’s Wells. The resulting in breeding to the mare Lalun is one of the most powerful
pedigree factors driving the development of the modern thoroughbred. And Deploy is a grandson of the Reine-de-Course mare Where You Lead, a Group 3 winning Epsom Oaks-Gr1, 2400m runner-up whose daughter Slightly Dangerous (also a Group 3 winning Oaks runner-up) produced three Group 1 horses. Another of Where You Lead’s Group 3 daughters in I Will Follow was also represented by a topliner in Rainbow Quest, Frankel’s second dam sire.
Dubawi and Lead Artist’s high achieving second dam sire Oasis Dream have also combined nicely in the pedigrees of 14 stakes winners noting that the former’s second dam sire is the latter’s dam sire, that horse being the great Dancing Brave. Both Oasis Dream and Dancing Brave stood at Juddmonte and exemplify the strength and depth of the elite Juddmonte gallopers. Dubawi loves Lead Artist’s third dam sire Kahyasi as well, he and his sons siring 37 stakes winners including six Group 1 horses out of a mare carrying that strain. There is much about Lead Artist’s pedigree to excite Australian breeders. The statistics
LEAD ARTIST (GB) Bay colt, 2021
Seeking the Gold
Dubai Millennium
DUBAWI (IRE) B 2002
OBLIGATE B 2016
Dancer
for southern hemisphere born horses for both Dubawi (75.4% winners-to-runners, 17.1% stakes winners; six Group 1 winners amongst 22 stakes winners) and Frankel (71.1%, 16.7%; two Group 1 winners amongst ten stakes winners) read well and he is an easy horse to mate.
Strains of Fairy King (such as Encosta de Lago) suit, he being a brother to Frankel’s grandsire Sadler’s Wells whose 3/4 brother Nureyev is the dam sire of Zabeel. And that great stallion’s son Lonhro is out of a mare by Straight Strike who hails from the same Genevra M family as Lead Artist.
Giant’s Causeway is also from this female line whilst the family from which Dubawi hails is worth looking out for with his fourth dam Sunbittern (grandam of In The Wings) a proven line-breeding force. Strains of Bianconi and Timber County (sons of Dubai Millennium’s high achieving dam Fall Aspen) are of interest with mares by the former’s son Nicconi also providing the chance to further duplicate Where You Lead via her grandson Scenic.
BB
Mr. Prospector Con Game
Shareef Dancer
Fall Aspen
Shirley Heights
Slightly Dangerous
Dancing Brave High Tern
Sadler’s Wells Urban
Danehill (USA)
Rainbow
Desert
Frankly these are rare opportunities
by Andrew Reichard
It is easy to take for granted just how fortunate Australian breeders have been to be able take advantage of the opportunities Juddmonte in Newmarket has offered in recent years by making the services of Frankel available to southern hemisphere time.
This is not your everyday stallion, it’s the peerless Frankel, rated one of the greatest thoroughbreds in the entire history of the breed.
Whether you consider his unbeaten 14 start career, or his 147 annual Timeform rating which is higher than that of Sea Bird, Brigadier Gerard, Tudor Minstrel, Flightline, Mill Reef, Ribot et al, or his 17% stakes winners to runners, or his 4% Gr1 winners to runners, there is industry leading excellence every which way you look. And as Alan Porter points out elsewhere in this issue, Frankel is now a broodmare sire to watch.
Juddmonte has been a very strong supporter of the Australian breeding industry over the past decade, with General Manager Simon Mockridge commenting, “The undefeated Champion over three seasons, Frankel has now established himself as one of the most successful and important stallions in the world. He is the epitome of more than 40 years of Juddmonte’s selective approach to racing and breeding, and it is this reputation for excellence which will be maintained and enhanced. The international success achieved by Frankel’s progeny is a reminder that his influence, and that of Juddmonte, will be felt for years to come. We have been particularly grateful and appreciative of the Southern Hemisphere support for the stallion and wish the breeders and vendors at the forthcoming Easter Inglis sales the very best of luck with their Frankel-sired yearlings.”
Frankel yearlings have been offered at several of the major yearling sales in Australia on a regular basis and there are 10 catalogued for the 2026 Inglis Easter Sale. The newly emerged thoroughbred powerhouse Yulong will offer seven, Arrowfield, Coolmore and Lime Country will offer one each.
Whichever way you examine the Frankel offering, opportunities abound, with seven fillies, four of which are first foals from wonderful families and three colts with the same early credentials. The fillies are noteworthy for the fact that females from the finest families in the northern hemisphere
tend to be very tightly held by leading breeders with opportunities to buy fillies by Frankel out of such families either rare or non-existent.
The first Frankel into the ring for Yulong sets the tone for the rest, as Lot 96 she is the first foal of Gr2 winner Silent Sovereign from the highly regarded “Silent” family packed with stakes winners from the immediate female line of triple Gr1 producer Micheline whose dam is triple Gr1 producer Dulcie. Arguably the best family in the book.
Whichever way you examine the Frankel offering, opportunities abound...
Lot 271 from Coolmore is another filly first foal from a family nurtured by Richard Henry with 3rd dam being the Gr1 winning and Gr1 producing Irish filly Quarter Moon.
Lot 278 is next from Arrowfield, this time the second foal of a stakes placed daughter of Constitution from the family of champion Fantastic Light.
Then comes another filly from Yulong as Lot 302, this time a half-sister to Gr2 winner and Gr1 4th Turaath and with her first two dams both Gr3 winners.
Lot 319 is the first of two colts, both first foals from Yulong. This one is a half-brother to Hong Kong HOTY Designs On Rome.
He is followed by Lot 378 out of the stakes winning I Am Invincible mare Lady Hamana, his grandam being a half-sister to Gr1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Sobetsu whose daughter English Rose by Frankel, and thus bred on a similar pattern to this colt, was joint champion older female miler in GB in 2024.
Jo and Greg Griffin’s Lime Country presents the next Frankel, a filly and the first foal of stakes placed Golden Horn mare Luna Dorada
from a wonderful Gr1 family that includes Gr1 St Leger and Gr1 Racing Post Trophy winner Brian Boru and Gr1 Prix de Royallieu winning filly Loving Dream.
Yulong furnishes the conclusion with three superb offerings led in order by Lot 448 a filly out of Gr1 NZ Oaks winner More Than Sacred who has already produced Japanese Gr1 winner Durezza. This is the family of Salsabil, Marju, Flame Of Tara, Kneller and Northern Spur. Breeders looking for a foundation mare are sure to engage in a tussle for this princess. Then comes a colt Lot 460 who is the first foal of stakes winning Exceed And Excel mare Natural Colour from the family of champions Sagamix (Arc winner), Sagacity (Criterium de Saint-Cloud), Japan (York International S) and Perfect Power (Royal Ascot Commonwealth Cup). This family already contains several successful sires, why couldn’t this colt be next.
The Frankel offering ends with a flourish as Lot 465 is another filly, the first foal of an unraced half-sister to stakes winner Ennaado, the dam of multiple Gr3 winner and ATC Oaks Gr1 third My Wisper. Which is very exciting because that makes this filly a ¾ sister to My Whisper. An investment quality filly if ever there was one.
On a visit to England last September I was fortunate enough to visit Juddmonte and be able to attend a stallion parade for a small group of clients and agents. Having seen all of Frankel’s victories several times on video, of which I never tire, I was expecting to see a beautiful specimen. But the reality was even better than the image, Frankel was majestic, rippling with muscle and as cool and collected as could be. His great width across his back and quarters where the driving power comes from was even more evident in the flesh and his relaxed demeanor belied the fact that in his early racing days he had been somewhat keen to get on with it. Now he has all the time in the world, lord and master of all he surveys. Frankel is consistently passing on the qualities that made him great and his 2026 Inglis Easter yearlings are set to be a highlight of this showcase sale.
Galileo - Kind (Danehill)
Invincible Spirit - Zenda (Zamindar)
Only three active European-based stallions have sired Gr.1 winners in Europe, USA, Australia and Japan
Two of them stand at Juddmonte
Contact Ed Sackville, Shane Horan or Tom Parry +44 (0)1638 731115 | nominations@juddmonte.co.uk www.juddmonte.com
Clarry Conners
by Kristen Manning
On February 22 family and friends gathered at the Inglis Warwick Farm hotel, sharing memories, watching replays of Golden Slippers. The hotel’s rooms are named in honour of great Inglis graduates and six of those were trained by the person this party was celebrating.
It was the eve of Clarry Conners’ 80th birthday, and what a remarkable career they had to toast! On his actual birthday Clarry generously took the time to have a chat with us about those 80 years, how he has filled them up with great horses, good friends and a loving family and how he is still enjoying his racing life.
Clarry isn’t quite sure how his father Clarry first became involved with horses but from day one he was a natural. He was not from a horse background (his father worked in the mines) but Clarry’s affinity with horses was soon recognised and he was given the problem children to break in; those who others couldn’t get going. And that led to him being given a difficult horse to train and when he won with that horse, other opportunities arose.
Working in a factory whilst training, Clarry (Snr) had three boxes at Cessnock which enabled his son to grow up around horses and from a young age he was at the stables, fondly remembering trips around the state to various racetracks. A move to Warwick Farm saw the father and son team train a few more horses and in January 1968 Clarry (Jnr) cheered home his first winner as a trainer, Coney Princess in a Kembla Grange maiden. “I had a few winners and rented a few more boxes. And then the house became available so we rented that,” recalls Clarry chuckling as he recalled that “it was pretty old and run down!” They were not easy years for Clarry and his wife Maree whom he met at a Liverpool dancing studio, but as with all young trainers the hope that a good horse would come along was always there. And one did.
“Bless his heart,” Clarry said of Victory Prince, the Newhaven Park bred colt who defeated Red Anchor in the 1984 AJC Sires Produce StakesGr.1, 1400m. It was a bit of family knowledge that saw Clarry secure the chestnut whose older brother Derive had been a member of the stable. “He was very fast but he was a wobbler. He had trouble getting around turns so I took him down to Melbourne and he won a couple of races down the straight.”
With that horse’s talent in mind, Clarry was happy to part with $30,000 for Victory Prince, racing him with friends; the profits from his racing career and sale enabling the trainer to buy the stables and house. Which he named after the horse that made it all possible; Victory Lodge.
Victory Prince was a horse of firsts, providing Clarry with his first Group 1 win and seven years later with the first of his four Golden Slippers-Gr1, 1200m. One of the 29 members of Victory Prince’s first crop, Tierce caught Clarry’s eye at the 1990 Inglis Classic but the colt’s breeder Richard Turnley was happy to keep hold of him.
Delighted to be given the horse to train, Clarry was so confident in Tierce’s ability that he decided to run in him the Silver Slipper StakesGr2, 1100m at debut. It was not a winning start but Clarry remembers Robert Thompson reporting that “those horses who beat him today, they won’t ever finish in front of him again.” Tierce would go on to win 11 of his next 12 starts.
Being inducted into the Australian Racing Hall Of Fame (2023) was another unforgettable moment with Clarry noting that “it is not something you even dream about; it was pretty special.”
For weeks the Slipper lead-up had been all about him and Bold Promise; a colt vs filly vibe with Clarry being ‘very cocky!’ “I was confident in the idea that a good colt would always beat a good filly,” he said, laughing as he had to reverse his thoughts just 12 months later (more on that soon). Tierce won the Golden Slipper at his eighth start, going on to secure victory in all three legs of Sydney’s juvenile Triple Crown; the first since Luskin Star in 1977. Also winning his first three races at three, Tierce headed to stud with a record that Clarry said “would have him called a superstar nowadays!” Clarry speaks well of Tierce’s temperament, noting the similarities he had with his sire.
“They were both lovely, kind colts.”
Kind was not the word he used to describe his second Slipper winner, Clarry having to turn around his good colts vs good fillies idea when Burst proved herself to be the best of her season’s juveniles. She was, her trainer recalled “very cranky” with Clarry having a vivid memory of a day when she didn’t actually get to the barriers.
“She was due to race at Newcastle but she dropped Shane (Dye) and away she went. She got out onto the road. The police were blocking off traffic whilst the clerks were trying to catch her. She went a kilometre down the road to a service station. The workers there caught her and brought her back to the track. She didn’t have even a scratch on her and she went on to win the Triple Crown!”
Six years later Clarry was back in the Slipper winner’s stall with Prowl who was very different in stature. “He was gelded early because he was very big,” he said though he did have something in common with Burst; also ditching a rider in the early stages of his career. “I took him down to Melbourne for the Maribyrnong Plate-Gr2,1000m. On the way to the barriers he spun around and dropped Darren (Beadman) but luckily he caught him and he was ok to race.” Only just beaten by Catnipped, Prowl was unplaced in the Blue Diamond-Gr1, 1200m but in Sydney was able to win the Skyline Stakes-Gr3, 1200m enroute to his big day at Rosehill.
The fourth of Clarry’s Golden Slipper winners provided not only her trainer with one of his most memorable moments, but one for the ages
for all racing fans. That horse being, of course, Belle du Jour. With wins in the Kindergarten Stakes-Gr3, 1100m and the Reisling Slipper Trial-Gr2, 1200m, Belle du Jour was well in the Slipper market. Fancied enough to have racing fans across the country moan in disbelief as she blew the start. “I also had De France in the race so after that I concentrated on him.” But Clarry’s eyes switched back to the girl in the Singleton silks as she started to make a run in the straight. “I thought, gee she is going to run a nice race after all. Then I thought gee she might place. And then bang, she was there!”
The aftermath is something that Clarry will never forget with John Singleton famously shouting the bar whilst Bob Hawke and Blanche D’Alpuget “were jumping up and down, running around kissing everyone in sight! It was a big day and a big night,” Clarry said, remembering still being on course at 9.30 and ringing a nearby restaurant owner who he trained for. “He said ‘leave it with me’ and when 35 of us arrived at about 10.30 he had the tables full of seafood for us. It was a pretty special night.”
That race keeps amazing me. Every time I watch it I see just how far back she was. It’s amazing how horses, like humans, can have that one moment in their lives that is just so special. Getting them to repeat it is pretty hard,” he noted, though Belle du Jour did prove herself to be a genuine Gr1 sprinter with a Newmarket Handicap-Gr1 win three years later.
Clarry’s Slipper horses are amongst his 39 Group 1 wins with another star being Research. “She was something else,” he said of the Australian Horse Of The Year winner whose three year-old season saw her win the VRC Oaks-Gr1, 2500m and the AJC Oaks-Gr1, 2400m; her win in the latter coming just four days after she successfully took on the boys in the AJC Derby-Gr1, 2400m. “I had trained her dam Outing for the Kellys and I was keen to get her daughter.” It was fortunate that Research, whose sixth dam was a sister to Phar Lap, was as good as she was as her personality was not endearing. “Oh she was horrible!” Clarry said. “If she saw a horse behind her she’d run backwards just to kick it.”
“When she won the Derby I tried to put the rose garland over her neck and she was having none of that, she took off in the yard with Mick (Dittman) hanging on and cursing, and there were roses flying everywhere!” A nicer Classic filly was Arborea, the 1000 GuineasGr1, 1600m and VRC Oaks winner who had “nothing quirky about her. She was just a lovely filly.” But one who broke the rules. “She had all the things you’d say you don’t want in a horse. She turned out badly, her knees were offset; I remember a vet looking at her one day and saying her legs were twisted!”
Another VRC Oaks heroine in Dear Demi was “a lovely mare who could be a bit cranky. She raced during a period of pretty good horses and she performed well against them.” A son of Tierce, Encounter nearly provided Clarry with another Triple Crown winner, looming up to win the Slipper only to duck out close to home; coming again to only just miss.
“Shane (Dye) stopped riding him with the
whip and just showed it to him, I think he saw it in the corner of his eye.” Clarry admits that it was a defeat that took a bit of getting over but Encounter went on to win the Sires, the Champagne and another four Group 1s.
Whilst these horses all quickly showed that they had something special, Rose Archway was one that Clarry admits snuck up on him a bit. She was in Melbourne under the care of Marc, at her fifth start winning a Sale maiden.
“He said ‘I think she might be pretty good’ so we ran her in the Angus Armanasco Stakes-Gr2, 1600m which she won. I thought I’d better get her to Sydney and she won the AJC Oaks.” Clarry had a chuckle about that day.
“I took the wrong set of silks. They were the same colours but a different combination and nobody noticed!”
We’ve mentioned a lot of classy horses but for Clarry there is really one stand-out. Mouawad.
“He was a superstar, very fast and the quietest colt in the world. A beautiful horse who was
different to his brother (Octagonal). He had short cannons, short pasterns and the big shoulder of a sprinter.” Beaten only once in eight starts, at his last three outings taking out Group 1 races, Mouawad was favourite for the Doncaster Handicap-Gr1, 1600m, looking unbeatable. “On the Thursday he bumped his tendon entering the pool. It was only a minor thing but we had to scratch.” So minor, Clarry said, that he regrets telling Mouawad’s owners, dismayed when they announced he would be retired. “I was so cranky about that!” Clarry hoped, once it was once discovered that Mouawad was infertile, to get him back into work, admitting to being quite despondent when instead the horse was sent to China. Mouawad is amongst Clarry’s favourite horses but he has soft spots for them all, with varying reasons. “Belle du Jour, not just because of her Slipper win but because she took me to Dubai. And Research, one of the highlights of my career was the Horse Of The Year ceremony. It was at Flemington and I remember Maree and I walking in with the spotlights on us
and everything decorated in her colours. The Governor was there, it was a big night.”
Being inducted into the Australian Racing Hall Of Fame (2023) was another unforgettable moment with Clarry noting that “it is not something you even dream about; it was pretty special.”
Clarry is not too far off another milestone, at the time of this interview being just seven wins shy of an impressive 1500 win tally. He has a dozen horses in work and loves the challenges training presents - “I am still learning something new every day.” He relishes the thrill of watching owners enjoy their wins, noting that “it doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from or what you do, when you win a race you go off your head! I love seeing that excitement.” Watching his son Marc and grandson Mitchell cheer home winners also gives Clarry much joy as he said “knowing that the Conners name will be around for a few more years yet is very satisfying.”
That’s Clarry Conners to a T, 80 years young.
Clarry with Mouawad
Happy days for Maree and Clarry
Mouawad, one of Clarry’s favourites
1991 Golden Slipper presentation for Tierce
Clarry (l) Maree (c) Clarry Snr (r)
Victory Prince, the horse who put Clarry on the map
BROODMARE Emerging Sires
by Alan Porter
Frankel is off to a fast start as a broodmare sire just as he has been in every other endeavour.
Shamardal and his son Lope de Vega are two to watch.
Frankel was the youngest stallion in the top 40 on the British Broodmare Sire list in 2025, and only three horses – Galileo, Dansili and Dubawi – were represented by more individual stakes winners in this role than Frankel’s total of eight.
When Frankel retired to stud, there were concerns that as a European based son of Galileo out of a mare by Danehill, he would struggle since that pedigree effectively ruled him out from crossing with daughters of that duo, then the region’s dominant stallions. The Jeremiads penned on the subject proved to be well off the mark, however, as he’s emerged as one of Europe’s stallion elite, and from his first nine Northern Hemisphere crops of racing age he has 162 stakes winners, 107 group and graded, no less than 37 group or grade one. He’s added another 10 Southern Hemisphere-sired black-type scorers, including the Australian grade one winners Hungry Heart and Converge.
Frankel was the youngest stallion in the top 40 on the British Broodmare Sire list in 2025, and only three horses – Galileo, Dansili and Dubawi – were represented by more individual stakes winners in this role than Frankel’s total of eight. So far, with his first stakes winners as a broodmare sire foaled in 2019, Frankel is broodmare sire of 22 stakes winners, 13 graded. Three have scored at the highest level: Prix de Diane-French Oaks (Gr1) victress Sparkling Plenty (one of three stakes winners by Kingman out of Frankel mares); Zarigana, successful in the Poule d’Essai de Pouliches-French 1,000 Guineas (Gr1), and a daughter of Siyouni (giving a reverse of the successful Siyouni/Galileo cross, which combines the three-quarters brothers Nureyev and Sadler’s Wells); and Lead Artist, one of a trio by Dubwai on the cross, and winner of the Lockinge Stakes (Gr1).
There are already five stakes winners by Sunday Silence line stallions out of Frankel mares, two by Study of Man. Sunday Silence was by Halo, and there are also two stakes winners by Lope de Vega (inbred to Halo via his daughter’s son, Machiavellian) out of Frankel mares. We’ll also note a pair of sibling stakes winners in South Africa by Heavenly Blue, a son of Snitzel (this duo having Danehill 4x4x4 and Sadler’s Wells 4x4), pointing to the potential of the plethora of Danehill line sires to cross with Australian-based Frankel line mares; and the very promising 2025 juvenile,
Nighttime, but the late Wootton Bassett. We mentioned Lope de Vega as working over Frankel, and the son of Shamardal is doing a good job as following in the hoofsteps of his sire as a standout broodmare sire. Winner of the Prix du Jockey-Club-French Derby (Gr1) and Poule d’Essai des Poulains-French 2,000 Guineas (Gr1), Lope de Vega has an interesting pedigree, as he is inbred 3x3 to Machiavellian (whose own dam Coup de Folie is 3x3 to Almahmoud, granddam of Halo and Northern Dancer). Lope de Vega has sired no less than 140 Northern Hemisphere stakes winners, 77 group or graded, and 21 group or grade one, including Look de Vega, who followed his sire as winner of the Prix du Jockey-Club. He also served to some effect in Australia, where his 19 blacktype scorers included Santa Ana Lane, Vega Magic, Gytrash and Vega One. As a broodmare sire, Lope de Vega already has 25 stakes winners, 16 group or graded, although oddly, nothing at group or grade one level yet. Galileo has worked through Frankel (two stakes winners), Waldgeist and Nathaniel, and his fellow Sadler’s Wells son, Montjeu, has also scored, via Camelot. Dubawi is sire of a stakes winner out of a Lope de Vega mare, and Dubawi sons New Bay and Night of Thunder have succeeded at group level with Lope de Vega mares. There is also a group winner by a son of Galileo’s half-brother Sea The Stars. Given Lope de Vega’s double Machiavellian, Danehill (inbred to Almahmoud’s daughter) is a natural, and there are already three group winners by Danehill line stallions out of Lope de Vega mares. By way of contrast, going for three crosses of Machiavellian has produced black-type winners by Dark Angel and Mehmas (both by Acclamation out of Machiavellian mares).
We mentioned a Sea The Stars group winner out of a Lope de Vega mare, and Sea The Stars is by Cape Cross, a son of Green Desert. The Green Desert line has flourished here in general, and there are black-type winners by Kheleyf, as well as Kingman, Lawman, Shalaa and Brazen Beau (all from the Invincible Spirit branch).
Leading Progeny for Frankel as a broodmare sire
SPARKLING PLENTY (21f, Kingman, Dashing Blade). 5 wins from 1600m to 2100m, A$1,398,838, 1st Chantilly Prix de Diane, Gr.1, Chantilly Prix de Sandringham, Gr.2, Marseille Borely Prix Delahante, L, Chantilly Prix du Coeur des Princes. LEAD ARTIST (21c, Dubawi, Oasis Dream). 4 wins from 1584m to 1810m, A$1,097,638, 1st Newbury Lockinge S., Gr.1, Goodwood Thoroughbred S., Gr.3, Newmarket Darley S., Gr.3, York Darley S. ZARIGANA (22f, Siyouni, Zamindar). 4 wins from 1400m to 1600m, A$1,329,922, 1st ParisLongchamp Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, Gr.1, ParisLongchamp Prix d’Aumale, Gr.3, ParisLongchamp Prix de la Grotte, Gr.3, Chantilly Prix de la Butte Blanche.
MOZU MEIMEI (20f, Real Impact, Empire Maker). 5 wins from 1000m to 1600m, A$1,913,014, 1st Hanshin Tulip Sho, Gr.2, Niigata Ibis Summer Dash, Gr.3, Kyoto Aoi S., Gr.3, 3rd Chukyo Sankei Sho Centaur S., Gr.2, Kokura TV Nishinippon Corporation Sho Kitakyushu Kinen, Gr.3 EYDON (19c, Olden Times, Kris S). 3 wins from 1810m to 2414m, A$479,947, 1st Milano Gran Premio del Jockey Club, Gr.2, Newbury Aston Park S., Gr.3, Newmarket Feilden S., L.
TRUST (22c, Heavenly Blue, Fastnet Rock). 2 wins from 1200m to 1600m, A$91,210, 1st Turffontein Dingaans H., Gr.2.
NOBLE TRUTH (19g, Kingman, Dashing Blade). 4 wins from 1408m to 1413m, A$383,113, 1st Royal Ascot Jersey S., Gr.3, Newmarket King Charles II S., L, Doncaster Flying Scotsman S., L, Newmarket Weatherbys Bloodstock 2YO Maiden S.
SCENIC (20f, Lope de Vega, Zafonic). 3 wins from 2385m to 2787m, A$398,957, 1st York Bronte Cup, Gr.3, York Galtres S., L, 2nd Haydock Lancashire Oaks, Gr.2, Goodwood Daisy Warwick S., L, Ascot Heros Novice S.
NIGHTTIME (23c, Wootton Bassett, Oasis Dream). 3 wins at 1400m, A$317,255, 1st ParisLongchamp Prix La Rochette, Gr.3, Deauville Prix Roland de Chambure, L, Saint-Cloud Prix Arbele.
TRUTH (21c, Heavenly Blue, Fastnet Rock). 5 wins from 1000m to 1400m, A$60,098, 1st Turffontein National Currency Sprint, Gr.3, Turffontein Gauteng Guineas Day S., Vaal TC Youcanbetonus S.
TADEJ (23g, Ardad, Manduro). 2 wins from 1200m to 1207m, A$137,967, 1st Deauville Prix de Cabourg, Gr.3, York Irish Thoroughbred Marketing S.
HALFDAY (21f, Lope de Vega, Oasis Dream). 2 wins from 1600m to 2100m, A$100,012, 1st SaintCloud Prix Cleopatre, Gr.3, Chantilly Prix du Jardin des Cascades.
ZANZOUN (22f, Dubawi, Pivotal). 2 wins from 1408m to 1421m, A$127,609, 1st Newmarket Nell Gwyn S., Gr.3.
Before leaving Europe we’ll give honorary mention to a few other stallions. Sea The Stars, who as we’ve said is half-brother to Galileo – both out of the great mare Urban Sea - is exceptional and as a still serving stallion (at a fee of 300,000 Euros this year) already has 61 stakes winners out of his daughters, 33 group and graded, 11 of them group and grade one. Australia is bred on a reverse cross to Sea The Stars, as he’s by Galileo out of the great mare Ouija Board, a daughter of Sea The Stars’s sire, Cape Cross. The first stakes winners out of daughters of Australia are only foals of 2021, but he already has 10 stakes winners as a broodmare sire, no less that seven of which are group or graded, including group one winner Lazzat. Kingman is a product of the same Green Desert/Mr. Prospector cross as Sea The Stars, and is closely related to a very good broodmare sire in Oasis Dream (whose sire and dam are grandsire and granddam of Kingman). The same age as Australia, Kingman is just getting going as a broodmare sire, but there are already four stakes winners, two group, out of his daughters.
Moving to North America, the standout young broodmare sire is Uncle Mo. He passed at the end of 2024, when he was just 16 years-olds, which means his final crop are yearlings of 2026. He was well established as one of the sire elite, but he’s also shaping as an exceptional second generation influence.
The Champion Two Year-Old Male of 2010, Uncle Mo is an outcross for most commercial sire lines as he stems from the Caro line, via Siberian Express and Indian Charlie. Uncle Mo sired a world record 25 individual stakes winners in his first crop, and he’s now represented by 118 stakes winners, 64 group or graded, including Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Gr1) and Kentucky Derby (Gr1) victor, Nyquist, now a leading sire in his own right. Nyquist is one of 16 grade one winner by Uncle Mo, the others including such as Belmont Stakes (Gr1) scorer Mo Donegal, as well as Adare Manor, Bast, Mo Forza, Gold Pal, Dream Tree, Kingsbarns, Yaupon and Mo Town
A promising sire of sires, Uncle Mo has also charged up the broodmare sire ranks, and his daughters have already produced 37 stakes winners, 20 group and graded, and seven grade one. Crosses with Medaglia d’Oro and Fast Anna, son of Medaglia d’Or, produced back-to-back Champion U.S. Three Year-Old Fillies Thorpedo Anna and Nitrogen. Last year’s Preakness Stakes (Gr1) victor Journalism
and the grade one winner Muth, are by Curlin and his son Good Magic out of Uncle Mo mares. The other grade one winners in the U.S. are turf sprinter, Howard Wolowitz, by Munnings, a son of Speightstown, from the Gone West line, and Geaux Rocket Ride, by Candy Ride. In Australia, he has a grade one winner out of one of his daughters in the VRC Oaks (Gr1) heroine Strictly Business (by Grunt). In addition, in Australia, he’s also broodmare sire of black type winners Sabaj (by Manhattan Rain) and Platinum Attack (by Santos, a son of I Am Invincible).
Another American horse to shuttle to Australia, although rather more impactfully than Uncle Mo, was Street Sense. The first horse to capture both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Gr1) and Kentucky Derby (Gr1), Street Sense is by Street Cry, a Machiavellian son, who actually lifted an Australian Sire’s crown. Although not as successful a Street Cry, Street Sense did leave 12 Australian sired stakes winners, including grade one scorers Hallowed Crown, Dixie Blossoms, Sense of Occasion and Politeness. He also has 96 Northern Hemisphere stakes winners, nine grade one, including the young sires McKinzie, Maxfield and Speaker’s Corner.
As a broodmare sire, Street Sense has been a continually growing presence, and an international one at that. As far as grade one winners go, In Europe he’s broodmare sire of Champion Roaring Lion, by Kitten’s Joy, from the Sadler’s Wells line; in the U.S., multiple grade one winner Mindframe (by the A.P. Indy line horse, Constitution) one of the best older dirt males of 2025, and Good Cheer (by Medaglia d’Oro, like Kitten’s Joy, a son of El Prado) heroine of the 2025 Kentucky Oaks (Gr1); and in Australia, the Maurice gelding, Cosmic Crusader, successful in the WATC Northerly Stakes (Gr1).
Although Street Sense’s dam is a Northern Dancer/His Majesty cross, a parallel to Danehill, he sired only one stakes winner from 21 starters out of Danehill mares, although that one was the excellent Hallowed Crown. The reverse cross has been much better, however, with group and graded winners Royal Mile, K Club, Military Zone and Little Baia all out of Street Sense mares. Among other relatively young U.S. broodmare sires, we can also note the eight time Leading Sire Into Mischief, who is emerging fast in this role, now that the daughters of his better bred mates are coming on line, and he is already broodmare sire of 43 stakes
Hard Spun – a member of the same crop as Street Sense and Curlin – is already established as a standout broodmare sire. There are already 65 stakes winners out of his daughters
winners, four grade one, two by Pulpit line sires, and two from the male line of Into Mischief’s fellow Storm Cat line horse, Giant’s Causeway. On the subject of Storm Cat, another member of that line, the prematurely deceased Scat Daddy, has 81 stakes winners as broodmare sire. That total is boosted by a slew out of daughters from his Chilean crops, but others include Champion U.S. Sprinter Whitmore; English and Irish Derby (both Gr1) winner Lambourn; and Savethelastdance, successful in the English Oaks. Two time Horse of the Year Curlin, is the leading sire of classic distance dirt runners in the U.S., and a son of excellent broodmare sire Smart Strike, is broodmare sire of 47 stakes winners, and although his daughters have yet to produce a grade one winner, there are 16 graded winners, and mares from his strongest crops are in the very early stages of production.
Danzig’s son, Hard Spun – a member of the same crop as Street Sense and Curlin – is already established as a standout broodmare sire. There are already 65 stakes winners out of his daughters, 29 group or graded, including Champion U.S. Two Year-Old Colt and excellent young sire, Good Magic; English 1,000 Guineas (Gr1) heroine, Desert Flower; and other group and grade one scorers Acohol Free, Danon Smash and Gin Gin. Champion Older Horse, Blame, one of the last Roberto line horses in the Northern Hemisphere, is as a foal 0f 26, one of the younger leading broodmare sires. He is making good headway with 34 stakes winners, 22 group or graded, and he’s very notable on the quality front as there are already seven group or grade one winners, including Champion U.S. Two Year-Old Colt Forte, and VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr1) scorer Switzerland. His second dam is a three-quarters sister to Sadler’s Wells and Nureyev, encouraging crossing with stallions carrying that strain, and indeed, Forte is by Violence, a son of Medaglia d’Oro from the Sadler’s Wells line.
Dubawi dazzles with 33 stakes winners in 2025
by John Boyce
and emerging sire of sires.
The great Dubawi may be in the twilight of his career, but he is still delivering a steady stream of quality horses. In 2025 he sired more stakes winners (33) than any other northern hemisphere stallion. His tally is nothing out of the ordinary for he has eclipsed that score on six previous occasions and his record haul in 2022 consisted of 45 stakes winners, two fewer
than the great Galileo, who still holds the record with his 47 sired in 2017. There is no doubt that the Darley stallion has benefitted from the fact that many of his older horses earned their Stakes-winner stripes in Dubai. Dubawi’s 33 featured six Gr1 winners, including top class three year-old Delacroix, globetrotting Rebel’s Romance, Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Notable Speech,
plus Arrowfield bound Lead Artist, winner of the Lockinge Stakes. It is the mark of a great stallion than can sire top class horses late in his career and Delacroix (Timeform 129) fits that bill. There are only three other Dubawis that rank higher on the Timeform scale, Ghaiyyath (133), and what a start he’s made in Australia, plus Postponed (130) and Makfi (130).
DUBAWI (by Dubai Millennium) goes from strength to strength both as a sire
The second most successful sire of stakes winners in 2025 was Dubawi’s son Night of Thunder, the champion sire in Britain and Ireland, who sired 30 stakes winners. Like his sire, Night of Thunder started out at a much lower fee (€30,000) than he now commands, and one that dropped to £15,000 in year four. In his fifth year, breeders flocked to him at an incredibly low fee of €25,000 and it is interesting to note that in all the years since at much higher fees he has not bettered the number of elite mares he served in 2020, and it is that 2021 crop that has propelled him to the big time. The top class Ombudsman (Timeform 130) is from that crop as are Economics (126) and US Gr1 winner Dynamic Pricing, three of his total of eight Gr1 winners to date. Night of Thunder is currently delivering stakes winners at a rate of 13.1 per cent, which is still some way shy of his sire’s 18 per cent. However, when you compare the two at the same point in their career, we note that Dubawi at the end of his first seven years had a 13.3 per cent stakes-winner strike rate. Night of Thunder’s 6.7 per cent group winners is behind Dubawi 8.7 per cent after their first seven years, but it is still an excellent achievement, given that being out of a Galileo mare would have ruled out so many good mares. Night of Thunder also owns the best stakes winner strike rate of any European sire in 2025. His 10 per cent is marginally ahead of his sire’s 9.9 per cent with Frankel coming in third on 7.9 per cent. Needless to say, 2025 was Night of Thunder’s best year, his 30 stakes winners comfortably ahead of the 19 he sired in
2024 and that was all down to horses like Ombudsman, plus 1,000 Guineas winner Desert Flower and Dewhurst scorer Gewan. The leading sire by number of group winners in 2025 was Wootton Basset with 25. Among European sires only Galileo, Dubawi and Frankel have ever had more in a single season. For context, Galileo also owns this record with 32 group winners in 2017. Wootton Bassett was also the top sire by percentage of group winners to runners at 6.5, some way below the record 9.8 per cent established by Frankel in 2017. Wootton Bassett has now gone from nine to 15 and now 25 in the past three years so it is almost a certainty that he will rise again in 2026. He’s had nine Gr1 winners in 2025 the most of any sire in the northern hemisphere and three clear of his closest pursuers Dubawi and Frankel, both of whom sired six. French classic winners, Camille Pissarro (Prix du Jockey Club) and Henri Matisse (Poule d’Essai des Poulains), both now stallions at Coolmore, headed a team of top flight winners that also featured dual Gr1 winning Whirl, his only filly among his nine Gr1 winners. Talented older horses Al Riffa and Maranoa Charlie also scored at the highest level as did juvenile Puerto Rico in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Criterium de Maisons Laffitte.
By count of stakes horses there was no better sire in the northern hemisphere than Ballylinch’s Lope de Vega who sired 68 in 2025. His 12th year with runners, his 2025 tally was the best he’s ever achieved and it’s a total that only Galileo and Dubawi,
among European sires, have bettered in the past, Galileo’s 75 in 2017 being the standard setter. And just as 68 stakes horses is his best ever tally so too is the 19 group winners sired in 2025. All in all, the past four years have been very fruitful for Lope de Vega siring 51, 56, 64 and now 68 Stakes horses. The Prix de Royallieu heroine Consent may have been his sole European G1 winner in 2025, but the son of Shamardal remains as popular as ever and will stand at an increased fee (€200,000) this year.
In terms of two year-olds, it is Wootton Bassett who holds nearly all the northern hemisphere records since 2000, having sired 20 stakes horses, 13 stakes winners, 10 group winners in 2024. He also led all these categories again in 2025, having sired 17 stakes horses, nine stakes winners and eight group winners. The only record this century he does not own is for two yearold Gr1 winners, having to give way to Sadler’s Wells who sired five in 2001. When he sired four Gr1 winning juveniles in 2024 Wootton Bassett equalled the number sired in a year earlier by Justify. Wootton Bassett also posted more individual juvenile winners (53) than any other northern hemisphere sire in 2025, six clear of runner up Mehmas. However, he must give way to Mehmas in terms of the record, as the TallyHo sire managed 70 in 2024, four years after is first season record of 56.
Fitton reduces your risk
by Renée Geelen
Insurance is the relatively small amount of money paid regularly in good times to help you through the big tough times. When something goes wrong on a big scale, it can be overwhelming, and knowing that you are covered for the financial loss is a relief when everything else has been upended. Ultimately insurance is the act of transferring financial risk from you to someone else. And with that in mind, what is the one thing you want in an insurance broker?
Stability.
You want to know that they will be there when the tough times hit. You want someone who can help you navigate all the options, someone who has done this with expertise for a long time, and someone with a depth of experience in the specifics that you require. The job of a broker is to find you the best deal for your needs, and importantly, they work for you, not for the insurance company.
Ron Fitton, of Fitton Insurance Brokers in Toowoomba, has been doing this since 1984. It’s the stability and longevity you need when looking for someone to walk you through the often confusing and complicated landscape of insurance.
Fitton Insurance are experts in the fields of farm insurance and equine insurance. Fitton Insurance will talk you through your individual needs to find you the most suitable cover across a range of insurance companies. It’s not just about finding you a policy that works for you, Fitton Insurance also offer ongoing support, claims assistance, and advice to help you stay protected as your needs change.
In the field of equine insurance, having a broker who understands the unique nature of horses themselves, as well as the complexity of the horse racing and breeding industry. Horses are fragile creatures, and it seems like it’s always the good ones who get hurt. That’s where insurance steps in.
Fitton HorseInsure provides a comprehensive range of cover options including mortality insurance, fall of hammer insurance on auction day, theft, life saving surgical fee cover, and protections specifically designed for breeding and racing horses. Policies can be further extended to cover risks such as stallion permanent disablement, and infertility. Transit within Australia is included in most general policies and can be extended to include international transport, ensuring continuity of cover wherever horses travel.
Horses are not merely financial assets and liabilities, they are important on an emotional level with most horse owners doing it for the
love of the horse. No one wants to see a horse get injured or die, but the reality of owning horses is that it happens sometimes. And when it happens, you want options to cover your outlay.
As we sit firmly in the yearling sale season, fall of hammer insurance is important for buyers to know that the money spent on a young horse who carries the hopes and dreams of a Group 1 victory in a year or two is covered in case something goes wrong. We’ve all heard stories of someone buying a yearling, only for the promising colt to get injured on the truck driving home from the sale yard.
And as the legend states, it’s always the good ones that get hurt.
Fitton Insurance can structure insurance to meet your own equine and farm needs. As a broker, Fitton HorseInsure works directly with leading underwriters, providing access to strong underwriting capacity for high value bloodstock and specialised risks. Fitton Insurance have a team of experts who understand horse racing, and many of them are owners themselves.
Based in Toowoomba, Ron Fitton and his team are part of the rural community, often seen at rural events such as Queensland’s 2025 FarmFest, most of Australia’s Thoroughbred yearling sales, the Dalby Australian Stock Horse Sale, local bull sales, and sponsoring equine events such as the Ballarat Horse Trials.
As horse breeders and farmers, having someone like Fitton Insurance on your side means more than equine expertise. Fitton Insurance also specialise in farm insurance, helping farmers with the risks such as vehicle and machinery accidents, weather, and public liability. An accident with a machine on a farm can leave a farmer without the means to work on the farm, through a protracted time in hospital, or with injuries that make work difficult. Insurance can cover the financial impacts of this. Crop insurance and property insurance can help a farmer through a bushfire or a flood. Australia has just seen several farms in Victoria sustain major damage in the Longwood bushfire, and replacing fencing, dams, and outbuildings all takes time and money. Insurance can assist with that cost. Many horse farms also grow their own feed through cropping, and crop insurance covers a failed crop due to weather conditions, be in flood or drought. Talking to the team at Fitton Insurance can assist in finding solutions for your farm, your horses and your specific needs.
A broker, like Fitton Insurance, with longevity and stability brings confidence as you navigate the world of risk and insurance cover for your equine assets and farm. Give the team a call to discuss your individual, business, and equine needs, and to get an obligation free quote.
RON FITTON and CHRISTINA GREAR - Equine Division Manager
Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale
TThere is no doubt that Gilgai Farm's Rick Jamieson always strives for perfection and that is just what his farm achieved at the 2026 Inglis Melbourne Yearling Sale with a 100% clearance rate.
The Nagambie farm took 13 horses to Oaklands Junction in early March with all of those horses finding new homes, leading to Gilgai being the sale's most successful vendor by aggregate ($3.74 million) and the second by average ($287,692) with Bell River leading the way in that department; four sold for an average of $301,250.
There were increases in all key metrics for the sale which was a great result for Inglis as well as participating vendors. The Book 1 clearance rate 81% (80% last year), the average $144,569 ($136,557), the median $120,000 ($100,000) and the gross $61.442 million ($53.667 million).
Book 2 horses also fared better overall than last year; a clearance rate of 78% (72% in 2025), a median of $37,500 ($32,000), a gross of $7.154 million ($6,406,500) whilst the average of $45,567 ($45,436) remained steady.
The buying scene changed a bit in regard to who was putting their hand up, Yulong active last year but content this time around to sell (though also happy to take those home they thought were not reaching their mark) with 29 of their 53 selling for $3.325 million and an average of $114,655.
Lindsay Park (in various partnerships) bought the same number of horses (12) as last year but spent more with higher averages and they were this year's biggest buyers by aggregate whilst the busiest buyer in regard to numbers was Ciaron Maher, also with differing partners.
The biggest spenders in regard to average of those buying multiple horses were the newcomers X Bloodstock of Malaysia who took home four yearlings for $1.82 million, an average of $455,000.
Chris Waller was involved in the purchase of only two yearlings but he went hard, teaming with Mulcaster Bloodstock, Group One Bloodstock and Ozzie Kheir to secure the saletopper, an $850,000 Zoustar filly out of the Group 3 winning Fastnet Rock mare Nudge. Her two year-old Wink Wink, also by Zoustar, is under the care of Grahame Begg and she too sold well last year, fetching $300,000. Zoustar has been performing exceptionally well with Fastnet Rock mares, an impressive strike rate of 82.5% with eight of the 52 winners being stakes winners including the Group 1 gallopers Zougotcha, Joliestar and Climbing Star (noting that the first two won their big races for the Waller stable).
By Kristen Manning
X Bloodstock successfully bid for the sale's second highest priced yearling, a Gilgai Farm bred $750,000 Too Darn Hot colt out of the Street Cry mare Baveno, a daughter of the Group 1 mare Neroli. Bred on the same Too Darn Hot/Street Cry cross as Broadsiding and Arabian Summer, he has Rainbow Quest in his dam line, noting that his grandam Where You Lead is also grandam of Dubawi's dam sire Deploy. Gilgai again proved that clever linebreeding can prove profitable with the sale's third biggest seller being a Kermadec filly out of the Group 2 winning Oasis Dream mare Turaath purchased by Astute Bloodstock and Ciaron Maher Racing for $625,000. A good result off a $16,500 service fee, the eye-catching bay who everyone seemed to be on, boasts crosses of the wonderful mares Special. Allegretta, Lalun, Natalma and Milan Mill.
Arrowfield Stud's dual Derby winner Hitotsu had the best result amongst the first season sires with a $480,000 half-brother to the Group 1 winners Baraqiel and Autumn Angel going to Ciaron Maher.
Darley's star home-bred Anamoe had the best aggregate and average of the first
season boys whilst overall Swettenham Stud's ever popular Toronado led the way by gross overall ($5.035 million) whilst of those with more than three sold, Champion Sire Zoustar had the best average of $362,500.
Inglis' Sebastian Hutch was pleased with the results, noting "an incredible momentum behind this sale. While it is always satisfying to see the financial benchmarks improve year on year, what stood out to me as much as anything was the amount of people on the grounds; not just on sale days but inspection days as well and the buying bench really got behind the sale again this year."
“We are motivated to have as many people as possible go home from each and every one of our sales as happy as possible and it feels like there are plenty of happy sellers and buyers heading home from this sale. The diversity at the top of the market was great," he continued. "The top 12 lots were all by different stallions, off service fees from as little as $16,500 so it goes to show there really is something for everybody at the Inglis Premier."
RICK JAMIESON
2026 INGLIS MELBOURNE PREMIER YEARLING SALE
LEADING YEARLINGS
Leading Colts by Price
Leading Fillies by Price
Comparative totals
Fillies
Market Ranges
S
S
SIRE ANALYSIS
2026 INGLIS MELBOURNE PREMIER YEARLING SALE
Leading Sires by Average (3+ sold)
S Harry Angel (IRE) 10
S 3 Ghaiyyath (IRE)
S Toronado (IRE) 37
1
Dundeel (NZ) 16 12
3
3
2
2
3
3
3
3
1
1
1
2026 INGLIS MELBOURNE PREMIER YEARLING SALE SIRE
First Crop by Average (2+
Second Crop by Average (2+ sold)
Third Crop by Average (2+
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2026 INGLIS MELBOURNE PREMIER YEARLING SALE
Leading Sires by Median/fee (3+
Sire Colt & Filly totals at a glance
2026 INGLIS MELBOURNE
BUYERS ANALYSIS
Buyer Lots
Aaron Bain Rcg, SA 5
Aaron E Laing Rcg, Vic 1
Adam Campton Rcg, Qld 1
I Adams, NSW 1
Adams Rcg / Feek Rcg-ag 2
Agile T/breds, NSW 1
Akaya Success, HK 1
Albion Park, Vic 1
Alexander Rcg / Rogers B/stock, Vic 4
All Black Rcg, NSW 1
Alma Vale T/breds, NSW 1
Andrew Bobbin Rcg, Vic 1
Andrew Bobbin Rcg / Walwilannah Park B/stock, Vic 1
Andrew Dale Rcg / F J Dale B/stock, Vic 2
Angas River Contractors, SA 2
Anthony Cosgriff Rcg, Vic 1 40,000
Anthony Freedman Rcg / Julian Blaxland B/stock FBAA, Vic 1
G Waterhouse & A Bott Racing / Kestrel T/breds, NSW 5
Henry Dwyer Racing, Vic 6
John Foote B/stock FBAA-ag
O'Shea-Charlton Racing / James Bester B/stock, NSW 3
China Horse Club / Newgate B/stock & Partners-ag 3
Mathland, NSW 5
Simon Zahra Racing / D Rose, Vic 6
Shane Nichols Racing, Vic 7
Sutton Racing / McKeever B/stock 3
Busuttin Racing, Vic 8
Mathland, NSW 5
Henry Dwyer Racing, Vic 6
Macdonald Gluyas Racing / Suman Hedge B/stock FBAA, SA 4
Griffiths Racing, Vic 3
Alexander Rcg / Rogers B/stock, Vic 4
Hunter Valley B/stock, NSW 3
Nick Ryan Racing, Vic 3
Lloyd Kennewell Racing / Group One B/stock, Vic 3
Danny O'Brien Racing, Vic 4
Simon Zahra Racing / D Rose, Vic 6
Mitch Freedman Racing, Vic 3
John Foote B/stock FBAA-ag
Regal Farm-ag 4
Dalziel B/stock / Moody Racing, Vic 5
Stokes Racing, Vic 3
Catheryne Bruggeman / Paul Moroney B/stock-ag 4
Michael Hickmott B/stock / Gary Mudgway B/stock, SA 3
G Eurell, Vic 5
Aaron Bain Racing, SA 5
/
Cameron Cooke B/stock / Scott Cameron Racing, Vic 3
Dalziel B/stock / Moody Racing, Vic 5
Solari B/stock, HK 3
Cumani Racing, Vic 3
Macdonald Gluyas Racing /
Suman Hedge B/stock FBAA, SA 4
Alexander Rcg / Rogers B/stock, Vic 4
Baystone / Malua, Vic 3
G Eurell, Vic 5
Aaron Bain Racing, SA 5
Danny O'Brien Racing, Vic 4
Regal Farm-ag 4
Sutton Rcg / McKeever B/stock-ag 3
Catheryne Bruggeman / Paul Moroney B/stock-ag
T Nolen, Vic 6
2026 INGLIS MELBOURNE PREMIER YEARLING SALE
Vendors A-Z
T/breds 13 12 1,485,000 123,750 260,000
vendors by average (3+
Gilgai Farm, Vic 16 16
Mill Park Stud, SA 7 6
Cannon Hayes Stud, NSW 4 4
Yarraman Park Stud, NSW 12 12
Milburn Creek, NSW 12 10
Grenville Stud, Tas 4 4
The Chase, NSW 8 7
Two Bays Farm, Vic 15 15
Newgate Farm, NSW 18 15
Segenhoe Stud, NSW 14 13
Coolmore Stud, NSW 17 13
Yabby Dam Farms 6 3
Cornerstone Stud
Farm P/L, SA 5 5
Alma Vale T/breds, NSW 13 11
Henley Park, Wko 4 3
Northmore T/breds 12 11
Kambula Stud, SA 8 7
Shadow Hill T/breds, Vic 13 12
Emirates Park P/L, NSW 9 7
Vinery Stud, NSW 10 9
Rushton Park, Vic 14 11
Willow Grove Stud, SA 6 6
Glenn Lee T/breds, NSW 16 15
Newhaven Park, NSW 17 17
Rosemont Stud, Vic 28 25
Blue Gum Farm, Vic 33 29
Penfold T/breds, Vic 11 8
Sullivan Bloodstock 5 3
Musk Creek Farm, Vic 15 10
Noorilim Park, Vic 5 5
Longwood T/bred Farm 21 15
Miranda Park, Vic 9 4
Twin Hills Stud, NSW 21 18
Yulong, Vic 73 40
Stonehouse T/breds, Vic 25 20 1,910,000
Fernrigg Farm, NSW 7 7 660,000
Supreme T/breds, Vic 15 12
Crossley T/breds, Vic 18 10
Widden Stud, Vic 45 37 3,329,000 89,973
Aristia Park, Vic 9 7
Yarran T/breds, Vic 10 8
Ultra T/breds, Vic 6 5
Maluka T/breds, Vic 17 12
Riverstone Lodge, NSW 11 10
MB T/breds, VIC 5 5
Balius Farm 6 4
Park
Bucklee Farm, Vic 12
Inglis Easter Yearling Sale 2026
For over 150 years, the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale has been the showcase of the Australian breeding industry. Every year, pedigree enthusiasts anticipate the arrival of the catalogue to thumb through the pages and read about Australia’s best families. And in 2026, a book of 472 lots somehow elevates this anticipation to an even higher level.
Among the pages are the progeny of 51 Gr1 winning mares, 32 siblings or half-siblings to Gr1 winners, and over half the catalogued entries are either out of stakes winners or half or full siblings to stakes winners.
“We are incredibly grateful that year after year, Australia and New Zealand’s best breeders save their best stock for Easter and 2026 is no exception,” Inglis CEO Sebastian Hutch said.
“The demand for places in the sale was overwhelmingly strong and we could have catalogued significantly more yearlings than what we have, but we were determined to try and manage the numbers carefully and I’m pleased with where we have settled.
“This year’s catalogue has a depth of quality that is unprecedented in recent years and that’s saying something, given the incredible reputation of the sale with recent graduates like Autumn Glow, Switzerland, Joliestar, Cap Ferrat, Lady Shenandoah, Transatlantic, Zougotcha, Overpass, Home Affairs, Climbing Star, She’s Extreme, Autumn Angel, Growing Empire, Napoleonic, Caballus, Femminile, Getta Good Feeling, Estriella, My Gladiola etc.
“Easter produces colts that become stallions, outstanding fillies that can create a breeding dynasty and is the sale that consistently produces the most high-class two year-olds as a percentage of lots offered. Easter also possesses the highest Stakes winners/runners ratio of any Australasian yearling sale.
“The group of fillies assembled for the sale is arguably stronger than at any time in recent history and it’s worth bearing in mind that the dams of each of the past three winners of the Gr1 Golden Slipper were sourced as yearlings at Easter.”
Two years ago, the sale ring smashed records in Australia when the first foal of champion mare Winx, now named Quinceanera, sold for $10 million, and her half-brother by Snitzel graces the ring in 2026. “The opportunity to offer the Snitzel son of 25-time Gr1 winning champion mare Winx this year is a tremendous privilege and we are very much looking forward to it being another memorable experience.”
Proven stallions Snitzel (43 entries), I Am Invincible (41) and Zoustar (35) are likely to dominate proceedings, however, it is the eleven yearlings by sub-fertile sire Extreme Choice who are the rare and select offerings at the sale. Extreme Choice, who has six Gr.1 winners and 18 stakes winners from under 150 runners, has only 44 live foals in his 2024 crop.
This year’s sale will be held at Riverside Stables in Sydney on March 29 and 30.
By Renée Geelen BB
Top lot – bay colt (Home Affairs-Shout the Bar, by Not A Single Doubt) bought by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott/Kestral T/breds at Easter 2025.
VINNIE
41 yearlings catalogued at Inglis Easter
THREE-TIME CHAMPION SIRE
on consecutive occasions, like Danehill and Snitzel
RECORD-SETTER
122 SW - 81% W2R and 9.5% SW2R
Seasonal Stakes winners’ record (28) 2018/19 - Seasonal winners’ record (208)
2020/21- Seasonal prizemoney ($32,162,170) & winners’ record (175) 2023/24
G1-PRODUCING SONS & DAUGHTERS
Vinnie’s daughters have produced G1 winners in both hemispheres, while all nine sire sons with runners have produced Stakes winners
SIRE OF ELITE G1 WINNERS
Imperatriz, In Secret, Hellbent, Home Affairs, Charm Stone, Loving Gaby, Vinrock, Invincibella, Brazen Beau, etc.
Deane Jacobs, Inglis Chief Information Officer
by Renée Geelen
In a world run on technology, the Inglis Chief Information Officer role is one that typically sits in the background, only noticed when something goes wrong.
For Deane Jacobs, the vast transformation in technology during his tenure at Inglis, including the building of the facility at Riverside, and ensuring everything runs smoothly across sale days and in the digital space means a job that is ever changing and fascinating.
What does the job entail?
My role as the Chief Information Officer spans the hotel systems as well as our auction operations. My responsibility is broad, basically anything that needs electricity. From IT infrastructure for Inglis right through
to the hotel systems, printers, the boom gates, and the Wi-Fi. Between myself and my offsider Ned, we look after everything IT. I’m also the privacy officer for Inglis which means I make sure that we stay compliant with privacy laws when it comes to handling people’s information.
Jacobs joined Inglis in 2004. How much technology change have you seen in that time?
A huge amount of change. I had no background in the racing industry. I did
a computer science degree and joined Inglis in early 2004, about two weeks before the Easter Sale. I remember I interviewed on the Thursday and got a call on the Friday saying I could start on Monday.
Back then it was very different. Those three days of Easter were massive, and Sydney Classic and Melbourne Premier were small by comparison. The technology focus was mostly about keeping the office running and making sure the site worked on sale day.
Today, the digital experience is part of the auction experience. Buyers expect to view,
research and participate from anywhere, and they expect it to be fast, secure and always available. The biggest shift has been access. In the past, the sale was something you attended in person. Now clients can follow lots, review vet information, watch live and bid remotely, and that has changed what “good IT” looks like. It has to be customer facing, data driven and reliable under peak load.
I got the interview through Wayne Aldridge, who was our insurance manager at the time, after I had helped his wife with her business and she mentioned they were looking for an IT person.
My family is not into racing, so I joined knowing nothing about it. The knowledge has come over the years and it has dragged me in.
I think I’ve owned shares in about 20 different horses. It’s been a lot of fun. I love the industry. It’s a great leveller. It doesn’t matter what your background is or what the horse sold for. You’ve got people like Joe Janiak, who bought Takeover Target, racing against some of the biggest stables in the world. There are so many amazing stories.
The team at Inglis is phenomenal. The company attracts terrific people and they’re great to work with. Looking at the leadership team, the average tenure is pretty long.
Having survived being thrown in the deep end, Jacobs has been heavily involved in supporting the launch of Inglis Digital.
I have been heavily involved in supporting the evolution of what became Inglis Digital, helping turn the business vision into something that could be delivered and supported. We first launched Horsezone in 2010. From there, we began building out our digital capability and in 2011 we acquired bloodstock.com.au. Over time that expanded into other products, including Get Racing for syndications, the stallions component and Everyday Auctions, before consolidating into Inglis Digital, led by Nick Melmeth. That was quite a shift.
After COVID, we took a step back and made a deliberate decision to modernise the Inglis Digital platform. Client demand and usage were growing quickly, and we needed an architecture that could scale reliably and evolve faster. Since then, the focus has been building a single platform that can be deployed into new markets without rebuilding everything from scratch. We recently ran our first auction in Malaysia on the new Inglis Digital platform. The goal is a consistent code base and consistent functionality, with the ability to tailor the experience for different regions. That creates speed, reliability and a better experience for clients, wherever they are.
What has been the biggest change since starting at Inglis?
Remote participation has been one of the most significant shifts I have seen. Back in the day we did not have live streaming at all. If you could not be on site, you would call a phone number and listen to the auction. Streaming came later, and for a period the production was handled externally through one of the racing channels. During COVID they were not able to come on site, so we made the call to bring the entire live stream production in house. In hindsight it was a
turning point. Using YouTube, which is easy to access on smart TVs and almost any device, made it simpler for clients to watch and follow along, wherever they were.
Bidding has evolved in a similar way. People still call in to bid, but we introduced online bidding around 2008. We initially partnered with a Canadian company called Live Global Bid, and after working with them for about 18 months we realised we could build a better experience ourselves. We integrated it directly into our core Ardex system which we use to manage entries, horses and invoicing, so it is tightly connected to the way the business operates.
Another big change has been around veterinary information. We moved from physical film to digital x-rays. It sounds simple now, but it used to be a very manual process. Vets would come to the repository, we would weigh the x-rays before they left, they would review them, then we would weigh them again when they came back to make sure the same set was returned. Today, digital imaging has replaced all of that and it makes access faster, more reliable, and far more practical for interstate and international buyers. Overall, what this has done is remove geography as a barrier. Clients can research, inspect, watch live and bid remotely, and they expect the experience to be fast, secure and dependable under peak demand.
Has the racing bug bitten you?
Yes, it definitely has. One of my favourite stories is a mare we bought called Fill The Page from the Scone Yearling Sale out of Kitchwin Hills. We gave her that name because her pedigree only made it halfway down the page. We managed to get most of the staff to buy a share, some only had a quarter of a percent, so plenty of people had a personal reason to follow her progress.
She took a couple of starts to figure it out, but she went on to win a few races and then won the Canberra Cup in 2012. That was an outstanding day. Barb Joseph trained her, and it was her first Canberra Cup as well, which made it even more special. She started at good odds too, so it was a pretty memorable result all round. I have not had much luck since, but that one set the hook.
Outside of work, I go to a few IT conferences each year and it always makes me smile that even when people have not heard of Inglis, they usually have a racing story. Someone’s uncle had a horse, or they skipped school to go to the track. What stands out to me is that people involved in racing genuinely care deeply about the horses. I think there is still work to do in telling that story to people who are not close to the industry, and initiatives that improve transparency and education help. Vicky Leonard is doing amazing work in increasing that awareness through Kick Up for Racing.
And professionally, one of the highlights for me was being in the Riverside arena when the Winx filly sold for $10 million. The atmosphere that day was incredible, and it is a moment you do not forget.
What does a typical sale day look like?
A typical sale day for me starts early and it is mostly about checking our monitoring dashboard. I want to know everything is healthy before the first lot walks into the
ring. That means confirming network links are stable, auction and bidding systems are online, streaming is running cleanly, and the essentials are all behaving.
Once the sale is underway, the mindset is to stay ahead of issues rather than react to them. Most people only notice technology when something breaks, so my goal is that no one has to think about it. If clients are bidding confidently and staff can do their jobs, then we have done our part.
Sales create natural peaks. You can go from normal activity to tens of thousands of people watching, browsing and bidding in a short window, and the systems have to cope without hesitation. A big part of our approach is engineering for resilience and scalability. We rely on cloud infrastructure that can scale to demand during major sales, monitor performance closely, and recover quickly if something unexpected happens.
Using AI to improve the buying experience
More and more, my focus is on using technology to improve the customer experience. Online bidding was an important step because it gave clients more control over how they participate. More recently, we launched a recommendation engine to help buyers discover lots that are genuinely relevant to them.
It integrates with Inglis Digital and uses signals like previous bidding activity, purchases and favourites to suggest horses a client may want to inspect. A typical digital catalogue might have 500 plus lots, and the tool can narrow that to a shortlist of around 50 that match a buyer’s interests.
It also supports our vendors and our team. From a marketing perspective, it helps us identify audiences for particular types of horses, and it can help curate a list of potential buyers for lots that pass in. The matching is not only pedigree-based. It also considers a range of attributes such as race performance indicators, distances and ratings, so it reflects how people actually buy.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into your role?
Be open to change, because technology and the business will keep moving whether you do or not. Start by really understanding how the organisation makes money and what success looks like on the days that matter most. For us, that is sale day reliability and customer experience.
Also take complete ownership, you cannot outsource responsibility. When something affects customers or sale day operations, it is on you to make sure it is understood, prioritised and resolved.
Stay curious and stay hands on enough to know what is real, but build the habit of thinking in outcomes, not tools. Communicate simply, especially under pressure, and build trust by delivering the basics consistently.
Finally, invest in your people and your relationships. In a role like this you do not succeed on your own. You succeed by partnering with the business leaders, listening closely, and turning their vision into systems that work.
The Anamoe Collection
by Renée Geelen
Every now and then an impressive collection of yearlings is presented to the public, set to wow the public and set the auction ring alight.
In 2026, the Anamoe Collection will arrive at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale in a highly anticipated event. With 21 yearlings across 16 different vendors, this outstanding collection of individuals are the best of the first crop of one of Australia’s most outstanding racehorses. They represent 21 chances to find the next star by the stallion who has some of the best credentials of any stallion to retire in recent years.
A galloper who can win a Gr1 at two, three, and four is a uniquely tough and quality individual. Anamoe was destined for greatness, being by proven Gr1 sire Street Boss from Gr1 Australian Oaks winner Anamato (Redoute’s Choice). To do that in some of Australia’s most iconic races, like the Cox Plate, adds more class to an already brilliant equation. Anamoe has one of Australia’s best pedigrees. It’s one that has depth through
his dam’s half-brother, Gr1 Oakleigh Plate winner Drum and her half-sister, Tambour, the Gr1 Oaks placed dam of seven time Gr1 winner Grand Armee. With so much to live up to, Anamoe debuted in the Listed Debutant Stakes and ran fifth. It would be one of only three times he was out of the placings in an impressive 25 start career, with every single start in black type company. He won the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes at his second start, then had
ANAMOE
a short Christmas break before placing in the Gr1 Blue Diamond and Gr1 Golden Slipper, as well as winning the Gr2 Todman Stakes and Gr1 Sires’ Produce Stakes. At three, he won the Gr1 Caulfield Guineas and Gr1 Rosehill Guineas and two Gr2 races. He also had a dramatic second to State Of Rest in the Gr1 Cox Plate. And then at four, he made history in winning the Gr1 Winx Stakes first up to become the first horse in the new millennium to win a Gr1 race at two, three,and four,setting the seal on his greatness. Anamoe would go on to win four Gr1 races in succession that spring including revenge in the Gr1 Cox Plate, then adding two more in the autumn to make it nine across his impressive career. The combination of his fantastic race record and wonderful pedigree meant that Anamoe was hugely popular in his first season at stud, with 111 yearlings in his first crop. Of those, an exemplary collection of 21 Anamoe yearlings will walk through the ring at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale representing the cream of this crop. Cressfield, who sold the exciting juvenile winner Empress K in last year’s Easter draft, will present Lot 222, a filly from triple Gr3 winning mare Artistry (Shamardal-Lady Peony, by Belong To Me). The winner of eight races, and over $500,000, Artistry has produced two winners led by city winner Hopper. Remember the audacious ride that won the Gr1 Victoria Oaks with Lasqueti Spirit (Beneteau-Supriym Story, by General Nediym). She proved it was no fluke with Gr1 placings in the Chipping Norton Stakes and Australian Oaks. Fairview Park Stud will present her colt, Lot 388, who is her fourth foal. Her first two foals are both city winners including Laspirit Deeler who has three wins on the board. The second foal of Gr1 Levin Classic winner Travelling Light (El Roca-Cissy Bowen, by Colombia) is Lot 160, a colt presented by Fernrigg Farm. Travelling Light placed at Gr1 level on three other occasions including in the classic, the Gr1 New Zealand One Thousand Guineas, and she’s a half-sister to Gr3 winner Vitesse Bo. Goodwood Farm will offer two Anamoe yearlings in their Easter draft. The farm that produced Private Eye also sold his Listed winning half-brother King’s Secret via the Easter Sale, and Lot 257 is the pair’s half-sister. As well as the $12 million earner Private Eye and King’s Secret, Confidential Queen (Shamardal-Royal Snippets, by Royal Academy) has produced three other winners, and this is the family of Snitzel, so collectors will be buying into a stallion making family. Lot 415 is out of unraced mare Mandalong Snitjess (Snitzel-Bon Fire, by Octagonal) and is her third foal. This is the family of Zeditave, and more recently Scorched Earth, Volcanic Rock, and Furnaces.
With 21 yearlings across 16 different vendors, this outstanding collection of individuals are the best of the first crop of one of Australia’s most outstanding racehorses.
Queensland’s Highgrove Stud presents Lot 42, a colt from stakes placed Really Discreet (Helmet-Maybe Discreet, by Shamardal). This is an active family with Really Discreet being a half-sister to Too Darn Discreet, while this colt’s second dam is Gr.1 Australasian Oaks winner Maybe Discreet. Lighthouse (Mizzen Mast-More Hoping, by North Light) arrived in Australia as an American Listed winner and improved to win the Gr1 Coolmore Classic. Kia Ora Stud will present her second foal, a filly, as Lot 391, and everyone knows how well American bred mares go when crossed with Australian stallions. Kia Ora Stud sold exciting Gr1 placed Gr3 winning sprinter My Gladiola via the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and if it wasn’t for another outstanding son of Street Boss in Tentyris, she’d have two Gr1 victories (being second to him in both the Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stakes and Gr1 Lightning Stakes). Cambridge’s Lyndhurst Farm will present Lot 343, a colt from unraced I Am Speedy (I Am Invincible-Speedy Natalie, by Al Maher). Speedy Natalie was a dual stakes winner who produced I Am Speedy’s halfsister Gr.3 Vanity Stakes winner Sweet And Speedy. This is also the family of Silverstream, Calanda, and Bases Loaded. Macquarie Stud hasn’t had an Easter draft for a few years, but they return in 2026 with Lot 372, a half-sister to Listed winner and $1 million earner Brudenell, who is out of four-time winner Knit ‘n’ Purl (More Than Ready-Zingaling, by Redoute’s Choice). Zingaling win the Gr.3 Birthday Card Stakes and produced two stakes horses. Newgate Farm offer a colt, Lot 258, from Gr3 Birthday Card Stakes placed winner of Connemara (Fastnet Rock-Sprung, by Grand Slam). American stakes winner Sprung also produced Connemara’s half siblings and Listed winners Tawteen and Well Sprung. Connemara’s first foal is a winner of three races including one in Sydney. North Bloodstock bring a trio of Anamoe yearlings to Easter. Lot 83 is a half-brother
to two stakes placed winners, who are the only two runners for his dam, Gr3 winner Serene Majesty (Fastnet Rock-Custard, by Lonhro). Serene Majesty’s dam Custard is also a stakes winner, and she’s been an outstanding broodmare with five stakes horses including Gr3 winner Ducasse and Listed winner Curdled. Lot 158 is a colt whose dam, Torvill (Not A Single DoubtBolero Queen, by Iglesia) is a dual Listed winner who placed in the Gr1 Surround Stakes. At stud, she’s left four winners led by Gr3 placed Let’sfacethemusic. Lot 205 is a filly from Listed winner Akari (SnitzelAsterix, by Neo Universe) making her dam a half-sister to Japanese Gr1 winner Aerolithe. Segenhoe Stud’s Anamoe Collection consists of a trio of yearlings. Lot 183 is a colt from Listed winner Taraayef (LonhroSultah, by Exceed And Excel) who is a halfsister to Listed winner Haybah. Taraayef’s three year-old filly Fairway To Heaven has won since the catalogue went to print. Lot 216 is a colt from triple Gr2 winner and Gr1 Manikato Stakes placed Anaheed (Fastnet Rock-Rostova, by Testa Rossa). This is a massive family with Rostova winning the Gr1 Robert Sangster Stakes and also producing Listed winner Farooq. Lot 248 is a filly who is the second foal of stakes placed Cellsabeel (Hinchinbrook-Our Egyptian Raine, by Desert Sun), making her a half-sister to Gr3 winner Egyptian Symbol. Twin Hills Stud offer Lot 223, a filly who is the first foal of stakes placed two yearold winner Ashema (I Am InvincibleOmniscient, by Exceed And Excel). This filly’s first three dams are all stakes horses. New Zealand’s Wentwood Grange brings a colt, Lot 390, to the Anamoe Collection at Easter. He is the first foal of Gr1 Sistema Stakes winner Lickety Split (Turn Me Loose-She’s Slinky, by Handsome Ransom). Lickety Split trained on to add the Gr2 Edward Manifold Stakes and place in the Gr1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield. Rounding out the Anamoe Collection at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale is Widden Stud’s filly, Lot 299, out of fivetime winner Exaltation (Not A Single Doubt-Meleka Belle, by Iffraaj). Her first foal, three year-old Muskito has been a winner since the catalogue went to print. Exaltation is a half-sister to New Zealand Horse Of The Year Melody Belle, who won an impressive $3.8 million and 14 Gr1 races, and she’s already on the board as a broodmare with her first foal Lyrics ‘n’ Song being stakes placed at three recently. With 21 yearlings in the Anamoe Collection, all presented by a variety of vendors, there is a yearling in the group that will look great in your racing colours. And the one you choose only has to be half as good as Anamoe to be very, very good indeed.
ARROWFIELD
Our graduates often get called…
Champion 3YO Filly Lady Shenandoah was a $525,000 purchase for Hermitage Thoroughbreds from Arrowfield’s Inglis Easter 2023 draft.
Our Graduates get called… Champion
Three new Champions, all purchased from Inglis Easter, marked Arrowfield’s 40th year of breeding and selling success in 2025.
Lady Shenandoah, winner of the Group 1 Flight Stakes, Surround Stakes and Coolmore Classic was the season’s Champion Australian 3YO Filly and is targeting major prizes in 2026.
Caulfield Guineas Gr1 winner Super Seth added New Zealand’s Champion Second Season Sire title to his 2024 First Season Sires’ Premiership. His subsequent multimillion-dollar sale to Coolmore was a tremendous result for his owners including Waikato Stud.
Coolmore Stud S. Gr1 winner Switzerland was Australia’s Champion 3YO, headed the international 3YO ratings in the Sprint category and served his first book of mares.
Lady Shenandoah, Super Seth and Switzerland join a list of Arrowfield Graduate Champions that began with Dr Grace, ANZ Champion 3YO of 1990.
Every decade since then has featured multiple Arrowfield graduate stars, including:
• Horses of the Year Lankan Rupee, Makybe Diva, Stepitup and Weekend Hussler
• Champion 2YOs Miss Finland, Catbird, Estijaab, Fashions Afield, Forensics and Invader
• Champion 3YOs Autumn Angel, Castelvecchio, Danewin, Hitotsu, Miss Finland, Shoals and The Autumn Sun
But right now, the most important list for buyers is Arrowfield’s 65-strong draft for Inglis Easter 2026. Bloodstock Manager Jon Freyer begins with his pick of Arrowfield’s fillies to emulate Lady Shenandoah:
Lot 43:
Snitzel – Response filly
“As good a racemare as dual Group 1 winner Response was, she’s probably a better broodmare. This filly is the final full sibling to Golden Slipper winner Estijaab and millionaire Remarque, and she’s cast in a similar mould to both those outstanding sprinters – she’s all class.”
Lot 89: I Am Invincible – Shoals filly
“This may be the best filly pedigree in a stunning catalogue. Shoals was Champion 3YO Filly and this filly’s full sister is a Group 3 winner at Flemington. She’s a glorious type and won’t be out of place in any broodmare band in the world when her racing days are over.”
Lot 209:
The Autumn Sun – All That Jazz (SAF) filly
“Autumn Glow is by The Autumn Sun from a Champion Sprinter by Var. This filly is likewise by The Autumn Sun from a daughter of Val De Ra, also a Champion Sprinter by Var. If that alone is not a recipe for success, wait till you see this filly. She’s a super mover with great depth, quality and strength.”
Lot 431: Dundeel – Miravalle filly
“Dundeel has had a marvellous run in the last season or two with fillies like Femminile, Idle Flyer and Konasana and this magnificent filly is bred on the same cross as Super Seth with a very deep, world-class pedigree.”
Our Graduates get called… Sire
What do Coolmore, Arrowfield, Waikato, Widden, Windsor Park, Woodside Park, Aquis and Yulong have in common?
They all stand one or more of the 24 current, commercially active Arrowfield graduate sires.
Champion 3YO Switzerland and Caulfield Guineas winners Private Life and Super Seth are all on Coolmore Stud’s roster.
Lot Col./Sex Sire Dam
41 B.Filly Maurice (JPN) Re Edit
43 B.Filly Snitzel Response
44 B.Filly Maurice (JPN) Rhaenys
46 B.Filly Dundeel (NZ) Romantic Affair
63 Gr.Colt Dundeel (NZ) Sarraqa
69 Ch.Colt The Autumn Sun Scarlet Dream
77 B/Br.Colt Snitzel Sekiyama
79 Br.Colt Zoustar September Run
85 B/Br.Colt Snitzel Shades Of Rose
89 B.Filly I Am Invincible Shoals
90 B.Filly Snitzel Showbeel (NZ)
93 Ch.Colt The Autumn Sun Sierra (JPN)
102 B.Colt Dundeel (NZ) Single Soul (GB)
106 Br.Colt Maurice (JPN) Sleek Lynx (GB)
108 Ch.Filly Maurice (JPN) Smirnova
123 B.Filly Dundeel (NZ) Stay With Me
127 Br.Filly Snitzel Summerland (GB)
130 B.Colt Dundeel (NZ) Super Cash
137 B.Colt Dundeel (NZ) Tap This
139 B.Colt Maurice (JPN) Tattooist
144 Ch.Filly The Autumn Sun Tenacious (JPN)
152 B.Filly Maurice (JPN) Tides
154 B.Filly Dundeel (NZ) Timeless Choice
157 B/Br.Colt Hitotsu Top Cuban
164 B.Colt The Autumn Sun Tuudelu
168 B.Colt Maurice (JPN) Valalie
169 B.Filly Dundeel (NZ) Veranskova
176 Ch.Colt Gun Runner (USA) Violenza (USA)
186 B.Colt Dundeel (NZ) Winter Freeze
190 Ch.Colt Maurice (JPN) Yearning
197 B.Filly Castelvecchio Zurla
199 B.Filly Maurice (JPN) Abbey Marie
206 B.Colt Admire Mars (JPN) Aliyana Tilde
209 B.Filly The Autumn Sun All That Jazz (SAF)
219 B.Filly Maurice (JPN) April Rain
221 Br.Filly Maurice (JPN) Archanna
230 Ch.Colt Gun Runner (USA) Been Studying Her (USA)
234 B/Br.Colt The Autumn Sun Bonny Gold (JPN)
241 B.Colt Snitzel C’Est Beau La Vie
256 B.Colt Snitzel Clearly (GB)
260 B.Colt Dundeel (NZ) Courchevel
263 Br.Filly Snitzel Dalt Vila (JPN)
274 B.Colt Kingman (GB) Dubai Blue (USA)
276 B.Colt Dundeel (NZ) Dulzura
277 B.Filly Dundeel (NZ) Earth Angel
278 B.Filly Frankel (GB) Easy Silence (USA)
280 B/Br.Colt Castelvecchio Edgy Style (JPN)
296 Ch.Colt Gun Runner (USA) Eulogy (USA)
313 B.Colt Maurice (JPN) Final Thought (IRE)
315 Ch.Colt Maurice (JPN) Fjord
317 B.Colt Maurice (JPN) Flying Evelyn
323 B.Filly Dundeel (NZ) Game Of Thorns
325 Ch.Filly Castelvecchio Get Closer (JPN)
338 B.Colt Dundeel (NZ) High Fashion
342 Ch.Colt Snitzel I Am Queen
349 B.Colt Dundeel (NZ) In A While
369 Ch.Filly Snitzel Kiku
382 Br.Colt Pinatubo (IRE) Lady War Machine (USA)
383 B.Filly Snitzel Laguna Azzurra (JPN)
397 B.Colt Maurice (JPN) Love Is Fickle
413 B.Filly I Am Invincible Maid Of Heaven
431 B/Br.Filly Dundeel (NZ) Miravalle
444 B/Br.Filly The Autumn Sun Missybeel (NZ)
451 B.Colt Snitzel Ms Bad Behavior (CAN)
470 B/Br.Colt Dundeel (NZ) Noire
ARROWFIELD
cont.
Waikato Stud stands Ardrossan, Widden Stud has Anders and Doubtland and Windsor Park Stud is home to Spring Champion Gr1 winner Profondo.
Woodside Park Stud launched the stud career of dual Group 1 winner Celestial Legend in 2025. Aquis Farm stands Hong Kong Group 1 winner Stronger and Yulong Stud is home to Group 1 winners Alabama Express and Tagaloa.
Multiple Group 1 winners The Autumn Sun, Castelvecchio and Hitotsu all stand at Arrowfield Stud.
Six of the 24 Arrowfield graduate stallions are Group 1 sires: Alabama Express, Castelvecchio, Master Of Design, Super Seth, The Autumn Sun and leading South African sire Rafeef. And five of those six Group 1 sires were purchased from Arrowfield’s Inglis Easter drafts.
Which puts the 37 colts lodged in the Big Barn at Riverside for Inglis Easter 2026 firmly on the radar of buyers in search of future stallion prospects. Jon Freyer suggests starting with these three colts:
Lot 190:
Maurice (JPN) – Yearning colt
“Outstanding first foal from Thousand Guineas Gr1 winner Yearning, a Snitzel daughter of the mighty Rising Romance. Maurice gets the highest strike rate of Group 1 runners to foals of any active Australian stallion and Snitzel mares are gold. What a combination!”
Lot 280:
Castelvecchio – Edgy Style (JPN) colt
“A half-brother to the best Japanese colt of his generation Urban Chic, by the sire of Group 1 3YO winners El Castello and Aeliana. This is a high-quality individual who screams Derby colt, with a pedigree to take advantage of all the big prizemoney at 1600 metres and beyond.”
Lot 342:
Snitzel – I Am Queen colt
“Snitzel is on track for his fifth Sires’ Premiership because of colts like this. His very talented dam hails from a successful international family, a proven recipe for success with Snitzel. A simply gorgeous colt, he’s a forward, early type with plenty of scope.”
Our Graduates get called… Fast
Here’s champion jockey James McDonald speaking after Switzerland’s 2.75 length victory in the Coolmore Stud S. G1, covering Flemington’s straight six course in 1:08.30 –a 20-year record for the race:
“He’s so push-button…he’s got gears to turn…we were cooking with gas…an incredible turn of foot.”
In a word – fast.
Arrowfield’s obsessive focus on that championship speed, exercised across ages and distances, has produced 160 graduate Group 1 wins over four decades, including:
• Almost every Group 1 Australian sprint (1000m-1400m) - including the T.J. Smith, Manikato, Champions Sprint, All-Aged, A.J. Moir, Futurity, Galaxy, Lightning, Newmarket, Oakleigh, William Reid, C. F. Orr, Robert Sangster, Stradbroke and Doomben 10,000.
• All 5 Australian Group 1 2YO races, and all of them at least twice – including 7 Golden Slippers.
• 38 3YO Guineas, Oaks and Derbysincluding 5 Caulfield Guineas, 5 Royal Randwick Guineas and 6 Australian Guineas, plus 4 Flight Stakes and 6 Spring Champion Stakes.
For buyers who put “fast” at the top of their wish-list, Jon Freyer picks out three yearlings from Arrowfield’s Inglis Easter 2026 draft:
Lot 108:
Maurice (JPN) – Smirnova filly
“This good-looking filly looks a lot like her mother who was so, so fast. She’s big, strong and mature with lovely depth and she looks very fast. Bred on a Werk A+++ eNick, she is also from a high-class family of sprinters and two-year-olds.”
Lot 130:
Dundeel – Super Cash colt
“Remember that Dundeel has had 7 2YO stakeswinners, three of them at Group 1 level, plus winners of the Golden Rose, Caulfield Guineas and Randwick Guineas. From a brilliantly fast mare, this colt is a classy, strong, mature type who looks more Slipper than Guineas.”
Lot 230:
Gun Runner (USA) – Been Studying Her (USA) colt
“By a truly remarkable stallion from a fast two year-old stakeswinner, this is a stylish colt who reminds me very much of his sire. He and our other two Gun Runner colts may not look obvious to the Australian eye, but the proof of the pudding is there.” s
We are offering two fillies by the irreplaceable Snitzel bred on proven crosses and a colt by Anamoe from a great family and bred on similar lines to Tentyris. And they all look the part.”
- Ron Gilbert
LOT 42 ch c Anamoe – Really Discreet by Helmet
By the most exciting first season sire of recent years, 9 times Gr1 winner Anamoe out of a stakes placed multiple winning half-sister to current top filly Gr2 winner Too Darn Discreet.
“This is a beautiful strong colt, like the best by his sire. He’s the same colour and bred on the same cross as champion sprinting colt Tentyris. It’s clearly the best cross for the Street Boss line with Tempted, Elite Street, Traffic Warden and Hanseatic among the 9 SW and 6 Gr1 performers from just 60 runners on this cross.”
LOT 201 b f Snitzel – Acquired by O’Reilly
By the best sire of recent times out of a multiple stakes producing mare by a champion broodmare sire.
“This is a striking, well muscled filly and a full sister to millionaire and multiple Gr2 winner Splintex. I’m confident lightning will strike again here.”
LOT 455 b c Home Affairs – Boudicea Belle by Smart Missile
By the great Snitzel and bred on exactly the same cross as Golden Slipper winner Shinzo and Magic Millions 2yo winner Exhilarates.
“ This filly was born running, barely days old and she was showing all the speed you would hope for from Snitzel and More Than Ready. She has continued to progress favourably all the way to this sale and has the quality looks of her beautiful dam.”
Inspection welcomed in Barn J, 70-72
CRESSFIELD
by Renée Geelen
Cressfield is the proper definition of a boutique farm, with every broodmare and every mating selected to be situated at the very top end of the market. With Gr1 winners such as Stefi Magnetica, Personal, Nimalee, Clearly Innocent, all coming off the property in recent years, this focus on select bloodstock is paying dividends on the track where it really matters.
Only a year ago, at the 2025 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Cressfield sold Empress K (I Am Invincible-Pippie, by Written Tycoon) for $1.4 million to Champions Farms and
Satomi Oka Bloodstock. She was incredibly impressive when winning on debut in Japan as a two year-old in January 2026. This year, her full brother, Lot 20, headlines Crssfield’s 2026 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft of five select yearlings. Pippie was a brilliant sprinter, winning both the Gr1 AJ Moir Stakes and Gr1 Oakleigh Plate to headline her six victories, and she’s already two for two as a producer with the aforementioned Empress K as well as her first foal Samudra who was a winner at two.
“This is an impressive colt. He has been a standout from an early age. With his full sister Empress K showing such natural ability, we couldn’t be more excited to present this colt for sale. Like his dam, he has a great temperament, he is athletic and hard to fault,” said Liesl Wickson.
Lot 72 is a filly who will be highly sought after as she already has plenty of residual value, being a Zoustar half-sister to this season’s Gr2 Roman Consul Stakes winner Hidden Motive, who looks to resume for the autumn before the sale begins. Hidden
www.cressfield.com.au
02 6545 0500
Parkville, NSW
Motive and Lot 72 are out of Gr1 Robert Sangster Stakes winner Secret Agenda. She is a half-sister to Gr1 placed Tutta La Vitta and three other stakes placed winners. “This is the last filly from the dam, so represents an enormous opportunity to get into a family that consistently produces stakes performers.”
Anamoe is set to light up the ring at Easter, and Cressfield’s filly Lot 222 has plenty to offer. She’s a daughter of Shamardal’s triple Gr3 winner Artistry, whose son Hopper won again recently. Artistry is a half-sister to the dam of Listed winner Flower Of War, who
won nine times in Western Australia, and stakes placed Flower Of Gold. “Quite easily the best type that the mare has thrown. She has proven to be a tricky breeder over the years, so this filly is quite the rare gem. Anamoe’s first yearlings have been well sought after so far this year, and I see this filly following that.”
A colt from the stallion making Redoute’s Choice family is always one who will catch the eye of the good judges. Lot 409 is a Snitzel colt who is the second foal of Gr3 Tibbie Stakes winner Madam Legend,
Gr1 winner of over 1.7 million Nimalee (outside) exemplifies the quality of bloodlines Cressfield continues to offer the market
a daughter of I Am Invincible. Madam Legend’s first foal, Madalora, also by Snitzel, sold for $400,000 to B2B Thoroughbreds at last year’s sale. This is the branch of the Redoute’s Choice family responsible for the likes of Gr1 winners Gathering, Desert Lightning, You Wahng, and Tom Kitten.
“There is so much Snitzel in this colt, which when you have been the dominant sire force that he has been for so long, it can only be considered to be a good thing.”
Imported mare Wake Up arrived in Australia after her two imported gelded sons have already shown plenty on Australian tracks. Waterford won the Gr s2 Shannon Stakes and over $1.4 million, and Wicklow has won the Listed Wagga Wagga Cup and over $550,000. Wake Up arrived in Australia in 2022 after a private purchase, and Lot 179, a Zousain filly, is her third Australian born foal. “This is a developing filly, one that has continued to impress throughout the prep. She has taken to the process particularly well. It bodes well for the filly to have the constitution to handle the workload and pressure of a racing stable.”
Cressfield combines outstanding broodmares, top notch matings, and quality pastures to produce group class runners. It’s a combination sure to suit the most savvy buyers at Easter. s
20 B./Br.Colt I Am Invincible Pippie
72 B.Filly Zoustar Secret Agenda
179 B.Filly Zousain Wake Up (GER)
222 B.Filly Anamoe Artistry
409 B.Colt Snitzel Madam Legend
Ahead STREETS
by Ken McLean
Street Boss is heavily linebred to the mighty Mumtaz Mahal and her dam Lady Josephine.
Mumtaz Mahal (The Tetrarch-Lady Josephine by Sundridge) was described whilst a yearling by her trainer George Lambton as “the best animal I ever saw in my life.”
Heading the list of our best three year-olds this year are Group 1 winners Tentyris (Street Boss), Observer (Ghaiyyath), Tempted (Street Boss), Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) and Beiwacht (Bivouac). All are tough, sound performers gifted with speed and of these, Street Boss is represented by a brilliant colt and an outstanding filly. Furthermore, the first crop of yearlings sired by Street Boss’s champion son Anamoe have already impressed buyers. The sire line of the great Mr Prospector is flourishing worldwide, thanks to Dubawi and Machiavellian. Reinforcement of champion grey horse Native Dancer, U.S. Horse of the Year, via a son (Raise A Native) and a daughter (Natalma) has produced huge numbers of Grade 1 and Group 1 winners. Mr Prospector’s speed genes of Raise A Native, Nasrullah and Bull Dog (Teddy-Plucky Liege), ideally suit Northern Dancer’s genotype. Street Boss inherits brilliance from linebreeding to champion Mumtaz Mahal and her half-sister Lady Juror, daughters of Lady Josephine by champion sprinter Sundridge. Badruddin, a “son” of Mumtaz Mahal appears in the pedigree of Street Boss
to sex balance the daughters of Mumtaz Mahal, namely Mumtaz Begum and Mah Mahal. Damascus is out of Kerala by champion My Babu (Djebel-Perfume by Badruddin) winner of the English 2000 Guineas and Champion 2YO colt. My Babu’s damsire Badruddin is a threequarter brother to Mumtaz Begum, dam of Nasrullah.
The third dam of Street Boss is Fruhlingstag, winner at 1700m and runner-up in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches Gr1. Street Boss traces to Marcel Boussac’s brilliant filly La Moquese (Teddy-Primrose Lane) winner of the Prix de la Foret, Prix La Rochelle and Prix du Rond Point. It seems Street Boss inherited early maturing speed from Blushing Groom, a champion at two who became a phenomenal broodmare sire. The second dam of Street Boss is Fruhlingshochzeit, a daughter of Blushing Groom. Bred by His Highness Karim Aga Khan, Blushing Groom has the following pedigree:
In Street Cry’s pedigree we find English Derby Gr1 winner Troy as his broodmare sire and Troy is out of a daughter of Hornbeam (Hyperion-Thicket by Nasrullah), thus supplying a “daughter” of Nasrullah. Tudor Minstrel carries a source of Lady Juror and is a son of Owen Tudor (Hyperion-Mary Tudor by Pharos). Incidentally, Owen Tudor is bred on the reverse cross to Nearctic, being by a son of Pharos from a daughter of Hyperion.
Even if one gets the pedigree mating right on paper, there is no guarantee the best genes will be inherited by a foal. Brothers and sisters are often quite different. I wonder if sometimes the quality of a stallion’s sperm at time of covering a mare might be affected by over-use. However, when the Gods shine on the humble horse breeder, magic can happen.
Maria Niarchos designed the broodmare matings for her father Stavros Niarchos and planned the Mr Prospector match with Coup de Folie. The match produced French champion 2YO colt Machiavellian, paternal grandsire of Street Boss who is inbred to Nasrullah and his 3/4 brother Royal Charger, with support from close relative Mahmoud
Blushing Groom Runaway Bride
Red God Nasrullah Spring Run by Menow Wild Risk
Aimee by Tudor Minstrel
Street Boss (USA), Chestnut colt, 2004
Ogygian, Bay colt, 1983
(Blenheim-Mah Mahal). Machiavellian’s dam Coup de Folie is inbred to Almahmoud by Mahmoud.
Street Cry, sire of Street Boss, has as his second dam Waterway, a mare with the mix of Nasrullah (sire of Never Bend) and Fair Trial (son of Lady Juror). The inherited genetic impact from Nearco, Blenheim, Mumtaz Mahal and Lady Juror certainly offered the chance for something special to be produced.
Street Boss was born in 2004 and became a multiple Grade 1 winner. He was purchased by Godolphin as a yearling for US $300,000 at the Keenland September Yearling Sale. With a reputation for speed, he sired tough, sound progeny. Street Boss set track records for 5 ½ furlongs and 6 furlongs at Hollywood Park. From 13 starts he won seven including the Triple Bend Handicap Gr1, Bing Crosby Handicap Gr1 and finished
third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint Gr1. To date he has sired 87 stakes winners. Street Boss is free of Northern Dancer but his pedigree shows many similar ancestors found in that champion. When descendants of Northern Dancer are matched with Street Boss it mixes powerful genes from elite ancestors – Native Dancer, Nearco, Blenheim, Mumtaz Mahal and Almahmoud. Families can therefore be upgraded. Royal Charger (Nearco-Sun Princess by Solario-Mumtaz Begum) features as the sire of Turn-to, sire of Hail To Reason, the sire of Halo. In Street Boss’s pedigree Royal Charger is the sire of Francis S, broodmare sire of Ogygian.
Ogygian, by champion Damascus, was a high-class sprinter. Little has been written about him after being exported to Japan. The Japanese knew Ogygian belongs to one of the soundest families in the stud book, i. e. Marguerite de Valois, a sister to Bull Dog and Sir Gallahad III.
This is the No 16 Family made famous by Plucky Liege, dam also of Quatre Bras, Bois Roussel (English Derby) and Admiral Drake.
Damascus was U.S. Horse of the Year and champion 3YO colt. Standing 15.2 hands high, he had particularly strong gaskins, a big heart and a decent overstride. I inspected Damascus at Claiborne Farm and noted he had the eyes of an eagle, taking in all around him. He was ultraintelligent. Despite his size he won 21 races including the Belmont Stakes Gr1, Preakness Stakes Gr1, Travers Stakes Gr1, Woodward Stakes Gr1, Wood Memorial Stakes Gr1 and Jockey Club Gold Cup Gr1.
His father Sword Dancer was also U.S. Horse of the Year and champion 3YO colt. He is a male line descendant of Teddy. Cequillo is by Princequillo from Hostility by Man O’ War from Marguerite de Valois by Teddy from Plucky Liege by Spearmint. Cequillo’s daughter Killaloe is the dam of champion miler Fappiano (10 wins including the Metropolitan Handicap Gr1).
Ogygian won seven of 10 starts including the Futurity Stakes Gr1, Dwyer Stakes Gr1, Jerome Handicap Gr1 and Riva Ridge Stakes. He was bred by the astute horseman John Nerud at Tartan Farms, Florida.
Anamoe, Australia’s Champion 3YO colt bred by Godolphin, won 12 of 22 starts for $9.7 million and commands a fee of $121,000. Among his major victories were the W. S. Cox Plate Gr1,
Guineas Gr1, Winx Stakes Gr1, George Main Stakes Gr1, ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes Gr1, Rosehill Guineas Gr1 and Caulfield Stakes Gr1. The dam of Anamoe is linebred to Flower Bowl by Alibhai (Hyperion/Tracery mix).
The first crop of yearlings by Anamoe has impressed buyers. Anamato, dam of Anamoe, was a tough filly whose victories include the Schweppes Oaks Gr1, A V
Tentyris, Chestnut colt, 2022
Kewney Stakes Gr2, Moonee Valley Fillies Classic Gr2 and South Australian Sires’ Produce Stakes Gr3.
There are 21 yearlings by Anamoe catalogued for the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale held March 29 and 30 at Riverside Stables. The first to go into the ring is Lot 17 a chestnut filly out of stakes winner Pin Me Up by Pins. This filly comes from the family of Caulfield Cup Gr1 winner
Railings. Pin Me Up won the Auckland Karaka Million 3YO Classic.
The first colt by Anamoe to go through the ring at Easter will be Lot 42 out of stakes-placed winner Really Discreet by Helmet from Maybe Discreet, dam of Too Darn Discreet (VRC Edward Manifold Stakes Gr2). This colt has a nice pedigree pattern.
Of all the fillies by Anemoe appealing on pedigree, probably Lot 222 out of Artistry by Shamardal is the standout. This filly is linebred to Machiavellian via son and daughter with further support of Almahmoud. Artistry won 8 times and earned $562,810. Her best wins were the VRC Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes G2 and Newcastle Newmarket Handicap Gr3.
TENTYRIS
How good is Tentyris? Here is a list of Group 1 winners sired by Street Boss: ANAMOE (W S Cox Plate), TENTYRIS (Coolmore Stud Stakes), PERICLES (Futurity Stakes), PINSTRIPED (Futurity Stakes), THE QUARTERBACK (Newmarket Hcp), DANZA (Arkansas Derby), CATHERYNE SOPHIA (Kentucky Oaks), DECKED OUT (American Oaks) ANOTHER WIL (C F Orr Stakes),
BASTONE (King’s Bishop Stakes), ELITE STREET (Winterbottom Stakes),
(La Brea Stakes).
Tentyris - winning the 2026 Gr1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes
Tempted - winning the 2026 Gr1 Surround Stakes
TEMPTED
Now is the time to invest in daughters of Street Boss because he’s likely to make a first rate broodmare sire.
At time of writing, Tentyris has won five of eight starts for $2.8 million. He won the Lightning Stakes Gr1, Coolmore Stud Stakes Gr1, Todman Stakes Gr2, the Listed Talindert Stakes and Gothic Stakes, was runner-up in the Blue Diamond Stakes Gr1 and third Danehill Stakes Gr2.
Deity won twice and is out of Divine Madonna, 8 wins $2,013,390 whose wins include the Toorak Handicap Gr1, Myer Classic Gr1 and Queen of the Turf Stakes Gr1. Hurricane Sky, sire of Divine Madonna, set a record of 1-08 for 1200m as a two year-old.
Hurricane Sky and Redoute’s Choice inherit speed and stamina from Dancing Show, daughter of Nijinsky II. Research shows Blushing Groom had an affinity with Nijinsky II.
Tempted, stablemate of Tentyris, deservedly won her Group 1 when scoring in the Surround Stakes at Randwick. She had been unlucky when a fast finishing third in the Golden Slipper Stakes. Her earnings are now $4,726,400 boosted of course by her gallant second in The Everest Gr1. From 11 starts she won six including the Surround Stakes Gr1, Run to the Roses Gr2, Percy Sykes Stakes Gr2, Reisling Stakes Gr2 and Eskimo Stakes Gr2. She was second in The Everest Gr1, Widden Stakes Gr1 and third in the Golden Rose Gr1 and Golden Slipper Stakes Gr1.
Street Boss sired many Group stakes winners from mares with Northern Dancer’s strain, especially via Danzig, Danehill and Nijinsky II. There seems to be a genetic affinity between Street Boss and Exceed and Excel. Like Tentyris, Traffic Warden and Elite Street are out of daughters of Exceed and Excel. There’s enough evidence to suggest Sadler’s Wells’s strain might suit Street Boss. Futurity Stakes Gr1 and Tramway Stakes Gr2 winner Pericles is out of Accessories by Singspiel, grandson of Sadler’s Wells.
There is a yearling filly Lot 148 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale which could be a future stakes performer. Consigned by Fernrigg Farm, she is a brown filly by Pinatubo from The Muses by Lohnro from Calliope, dam of Tempted and Kallos. It’s a classic pedigree pattern. Now is the time to invest in daughters of Street Boss because he’s likely to make a first rate broodmare sire.
MAKYBE DIVA
On a sad note, Tony Santic announced Australia’s greatest female stayer of all time, Makybe Diva (Desert King-Tugula by Riverman) passed away after a bout of colic. She was aged 27.
An icon of the sport and a national hero, Makybe Diva won the Melbourne Cup three times - an amazing achievement. Bred in England, she was purchased by agent John Foote for 60,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Sales in 1996. She never started until the back end of her three year-old season and gradually matured into the champion we loved so much. Her 15 wins also include the W S Cox Plate Gr1, Australian Cup Gr1, Sydney Cup Gr1 and Tancred Stakes Gr1.
Streisand - winning the 2026 Gr1 Blue Diamond STREET BOSS (USA)
ZOUPER STAR STREISAND
MAGNUS Flying Spur DANEHILL
Rolls - Mr Prospector
Scandinavia Snippets
Song of Norway
Zoustar Northern Meteor
ZouZou to DANEHILL
Simply the Best Kingdom Bay Chickero
, Bay or Brown colt,
Blushing Ogygian
BLUE DIAMOND STAKES
The 2026 Blue Diamond Stakes Gr1 over 1200m at Caulfield was won by Streisand (Magnus-Zouper Star by Zoustar), trained by Clinton McDonald. The bay filly was bred by Don and Elizabeth Byrne who sold her as a weanling for $22,000. Streisand was resold as a yearling at the Premier Sale for $100,000.
From 5 starts, Streisand has now won two and finished second twice to earn $1,562,500. She was runner-up in the VRC Inglis Banner RL and Maribyrnong Trial Stakes Listed before scoring in the Blue Diamond Prelude Gr2 and Blue Diamond Stakes Gr1.
Magnus has now sired five Group 1 winners. He originally stood at Eliza Park Stud before transferring to Widden Stud, Victoria. Earner of $1,143,682 he won The Galaxy Gr1 and went to England to finish third in the King’s Stand Stakes Gr2 over 5 furlongs at Royal Ascot. He was euthanised in September 2023 aged 21.
Runner-up in the Blue Diamond Stakes Gr1 at Caulfield was a very progressive colt named Closer to Free (Street Boss-Lady Naturaliste by Choisir) who finished ahead of Court House (Home Affairs-Flamboyant Lass by Stratum) and Tempted’s half-brother Zambales (Pinatubo-Caliope by Exceed and Excel). Unit Five suffered interference soon after the start which put him out of contention.
There’s been gradual support for Central Europe (Frankle-Tiggy Wiggy by Kodiac), a colt inbred 3 x 3 to Danehill. Tiggy Wiggy was explosive on the turf in England.
Who then, is likely to win the 2026 Golden Slipper Stakes Gr1? Is it the year for a longshot? Will the weather be kind? Will a filly beat the boys? Will Victorian juveniles prove superior to those above the border? Time will tell. There’s so much to look forward to during the Autumn including the competition heating up for leading trainer.
MYSTERY HORSE
Bluebloods is pleased to present the one-hundred-and-third in the series of our regular monthly feature, in which we invite readers to write or email if you think you can correctly identify our monthly “Mystery Horse”. The thoroughbred is one of the best documented breeds of animal in the world and our reference library contains photos and paintings of many of the most influential ancestors since the origin of the breed.
Clue: Gleaming chestnut who thrust his sire into the spotlight.
Terms and Conditions
Answers can be phoned in, emailed or posted. All correct answers received will be placed in a random draw which will be conducted by a member of our staff. Anyone who wins three times will go onto the Honour Board on this page and become ineligible to win again.
The publisher’s decision on all matters relating to this quiz will be final, no correspondence will be entered into. The publisher reserves the right to exclude entries at any time. Prizes may be varied at any time at the publisher’s discretion. By submitting an entry contestants automatically agree to theses terms and conditions.
Only your first answer is eligible, no further attempts please.
Monthly Prize: Each month’s winner will receive a prize which will be a choice of one of the books or limited edition prints published by Bluebloods which is still in print, not sold out. Monthly winners will be contacted with a range of choices.
HONOUR BOARD
Sharyn Batson - Vic.
Ian Baird - Vic.
Trevor Johnson - NSW
Trevor Lewis - Vic.
Bruce Dick - NSW
Jon Freyer - NSW
Greg Weatherall - NSW
Stefan Kaempf - Vic.
Roy Munro - NZ
Aaron Hodgson - SA
Elizabeth Wilson - Vic.
Shannon Lawlor - NSW
Michael Curley - NSW
Anne Visser - NZ
Greg Payne - Qld
Chris Irons - Vic.
LAST ISSUE
LAST ISSUE ANSWER
Zarkava (Zamindar – Zarkasha by Kahyasi) retired undefeated after seven starts climaxing in a dominant victory as a 3yo filly in the Prix de L’Arc De Triomphe. She is the quintessential product of the Aga Khan’s ongoing owner/breeder programme going back to the original purchase of Mumtaz Mahal in 1923. This family has been nurtured by the various descendants of the Aga Khan’s family and Mumtaz Mahal became the 4th dam of 1000 Guineas and Oaks winner Petite Etoile who is in turn Zarkava’s 5th dam.
Zarkava’s relatively slender physique belies the stremendous strength she displayed, coming from near last over every distance with a withering finishing burst. On several occasions her position appeared hopeless 400m out, yet she won easily at the finish.
She had a very distinctive galloping action, nothing moved but her legs, her body and her neck and head remaining on a very flat plane resulting in great economy of motion, no energy wasted.
Zarkava is in the early stages of becoming a very successful and influential mare in her own right.
Congratulations to our winner whomever it may be, to be announced in issue 4 to allow more time for entries. Winners of this issue’s quiz will be announced at the same time. Daily double.
Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale
Bloodstock is booming in the west with a rise in all metrics at the 2026 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale. The first day showed a massive rise in average, from $88,378 in 2025 to $106,793 in 2026 with the median also rising to $80,000. With a similar number of horses offered, this flowed through to the aggregate for the day, lifting to $14.7 million.
“The clearance rate was very encouraging, the gross is up on last year and the average is up almost $20,000. They are great figures,” said Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch.
“The local buyers are very spirited. This is their Grand Final and it’s the big week to buy their new horses and they compete in good spirit here. From an interstate and international respect – the spend doubled on last year and that was the difference on gross. Those visitors were very willing to get involved and spend across the board.
A real pleasing aspect today was the number of horses selling for $200,000 or more – last year it was 11 (lots) and today it was 20 – that shows great confidence in the Western Australian product.”
And the success continued on the second day with the average, median, and clearance rate up again. Over all, the whole sale grossed $21.5 million with a clearance rate of 87%, meaning that 283 yearlings found new owners.
Lot 25 (Zoustar-Lubiton, by Snitzel) topped the sale at $525,000, with that price also rising from 2025’s sale topping figure of $450,000. Lot 25 is a half-sister to this season’s Gr2 Blue Diamond Prelude (f) placed Chayan, out of a Gr3 winning mare, making the pedigree current. Purchaser Sheamus Mills said, “She’s a medium sized, athletic filly – just the style I like, particularly by the stallion. She stands over plenty of ground. The pedigree certainly helps as well. She’s by a gun stallion and the two year-old from the mare was very good on debut.”
The full sister to Bustler (Playing GodCosmah Domination, by Oratorio), catalogued as Lot 154 was the second top lot at $475,000, cheaper than her full sister who topped this sale two years ago at $625,000. She was purchased by Pearce Racing/Geisel Park/Boomer Bloodstock (FBAA). “We tried to buy the full sister
a couple of years ago, we really loved her but missed out,” co-trainer Dan Pearce said. “We made a real effort to make sure we went home with the one we wanted today.”
Over the two days, the top vendor was Ridgeport Holdings who sold 12 yearlings for $1.975 million, followed by Greenfields Lodge who sold 15 yearlings for $1.94 million. Playing God was easily the leading the sire with 46 yearlings sold for $5.855 million, while Hellbent just snuck in as the leading sire by average (three or more sold) at $128,333 for his trio of yearlings with Playing God achieving an average of $127,283.
Local buyers were the biggest force, putting their hands up for $18 million worth of yearlings, while it was pleasing to see eastern state buyers purchase 24 yearlings. Hong Kong buyers were active, purchasing five yearlings at an average of $146,000, well above the sale’s overall average, while one yearling went to a Singapore based owner.
Top Lot - Lot 25 (Zoustar-Lubiton, by Snitzel) bought by Sheamus Mills. BB
Michael Lane Racing/ TMJ B/stock, WA 5 585,000 117,000 240,000
Merrick Staunton, HK 3 340,000 113,333 200,000
Gangemi Racing, WA 5 540,000 108,000 170,000
Simon Miller Racing, WA 4 427,500 106,875 260,000
Morton Racing, WA 10 1,060,000 106,000 200,000
Jason Miller Racing, WA 5 520,000 104,000 140,000
Mitchell Pateman Racing, WA 4 316,000 79,000 140,000
Parnham Racing Stables, WA 15 1,162,000 77,467 220,000
Millfields Park, WA 4 307,000 76,750 160,000
Vahala Racing/SM & KB B/stock, WA 3 230,000 76,667 160,000
Peter & Luke Fernie, WA 9 647,500 71,944 190,000
Ryan Hill Racing, WA 10 717,500 71,750 230,000
Ryan Fuller, WA 5 330,000 66,000 120,000
Patrick Payne, Vic 3 196,000 65,333 110,000
Bridge Patrol Lodge, WA 5 325,000 65,000 80,000
Commercial B/stock
Services P/L FBAA, WA 7 445,000 63,571 100,000
Jim Taylor, WA 3 182,500 60,833 80,000
Tom Wolfe, WA 4 232,500 58,125 107,500
Summer Dickson, WA 4 228,000 57,000 90,000
Jamie Davies, WA 3 165,000 55,000 80,000 Belhus Racing, WA 3
John Chalmers B/stock FBAA/ Erkelens Racing, WA 5 245,000 49,000 90,000
Noske Racing, WA 4 181,000 45,250 80,000
Josh Brown Racing, WA 8 347,500
Indianna Weinert, WA 3
John Chalmers B/stock FBAA, WA 3
Karen Kersley, WA 3
Anita Peiris, WA 3
Gulberti Racing, WA 3
Rebecca & Mark Bayliss, WA 3
Ashley Maley, WA 4
32,500 75,000 Sky Ballinger, WA 3
Leading buyers by trade (3+ purchased)
Buyer Lots Aggregate
Parnham Racing Stables, WA 15
Morton Racing, WA 10
Trevor Andrews, WA 8
Ryan Hill Racing, WA 10
Peter & Luke Fernie, WA 9
Byerley B/stock, WA 3
Michael Lane Racing/TMJ B/stock, WA 5
Gangemi Racing, WA 5
Yenrise, WA 4
Pearce Racing, WA 3
Jason Miller Racing, WA 5
Pearce Racing/Boomer B/stock FBAA/ Hayley Coyne, WA 3
Archibald Racing/ McKeever B/stock, NSW 3
Commercial B/stock
Services P/L FBAA, WA 7
Simon Miller Racing, WA 4
Josh Brown Racing, WA 8
Merrick Staunton, HK 3
Ryan Fuller, WA 5
Bridge Patrol Lodge, WA 5
Mitchell Pateman Racing, WA 4
Millfields Park, WA 4
John Chalmers B/stock FBAA/
Erkelens Racing, WA 5
Tom Wolfe, WA 4
Vahala Racing/SM & KB B/stock, WA 3
Summer Dickson, WA 4
Patrick Payne, Vic 3
Jim Taylor, WA 3
Noske Racing, WA 4
Jamie Davies, WA 3
Belhus Racing, WA 3
Ashley Maley, WA 4
Indianna Weinert, WA 3
John Chalmers B/stock FBAA, WA 3
Karen Kersley, WA 3
Anita Peiris, WA 3
Gulberti Racing, WA 3
Rebecca & Mark Bayliss, WA 3
Sky Ballinger, WA 3
Park Stud 12 12 660,500 55,042 130,000
Park
Top vendors by average (3+ sold)
Mungrup P/L, WA 14 14
& Breeding P/L, WA 4 4
Stud, WA 15 15
Forest View Farm, WA 8 5
Willaview Park, WA 9 8
Balmoral Park Stud, WA 5 5
Einoncliff Park, WA 9 7
Alwyn Park Stud, WA 17 12
Ruby Racing & Breeding 16 14
Darling View T/breds WA 27 24
Dawson Stud, WA 6 5
Mogumber Park, WA 22 21
J Farms, WA 11 11
Rangeview Stud, WA 6 6
Gold Front T/breds, WA 16 13
Kingsgrove Stud, WA 3 3
Price T/breds, WA 5 5
Lynward Park Stud, WA 12 12
Gervase Park Stud, WA 13 13
Westbury Park, WA 13 11
Scenic Lodge, WA 14 14
Clare Downs Stud, WA 8 4
Geisel Park Stud, WA 13 9
Dale Farm, WA 13 12
Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale
With the headliner of a record price, the 2026 Tasmanian Magic Millions had the company’s Managing Director Barry Bowditch in good spirits as he noted “the good spirit and vibe” about the sale held at Quercus Park on February 23.
Only three less horses made their way through the ring than in 2025, making it easy to make comparisons between the two sales. The gross, average, median and clearance rates were all up as was the sale topping price; last year $80,000; this time around it was more than double that.
That honour went to Armidale Stud’s eye catching Pinatubo filly out of the city placed two time winning Snitzel mare Dream Food. The fourth generation of a lovely family bred by Ken Breese, she was secured for $170,000 by Redgum Racing’s John McArdle who trains the filly’s promising three year-old half sister Yum for the Breese family. A halfsister to the dual Group winner I’ll Have A Bit who was also trained by McArdle, Dream Food is a granddaughter of the tough and classy Perugino mare Tickle My who did such a good job winning 11 (including three Group races and two Listed contests) of her 50 starts.
“We are very happy to acquire her, McArdle said, noting that “she is very much like her
sister though she probably looks a bit sharper being by a speed horse like Pinatubo.”
McArdle has big plans for the Listed winner Yum, saying that she is “going to press on to the good races in the autumn and winter in Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane.”
The $170,000 price tag was up on the previous record of the $160,000 it took Leigh Winwood to buy Queen La Diva at the 2017 sale. With her two stakes placings and six wins (including Flemington and Sandown),
by Kristen Manning
she proved to be a great buy and there is more to come with her first two foals being by Wootton Bassett and Street Boss (served last spring by Zoustar).
The sale average of $35,012 was up very nicely from last year’s $23,488, the median up from $18,000 to $20,000 whilst the gross takings jumped up from $1,949,500 to $2,836,000.
“It was pleasing to see some solid increases, Bowditch said, noting that “the appetite for quality lots was there.”
The sale also saw the second highest number of six figure horses sold with other success stories also sold by Armidale Stud including a $120,000 Capitalist filly out of the stakes placed Speedonova (granddaughter of the terrific Tasmanian mare Nova Clause), a $115,000 Paulele filly out of a sister to the Golden Rose-Gr1, 1400m winner Denman, a $110,000 State Of Rest colt out of the multiple city winner Falika and a $100,000 Needs Further sister to the dual Listed winner Mystical Pursuit. The latter is also a 3/4 sister to Mystic Journey, this sale’s mos t well known graduate.
“To have a new record price and to have a number of fillies highly sought after was great and is again testament to the quality of the horse and for vendors giving us the opportunity to offer some quality horses in Tasmania,” Bowditch said.
The local John Blacker was the sale’s most prolific buyer with Tasmanian Bloodstock, John Keys and Adam Trinder also active whilst interstate buyers of multiple lots included Star Thoroughbreds/Randwick Bloodstock and McEvoy Mitchell Racing/ Belmont Bloodstock. BB
John McArdle, Redgum Racing
Rachael Howard (l) Denise Martin (c) Brett Howard (r)
1. Dog-breeding case sets a valuable GST precedent for horse breeders
The ART’s 2026 Smith decision confirms that even small scale animal breeding operations can qualify as a GST “enterprise” when they display recognised business characteristics — a principle directly relevant to horse breeders seeking to justify enterprise or business status.
2. “Business factors” mattered more than scale, profit or formality
The Tribunal emphasised objective indicators such as contracts, registrations, supplier arrangements, marketing, and repeated sales. These outweighed the taxpayer’s lack of income tax declaration, limited record keeping, or the modest scale of operations — reinforcing that genuine, structured activity can still be an enterprise.
3. GST entitlement success didn’t extend to all claims or penalties
While the taxpayer proved his breeding activity was an enterprise, he failed in claiming entertainment-related input tax credits and could not overturn penalties for reckless record keeping, highlighting the importance of robust substantiation for all GST claims.
The article title may well have you asking why the writer believes the activities of a dog breeder has any relevance to the operations of a horse breeder?
In a tax context, the answer is simple – the dog breeder was able to demonstrate that his activities were an “enterprise” for GST purposes, successfully arguing that his activities had met the same type of ‘business’ factors that horse breeders must also rely upon in proving that their activities are an income tax ‘business’ or GST ‘enterprise’. I guess we are also dealing with animal breeds most of us are very fond of!
It was in January 2026 that the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) concluded that dog breeding activities carried on by a taxpayer was an enterprise for GST purposes, case reference being Smith and Commissioner of Taxation (Taxation) [2026] ARTA 25. However, the taxpayer was unsuccessful in relation to input tax credit claims for entertainment expenses and property investment activities, and in demonstrating penalties for recklessness were inappropriate.
Take special note of the “business” factors noted below in the decision, they apply as much to a horse breeder as they do to a primary production activity such as dog breeding.
The taxpayer was an individual who carried on dog breeding and property investment activities and was registered for GST on a cash basis. The taxpayer and the ATO were in dispute over the taxpayer’s liability for GST and penalties for the GST quarterly period ending 30 September 2018 to the period ending 31 December 2021 (relevant periods).
The taxpayer’s objections to the assessments for the relevant periods were disallowed and the taxpayer applied for a review of the objection decisions by the Tribunal.
The main issues in dispute, that were of relevance to horse breeders, between the parties were:
1. whether the taxpayer’s dog breeding activities were an “enterprise” pursuant to the GST Act
2. whether the taxpayer was entitled to claim input tax credits under the GST Act in relation to his dog breeding activities
3. whether the taxpayer was entitled to claim input tax credits for food and consumable expenses that the Commissioner said were entertainment expenses
4. whether the taxpayer took reasonable steps to reconstruct records claimed to have been lost due to a major flood in NSW and, if so, whether the Commissioner was obliged to accept that reconstructed material to substantiate his input credit claims
During the hearing the taxpayer acknowledged that he had not returned income from the sale of dogs in either his GST returns or his income tax returns. This is significant as it is rare for a GST enterprise to not be obliged to also attend to income tax return lodgings.
The Taxpayer was noted as “entrepreneurial”. He was a consultant contracted to a company based in NSW and had an interest in property investment and speculation, French bulldog breeding, and photography. The Taxpayer’s dog breeding and property investment activities are at issue in this case.
In summary, the most relevant points the Taxpayer said:
(a) He bred French bulldogs between 20182021. His operation was known as “Delish Frenchies”.
(b) The puppies were sold under formal contracts. There were about 7 litters in total, and between 18-22 puppies.
(c) The breeding operation was set up at his home. He established kennels. The dogs had wet weather areas and dry areas, and access to grass. Males and females needed to be separated, and a clean space was available for customers looking to breed
their dogs with his dogs (what he called “partner potential purchasers”).
(d) The Taxpayer was licensed with the Australian National Kennel Club (“ANKC”) and was also licenced by the Master Dogs Breeders and Associates (“MDBA”).
(e) Licensing at ANKC was rigorous and involved the Taxpayer’s dogs being both visually and medically examined. There were also regular checks of the Taxpayer’s dogs. Once the ANKC licensing was satisfied, the Taxpayer said he transferred to MDBA and got licensed at MDBA.
(f) In terms of additional costs, he had to purchase breeding animals and rotate those animals. He also incurred costs in caring for the animals – such as food and veterinary costs. French bulldogs are not active breeders naturally, and artificial insemination is typical. Caesarean births are also typical. That meant he incurred specialist vet costs.
(g) He had supplier accounts for vet services and from food providers and was approached for business from pet food suppliers. He acquired related items for the dogs which are evidenced on the Tribunal Book (such as a large amount of pet training pads).
(h) The Taxpayer provided the Commissioner with spreadsheets setting out costs alongside the invoices noted above, as well as hundreds of pages of bank statements.
(i) The Taxpayer microchipped and registered his dogs. His dogs also received pedigree certification. The Taxpayer provided a Puppy Info Pack to purchasers.
(j) The Taxpayer also provided screenshots of a website page he maintained for Delish Frenchies which also recorded an email address delishfrenchies@gmail.com.
(k) The Taxpayer also said he made a ‘profit’ of just over $96,000 from the dog breeding operation, although he said it might be slightly less than that for the Relevant Periods. He said he intended to make a profit. The ART drew the conclusion that this was gross revenue, not profit, but the revenue was a strong indicator in itself
2. Decision
The Tribunal found that the taxpayer’s dog breeding activity was an enterprise in accordance with the GST Act. There was sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the taxpayer was operating in the form of a business. The taxpayer provided 16 signed contracts demonstrating sales of dogs and sale prices. There were also bank payment summaries demonstrating that deposits were received for puppies. The taxpayer’s dog
breeding activity was also an enterprise in the form of an adventure or concern in trade under the GST Act – he very much had a solid footing to claim his GST credits.
However, the Tribunal affirmed the Commissioner’s decision to deny input tax credits for food and other consumables on the basis they were entertainment expenses.
As to penalties, the taxpayer was partially successful. The Tribunal found that he failed to demonstrate that the penalty for recklessness was inappropriate. However, it decided that the 20% base penalty uplift should not have been applied.
3. Was the dog breeding operation an enterprise?
The ART outlined the “business” factors that should be contemplated in determining if the taxpayer was running an activity as an “enterprise” and below are their related comments, together with my take on some of these.
Was the activity “In the form of a business”
The GST Act provides that any activity or series of activities “in the form of a business” can be an enterprise.
Starting with the Taxpayer’s case as he presented it, when considering whether there is a business, there are a huge number of cases which can be referred to. For instance, numerous cases can be found for:
(a) Determining whether there is a business is a question of fact
(b) Repetition and regularity of activity is important, but even isolated activities or limited activities can amount to carrying on a business.
(c) An intention to profit and a pattern of trading can be relevant factors when determining whether a business arises.
(d) A new type of activity added to an existing operation, and the first step of a business can constitute a business.
Carrazzo comment
This was raised as the ATO was doubtful as to whether his one individual ABN could partake in multiple business activities. An entity (including an individual) can carry out several different enterprises under the same ABN if they all operate under the same business structure. The GST Act does contemplate a “series of activities”.
(e) The state of mind of the taxpayer does not of itself determine whether there is a business, but it may be relevant evidence when characterising the activities objectively.
(f) A person can carry on more than one business: The fact that, concurrently with the activities in question, the taxpayer carries on the practice of a profession or another business, does not preclude a finding that his additional activities constitute the carrying on of a business.
In holding that there was an enterprise, ART Justice White pointed to a series of acts carried on by the taxpayer, including engaging consultants and marketing
The taxpayer had provided evidence on the Tribunal that he was engaged in the following “business type” activities, including:
- he had distinct email addresses
- he entered contractual arrangements with customers (and there is evidence of approximately 16 sales contracts
- the sales were to unrelated persons, thus on a commercial basis
- he entered contracts with suppliers of dogs to acquire dogs, and contracts to stud service his dogs
- he acquired stock
- he established kennels
- he registered as a breeder and maintained that registration
- he entered arrangements with food and veterinary suppliers
- he sought pedigree certificates and other evidence to ensure his stock was as valuable as possible
- he maintained his stock with vet visits and his evidence is that he sold puppies and made a profit.
- while this activity was small scale, the ATO’s own guidance identifies that small scale activities can be operated in the form of a business even where they are one-off
- in this case, there is repetition and regularity of activity, e.g. dogs were bred when required
The ART response to the ATO’s “badges of trade”
The ATO’s submission considered other factors which are said to be ‘badges of trade’ which the ART provided comment as to how compliant the taxpayer was in meeting these:
(a) The significance of the commercial activity / whether the activities are of a reasonable size and scale – as can be discovered by simply googling dog breeders, dog breeding is not always significant in scale. The ATO acknowledges that a small-scale operation can comprise an adventure of concern in the nature of trade. These factors are in favour of the Taxpayer.
(b) A purpose and intention of the taxpayer to engage in commercial activity / intention to profit – the Tribunal finds there is sufficient evidence of this. For instance, the website page, email addresses, acquisition of stock, sale contracts, marketing, supplier arrangements, registration as a breeder, and the use of that registration number. These factors are in favour of the Taxpayer.
(c) The activity is or will be profitable –this is not a requirement at law, and the Taxpayer’s evidence was that he did profit from the dog breeding operation. It was found above that he intended to profit. This factor is in favour of the Taxpayer.
(d) The recurrent or regular nature of the activity / commercial sales of products –this case has evidence of 16 sales contracts, and evidence of regular sales in the relevant periods. Dog-breeding is not always of a large scale.
(e) The activity is carried on in a similar manner to other businesses in the same or similar trade – a google search reveals this to be the case. This factor is in favour of the Taxpayer.
(f) The activity is systematic, organised and carried on in a businesslike manner with records kept / a business plan exists - these are features which suggest that the Taxpayer was not operating the dog breeding operation as an adventure or concern in the nature of trade. There is case law which supports the view that failing to meet basic business organisational matters can be determinative of whether there is an adventure or concern in the nature of trade. Other cases take the view that if there are no books of account and no business plan that does not necessarily mean there is no business or adventure in the nature of trade and it depends on the type of business operation. For example, a very small-scale operation is unlikely to have a detailed business plan.
(g) The Taxpayer has relevant knowledge or skill – there is material on the Tribunal Book to suggest this arises. That material relates to the registration of the Taxpayer with ANKC and MDBA. In particular, the material from MDBA required the Taxpayer to educate himself on several aspects including hygiene, the health of his dogs, health management plans, breeding, and regulatory requirements. I assess this factor as neutral, however.
Pease do not hesitate to contact the writer if you wish for me to clarify or expand on any of the matters raised in this article.
DISCLAIMER
Any reader intending to apply the information in this article to practical circumstances should independently verify their interpretation and the information’s applicability to their circumstances with an accountant or adviser specialising in this area.
Prepared by:
PAUL CARRAZZO CA, CPA Partner - Baumgartners
1/35 Cotham Rd, Kew, VIC, 3101
TEL: +61 3 9851 9000
MOB: 0417 549 347
E-mail: p.carrazzo@baumgartners.com.au
Web: www.baumgartners.com.au
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