Archive for category: Industry News

Above: A view of Cornwall Park

Just 50km or so up the Calder Freeway from Melbourne stands an historic property that has enjoyed more than one heyday, once as Gnotuk Park as part of a large pastoral estate, later as a local centre for innovation in agricultural machinery.

A large homestead, still standing with a heritage overlay due to its attractive Federation style, was built in the late 1890s and since then the farm has benefitted from a variety of uses; during and after WWII as a holiday spot for those looking to get away from the big smoke and later the following century as base for the popular annual Djerriwarrh Festival.

But to those in the horse racing world, it is best known as Cornwall Park.

Owned and operated by the Trescowthick family, Cornwall Park was home to a number of popular stallions (at a later time under the banner of the Independent Stallion Station) but its paddocks had been mostly empty in the years before the farm’s sale in early 2017.

Fast forward to late May 2020 and Ballarat trainer Pat Cannon happens to pay a visit, that evening tweeting… “Cornwall Park is virtually empty… a great old stud still in excellent order, would be a great opportunity for a new breeder.”

Spying that tweet was Arrowfield Stud’s Stephen Irwin, friend to Peter Boyle and Lisa Gordon, a Hunter Valley based couple with a long history of involvement in the thoroughbred breeding industry. They had been on the lookout for a while for the perfect farm though it was not until their successful photography business (LMG Photography) took a Covid hit that they stepped up their search.

“Our work stopped like a freight train,” Lisa said, “which forced our hand a bit. But we had both been keen to come back into thoroughbreds… it is an addiction after all!”

Above: Peter Boyle and Lisa Gordon

Reading Cannon’s tweet on a Friday evening, the couple sprung into action – driving to Victoria the following day, viewing the farm on the Saturday, signing the dotted (lease) line on the Tuesday – and moving in the following weekend!

“It was a whirlwind,” Lisa joked, adding that an instant rapport with Cornwall Park’s current owners Alex and Nicole McIntyre helped to speed things up.

“They are the loveliest people we could ever hope to meet,” Lisa said. “They had tried different things for the farm from glamping to agistment and realised what would be most perfect is for someone to restore Cornwall Park to its former glory, for it to once again become a successful thoroughbred stud… enter us!”

And so in the three hectic weeks since their move to Victoria, Peter and Lisa have been “cleaning, gardening and mowing” and are “ready to fill the paddocks with beautiful thoroughbreds again!”

“It is great to see Pete able to utilize his 25 years working at studs,” Lisa said, noting that he brings to Cornwall “a wealth of experience following long term associations with such famed thoroughbred nurseries as Segenhoe Stud, Byerley Stud, Baerami Thoroughbreds and Emirates Park Stud.”

Lisa also boasts an impressive equine resume having competed in a variety of disciplines from a young age, devoting years to her passion of horse photography.

“I am going to juggle photography and Cornwall Park,” she said, already delighted with the response from breeders – “we have had so many people say how happy they are to see us here… and we are really keep to make our mark!”

And already a stallion has been found to launch Peter and Lisa’s reincarnation of Cornwall Park with Redoute’s Choice’s Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes winning son Hampton Court arriving late last week, immediately settling in.

Above: Hampton Court who has recently arrived at Cornwall Park

“He is such a gentleman, just so easy to work with,” Peter said of the striking bay who has sired 19 runners from his first 35 runners in Australia, America, Canada, Malaysia and South America.

A $500,000 Easter graduate trained by Gai Waterhouse, Hampton Court won the Listed Dulcify Stakes and the Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes (defeating First Seal) before starting favourite but ending up in the wrong part of the track in the Gr.1 VRC Derby.

A son of the imported stakes winner Roses ‘N’ Wine from the family of superstar mare Makybe Diva, Hampton Court is still in the early stages of his stud career with his first local crop being only three.

“He will stand at a very reasonable $2,500,” Peter said, keen to support local breeders.

“Hopefully he can attract some nice mares whose owners are willing to give him a try for a small outlay,” he said, also hoping to attract business to the “new” farm… “we are looking forward to creating and building our piece of thoroughbred history here in the coming years.”

Meanwhile Lisa is keen to expand on her equine photography business, available for stud shoots whilst also happy to open Cornwall Park to visitors – its large and well equipped auditorium suitable for functions, horse sales and conferences.

Above: The auditorium at Cornwall Park

Visit us at www.cornwallpark.com.au or get in touch:

Peter: 0427 459 795 peter@cornwallpark.com.au

Lisa: 0439 000 671 lisa@cornwallpark.com.au

Perhaps it was veteran Corowa trainer Geoff Duryea’s natural instincts that told him to do what he’d never done before – breed from a mare he’d trained.

Duryea trained Stacey Lee (Bel Esprit/Curio Jade) to five wins from 20 starts, and the mare’s three minor placings including two thirds in Melbourne.

When the time came to retire Stacey Lee from the track, Duryea said the current owners weren’t interested in breeding from her so he suggested to his two sons, Paul and Marc and daughter, Beth, that they buy the mare with some of their friends to breed from.

Duryea said his family and friends didn’t pay “very much” for the mare but it’s been a wise investment that resulted in her second born, Front Page, generating big news last Saturday with a dazzling victory in the A.R Creswick Stakes (1200m) at Flemington.

The phone has been ringing at Duryea’s home with some fairly significant offers from Hong Kong where big dollars are easily handed over for a class horse.

Duryea, who says he is only the trainer and has no financial interest in the three year-old gelding, said a decision would be made on Tuesday whether an offer was accepted.

“I have told these people who have been ringing me that it will either be yeah or nay on Tuesday,” he said.

“I have put it out to the syndicate and I am just waiting for what the majority say and it’s up to them.”

But Duryea, who said all the 13 owners will have a vote, says the horse would then obviously need to pass a stringent veterinary examination if the offer was accepted.

Sun Stud, which stands Front Page’s sire – Magnus – is hoping the owners will reject any offer for the gelding which joins outstanding sprinters Nature Strip (2018) and Gytrash (2019) to win the Creswick Stakes and then go onto Group 1 glory.

Sun Stud sire Magnus

Sun Stud’s Adam Henry said he was hoping the son of Magnus could emulate the Group 1 feats of Nature Strip and Gytrash in Australia which would give the sire more prominence in the local market.

“Front Page has now won four out of six and looks untapped and it’s exciting to have him coming through because you just don’t know what level he will get to,” Henry said.

“The Creswick is usually a good form race with Nature Strip and Gytrash being the last two winners and Front Page’s time was much quicker than those two.”

Henry said Magnus was having another fantastic year and was always in the top 20 active stallions and has produced Group 1 winners in four of the past five seasons.

Front Page ridden by Lewis German wins the A.R. Creswick Stakes at Flemington Racecourse on June 20, 2020 in Flemington, Australia. (Reg Ryan/Racing Photos)

“He is just tremendous value for what you are going to get,” Henry said.

“His winners to runners is 70 per cent and he can get you a top liner as well. He has had 10 stakes performers this season, including Group 1 winners Streets of Avalon, Group 2 winner Kemalpasa and Group 3 winner Halvorsen. It’s pretty impressive stuff.

“He gets winners every week and can get you a top liner as well.”

Henry said Magnus’ advertised service fee is $15,400 and with Written Tycoon’s departure, he is the best performed Victorian stallion on the table at the moment.

He said Magnus would again cover 100-plus mares in this season he concedes will be COVID affected but was the safest bet for people who like proven horses.

Henry expects there to be a fairly even spread of demand for Sun Stud’s stallions with National Defense, which served 159 mares last year, and again in strong demand in his second season. And he says Fiorente continues to get the job done and new boy on the block, Palentino, is again in demand with his yearlings selling so well and his first runners will hit the track later in the year.

Unfortunately, Front Page’s dam, Stacey Lee, won’t be returning to Magnus this year, but she could be heading back to him in 2021.

The Duryea’s sent Stacey Lee to Vancouver last season but when she failed to get into foal, she was served by Rubick, who she is now in foal to, on December 17 last year.

Duryea said she would obviously have a late foal so it was decided not to have her served this year.

Front Page’s older full sister, News Girl, is Group 3 placed and has won three races at Caulfield with her latest victory over 1100m in May.

The four year-old is also trained by Duryea and raced by his three children and a group of friends.

The family has also breed a filly – Page Three – out of Stacey Lee by Stryker – and has weanling filly out of the mare by Dundeel (NZ).

Duryea, a former jockey who rode Red Hope in the 1973 Melbourne Cup, said Magnus was obviously high on the list of stallions for Stacey Lee.

“I don’t know whether it’s good judgement or whatever, it’s a good cross of Vain in both pedigrees and would you believe but both News Girl and her brother Front Page are chestnuts,” he said.

“The Stryker is brown and the Dundeel is brown. It’s interesting.”

Duryea said he always believed that Bel Esprit, who also stands at Sun Stud, produces better females than males.

Sun Stud sire Bel Esprit.

He said the owners who raced Stacey Lee told him didn’t want to breed from her, he advised his children and a few of their mates that he thought they were mad if they didn’t buy her.

“She hurt her knees when she was a young horse but she still had a good turn of foot,” Duryea said.

“So they thought what have they got to lose and the rest is history.”

Duryea said that while Stacey Lee was placed in town, she could almost break 10 seconds for a 200m sectional.

“Say from the 600m to 400m – that type of thing,” he said.

“That’s what I said to family and friends, it’s bloody hard to do. If you can get a horse to rattle that off, they can run and when she won the Queen of the South at the Wagga Cup Carnival, Willy Pearson rode her and I told him she would run him 10 seconds for 200m or maybe even break it.

“He was sitting in behind them and went whoosh and won by three lengths and he said, oh Geoff I only let her run ten and a half so I still had a bit up my sleeve. We just laughed.”

Duryea said he’d trained a lot of good mares but just had the inkling that Stacey Lee could be a special broodmare because of that quick sectional she could produce.

Amazingly Front Page could have been relegated to the classified section as he struggled to put it together during his early development, but Duryea always knew he could gallop.

“He just couldn’t get the penny to drop to know that when the stalls opened you are supposed to get out and get running,” Duryea laughed.

“The first time he trialled he got beaten 10 lengths and they told me I had to trial him again because he wasn’t competitive. It sounds stupid but I preserved and preserved with him and the penny dropped and he hasn’t looked back.”

Duryea said Front Page had now gone for a spell – and there are plenty of people hoping the horse that kicked off his career in Albury will remain in Australia and not bob up next at Sha Tin.

Hoofnote: At the time of writing this article, connections had not yet made a decision regarding the offer from Hong Kong. As of the morning of the 23^rd of June 2020, connections have knocked back the offer from Hong Kong and Front Page will race on in Australia.

Above: Mares and foals in springtime (Sharon Lee Chapman)

With the establishment of a Thoroughbred Aftercare Welfare Working Group (TAWWG) – along with the release, earlier this month, of an issues paper – submissions have highlighted the concern for regulating post-race/breeding careers.

“We’ve been encouraged by the response from those within and outside of the industry and expect quite a few more will be sent before submissions close on 24 July,” Thoroughbred Breeders Australia CEO, Tom Reilly, reveals.

Drawing upon considerable expertise and allowing for the diverse nature of the industry, the TAWWG panel is headed by former Victorian Premier, Minister for Racing and veterinary surgeon, Dr Denis Napthine, but he and his team will also consult regularly with a steering group which includes Reilly; Champion trainer Chris Waller; Victoria Racing Club board member, Neil Werrett; Vin Cox, Managing Director of Godolphin Australia; John Kelly, owner of Newhaven Park Stud; Martin Talty, CEO of the Australian Jockeys’ Association; and Andrew Nicholl, CEO of the Australian Trainers’ Association.

Like everyone on the panel and the steering group, Nicholl is driven about a successful outcome for thoroughbred welfare.

The Australian Trainers’ Association is the peak national body for the thoroughbred training industry, representing the interests of some 3200 trainers throughout the nation, and for the past five years, and Nicholl is a ‘self confessed’ addict when it comes to racing.

“You meet so many genuine people in racing, real people with a passion for what they do. And of course, the thoroughbred is such a magnificent animal,” Nicholl enthused. “We don’t believe our role is to limit this conversation to trainers only. Equine welfare affects everything we do … fail to properly manage this area, and the results can be disastrous for everyone, not just trainers.

“So, we see our role more broadly, one supporting the whole industry with the design, management and promotion of welfare and welfare practices.”

Nicholl also believes one of the greatest problems the industry faces is public perception.

“What we do well across industry is simply not well understood by the public,” Nicholl believes. “On the contrary, any failing is invariably heavily publicized … the Meramist expose on the 7.30 Report last year being a startling example. The reality is that this has lead to the industry being harshly judged.

“We need to find ways to better engage with the public, and arm them with the facts, and only then will we be able to improve public perception.”

One way for better managing the welfare of our horse population, post-racing career, is through a national traceability scheme, Nicholl claims.

“I consider ‘traceability’ to be at the core of managing welfare outcomes. It’s a simple mechanism for defining ownership – and of course, ensuring one’s accountability with that ownership,” Nicholl adds.

“Racing Australia and the Federal Government have been discussing the merit of this system for some time now. The conversation to date has been encouraging, but we need to advance that conversation to agreed actions … sooner rather than later.”

Another major issue concerning Nicholl is the inconsistency of welfare spend and activity between the state racing jurisdictions. This often varies dependent upon size and financial capability, and of course, objective.

“For example, $8.25m million is currently directed towards thoroughbred welfare activities in Victoria, versus $200,000 in Tasmania,” Nicholl explains. “The formation of TAWWG will hopefully help drive industry to change outcomes for everyone.

“I’m excited by this project: the terms of reference and the formation of the independent panel which has some fantastic people on it … just take a look at their experience.

“This is without doubt, the most far reaching welfare review ever proposed for the industry. It also has broad support from so many leading industry stakeholders, and corporate support. “I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”

And now it’s time to have your say: visit thoroughbredwelfareintiative.org.au and either email your submission to secretariat@thoroughbredwelfareinitiative.org.au or post to TAWWG, PO Box 149, Canterbury, NSW 2193 prior to 24 July.

Article courtesy of Aushorse

Above: Last Typhoon who will be standing at Larneuk Stud this season

Blue-blooded Street Cry (IRE) stallion Last Typhoon is moving to Larneuk Stud this season following the decision of Bullarook Park’s Malcolm and Jan Boyd to retire this year.

The only foal from ill-fated Australian Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracy, Last Typhoon was a two time winner on the track, but his real appeal lies in his pedigree.

By world renowned, proven sire of sires Street Cry, best known here in Australia for giving us world champion Winx, Last Typhoon has a female family bristling with Black Type that includes current season Group I VRC Australian Guineas winner Alligator Blood.

The oldest progeny for Last Typhoon are yearlings and his fee this year is set at $4,400.

He will stand at Larneuk Stud alongside O’Lonhro, Cluster and Wolf Cry.

Article courtesy of Breednet

Above: Danerich standing at Rangal Park Stud

After an injury interrupted season, Rangal Park’s veteran stallion Danerich is back to full fitness as he prepares for his 14^th year at stud.

Described by Rangal Park’s owner Eric Buttler as vastly underrated, Danerich produced two winners at the weekend – Toosbuy at Bendigo and Evyem at Port Augusta – to give a subtle reminder that he is still producing winners.

The Cranbourne trained pair of Rich Itch and Rich Charm are the 17 year-old stallion’s most recent stakes winners, but Buttler said there were still plenty of good horses to come.

Danerich (Danehill/Millrich) covered only 30 mares last season, but Buttler said the stallion was restricted early because of an injury which placed his future in jeopardy.

“He had a little problem with his back leg last year and we really didn’t know how he was going to perform,” Buttler said.

“It was really putting him over a mare to find out how he was going to perform but when we announced he was serving last year it was all very late.

“He is a very fertile stallion and very much underrated. He upgrades his mares.

“He usually gets 50 to 60 mares every year and I’d expect he’ll get the same this year. They also sell very well and were selling up to $100,000.”

Buttler said one of the tricks with Danerich was not to run his progeny as two year-olds.

He said Murray Bridge trainer John Hickmott has a Danerich gelding – Flow Meter – out of Trice Moss (Keltrice) which he leases from Rangal Park.

“He rang me up one day and said this horse isn’t going to measure up, I’ll send it back,” Buttler said.

“I told him to put it out in the paddock and then give it another go which he did.”

The now 10 year-old Flow Meter has had 134 starts for 15 wins, 20 seconds and 20 thirds for prize money of $600,010.

Buttler said the horse used to race every Saturday in Adelaide.

“It was finishing fourth, third, second and having a win and was in the money every week,” he said.

“He is as sound as a bell and that’s typical of the Danerich’s if you don’t push them too early.”

Buttler said Danerich throws winners from 900m to 3200m and it doesn’t matter if they are colts or fillies.

He said the stallion has also done well in Hong Kong, including Romantic Cash which started his career with Greg Eurell before being sold and then won another three races before injury ended his career.

Buttler said he’d love to get Danerich a book of mares that some of the stallions in the Hunter Valley serve.

“You have a look at Danerich’s Lord of the Sky (out of Princess Abassi), he didn’t have any black type in five generations,” he said.

Lord of the Sky won three Group races and $1.1 million in prize money.

Hickmott has been a big supporter of Danerich and says he has won races with his two year-olds, three year-olds and four year-olds and now a ten year-old.

“Flow Meter didn’t start until he was three and has been a great old horse,” Hickmott said.

“He had a bit of a heart arrhythmia last start and we thought we’d retire him but every time you’d drive the float out past his yard, he’d call out.

“We got the vet to examine him and his heart has gone back into the right rhythm and I had to take him for a 1200m trial on Monday at Gawler and his trial was enormous.

“I think he’ll race on Saturday.”

Hickmott said he had raced a stack of horses by Danerich, including stakes winners Flying Skipper ($138,000), Classy Chloe ($299,240) and Classy Jack ($360,000) and Flow Meter ($600,010).

“He has been a marvellous sire,” Hickmott said.

“I bought Classy Chloe for I think $15,000 and we sold her for $100,000 after she had won $299,000. And we bought her mother (Capital Growth) for about $4,500 and she was carrying Classy Jack and we have gone on from there.”

Hickmott said with Danerich being a half-brother to Redzel (Snitzel) there was no reason why he shouldn’t be a good stallion but he just doesn’t get the opportunities.

He has six mares in foal to Danerich, plus he sent a couple to Boom Time last season.

Rangal Park will stand two new stallions this season, the recently retired Soul Patch (Shamus Award/Good Bless Us) and Cliff’s Edge (Canford Cliffs/Simulation).

Both are Group winners and Buttler said it was important to advertise that both stallions would be standing at Rangal Park.

“It’s unfortunate that this year open days are unlikely,” he said.

“I was looking forward to an open day with the four stallions as we’ve got Boom Time (Flying Spur/Bit Of A Ride) as well.”

Buttler said the stud’s newest acquisition, Cliff’s Edge, was a gutsy performer who won two Group 2 and two Group 3 races and was stakes placed six times.

“He was getting the score on the board,” he said.

“We have a got a little bit of variety at the stud and something to offer the breeders.”

Boom Time, Danerich and Boom Time all stand for $6,600; while Soul Patch’s fee is $8,800.

Above: Magnus, sire of Front Page | Standing at Sun Stud

Trainer Geoff Duryea’s decision to chance his hand at the breeding game with a talented but injury-plagued mare by Bel Esprit is paying double dividends, with Saturday’s Listed Creswick S. victor Front Page (Magnus) joining his sister News Girl as a city winner.

In partnership with a few others, the Duryea family raced Stacey Lee (Bel Esprit), who had cost just $20,000 as a weanling and had shown plenty of promise in a career which saw her win five races but never realise her potential.

Geoff convinced the rest of his family that Stacey Lee was worthy of persisting with as a breeding prospect and they sent her to Sun Stud’s Magnus, looking for a similar double-cross to Vain as which had produced the legendary Black Caviar (Bel Esprit).

“She was a really good mare but she had bad knees. You could never get her to 100 per cent,” Duryea said of Stacey Lee.

“She was always injured and so we nursed her through her career. We were very rarely able to have her at the races 100 per cent fit.

“I talked the family and a couple of friends into buying her out and breeding from her. I just said, we would be mad if we don’t breed from her. That’s how it happened.”

Above: Geoff Duryea

The first foal was a filly, who has proven a terrific front-running money-spinner for the Corowa-based Duryea family. News Girl won two of her first three races at Albury and then headed to ‘town’ running two close-up seconds at Caulfield, the second in the G3 Kevin Hayes S.

Having endured a run of eight defeats, she returned to form with successive wins at Caulfield over the Christmas-New Year period. She was subsequently again placed in stakes company, this time in the G3 Bellmaine S. before recently winning again at Caulfield. In an 18-start career, she has racked up five wins and over $320,000 in prizemoney.

But her little brother, Front Page, is on an even sharper rise to stardom. He debuted with an easy win at Albury back in February and after a couple of defeats then put together back-to-back wins at Albury and Wangaratta.

Duryea decided to put him in the deep end in stakes company on Saturday and was rewarded when Front Page saw off his rivals to win down the Flemington straight with surprising ease by 2.75l.

“He did us proud on Saturday. It’s taken a while for the penny to drop with him, he is just starting to put it all together. He’s always shown us plenty of ability at home and it’s just been about him getting his act together. He’s certainly switched on now,” Duryea said.

With both Stacey Lee’s foals now city winners, it augurs well for the 2-year-old half-sister by Stryker named Page Three, but Duryea is in no rush with her.

“She’s got a pretty good temperament. I got her to the jumpout stage and she’s a bit like the other two in that she is a little bit slow maturing, so I turned her out. She seemed alright though. She’s got a fair bit to live up to now,” he said.

Duryea is mindful of comparisons between the siblings especially given both Page Three and the weanling filly by Dundeel (NZ) are from different sirelines.

“The two Magnuses are similar and one of the reasons we went to him, was because it gave a double cross of Vain. He was a chestnut and both these are chestnuts. The Stryker filly is brown and the Dundeel filly is bay,” he said.

Duryea hasn’t actually seen the Dundeel filly as yet, as she is at Riversdale Farm up at Scone, with Stacey Lee, who is the family’s only broodmare, now in foal to Rubick.

While he believes News Girl and Front Page both have improvement to come, he is just happy enjoying the journey with friends and family for now.

“We’re pretty happy about it and the people that are in the horses have been clients and friends for years and years, so it’s worked out good,” he said.

Dear Victorian Breeder,

Today, we are excited to announce that Aquis Farm will stand Gr.1 winner Royal Meeting (Invincible Spirit) in Victoria. This horse is the real deal. He will stand at an introductory fee of $11,000 (inc.GST) which really is exceptional value.

Royal Meeting is the ONLY Gr.1-winning undefeated 2YO to stand his first season in Victoria this year. That’s the very simple reason why the ownership group is bringing Royal Meeting to Victoria – an ownership that includes Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Seymour Bloodstock, Mangalore Park, Yarran Thoroughbreds, Damian White, Ralph Portaro, Paul Crawford, David & Kathy Brown and Erinvale Thoroughbreds. A group of leading breeders with some of the best broodmare bands in Victoria committing to this horse and building the platform for Royal Meeting’s future success. Renowned breeders. We believe in this stallion, so too do our partners, and I wish for you to share in our success by breeding to Royal Meeting.

Royal Meeting will stand at Aquis Seymour for the coming season (© Scoopdyga.com)

As the only Gr.1-winning unbeaten 2YO son of Sire of Sires Invincible Spirit, Royal Meeting is out of Champion 2YO Filly Rock Opera, herself an unbeaten Gr.1-winning juvenile. He is from a Gr.1 family with three Gr.1 winners in his immediate family, from a pedigree that is on the move. Royal by name and by nature.

At his second ever race start, Royal Meeting had the raw ability to win the Gr.1 Criterium International (1400m) at Chantilly in race record time. In doing so he beat Hermosa who subsequently went on as a 3YO to win the Irish 1,000 Guineas and the English 1,000 Guineas. Hermosa was European Champion Filly, Royal Meeting didn’t just beat her, when doing so he rewrote the record books.

Royal Meeting is the ideal horse for Victoria, and we believe he is the best horse to retire to Victoria this season – here is why, no gimmicks, just facts:

•    He is a Gr.1-winning, unbeaten 2YO.
•    A son of Invincible Spirit, the direct source, not a son of one of his son’s.
•    Sons of Invincible Spirit have produced over 140 stakes winners highlighted by 15 individual Gr.1 winners.
•    Invincible Spirit himself was by sire of sires Green Desert out of a Gr.1-winning mare. His only two Gr.1-winning sons who are both also unbeaten juveniles and are both also out of Gr.1-winning mares are Kingman and Royal Meeting. Kingman now commands a service fee of GBP150,000.
•    He is a Gr.1 winner, by a Gr.1 winner, from a Gr.1 winner, with a Gr.1 pedigree.
•    He is the ideal VOBIS horse. VOBIS continually goes from strength to strength as the best national bonus scheme. This horse will produce you an early precocious type that trainers will envision as perfect targets for the Vobis Sires Showdown and Gold Rush style of races, as well as the Blue Diamond, VRC Sires Produce etc.
•    He is Danehill-free.

From my time in Europe, I saw firsthand the influence of Invincible Spirit and his emergence as a dominant source of speed through his sons. There are similarities between French racing and ours here in Australia and pinpointed Royal Meeting as a horse that we needed for our Victorian stallion roster.

I know that a precocious French 2YO, such as this, is ideally suited to the Australian conditions and broodmares, but also delivers an extra quality and depth of pedigree, bringing a wonderful Gr.1 outcross to the Victorian broodmare bands.

We look forward to presenting Royal Meeting when he arrives at the farm in August, where we are sure he will take your eye and imagination. Please call myself or any of our sales team.

Kind regards,
Tony “Tubba” Williams

Through the success of the likes of his granddaughter Oohood and his close relative Pride Of Dubai, I know firsthand the positive influence of Invincible Spirit as a stallion. Therefore, it is exciting to be involved in a son of Invincible Spirit with such fantastic credentials as Royal Meeting. He is unique in being the only unbeaten G1-winning two-year-old son of his sire, while his dam, amazingly, was also an unbeaten G1-winning two-year-old. In country where speed and precocity are so important, I am looking forward to giving him the opportunity with suitable mares from my broodmare band and am excited by the prospect of what he might be capable of achieving as a stallion.”

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum

“When you look at thousands of horses for a living and then you come across Royal Meeting you suddenly realise what you’ve spent so much time looking for, he’s stunning!”

Dermot Farrington, Bloodstock Agent

“Seymour Bloodstock is delighted to share in the Royal Meeting journey. Like all owner/breeders we’ve been approaching our 2020 mating plans with caution. Tubba has identified and sourced a beauty. Proper type, proper pedigree, proper performance and importantly THE RIGHT PRICE. Without compromise – Royal Meeting is a horse for the times.”

Mark Pilkington, Seymour Bloodstock

Above: Delago Deluxe now standing in Victoria

The Encosta de Lago bloodline has produced many successful progeny including Delago Deluxe, who is set to stand in Victoria this season.

The dual Group 1 son of Encosta de Lago is the second foal out of Succeeding, who was sired by Flying Spur and is a half sister to Group 1 winners Duporth, Excites and Tickets.

In 2010, Delago Deluxe became the second highest priced Encosta de Lago yearling at the 2010 Magic Millions sale selling for $550,000.

His racing career took place in South Africa where he demonstrated the sprinting quality of Encosta de Lago. He was unbeaten in his four starts as a two-year-old which included the Gr.1 Golden Medallion Stakes over 1200m, the Gr.2 Nursery Plate and the Gr.3 Protea Stakes. This success earned him the title of South African Champion 2-year-old colt. These achievements continued into his three-year-old season where he won a further Group 1, the Golden Horse Casino Sprint over 1200m, setting the fastest time of the day which included four other Group 1 races. The two Group 1’s he won in South Africa are the equivalent to Australia’s Golden Slipper and Newmarket Handicap.

From his twelve starts, Delago Deluxe achieved seven wins and four places retiring to stud sound.

Delago Deluxe then made his way back to Australia to stand at Newhaven Stud in New South Wales. His yearlings have sold for up to $250,000. While he was a very successful precocious 2-year-old, and generally his progeny show early speed, the Encosta de Lago sire line are known for their further ability with maturity.  In the past two breeding seasons in Queensland the horse has had only quiet recognition.

Above: Delago Deluxe in the paddock

Ian Dodunski was attracted to Delago Deluxe’s racing success and strong pedigree.  When he saw the horse was for sale on an on-line auction he jumped at the opportunity to purchase him. ‘I was going to send a mare to him last season as he is impeccably bred and was a fantastic racehorse. He looks like a stallion of exceptional ability and has nearly 57% winners to runners ratio. He has had winners in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and South Africa. He is a beautiful type standing at 16.2hh and is a lovely natured horse’ remarked Ian.

Delago Deluxe has a number of his progeny on the racetrack and most weeks he has winners or placed runners.

Delago Deluxe will be standing at Ian’s property, Linton Grange, which is very close to Noorilim Park Thoroughbreds who will prepare the mares that will be sent to him this season.

‘Noorilim Park is a magnificent broodmare and agistment property. I would say as good as you could find anywhere in Australia’ remarked Ian. Whilst preparations are being finalised at Linton Grange, Sherah from Noorilim Park has been working with Delago Deluxe and has been very impressed with the horse so far.

‘Hopefully his great attitude will be passed down to his stock as well. He is a lovely balanced style of horse. He has been exceptional, and his temperament has stood out to me more than anything and he is just a lovely natured horse. He has been really easy to handle which is a big credit to him as a stallion. He has had limited books over the past couple of seasons, so it would be nice to see him get a bit of support in Victoria’ remarked Sherah.

There are also a number of other agistment farms nearby that have the facilities to walk the mares on for the breeding season so there are plenty of opportunities.

‘At the service fee of $4,400 we have already had quite a bit of interest. We have had five people contact us from Queensland who are wanting to send mares to him’ said Ian.

This might be the opportunity that Delago Deluxe requires to get himself noticed in the stallion ranks. As more of his progeny are winning trials and races in Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand and selling well through the ring, Ian is looking forward to the future for the horse.

Delago Deluxe will be standing for a service fee of $4,400.

For more information please contact Ian on 0456 401 894, or visit the website delagodeluxe.com

Above: Starcraft standing at Rosemont Stud

Rosemont Stud’s principal Anthony Mithen targeted the strong Hong Kong market with a homebred by one of the stud’s resident stallions, Starcraft, at a two-year breeze-up sale on the Gold Coast.

But even the best thought out plans can end up with a bit of a twist.

Instead of finishing up in Hong Kong, where the Starcraft progeny are eagerly sought of, the colt ended up at suburban Caulfield in the stables of Mick Price.

The horse was purchased for $80,000 by Price’s then bloodstock manager Luke Wilkinson who has since taken up the same role with Yulong.

With three wins, including victory in last Saturday’s $108,000 three year-old 1600m handicap at The Valley, it was a wise decision by Wilkinson who races the gelding with 17 other owners.

Smoke Bomb has now had three wins and two thirds from eight starts.

Mithen said the Magic Millions’ David Chester does an excellent job with his Asian clients at the two year-olds in training sale.

“With Starcraft going so well in Hong Kong that is where we thought we would pitch him in,” Mithen said of the 2018 sale.

“It couldn’t have been more Anglo Saxon when Mick Price and Luke Wilkinson chimed in and bought the horse to be trained at Caulfield.

“Your best laid plans and where you think your target market is, sometimes it surprises you.

“I think Luke was the driving force behind the horse and good luck to him because he found the horse and I remember him being pretty honest and open to deal with. He told us he really liked him and was going to buy him.”

Mithen said they were rapt Wilkinson bought the horse and gave him to Price, who is now in partnership with Mick Kent Jnr to train.

And as Mithen says, there is also a bit of a story to Smoke Bomb’s dam, Diyaraka (FR), which was stakes placed in France and from the family of 2008 Melbourne Cup runner-up – by the narrowest of margins – Bauer.

“It was about the time Bauer was kicking on and just gone through his purple patch and beaten in the Melbourne Cup,’’ Mithen said.

“It was at the Arquana sale and Louis Le Metayer, who is a French bloodstock agent based in Australia, was shopping around.

“He was looking for a nice horse and a client to buy it and pitched her to us. We quite liked the look of her and bought her at that sale.

“I still remember it, a Saturday night in Australia and it must have been Saturday morning in France and we paid a bit for her – 300,000 Euro – when the dollar was pretty kind which gave us a bit of an incentive to keep bidding.”

Diyaraka (Clodovil/Diamonaka) was transported to Australia to be trained at Flemington by Mike Moroney who gave her seven starts, including in the Geelong Cup, but she never recaptured the form in France where she won two races and was stakes placed over 2000m.

Mithen said she was retired to stud, but gave them the thrill of racing in the Geelong Cup (2011) which was the precursor to Runaway winning the Geelong Cup in 2018 for the Rosemont team.

“When Runaway won, I thought about Diyaraka as people had asked if we’d ever had a Geelong Cup runner before and it was Diyaraka,” he said.

Diyaraka’s first foal by Savabeel died in an accident at another stud shortly after birth and the next one by High Chaparral (IRE) had knee issues and then the third one by Snitzel had problems but was retained by Rosemont unraced and was sold last month as a broodmare prospect.

Smoke Bomb is Diyaraka’s fourth foal but she was not served last year.

“She has a full foal on the ground to Smoke Bomb, a Starcraft colt,” Mithen said.

“There is a yearling colt by Tarzino which is quite a nice horse who will be going to Danny O’Brien after being purchased by Simon O’Donnell who raced Bauer.

“So the Bauer link might continue.”

While Smoke Bomb’s full brother is likely to create increased interest in the Hong Kong market, Mithen said it was also a reminder to the local market about Starcraft’s ability as a stallion.

“The good thing that Luke, Mick and Michael Kent jnr have been able to do is open up a different market,” Mithen said.

“There will always be the Hong Kong market because his stats up there are great and he gets a winner at most meetings.

“It’s nice to have a Starcaft here in Australia and reminding everyone what a great stallion he is and has been over a long period of time.

“Hopefully we will get the best of both worlds with the local market saying that Starcraft must be the best value stallion in Australia when you can buy them and then win a $100,000 race at Moonee Valley.

“They have been enlightened in Hong Kong on Starcraft already and it seems the Australian market sometimes needs a bit of a reminder that those good old proven stallions keep on giving.

“Hopefully he is in for a good season.”

And Mithen said Rosemont, which has been standing Starcraft since 2015, recently welcomed back one of his most successful sons, Blizzard, which started his career in Hong Kong and finished with Lee Freedman in Singapore.

The Group winning eight year-old, ended his racing career last August and the owners contacted Rosemont and asked if they could give him a good home.

“They exported him and he arrived last month back home and we have given him a home for life,” Mithen said.

“We didn’t breed him but he is reunited at the farm where his father stands.”

Blizzard, which also raced in Group 1 races in Japan, won more than $3 million in his 39 races which netted nine wins, five seconds and eight thirds.

Mithen said Blizzard was winning races when Rosemont first took over Starcraft from Arrowfield.