Racetrack success is the recurring theme as leading Victorian farm, SWETTENHAM STUD, announces its roster for the 2020 breeding season.
With the lineup enhanced by the arrival of I Am Invincible’s blisteringly quick, I AM IMMORTAL, and another busy season expected for 7-time Group One winner, HIGHLAND REEL (244 mares in first two seasons), Swettenham’s four other ‘book-and-win’ stallions – TORONADO, PUISSANCE DE LUNE, AKEED MOFEED and TRUST IN A GUST – all continue to produce a high quality roll call of success stories.
It has certainly been a remarkable year for the hugely popular TORONADO whose oldest Australian progeny are 3YOs and include the 4-time stakes winner Still A Star, while the Group One winning son of High Chaparral has 14 stakes performers on either side of the equator: 5 of them stakes winners.
However, it’s the sheer volume of impressive winners Toronado has produced in recent months which underscore his status as a rising star of Australia’s stallion ranks. In March, Toronado produced 13 winners and then got April off to a flyer with a city double, while the stallion has sired winners for each of the last 3 days. Not surprisingly, Toronado progeny are popular in the sale ring too with his yearlings selling up to $200,000 in 2020. With a strong appetite from Hong Kong buyers for his progeny, there's little doubt that the returns to his supporters comes from many angles.
PUISSANCE DE LUNE was one of the most popular stallions in Australia last spring, covering 154 mares … and it’s not hard to work out why. A multiple Group winning sprinter/miler – versatile enough to stretch his Group success to 2600m – Puissance de Lune is the son of recently deceased Shamardal (146 stakes winners) and has gotten his own career off to a flyer.
Despite having relatively few runners, Puissance de Lune’s first crop filly, Moonlight Maid, won the Group 2 Manifold Stakes and finished third Group 1 VRC Oaks; Southern Moon was runnerup to Warning in the Group 1 Vic Derby and Heart of Puissance ran a half length third in the Group 2 Sandown Guineas. Meanwhile, the Anthony Freedman trained, Lunakorn, has won her last 2 outings, including a romp over 1200m at Sandown earlier this month.
AKEED MOFEED was a hugely exciting introduction to Victoria’s breeding landscape last season – particularly on the back of his first crop, multiple stakes winner, Assertive Approach.
Since his relocation to Swettenham, the Dubawi stallion has been represented by February 2yo stakes winner, Jyoti, Group 2 Angus Armanasco placed, Lunar Light, along with the black type performers Raging Queen, Poised To Strike, Twilight Run, Sunset Watch and Succeed Indeed, who was third on debut in last month’s Group 3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes for Leon and Troy Corstens.
While some might say there are no certainties in racing, HIGHLAND REEL was always going to have popular support among broodmare owners when retired to Swettenham in 2018. And why not?
The Galileo stallion campaigned at the highest level in seven countries, ultimately winning seven Group 1s, along with a third behind Winx in her record breaking Cox Plate and a second in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Highland Reel is a true iron horse – on the track AND in the breeding barn – whose 100 plus live foals become yearlings as of 1 August, noted by some top judges as one of the best crops of any freshman sire.
Swettenham was also proud to announce in February that I AM IMMORTAL would join the roster this spring and there is so much be excited about with this colt. I Am Invincible's only dual stakes winning 2yo colt in Australia, he was a top notch performer who led through to capture the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude and Blue Diamond Preview as a 2YO, he would run 5-time stakes winner and $1.5 million earner, Jungle Edge, to a length in February’s Listed WJ Adams Stakes at Caulfield.
A genuine speed source, the well related I Am Immortal is by the most sought out stallion in Australia today in I Am Invincible (55 stakes winners) who is responsible for 24 x million dollar yearlings in the last four years, including three at this month’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. Importantly, I Am Invincible is rapidly becoming a noted sire of sires with Brazen Beau producing 7 stakes winners in his first 2 crops.
With his oldest progeny 2YOs, TRUST IN A GUST won 6 races as a 3YO, but really emerged as a world class sprinter/miler as a 4YO, winning 4 from 5 in the spring including the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes before capturing the Group 1 Toorak Handicap.
It’s worth keeping in mind that previous Rupert Clarke winners include Encosta de Lago, Testa Rossa and Exceed And Excel.
“Swettenham Stud is hugely excited to add stakes winning 2YO, I Am Immortal to the roster, particularly as he’s by the ‘hottest’ sire in nation in I Am Invincible, while Highland Reel is likely to be again run off his feet, so to speak, based on his first crop of rising yearlings,” Swettenham Stud’s Adam Sangster enthused.
“However, what all of us at Swettenham are particularly upbeat about is the continued success of Toronado, Puissance de Lune and Akeed Mofeed, plus the obvious potential for Trust in a Gust. The aim of the game is to produce great racehorses and, in that regard, they’re delivering.”
2020 SWETTENHAM STUD FEES
TORONADO $25,000 +GST ($27,500 incl GST) (2019 $27,500)
PUISSANCE DE LUNE $18,000 +GST ($19,800 incl GST) (2019 $8,800)
AKEED MOFEED $15,000 +GST ($16,500 incl GST) (2019 $16,500)
HIGHLAND REEL $15,000 +GST ($16,500 incl GST) (2019 $16,500)
I AM IMMORTAL $12,500 +GST ($13,750 incl GST)*new in 2020
TRUST IN A GUST $6,000 +GST ($6,600 incl GST) (2019 $6,600)
