First Season Sire Watch

Tara Madgwick - Friday November 6

There will be plenty of action in the first season sire division on Saturday with the young guns widely represented in races around Australian and New Zealand including the $1million ATC Golden Gift at Rosehill.

Click for all the first season sire information at Breednet.

Capitalist has the race favourite in the Golden Gift in exciting colt Captivant, who won on debut at Randwick three weeks ago, while American Pharoah (USA) and Shalaa (IRE) each have a runner that has trialled well in Head of State and Hunnam.

Captivant - image Steve Hart


The Chris Waller trained Head of State was the most expensive Australian yearling by American Pharoah sold in 2020 fetching $850,000 at Magic Millions and has won both of his barrier trials in good style.

Head of State was the most expensive Australian yearling by American Pharoah sold in 2020

The Hawkes Racing trained Hunnam made $400,000 at Magic Millions making him the third highest priced yearling sire by Shalaa, who has already sired a stakes-winner (Shaquero) and another stakes-placed filly in Nice for What, who only just missed in the Group III VRC Ottawa Stakes on Thursday.

Hunnam is another good looking type by Shalaa,


 

Advertisment
More Reading...
New G1 Winner for Wootton Bassett
Back in Australia for another season at Coolmore, Wootton Bassett (GB) was expected to get a 3YO Group I winner in France on Sunday, but the horse that got the job done was not the one punters expected.
$3.3million Gun Runner Colt Tops Keeneland September Day 1
Keeneland’s 2025 September Yearling Sale began Monday with double-digit gains while posting a record average price of $653,208 and selling 15 horses for $1 million or more led by a colt by Gun Runner for $3.3 million to M.V. Magnier and Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm. The average topped the previous record $611,038 for a single session set during Day 2 in 2024, and the number of seven-
Sires With Winners - Monday September 8
Here is the full list of 18 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Cogburn Sire Not This Time on Fire at Keeneland September
If you have been considering sending a mare to Widden Stud’s exciting new shuttle sire Cogburn (USA) or have already booked one in you are going to be pretty interested in what is going on at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale this week where his sire Not This Time is in hot demand.
Tragic News from Milburn Creek – Vale, Secret Admirer
Spring brings so many foaling stories from our studs each year and while the majority have a happy ending, sometimes things sadly don’t go as planned.
G1 Manikato Next for Alabama Lass
New Zealand sprinter Alabama Lass will press on for a tilt at the Gr.1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at The Valley later this month following her runner-up effort in the Gr.1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at the Melbourne track last Saturday.
Vale, Ryan Smith
Victorian breeding farm Kulani Park are mourning the loss of partner and family member Ryan Smith.
Kiwi Cup Hopeful Headed to Melbourne
Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) hopeful Wolfgang will fly to Melbourne on Wednesday to commence his path towards the A$10 million feature.
Tara Talks Racing – This Week We Talk to Bennett Racing
In the wash up of last Saturday’s great day of spring racing there was no winner that meant more to his connections than Group I MVRC Moir Stakes victory Baraqiel, so our obvious guest this week had to be Nathan Bennett.
MRC Committee Returned Unopposed
The Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) has confirmed the results of the 2025 nominations for the MRC Executive Committee and the Mornington Advisory Group (MAG), which will be formally ratified at the Club’s Annual General Meeting on 25 September.