The influence of Widden Stud’s much missed Golden Slipper winning sire Sebring was demonstrated on Saturday when his outstanding daughter Fangirl thrashed the best milers in the country to win the $5million Group I ATC King Charles Stakes (1600m), while at Caulfield Sebring featured as a broodmare sire with his daughter Chateau Griffo producing up and coming colt Griff to win the $3million Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas (1600m).
Sebring only ever raced at two winning five of his six starts – all on wet tracks - before tasting defeat at his final start when second to Samantha Miss in the Group I ATC Champagne Stakes. What his racing career would have delivered down the track had he raced on remains a question mark, however it is a fact that he is a very versatile sire whose offspring have excelled over a variety of distances with many running a mile and often a good deal further.
Five year-old Fangirl comes from the second last crop of foals sires by Sebring, who died at the height of his popularity in 2019 after covering his final two books of 205 and 199 mares at a fee of $66,000.
It’s a testament to the quality of those last foal crops that sees Sebring sitting in third place on the Australian General Sires List with 30 winners of $4.9million even with no three year-olds to run for him.
While Sebring sons are making their mark at stud through the likes of Supido and Gold Standard, plus exciting newcomer this season Sejardan, his daughters are really starting to show their influence.
Sebring mares have produced 190 winners highlighted by seven stakes-winners with Griff the second Group I winner joining On the Bubbles. The very first Group I winner for Widden Stud’s young gun sire Trapeze Artist, Griff is also interesting for having three lines of Danehill in his pedigree 4 x 5 x 4 and I suspect is the first Group I winner to be bred that way.
The Danehill blood comes to him through Redoute’s Choice, Flying Spur and Commands – three outstanding sires, whose presence in a pedigree is always positive, but to see all three in the same pedigree is unique, but undoubtedly where we are heading.
Fangirl was not the only Group I winner on Saturday from a mare by Encosta de Lago with the mighty Alligator Blood also from a daughter of the champion sire and broodmare sire. The All Too Hard gelding notched his seventh G1 win in the Group I MRC Might and Power Stakes dispelling the popular myth that 2000m was a bridge too far.
Encosta de Lago has shot into second place on the Australian Broodmare Sires List behind only Flying Spur, who is the damsire of Everest winner Think About It.
The last Group I race of the day on Saturday at Caulfield gave Coolmore shuttler Churchill (IRE) his first Australian Group I winner and third worldwide when Attrition won the G1 MRC Toorak Handicap (1600m).
He is from a daughter of French Deputy (USA), who shuttled to Arrowfield Stud for three seasons from Japan and while his efforts here were underwhelming, there is no denying he is an excellent broodmare sire with his daughters producing 110 stakes-winners worldwide(7 in Australia) and 16 are G1 winners!
Further back this is a female family that charts the stallion history of South Australian thoroughbred breeding and in particular the old Lindsay Park with names like Bluebird (USA), Without Fear (FR) and Romantic (GB) siring his third, fourth and fifth dams.
