Excitement is mounting at Windsor Park Stud, not only for the imminent fall of the hammer to open the 2024 NZB National Yearling Sale at Karaka, but also for the future of racing and breeding in New Zealand, not to mention the sales debut for yearlings by their exciting young sire Circus Maximus (IRE).
Circus Maximus carries the best bloodlines in the world and is a tried and tested elite Group I performer against the best milers in Europe where he was Champion 3YO Miler in France 2019 and Champion Older Miler in Ireland in 2020.
He is a triple Group I winning miler by legendary sire Galileo from Group II winning Danehill Dancer mare Duntle and will look to continue the success of past Windsor Park shuttlers from Coolmore such as High Chaparral (IRE), Monteju (IRE) and Mastercraftsman (IRE).
Among Circus Maximus’s Group I wins was the Royal Ascot St James’s Palace Stakes which has proven to be a great sire making race. From the turn of this century, winners of the Golden Slipper, Caulfield Guineas, Australian Guineas, Coolmore Stud Stakes and Cox Plate have sired 152 Group I winners and 1012 stakes-winners.
In the same period, Royal Ascot St James’s Palace Stakes winners have sired 164 Group I winners and 1049 stakes-winners, highlighting the exceptional performance of colts that have won this pivotal race and gone on to stud careers..
Circus Maximus has 40 entries for Book 1 and Windsor Park have thrown all their support behind the good looking bay and will present 20 of them.
They have high hopes for Lot 272, a Circus Maximus colt from well bred O’Reilly mare O’Lovely. The colt is the second foal of his dam, who is a winning daughter of Group II winner Lovetrista, a half-sister to Group I winner Viking Ruler from Group I winner Tristalove.
“The colt by Circus Maximus out of Oh Lovely is a stand-out, he’s from the Eight Carat family out of a young mare and he’s a beautiful animal,” said Windsor Park Stud General Manager Steve Till.
“There’s any number of others and the colt out of Monteferrante (Lot 245) and the colt out of Qiji Vision (Lot 333) are exceptionally well made, well-balanced Classic types as you would expect.”
Lot 245 Colt Circus Maximus (IRE) x Monteferrante, by Pierro
First foal of a winning half-sister to stakes-winner Jennifer Lynn from stakes-winner Espurante.
Lot 333 Colt Circus Maximus (IRE) x Quiji Vision, by Iffraaj (GB)
Second foal of an unraced sister to Group III winner Who Dares Wins and half-sister to the dam of stakes-winner My Bella Mae.
Among the fillies by Circus Maximus, Lot 349 out of good producer Risque Business is a firm favourite and is a half-sister to the more than handy Lindsay Park trained galloper So Risque, who won his seventh race at Flemington last Saturday ticking over $300,000 in earnings.
The So You Think gelding was plucked from the Windsor Park draft at Karaka Book 1 in 2019 for $100,000 and has been a great investment for Slade Bloodstock.
“She is up there with the best and she’s typical of the family, a beautiful, medium-sized quality article and very well-balanced and correct,” Till said.
“I can remember taking (Group I winner) Star Satire through the ring many years ago from this family and it’s a branch that’s kicked on really well.
“We bred a filly called (multiple Group winner and G1 placed) Soubrettes and she could fly, and Risque Business has left It’s Business Time for us, who won five in a row and ran second in the G3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile.”
Lot 190 is another quality Circus Maximus filly out of Lisitsa and comes from an iconic Australian female family tracing back to Golden Slipper winner Bint Marscay.
She is the second foal of placed Medaglia d’Oro mare Lisitsa, a grand-daughter of Group III winner Mannington, the dam of Group I VRC Victoria Derby winner Benicio and multiple Group winner Romneya.
