Horses for Courses – Sire Making Race?

Tara Madgwick - Thursday October 24

The Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) is run at Randwick this Saturday and while it’s not seen as a key sire making race as such, the 2012 edition did produce two exceptional stallions and one of them is set to have an impact on the race this year.

From last to first, Dundeel, or as he was known then It’s a Dundeel surged home for James McDonald to win in a great tussle over another quality colt in Proisir with both horses eventually retiring to stud.

Dundeel added a further five G1 wins to his resume and retired to Arrowfield Stud at a fee of $27,500, while Proisir never managed a G1 win and found himself in New Zealand at Rich Hill Stud, where he kicked off at a fee of $7,000.

Dundeel

Fast forward to 2024 and both are now leading sires with Dundeel commanding a fee of $88,000 this spring at Arrowfield and Proisir is priced on a par at Rich Hill on $80,000.

Proisir

Proisir is yet to have a sire son at stud, but Dundeel is already on his way in that department through Castelvecchio, who has a top chance to win the Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes on Saturday with El Castello. Castelvecchio ran second in the Spring Champion Stakes in 2019 to Shadow Hero and then went to Melbourne and ran second in the Cox Plate behind Japanese raider Lys Gracieux (Jpn). He later won the Group I ATC Rosehill Guineas and retired to Arrowfield to stand alongside his sire.

Advertisement

The Anthony Cummings trained El Castello has three wins on the trot leading into his first G1 with each victory better than the last as the distances have increased. His dam is a half-sister to dual Group I winning stayer Fiveandahalfstar (VRC Derby , ATC BMW) and his third dam is a sister to Group I ATC Sydney Cup winner Crossed Swords.

Also of interest are two runners in the race for Dundeel in Henlein and Duvana, while the High Chaparral (IRE) (sire of Dundeel) sireline accounts for another three with So You Think’s G1 winning son D’Argento represented by three runners in Due Calzini, Flying Argento and Rag Queen.

Race favourite Swiftfalcon does not have a pedigree that screams 2000m potential, being by Exceedance from a daughter of Northern Meteor, but it might pay to look a little further back in the mix!

His grand-dam is Zabeel mare Hansuyen, who is a full sister to a pair of G1 winning stayers in St Reims and Champagne, who was second in a Melbourne Cup, so he’ll need to be channelling her input when he turns for home.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Yulong Purchase into Enriched - Inglis October (Early) Sale
Three individual shares in the G2-winning entire Enriched sold for a combined $440,000 in a highly successful Inglis Digital October (Early) Online Sale today.
All the Way Anders Winner for Myracehorse
The Myracehorse colours struck again at Doomben on Wednesday carried by progressive Anders filly Diversity, who broke her maiden in good style.
Wootton Bassett 3YO Impresses at Avondale
Promising three-year-old Kygo Star overcame a wide journey to come out on top in a tight finish in the Allspark Electrical Maiden 3YO (1400m) at Avondale on Wednesday.
Sires With Winners - Wednesday October 8
Here is the full list of 48 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
First Magic 2YO Winner for Te Akau
David Ellis and Te Akau Racing spent over $5million on 17 yearlings at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale earlier this year and they unleashed their first winner from the group at Avondale on Wednesday. 
G1 King Charles Next for Pier
Kiwi Group One winner Pier will not feature in this year’s Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m), but he will still have the opportunity to run for a A$5 million stake back in Sydney.
Written Tycoon’s Pictor Leads Home Waller Trifecta
Having made his debut back in June with a narrow second behind fellow Yulong owned Written Tycoon colt Grand Prairie, who three starts later won the Group 3 ATC Up And Coming Stakes, Chris Waller’s progressive Pictor appreciated the step to 1400m to score at just his third career start.
Metro Winner Adds to Yes Yes Yes Spring Surge
October is shaping as a great month for Gooree Stud’s new addition Yes Yes Yes with the 2019 Everest hero reeling off four winners in the past week including Maybe Moet, who saluted at Randwick on Wednesday.
Sejardan Fits 2YO Speed Profile
There were three feature juvenile contests held at Flemington and Randwick last weekend and as usually is the case with such races, they were won by horses whose pedigrees suggested that good early form was on the cards.
Les Young Scholarship sets Miriam on track for industry leadership
Miriam Drinnan’s vision for a big, bold career in the Thoroughbred industry has just been turbo-charged thanks to the Les Young Scholarship, an award supported by the AgriFutures Thoroughbred Horses Program.