Out of the Shadow

When you have a very famous father, it’s sometimes hard to get out of their shadow and particularly if you stand at the same farm, but for this stallion time has been his friend and the more time that passes the more his statistics show he’s real value for money.

This time last year, Hellbent had the favourite in the $2million Inglis Millennium in Fully Lit and the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained colt duly saluted and 12 months on his sire has gone from strength to strength.

The Yarraman Park based son of I Am Invincible is the most represented of all sires at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale that starts this Sunday and while he is not going to the scale the lofty heights of his record breaking father, he is settling into a very nice niche that yearling buyers can’t help but find appealing.

Hellbent runs at 65% winners to runners, but with his oldest progeny now five year-olds if we look at that first crop that are now fully exposed we find 76 winners from 102 runners, so 74.5% winners to runners and among those winners are three stakes-winners and they include his two Group I winning mares Magic Time and Benedetta, who are both racing on this season.

As with most stallions that begin off a modest base the first crop they produce is often their best for quite some time as opportunity tends to lessen in varying degrees in the following years until such time as their runners do the talking and the breeders catch up.

In the case of Hellbent, he’s always had good numbers albeit of the quality you would expect at the fee and as a result he’s been able to keep a good momentum going and was the leading third crop sire last season ahead of his peers such as Russian Revolution and Almanzor (Fr).

This year he’s in the Top 20 on the Australian General Sires List by earnings and interestingly is placed high on the 3YO’ Sires List by winners which is a great indication given we know his progeny can hold their form and train on.

Below we’ve tabled his opportunity to date in terms of mares covered and his best performers, so if you are looking for proven value at Inglis Classic this week Hellbent might just be your man.

Yarraman Park will offer a draft of 13 at Inglis Classic and five are by Hellbent as listed below:

Lot 10 Colt Hellbent x Al’s Magic Miss, by Magic Albert

Half-brother to stakes-placed Stellar Magic from stakes-placed Al’s Magic Miss, who has done a great job with seven foals to race for six winners and the two most recent winners came after the catalogue went to print and are both by Hellbent in Hell Fire Miss and Tomba, who has won two of four for the Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald stable.

Lot 153 Filly Hellbent x Dendee, by Denman

Three-quarter sister to stakes-placed Embassy and is the fifth foal of stakes-winner Dendee, who is a half-sister to the dam of a new stakes-winner in Perth in Bonjoy.

Lot 155 Filly Hellbent x Deposed Witness, by Star Witness

Fourth foal of an unraced daughter of Group I winner Culminate from the family of Group I winning mares Eileen Dubh and Captivate.

Lot 458 Filly Hellbent x Mowgli, by Not a Single Doubt

Half-sister to Group II winner Seonee and is the fifth foal a placed half-sister to Champion Hong Kong Sprinter and dual Group I winner Beat the Clock. Mowgli has had three foals to race all winners and her other two winners are both multiple winners by Hellbent.

Lot 563 Colt Hellbent x Raging Queen, by Akeed Mofeed (GB)

Third foal of stakes-placed Raging Queen, a daughter of stakes-placed Royal Bender, and her first foal to race is metro winner Duchess of Sussex, by Hellbent.