Australia’s Busiest Sires of 2024 – It’s Official

Tara Madgwick - Monday March 3

The Australian Studbook have today officially released covering statistics for the 2024 breeding season detailing all coverings as at March 1, so we’re taking a look at what stallions found favour with the only audience that really counts – broodmare owners!

Home Affairs was the busiest sire in Australia in 2024 covering 225 mares.

Coolmore Stud’s Home Affairs topped the list with 225 mares which is interesting and very rare for a third season stallion to hold this position given we don’t know if his stock will run yet with his first yearlings being sold this year, so this confidence is coming from what breeders were seeing in his weanlings last year.

He’s been popular in each of his seasons to date covering 203 mares the first year to be the busiest first season sire and then 189 last year with this champion son of I Am Invincible obviously ticking a lot of boxes for a lot of people and we won’t have long to wait now until we find out if he’s actually any good.

An interesting comparison in the progress of Home Affairs lies with Coolmore’s  now retired champion sire Fastnet Rock, who went to stud with a similar profile in having been a fast dual Group I winning sprinter at three by the champion sire of the time in Danehill (USA).

Fastnet Rock covered 208 mares first year, then 194 second year and then 257 in his third year with the collective thinking of breeders arriving at the correct conclusion given he has gone on to sire 195 SW’s worldwide!

Below is the list of all stallions to cover 150 or more mares in 2024.

Advertisement

Stallion

Mares Covered

2024 Fee

Stud

State

Home Affairs (AUS) 2018

225

82,500

Coolmore Australia

NSW

Alabama Express (AUS) 2016

223

55,000

Yulong Investments

Vic

Shinzo (AUS) 2020

218

55,000

Coolmore Australia

NSW

Tassort (AUS) 2016

218

38,500

Newgate Operations Pty Ltd

NSW

Zousain (AUS) 2015

218

27,500

Widden Stud Australia Pty Ltd

NSW

Pierata (AUS) 2014

199

66,000

Yulong Investments

Vic

Ozzmosis (AUS) 2020

192

44,000

Newgate Operations Pty Ltd

NSW

Zoustar (AUS) 2010

188

275,000

Widden Stud Australia Pty Ltd

NSW

Farnan (AUS) 2017

181

55,000

Kia Ora Stallions Operations

NSW

Exceedance (AUS) 2016

181

33,000

Vinery Stud (Australia) Pty Ltd

NSW

Stay Inside (AUS) 2018

178

55,000

Newgate Operations Pty Ltd

NSW

King's Gambit (AUS) 2020

175

22,000

Newgate Operations Pty Ltd

NSW

Hawaii Five Oh (AUS) 2019

173

16,500

Vinery Stud (Australia) Pty Ltd

NSW

Ole Kirk (AUS) 2017

172

55,000

Vinery Stud (Australia) Pty Ltd

NSW

Toronado (IRE) 2010

170

88,000

Swettenham Stud

Vic

Acrobat (AUS) 2018

164

13,750

Coolmore Australia

NSW

Pride Of Dubai (AUS) 2012

162

22,000

Coolmore Australia

NSW

In The Congo (AUS) 2018

161

27,500

Newgate Operations Pty Ltd

NSW

I Am Invincible (AUS) 2004

158

275,000

Yarraman Park Stud Pty Ltd

NSW

Capitalist (AUS) 2013

155

66,000

Newgate Operations Pty Ltd

NSW

Brutal (NZ ) 2015

154

16,500

Newgate Operations Pty Ltd

NSW

Yulong based Alabama Express is one stallion whose runners have really done the talking for him and he was next on the list with 223 mares which was one more than last year, but as a comparison, when he was still in unproven land his first three crops numbered 141, 99 and 78.

The jury was well and truly out and now it’s back and the verdict is positive!

Shinzo was the most popular first season sire in 2024.

Coolmore’s Gold Slipper winner Shinzo was the busiest first season sire as you would expect for a blueblood son fo Snitzel that wins the world’s richest 2YO race and it would have been a surprise to all if he was not .

Below are all the most popular first season sires in 2024.

Sire

Mares Covered

2024 Fee

Stud

State

Shinzo (AUS) 2020

218

55,000

Coolmore Australia

NSW

Ozzmosis (AUS) 2020

192

44,000

Newgate Operations Pty Ltd

NSW

King's Gambit (AUS) 2020

175

22,000

Newgate Operations Pty Ltd

NSW

Hawaii Five Oh (AUS) 2019

173

16,500

Vinery Stud (Australia) Pty Ltd

NSW

Don Corleone (AUS) 2020

133

13,200

Eureka Cambooya Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd

Qld

Native Trail (GB ) 2019

132

27,500

Godolphin Australia

NSW

Cylinder (AUS) 2020

124

44,000

Godolphin Australia

Vic

Lofty Strike (AUS) 2019

115

22,000

Swettenham Stud

Vic

Panthalassa (JPN) 2017

112

16,500

Yulong Investments

Vic

Officiating (USA) 2018

111

12,500

Aquis Farm

Qld

Ingratiating (AUS) 2018

109

9,000

Oakland Park Stud

WA

Red Resistance (AUS) 2020

103

11,000

Telemon Thoroughbreds

Qld

King Colorado (AUS) 2020

97

16,500

Widden Stud Victoria

Vic

Mo'Unga (NZ ) 2017

88

27,500

Newhaven Park Stud

NSW

Doull (AUS) 2019

70

11,000

Rosemont Stud

Vic

Benbatl (GB ) 2014

69

22,000

Woodside Park Stud

Vic

General Beau (AUS) 2018

66

8,800

Maluka Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd

Vic

Gold Trip (FR ) 2017

65

8,800

Lovatsville Pty Ltd

Vic

Generation (AUS) 2018

64

11,000

Lovatsville Pty Ltd

Vic

Oxley Road (AUS) 2017

61

8,800

Blue Gum Farm Holdings Pty Ltd

Vic

Empire Of Japan (AUS) 2020

59

9,900

Hopetoun Farm/ Mr M Webster

Qld

Advertisment
More Reading...
First Godolphin Winner for Maher
Champion trainer Ciaron Maher saddled his first winner for Godolphin at Kembla on Thursday and he did it with a blue-blood colt by Too Darn Hot (GB).
Breeders Paradise - Inglis Digital August (early) Online
An abundance of high-quality broodmares – many in foal to some of the hottest young stallions in the Southern Hemisphere – and broodmare prospects headline a “breeders’ paradise’’ in the Inglis Digital August (Early) Online Sale.
Melbourne Cup on Radar for Sons and Lovers
Joseph O’Brien knows what it takes to win a Melbourne Cup and that was mentioned as a possible goal for progressive young stayer Sons and Lovers, who won the Group III Ballyroan Stakes (1m4f) at Leopardstown overnight.
Breeding To Win – Crystal Ball – New Season 3YOs to Follow
Who are we highlighting this week? - Analysis of the G1 winning 3YO’s for last season has made us realise how many horses on this list took giant strides from two to three, so we are looking into the crystal ball to find some juveniles we believe could end this season as G1 performers if not G1 winners.
First Foal for Hilal Delights Grangewilliam Stud
The first foal by Grangewilliam Stud’s Group Two winner and multiple Group One performer Hilal arrived on Thursday morning with a filly born out of the well-related No Nay Never mare La Frox.
Sires With Winners - Wednesday August 6
Here is the full list of 49 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Zoustar Entering the Zenith
The dictionary tells us Zenith is an astronomical term —describing the highest point in an arc travelled by a star, planet or another celestial body- and in the case of this story it’s planet Zoustar!
Racing’s Night of Champions August 28
45 of the top horses in Australia will be recognised for outstanding performances during the 2024/2025 racing season at Racing’s Night of Champions.
Ozzmosis First Born is Feeling Frisky!
Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Ozzmosis was in demand at Newgate last spring covering 192 mares and his first born foal that arrived on July 31 at Alma Vale Thoroughbreds is the source of great pride for owners Ian and Cathy Mathieson.
Sires With Winners - Friday August 8
Here is the full list of 39 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.