G1 Aussie Season – Best of the Best

Tara Madgwick - Monday June 30

The $700,000 Group I Tatts Tiara (1400m) at Eagle Farm last Saturday was the last of 76 Australian Group I races run this season that produced 57 individual Group I winners, so let’s take a look at the best of the best.

Seven G1 wins in Australia this season - Via Sistina (IRE) is a superstar - image Grant Courtney

The choice for Australian Horse of the Year for the 2024/2025 racing season is an easy one with super talented import Via Sistina (IRE) a dominant performer at distances ranging from 1400 to 2040m with nine starts this season producing an astonishing seven G1 wins.

Irish bred she may be, but she is also the best ever offspring of Australian champion sire Fastnet Rock, who shuttled to Coolmore in the Northern Hemisphere and she is also the most expensive G1 winner having been bought as a tried horse from the Tattersalls December Mares Sale for 2.7million guineas in 2023.

Other multiple G1 winners were:

3 G1 wins Lady Shenandoah (3f Snitzel)

3 G1 wins Mr Brightside (NZ) (7g Bullbars)

3 G1 wins Treasurethe Moment (3f Alabama Express)

2 G1 wins Antino (NZ) (6g Redwood (GB)

2 G1 wins Broadsiding (3c Too Darn Hot (GB)

2 G1 wins Ceolwulf (NZ) (4g Tavistock)

2 G1 wins Jimmysstar (NZ) (5g Per Incanto (USA)

2 G1 wins Joliestar (4m Zoustar)

2G1 wins Light Infantry Man (Fr) (6g Fast Company)

2 G1 wins Sunshine in Paris (5m Invader)

The most successful sires with more than one G1 winner are headed by a group of four stallions that all sired three G1 winners and all of them bar Snitzel are standing at stud this spring.

Pride of Dubai is affordable and gets you a seriously good horse.

Harry Angel stands at Darley NSW at a fee of $66,000, Pride of Dubai at Coolmore at $27,500 and Super Seth at Waikato Stud in NZ at a fee of $75,000.

Harry Angel is a complete outcross representing the Acclamation sireline and being free of Danehill blood, while Pride of Dubai and Super Seth have Danehill blood through their damsire, the former from a daughter of Danehill and the latter from a daughter of Redoute’s Choice.

3 G1 – Harry Angel (IRE) – 3c Private Harry, 4g Tom Kitten, 4g War Machine (NZ)

3 G1- Pride of Dubai – 7m Bella Nipotina, 7g Dubai Honour (IRE), 7m Deny Knowledge (IRE)

3 G1 Snitzel- 3f Lady Shenandoah, 2f Marhoona, 3c Switzerland

3 G1 Super Seth – 3g Feroce (NZ), 3g Linebacker(NZ), 3g Maison Louis (NZ)

2G1 Castelvecchio – 3f Aeliana (NZ), 3c El Castello

2G1 Extreme Choice – 2c Devil Night, 5g Knight’s Choice

2G1 Fastnet Rock -  7m Via Sistina (IRE), 6g Buckaroo (GB)

Advertisement

2G1 I Am Invincible – 4m Charm stone, 2c Vinrock

2 G1- Lope de Vega – 6g Duke de Sessa (IRE), 8g Arapaho (Fr)

2 G1 Per Incanto (USA)- 5g Gringotts (NZ), 5g Jimmysstar (NZ)

2 G1 Sebring – 6m Fangirl, 5m Tashi

2 G1 Street Boss (USA) – 5g Another Wil, 6g Pinstriped

2 G1 Written Tycoon – 3c Private Life, 4h Southport Tycoon

2 G1 Zoustar – 4m Joliestar, 4h Schwarz

The most successful broodmare sires of G1 winners are as follows with Darley’s former shuttle sire Street Cry (IRE) heading the list with four winners:

Street Cry (IRE) has become a powerful presence in a pedigree.

4 G1 Street Cry (IRE) – Treasurethe Moment (3f Alabama Express), Broadsiding (3c Too Darn Hot (GB), Tom Kittten (4h Harry Angel(IRE), Tashi (5m Sebring)

3 G1 Fastnet Rock – Joliestar (4m Zoustar), El Castello (3c Castelvecchio), Reserve Bank (3c Capitalist)

2 G1 Casino Prince – Nepotism (2c Brutal), You Wahng (3f So You Think)

2 G1 Dansili – Arapaho (Fr) (8g Lope de Vega), Land Legend (FR) (5g Galileo)

2 G1 Encosta de Lago – Marhoona (2f Snitzel), Fangirl (6m Sebring)

2 G1 Galileo – Via Sistina (IRE) (7m Fastnet Rock), Buckaroo (GB) (6g Fastnet Rock)

2 G1 More Than Ready (USA) – Southport Tycoon (4h Written Tycoon), Knight’s Choice (5g Extreme Choice)

2 G1 Shamardal – Devil Night (2c Extreme Choice), Ceolwulf (NZ) (5g Tavistock)

2 G1 Snitzel – Private Life (3v Written Tycoon), Pinstriped (6g Street Boss (USA)

2 G1Star Witness  - Aeliana (NZ) (3f Castelvecchio, Bella Nipotina (7m Pride of Dubai)

Country of origin is always interesting and given we are in Australia, we expect to see the Aus bred thoroughbreds on top of the table and they are although in the longer races for all aged horses they made scant impression barring that miraculous Melbourne Cup victory for Knight’s Choice.

Kiwi bred Ceolwulf was one of the stars of the season and this 4YO has more to come - image Steve Hart

The Kiwis had a very good season with 11 G1 winners carrying the NZ suffix up from seven last year and the winners ranged in distance from Jimmysstar (NZ), who was successful at 1100m up to the 2400m classic winners Aeliana (NZ) and Maison Louis (NZ).

Australia -37 G1 winners

New Zealand – 11  G1 winners

European (GB, IRE, FR)- 9 G1 winners

Advertisment
More Reading...
New G1 Winner for Wootton Bassett
Back in Australia for another season at Coolmore, Wootton Bassett (GB) was expected to get a 3YO Group I winner in France on Sunday, but the horse that got the job done was not the one punters expected.
Ones to Watch – Bendigo
At this time of year, you tend to take special notice of well-bred 3YO debut winners and three of them arrived at Bendigo on Sunday that were all interesting for different reasons and none more so than one who has a name that has become infamous this year.
Toronado Withdrawn from Service
Victorian breeders have been dealt a blow with Swettenham Stud announcing on Sunday evening that their champion sire Toronado (IRE) would not cover any mares in 2025 as he recovers from a significant infection that caused lameness.
Vale, Fastnet Rock
Fastnet Rock was a crowd pleaser when paraded as a living legend at the Coolmore stallion parade last month, but sadly this spring was to be his last. 
Barneswood Farm Trans Tasman Strike
A trans-Tasman ownership double prompted long and enthusiastic celebrations for Ashburton’s Barneswood Farm.
Shamus Award Mare Quintessa Cracks $1million in Prizemoney
Karaka graduate Quintessa (NZ) (Shamus Award) became a millionaire and a dual Group One winner with a stunning last-to-first performance in the $400,000 Group One Proisir Plate (1400m) at Ellerslie on Saturday.
$1.7million Flightline Colt Sets Pace at Keeneland September Day 1
The 2025 Keeneland September Yearling Sale is underway and as expected yearlings from the first crop of US Horse of the Year Flightline are lighting up the sale ring, while a colt by Widden Stud shuttler Cogburn’s sire Not This Time sold for $1.6million.
Sires With Winners - Monday September 8
Here is the full list of 18 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sires With Winners - Sunday September 7
Here is the full list of 67 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sires With Winners - Saturday September 6
Here is the full list of 106 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.