Spirit of Boom vs Epaulette

Tara Madgwick - Monday April 22
On Monday we looked at the statistics of rising star second season sires Zoustar and Dundeel, but they aren't the only stallions in this division doing a great job with Eureka Stud's Spirit of Boom also doing some amazing things, while Darley's Epaulette has also shown his hand as a serious sire in the making.

The current Australian Second Crop Sires table looks like this.



A son of former Queensland favourite Sequalo, Spirit of Boom was a revelation last season with his amazing 18 first crop Australian winners, five of which were stakes-winners! For a stallion coming off an $11,000 fee it was heady stuff and sparked a sharp service fee increase last year with Eureka Stud bumping him up to $55,000. The fee increase was obviously considered well justified by the market as he covered 217 mares last spring, his biggest ever book.

Below are Spirit of Boom's overall statistics – courtesy Arion




He runs at 43.8% winners to runners and 7.1% stakes-winners to runners with his best horses the Group III winners Boomsara and the Kiwi based Spirit of Aubeer. His total of eight stakes-winners is one more than both Zoustar and Dundeel. When you consider the quality of mares he has covered in his first two books that have produced these results you can see why many astute judges see this stallion as a potential I Am Invincible of the future.


Below are Epaulette's overall statistics – courtesy Arion



By Danehill's sometimes under-rated sire Commands, Epaulette's figures here take in his Northern Hemisphere runners, however for his winner to runner and stakes-winner to runner strike rates, we will look only at his Southern Hemisphere foaled progeny as his six stakes-winners are all Southern Hemisphere bred. Epaulette has 45.6% winners to runners and 6.5% stakes-winners to runners with his best horse the South African trained triple Group I winning colt Soqrat.

Priced at $27,500 this year, Epaulette might be the value pick out of the leading second crop sires when you compare his statistics and service fee with his peers at the top end of this group.


Advertisment
More Reading...
Bred to Be Better at Three
Andrew Campbell will unveil another exciting youngster at Hawera on Saturday when two-year-old gelding Valvano makes his debut in the Simon Bendall @ Metcalfe Real Estate (1200m).
Wathnan Racing Swoop - Quai de Bethune Eclipses July Sale Record 775,000 Guineas
The Tattersalls July Sale concluded in spectacular fashion with QUAI DE BETHUNE selling for a record 775,000 guineas and the Busuttin Young stable also picked up lightly raced 3YO TIME ALLOWED for Australia.
Melbourne Racing Club Unveils Major Spring Racing Enhancements
Racing Victoria has confirmed prize money allocations for the 2025-2026 season and Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) has announced some exciting race program changes and prizemoney increases that, together with other great initiatives at Flemington and Moonee Valley, reinforce the position of Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival at the forefront of international racing.
Bred to be Good - So You Think x More Joyous
It sounds like a match made in heaven, a colt by two time Cox Plate winning sire So You Think from eight time Group I winner More Joyous, and this 2YO is slated to make his debut in New Zealand this weekend,  
Justify Strikes at Newmarket with New G3 Winner
The Group III Bahrain Trophy Stakes ((1m5f) at Newmarket overnight produced a runaway winner in Scandinavia and while his sire Justify no longer shuttles to Australia, two of his sons will be on the roster at Coolmore this spring in City of Troy (IRE) and Storm Boy.
Breeding To Win – Crystal Ball – New Season 3YOs to Follow
Who are we highlighting this week? - Analysis of the G1 winning 3YO’s for this 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 next season as G1 performers if not G1 winners.
One to Watch – Gosford
Capitalist had a double of debut winning two year-olds at Gosford on Thursday both prepared by Peter Snowden and while the expensive colt Caesar got the job done, it was the filly that really had people talking.
Willydoit Data Surprise - Sprinter or Stayer?
Scientific tests have revealed surprising results on the distance aptitude of this season’s star New Zealand staying three-year-old Willydoit.
Sires With Winners - Thursday July 10
Here is the full list of 31 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Randwick
Spring racing is just around the corner and a busy set of trials at Randwick on Friday featured eight heats won by juveniles with winners including stakes horses The Playwright and Cobra Club as well as unraced youngsters by Justify (USA), I Am Invincible and Flying Artie.