Change at the Top

Tara Madgwick - Monday October 14
A bumper Saturday of stakes racing in Sydney and Melbourne has delivered change to the Australian General Sires List with a new front runner, a stallion with a bullet and a stallion who may be the best value sire in the Hunter Valley this spring.

Coolmore's Pierro has been threatening to take the lead for a little while now following a spate of winners including his Everest contenders Arcadia Queen and Pierata and he duly did so with his exciting staying colt Shadow Hero winning the Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes.




A Golden Slipper winning son of champion sire Lonhro, Pierro has what it takes to be a champion sire in that he can get you those classic horses for a Derby and Oaks but also a fast two year-old and a quality sprinter.

He stands at a fee of $88,000 this spring.

Arrowfield Stud's Dundeel shot up the rankings into third place following a Saturday in which his three year old colt Super Seth won the Caulfield Guineas, another three year-old in Castelvecchio was second in the Spring Champion Stakes and his four year-old gelding The Inevitable won the $500,000 Silver Eagle.



A champion 3YO by High Chaparral, Dundeel has also proven capable of getting two year-olds and stayers so is well placed to be a top echelon sire for many years to come and stands this spring at a fee of $66,000.

The most interesting stallion in the Top 10 is probably Vinery Stud's All Too Hard, who was the sparring partner for Pierro on the track, but has slipped behind him in terms of commercial success since the pair retired to stud and is priced this season at a fee of $27,500.



His 33 winners this season is only three less than Pierro and the big horse that he needed has now put his hand up in Alligator Blood, so if you are sending a mare to All Too Hard this spring you'd be entitled to think you've probably gotten a good deal.







Advertisment
More Reading...
Spirit of Boom Colt wins 2YO Championship Final
Tony Pike-trained juveniles Boombox and Ashoka ran their second quinella of the month in the ITM/GIB 2YO Championship Final (1200m) at Ruakaka on Saturday, with Boombox getting the better of his stablemate on both occasions.
No Fluke – How Good is Autumn Boy?
When Autumn Boy made a winning debut at 50-1 at Canterbury last month beating his high profile stablemate Central Coast, some may have wondered if there was an element of fluke about the win… there wasn’t.
Another Super Promising Winner for Ole Kirk
Ole Kirk is setting the pace among first season sires and added a new winner to his tally at Caulfield on Saturday with Sonofkirk producing a dazzling finish to score an eye-catching victory.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Randwick
Trial action was at Randwick on Friday and there were six heats for juveniles that included some interesting unraced youngsters highlighted by the full brother to a promising young sire, a well bred son of Farnan and an Extreme Choice filly.
First Winner for Australian Derby Winner Levendi
Blueblood Pierro colt Levendi won the Group I ATC Australian Derby for the Gelagotis stable back in 2018 and is now on the board as a sire having produced his first winner on Friday.
Red Right Out Wins MM Queensland Qualifier
The 2026 Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo & Showjumping will feature the third annual Queensland Off-The-Track Cup (QOTT) final on Sunday, 11 January 2026 at Doug Jennings Park on the Gold Coast. 
Sires With Winners - Friday June 27
Here is the full list of 48 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Vinery Stud Announce Adam White as Interim Manager
From the 1st of July, Vinery Stud is pleased to announce the appointment of Adam White as Interim General Manager, following the resignation of Peter Orton. A dedicated and long-standing member of the Vinery team, Adam brings a wealth of experience and an in-depth understanding of both the business and the industry to this pivotal role.
National Online Breeding Stock Sale online now
The National Online Breeding Stock Sale has launched on Gavelhouse Plus with bidding open on the 87 Lots sale which is set to end from 7pm on Wednesday 9th July.
Proisir filly Wins 3YO Winter Championship
Matamata trainers Ken and Bev Kelso sent Levakia on a big road trip on Saturday in search of reasonable track conditions, and the plan paid off with victory in the $60,000 ITM/GIB 3YO Winter Championship Final (1600m) at Ruakaka.