There are no prizes for guessing the stallion who is the big mover up the sire's table over the last few days.
With a Victoria Derby winner on Saturday and a Melbourne Cup winner on Tuesday, the two-season shuttler Declaration Of War (USA) is now within ten thousand dollars Rubick who had just finished covering 214 mares in his first season at Coolmore in 2015 when Declaration Of War (USA) was exiting back to Kentucky after serving 88 mares and destined not to return.
At the start of this year Declaration Of War (USA) was on a one-way ticket to the JBBA's Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan while Rubick was on R&R after covering 263 mares, which made him the busiest stallion in the nation in 2018.
General Sires
There are some familiar names among Declaration Of War’s new stablemates including Johannesburg (USA), The Factor (USA), Makfi (GB), Cape Blanco (GB) and one less familiar Eskenderya (USA), who sired last Saturday's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Mitole.
With a Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (2,000 Guineas) winner in his only Irish conceived crop, a Melbourne Cup winner, a Queensland Oaks winner, two Group III winners and a Listed winner in his first Australian crop and Victoria Derby winner in his second, Declaration Of War (USA) must be on the radar of a lot of studs in the southern hemisphere.
If not in Australia, he would be a perfect fit for New Zealand where proven stallions and sexy newcomers are in shorter supply than across the Tasman although one look at the table can reveal the rise of the promising Ocean Park even if the financial sire’s list is becoming ever more irrelevant.
Hong Kong is an important market for New Zealand and it must help that Declaration of War’s $280,000 2017 NZB Ready To Run Sale of 2YOs graduate Voyage Warrior has been flying the flag and over 1000 metres no less.
Voyage Warrior may not be the world-beater he looked after his first two wins at Sha Tin but he is a serious horse.
By the way, moments after Vow And Declare’s Melbourne Cup triumph, Declaration Of War had a very impressive winner in the $100,000 AAMI Skybeau Stayers Handicap over 2500 metres at Morphettville. The Sue Murphy-trained Hasta La War has won four of his last five starts and looks one for the future.
In tomorrow’s $1 million Group 1 Kennedy Oaks (2500m) at Flemington Declaration Of War (USA) will be represented by the Paul Perry-trained Amazing Peace.
This $100,000 2018 Australian Easter Yearling Sale graduate has made seven starts, six of which have been on her home track at Newcastle.
A half-sister to the Group II Hawkes Bay Guineas winner Mongolian Falcon (Fastnet Rock), Amazing Peace is the third and final foal of the talented Galileo mare Amazing Beauty (IRE) who placed in two Group IIIs and a pair of Listed races when trained by Aidan O’Brien.
At her most recent start, Amazing Peace was strong to the line in defeating the $800,000 Redoute’s Choice filly Extraordinary over 2350 metres at Newcastle.
By a sire on fire out of a tough mare by one of the all-time great stallions, trained by a man that sends shivers down the spine of bookmakers in Melbourne this time of year and with the white-hot Nash Rawiller in the saddle, there will be plenty of crazier bets at $34.
