Riverdene Stud is to stand four stallions this coming breeding season following a recent decision made by the management group of Sizzling to relocate the progressive sire-son of Snitzel to the Wagga-based thoroughbred nursery.
Riverdene Stud recently made the news when announcing that McLaren (by Exceed And Excel) had been retired from racing to become the outfit’s first season sire for 2020. Now it will oversee the next stage of Sizzling’s stud career after the stallion stood his previous six seasons on the Newgate Farm stallion roster in the Hunter Valley.
During such time, Sizzling has established himself as a consistent sire-son of multiple Australian champion sire Snitzel, being responsible for no fewer than 80 individual winners and total progeny earnings of close on $7 million. His most notable runners to date include the versatile stakes winner Secret Blaze, as well as the Group performers Sizzling Belle and Sizzleme — two of six stakes placegetters by the young sire.
One of the outstanding 2-year-olds of his generation, Sizzling not only claimed the TJ Smith Stakes at Group 1 level during his juvenile season, but also the BRC Sires’ Produce (G2), Champagne Classic (G2) and GCTC Ken Russell Memorial Classic (LR). He also trained-on to land the Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1400m) as a late-autumn 3-year-old.
Most significantly though, Sizzling is best recalled for his ultra-precocious qualities and remains one of only two sire-sons of Snitzel at stud to offer Group 1 winning 2-year-old performance.
A representative of the burgeoning Redoute’s Choice strain of the all-conquering Danehill (USA) sireline, it is worth noting that Sizzling has sired notable winners produced by immediate daughters of Exceed And Excel, Danehill Dancer (Ire), Fastnet Rock, Flying Spur and Catbird, as well as a grand-daughter of Danzero.
The 2020 breeding season will now see Sizzling standing alongside fellow Riverdene Stud stallions McLaren, Strada (by Danehill) and Va Pensiero (by Stratum) at a fee of $6,600 (inc. GST).
