The Victorian breeding industry has received another mighty boost with the highly credentialed, Group winning stallion RUBICK, joining the roster at Swettenham Stud.
He joins Toronado, Puissance de Lune, Highland Reel, I Am Immortal and Trust In A Gust on their bolstered 2021 roster.
Swettenham Stud Principal Adam Sangster said he is thrilled to welcome the young son of Encosta De Lago to his Nagambie Stud, noting there are undeniable facts and figures that make RUBICK a truly exciting prospect for all breeders.
RUBICK, who started stud duties at Coolmore in 2015, will stand at $25,000+GST and is tailor-made for the rich VOBIS scheme.
“The majority of Rubick’s success on the track has been down here in Victoria and it’s really been the unofficial home for Encosta and his progeny,” Sangster said.
“Son of Rubick, Yes Yes Yes, started his racing career in Victoria, winning two of his first three races before joining the Sydney stables of Chris Waller, where he went on to win The Everest.”
Sangster believes Rubick’s progeny have a lot of upside and given the stallion has twice served more than 250 mares, with those crops now foals and yearlings, offers reassurance to the breeder.
“Those two seasons - 2019 (262 mares) and 2018 (263) - have seen him with his best books of quality mares,” Sangster said.
“I think this, coupled with the success he has shown on the track and offering a more modest service fee, shows us that the best of him is yet to come.”
Toronado, Victoria’s most popular stallion, has had a breakout season with Masked Crusader winning the Group 1 William Reid Stakes in the fastest time ever, as well as adding Affair To Remember, Shelby Cobra, Laverrod, Senor Toba and Solaia to his new stakes winners list this season, with Still A Star claiming her sixth stakes win.
In the sales ring, Toronado’s progeny set a new record with a colt out of Dom Perion selling for $460,000 at Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale earlier this year.
Toronado returns to Swettenham Stud in 2021 at a service fee of $45,000 +GST with a capped book.
After covering books of 197 and 210 in his past two seasons, Al Shaqab and Swettenham Stud have decided to reduce his numbers to give Toronado the best opportunity to capitalise on his success and allow breeders complete comfort in sending their mare.
In order to manage the restricted list, Swettenham Stud have turned to the new digital booking platform Breedr (www.breedr.horse). Breeders will be required to apply to Toronado via Breedr’s digital booking portal, which gives the stallion manager access to detailed profiles of each mare applying to the stallion.
This innovative approach will enable the list to be managed in a more methodical manner, rather than the traditional first come, first serve basis.
On the back of a record year for Puissance de Lune where his yearlings averaged 10x service fee at Melbourne Premier, the service fee of the great son of Shamardal will remain unchanged at $18,000 +GST.
Covering over 300 mares in his past two seasons, Puissance de Lune’s progeny will have every opportunity in the coming years to emulate the likes of Group 2 winner Moonlight Maid and multiple stakes winner Chantrea.
In 2020, Puissance de Lune was supported by some of Australia’s most commercial breeders, covering more stakes performed and stakes-producing mares than all other years combined.
Returning for his fourth season, after covering his largest Australian book of mares in 2020, Highland Reel’s service fee will remain unchanged at $15,000 +GST.
His first Australian yearlings sold for up to $180,000 and averaged over $100,000 between the Inglis Premier and Magic Millions Gold Coast sales.
With over 300 live foals from his first three years in Australia, Highland Reel was the talk of the first season sires on type.
Mare owners supporting the highest ever earning son of Galileo in the upcoming season will be selling their resulting progeny when his oldest Australian bred progeny are four-years- old, at which time the stallion had won four of his seven Group 1 races.
Still the only dual stakes-winning 2yo son of I Am Invincible in Australia, I Am Immortal covered 116 quality mares in his first season at Swettenham Stud. The book of mares he covered, including some of Swettenham Stud’s best, rivals that of any first season sire in recent times in Victoria.
I Am Immortal was the only colt to beat champion colt Microphone in his two-year-old season and did it in the Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) where he ran a faster time than Hanseatic.
Swettenham Stud is looking forward to I Am Immortal’s first foals arriving and if they are anything like him, they are sure to be very well received. His service fee remains unchanged at $12,500+GST.
From just 17 runners so far this season, Swettenham Stud’s homebred Trust In A Gust has produced Eureka Stockade winner Tradewind, returning almost 10x his purchase price. Tempest Charm was stakes placed on debut.
Trust In A Gust’s service fee remains at $6,000 +GST.
Live foal payments available on all stallions.
The 2021 Swettenham stallion roster is:
TORONADO - $49,500 (incl GST)
RUBICK - $27,500 (incl GST)
PUISSANCE DE LUNE - $19,800 (incl GST)
HIGHLAND REEL - $16,500 (incl GST)
I AM IMMORTAL - $13,750 (incl GST)
TRUST IN A GUST - $6,600 (incl GST)
