The Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) is run at Randwick this Saturday and while it’s not seen as a key sire making race as such, the 2012 edition did produce two exceptional stallions and one of them is set to have an impact on the race this year.
From last to first, Dundeel, or as he was known then It’s a Dundeel surged home for James McDonald to win in a great tussle over another quality colt in Proisir with both horses eventually retiring to stud.
Dundeel added a further five G1 wins to his resume and retired to Arrowfield Stud at a fee of $27,500, while Proisir never managed a G1 win and found himself in New Zealand at Rich Hill Stud, where he kicked off at a fee of $7,000.
Fast forward to 2024 and both are now leading sires with Dundeel commanding a fee of $88,000 this spring at Arrowfield and Proisir is priced on a par at Rich Hill on $80,000.
Proisir is yet to have a sire son at stud, but Dundeel is already on his way in that department through Castelvecchio, who has a top chance to win the Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes on Saturday with El Castello. Castelvecchio ran second in the Spring Champion Stakes in 2019 to Shadow Hero and then went to Melbourne and ran second in the Cox Plate behind Japanese raider Lys Gracieux (Jpn). He later won the Group I ATC Rosehill Guineas and retired to Arrowfield to stand alongside his sire.
The Anthony Cummings trained El Castello has three wins on the trot leading into his first G1 with each victory better than the last as the distances have increased. His dam is a half-sister to dual Group I winning stayer Fiveandahalfstar (VRC Derby , ATC BMW) and his third dam is a sister to Group I ATC Sydney Cup winner Crossed Swords.
Also of interest are two runners in the race for Dundeel in Henlein and Duvana, while the High Chaparral (IRE) (sire of Dundeel) sireline accounts for another three with So You Think’s G1 winning son D’Argento represented by three runners in Due Calzini, Flying Argento and Rag Queen.
Race favourite Swiftfalcon does not have a pedigree that screams 2000m potential, being by Exceedance from a daughter of Northern Meteor, but it might pay to look a little further back in the mix!
His grand-dam is Zabeel mare Hansuyen, who is a full sister to a pair of G1 winning stayers in St Reims and Champagne, who was second in a Melbourne Cup, so he’ll need to be channelling her input when he turns for home.
