The record of the Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas as an elite sire making race has never been more on display than it is right now with past winners including outstanding young sires The Autumn Sun (2025 fee $66,000), Super Seth ($75,000) and Ole Kirk ($99,000).
Neville Murdoch of Larneuk Stud is hopeful his new addition Griff, a commanding winner of the Caulfield Guineas in 2023, can write his own chapter of success.
"We could not be more delighted to be welcoming Griff to Larneuk," said Murdoch.
"Horses of his talent and quality are hard to come by and it is very exciting to have a Caulfield Guineas winner calling Larneuk home."
By Snitzel’s champion son Trapeze Artist, Griff's Caulfield Guineas victory was a memorable one. He drew wide and showed sustained speed to race forward and lead his rivals all the way, winning by a length and three-quarters.
It was a quality renewal with Griff leaving behind some high class rivals including previous and subsequent G1 winners Veight (George Ryder Stakes), King Colorado (J.J Atkins Stakes), Militarize (Champagne Stakes, Golden Rose, ATC Sires Produce), Little Brose (Blue Diamond) and Southport Tycoon (Australian Guineas, Manikato Stakes).
Griff joins three more associate sires at Larneuk Stud standing alongside Group I winning proven sires Impending and Wandjina, plus the Japanese bred Lauda Sion (Jpn), who will have his first foals arriving this spring.
A fast sprinter miler that won a Group I in Japan at 1600m and is sired by an Australian Japanese bred Group I winner in Real Impact (Jpn), Lauda Sion is an intriguing prospect.
His career highlight win came in the Group I NHK Mile Cup, a race won by Admire Mars (Jpn), who has shuttled successfully to Arrowfield with his oldest progeny here now 2YO’s and also Mikki Isle (Jpn), who also shuttled to Arrowfield leaving Australian stakes-winners Dragonstone and Katsu.
With an outcross pedigree featuring the best of Japanese and North American bloodlines, Lauda Sion brings something different to the table.
A $1million Inglis Easter yearling by the late great champion sire Snitzel, Wandjina won the Group I VRC Australian Guineas demonstrating G1 ability to go with his good looks and big pedigree.
Now a well proven source of winners, Wandjina has had a good season with his elite Hong Kong trained Group II winner Galaxy Patch leading the way along with local Group winning mares Infancy and Terra Mater.
With a winner to runner strike rate of 69%, he’s Mr Reliable and with eight winners from nine runners in Hong Kong his progeny can find a ready market in that region as tried horses when they show some potential on the track.
A dual Group I winning son of Lonhro from Group I winning Encosta de Lago mare Mnemosyne, Impending is a Godolphin blueblood that has had a prolific run of winners this season.
Impending has sired 93 winners – 89 in Australia – and they are headed by his multiple stakes-winning mare Kin, who has won nearly $700,000 in prizemoney for Godolphin.
He has also sired a couple of promising juvenile winners this season in Adelaide metro winner Dampen, who has won over $100,000, and Impending War, who has won two of three for the Lindsay Park team including the $125,000 VOBIS Gold Elvstroem Classic at Swan Hill.
