Group I winning Not This Time son Cogburn (USA) will return to WinStar Farm in Kentucky earlier than planned after disappointing fertility results during his first Australian covering season at Widden Stud.
The shuttle stallion covered 194 mares in his first year in America, with 143 confirmed in foal. But his fertility results in Australia have been far lower than this.
“We are all terribly disappointed not to have been able to fulfill the obligations to the breeders who had supported Cogburn with a full book, but it's important we do what is in the best interests of Cogburn and the syndicate and resolve this temporary issue,” said Antony T hompson of Widden Stud.
WinStar’s Elliott Walden said the decision was made so the horse could undergo further testing ahead of his 2026 season.
“We want to get Cogburn home to do more testing to prepare him for his second season at stud,” Walden said. “I want to thank Antony and his team for the care of Cogburn during his time in Australia. The test results of his semen have been very good, but we need to dig a little deeper to understand what is going on. He is an important horse for our future, and we want to get him ready for 2026."
