With so much attention on yearling sales at present, Magic Millions last week and Karaka starting on Sunday, the sire lists have been allowed to quietly tick along unwatched and three stallions have joined the century club and now share the top spot.
With 102 winners from 268 runners Capitalist has the best seasonal strike rate of the top three and his winners include four stakes-winners Hidden Motive, Hedged, Alpha Sofie and King of Roseau.
Newgate Farm’s Golden Slipper winner covered massive 200 plus books in his first five years at stud so has loads of older horses out running for him and his current crops of two and three year-olds are those conceived at a $99,000 fee, so in theory they should be his best bred horses so far.
Capitalist had a reality check in terms of his fee last year which was slashed back to $44,000 and he subsequently covered 146 mares.
At Magic Millions last week, Capitalist had 23 yearlings sell at an average $128,913 with his top seller a filly from Golconda that sold for $340,000.
Widden Stud’s Zoustar is the reigning champion Australian sire and was also the world leader for global winners in 2025. His winners include five stakes-winners headed by his superstar mare Joliestar.
His two and three year-olds were conceived at fees of $154,000 and $198,000 with subsequent crops to follow off even higher fees.
Zoustar had 20 yearlings average $478,750 at Magic Millions, which was up on his figures at the Gold Coast from the previous year, but the cream of the Zoustar yearling crop will clearly be offered at Inglis Easter as they were last year and also in 2024.
Even with so many of his top tier colts and geldings finding their way to Hong Kong, Swettenham Stud’s Toronado (IRE) still has his 100 winners for the season and they include two stakes-winners Snow Mercy and Toropa, both female.
Toronado has two and three year-olds bred at increased fees of $49,500 and $88,000 with subsequent crops all off $88,000 and in good news for yearling buyers of the future, he did end up covering 83 mares last spring after being offline at the start of the season due to a lameness issue.
Toronado had 16 average $206,250 at Magic Millions with his two top sellers colts from Éclair ($400,000) and Sunrise Yellow ($360,000) both destined for Hong Kong.
