2024 Dubai World Cup Winner to Shuttle to Woodside Park in 2026

Anybody that follows pedigree trends in Australian Group I racing can see that the stallion now exerting a huge influence at the elite level through his myriad of sire sons and daughters is the 2002 Dubai World Cup winner Street Cry (IRE).

When this super talented son of Machiavellian arrived for the first time in Australia back in 2003, Australian breeders did not know what to make of him, but the smart ones soon cottoned on and it’s no accident he gave us the best Australian racehorse of this century (and possibly ever) in Winx.

As a sire of sires, Street Cry has given us another Australian Horse of the Year in Anamoe, the two best sprinting 3YO’s in the country in Tempted and Tentyris, and as a broodmare sire has given us Champion 2YO and 3YO Colt Broadsiding, Champion 3YO Filly Treasurethe Moment, course record breaking G1 3YO colt Beiwacht and the Cox Plate winning Hong Kong legend Romantic Warrior.

For a stallion that spent three of his first four years at stud here at a fee of $16,500, Street Cry has exceeded expectation by light years, which brings us to Laurel River (USA).

Woodside Park in Victoria have announced the 2024 Dubai World Cup winner Laurel River will shuttle to Victoria this spring from his base at Big Red Farm in Japan and when you consider the merit of this stallion and his similarities to Street Cry, the choice is hardly left field, but might actually be right on target.

Bred and raced by Juddmonte as have been champion sires such as Danehill, Frankel and Kingman, Laurel River retired lightly raced after just 11 starts with six wins from 1300m to 2000m, but it’s his breathtaking eight length romp in the Dubai World Cup that defined him.

Laurel River was subsequently named Longines World's Best Racehorse in 2024, with a World Thoroughbred Rating of 128, equal to City Of Troy and above the likes of Via Sistina and Romantic Warrior.

Woodside’s stallion nominations manager Mark Dodemaide is excited to have a stallion of Laurel River’s calibre join the roster.

“He was an outstanding racehorse, when you are rated 128 and equal best horse in the world, you are at the top of the tree,” he said.

“I really encourage breeders to look at his Dubai World Cup win. He jumps from the outside barrier, goes to the front and then at the 800 metre mark, Tadhg O’Shea releases the brakes, kicks away and ends up winning by eight lengths.

“You have to have a super set of lungs to do that. It’s one of the best performances you will ever see on a racetrack.

“He profiles very much like Street Cry and that is something we found compelling in our decision to bring him to Australia.”

* Also he is directly descended from Coup de Genie, a full sister to Machiavellian the sire of Street Cry.

Laurel River brings the Storm Cat sireline back into Australia with his sire Into Mischief, a seven time Champion US Sire that has produced three individual Kentucky Derby winners and nearly had a fourth last weekend with Renegade a close and gallant second after a tough run in transit.

“Into Mischief is an unbelievably dominant, seven times [in succession] champion sire in North America,” Dodemaide said.

“When you put that into perspective, Danzig won it three times, Mr Prospector won it twice, Storm Cat won it twice. I really think it’s time to have a crack at this sire line. Especially when that sire line is known for early speed that trains on.”

Laurel River is true to type and a close look at Into Mischief, who stands at a fee of US$250,000, shows this apple has not fallen far from the tree.

Now aged 21, Into Mischief is an established sire of sires and had 39 sire sons advertised at stud in 2026 headed by his top class son Practical Joke, who stands at Coolmore’s US base of Ashford Stud at a fee of US$75,000.

Laurel River joins the Woodside roster at a fee of $22,000 inc. GST alongside Celestial Legend (Dundeel), Benbatl (Dubawi), Shalaa (Invincible Spirit), Rich Enuff (Written Tycoon), Foxwedge (Fastnet Rock) and Delaware (Frankel).