Saturday’s Group 3 McNeil Stakes has long been a traditional spring starting point for three-year-olds with Guineas aspirations and seven years ago, its winner was a lightly raced colt named Super Seth, who used the race as a springboard to Group 1 glory in the Caulfield Guineas six weeks later.
Today, Super Seth is one of Australasia’s most valuable young stallions. After beginning his stud career at Waikato Stud, the son of Dundeel has produced four individual Group 1 winners from his first two crops, was sold to Coolmore in a deal reported to value him at A$70 million.
His rise has been reflected in demand and service fee. Super Seth covered 164 mares at NZ$45,000 in 2024 and 197 mares at NZ$75,000 in 2025. He now stands his first Australian season at Coolmore for A$137,500 including GST.
Seymour Park puts ‘observed learning’ into practice
Seymour Park and partners — the group behind Lovatsville-based young stallion Move To Strike, have brokered a deal with Waikato Stud to secure a package of quality mares in foal to Super Seth, with the mares earmarked for Move To Strike this season.
For Seymour Park’s Darren Thomas and Mark Pilkington, the investment continues a strategy they refer to as ‘observed learning’ — studying successful racing & breeding operations and applying the principles that fit their own program.
“It’s impossible not to admire how Garry and Mark have gone about it over the past 40-odd years. Developing the Waikato families has been no fluke — they’ve strategically bought stallions for their mares and mares for their stallions. They have bred and reared sound animals that pleased their trainers, which in turn made them commercial. They are an inspiration.”
— Mark Pilkington, Seymour Park
Proven Waikato families added to the broodmare band
Among the mares secured in foal to Super Seth is Waikato Stud homebred Acting, the Savabeel mare who won the 2019 Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude.
Acting’s 2024 colt by Super Seth sold for A$420,000 at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale to Mick Price Racing & Breeding, MyRacehorse and Belmont Bloodstock. Waikato Stud has retained her 2025 Super Seth filly to race.
Other mares heading to Seymour Park include Ounce, a half-sister to Super Seth’s Group 1-winning NZ Champion Two-Year-Old La Dorada, and Thee Affair- a Savabeel half-sister to Chris Waller's Group 3 winner and Hong Kong Derby aspirant Kilman — also by Super Seth.
“Buying some quality mares carrying Super Seth pregnancies exemplifies the Move To Strike ownership group’s strong belief and ongoing commitment to him. We’re hopeful his progeny will perform at two like he did and, when they do, we want to be ready with some well-credentialled second-season stock to take to market.”— Mark Pilkington, Seymour Park
Waikato visit helps shape the next phase
The deal followed an educational visit to Waikato Stud and Te Akau Stud for members of Seymour Park’s new management team — General Manager Ben Tyrrell, Young Stock Manager Emma McNamara and Broodmare Manager Bailey Allen — alongside Lovatsville Stallion Manager Padraig O’Sullivan.
“Super Seth did it on the track and now he’s doing it in the breeding barn, through the sale ring and at the winning post. Move To Strike is an exciting prospect for us and these mares will suit him down to the ground. From a temperament standpoint, Move To Strike adds another layer. He’s a very smart, focused animal whose professional racetrack attitude has transitioned exceptionally well into the breeding shed.”
— Padraig O’Sullivan, Stallion Manager, Lovatsville
“Super Seth looks like the next big thing for Coolmore and we are fortunate to secure some mares carrying his pregnancies to ride the wave. We were also able to secure some mares in foal to the emerging Ardrossan. He has made a great start, has significant numbers working for him which will give him every opportunity in the important Australia and Hong Kong markets.”
— Ben Tyrrell, General Manager, Seymour Park
For Seymour Park Broodmare Manager Bailey Allen, pedigree was only one part of the selection process.
“We’re delighted to have secured a group of mares with the right genetic matches and strong commercial pregnancies, but importantly they are also the right physicals for Move To Strike. Super Seth and Move To Strike are both strong, imposing stallions with quality, action and presence. The physical types we have acquired should produce quality foals by Super Seth and, excitingly, from what we have seen of the first few Move To Strike foals, the mares look to match him particularly well too.”
— Bailey Allen, Broodmare Manager, Seymour Park
Building towards Seymour Park’s first weanling draft
For newly appointed Young Stock Manager Emma McNamara, who has prepared multiple high-profile sale juveniles, the opportunity is as much about what is coming through the system as what is already on the ground.
“It’s a real coup to have such a strong group of Super Seth progeny coming through our farm. His progeny are doing it on the racetrack and his star continues to rise commercially. I’m excited to be working with his stock”.
“We plan to launch Seymour Park as a weanling consignor next year to showcase the first Move To Strike foals, so having several well-bred Super Seth youngsters in the draft alongside them will be exciting.”— Emma McNamara, Young Stock Manager, Seymour Park
Move To Strike builds on a strong debut season
The group’s continued investment follows an encouraging first season at stud for Move To Strike, who covered 143 mares in 2025. He remains at a fee of A$16,500 incl GST for 2026.
Move To Strike was purchased by Sir David Ellis/ Te Akau Racing for A$525,000 at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and is out of multiple Group-winning and Group 1-performed Shamardal mare No Evidence Needed.
A precocious early-season, on-pace juvenile winner, the son of Champion Sire I Am Invincible became his sire’s first Group 1-winning two-year-old when producing a brilliant last-to-first performance in the Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1400 metres. This ‘blinker free’ performance showed he was more than just a cheap on-speed juvenile.
“Given the prepotency of blue-hen mare Helen Street around the world — and particularly in the Southern Hemisphere — that Move To Strike is out of a Group-winning Shamardal mare is a huge plus in our view. We have deliberately bought a number of mares that provide us the opportunity to reinforce Helen Street in their pedigrees.”
— Mark Pilkington
Among them is Cross Legend, a direct descendant of Helen Street and the dam of Tom Dabernig’s progressive stakes-winning Pride of Dubai mare Shadhavar, who added the Listed Regal Roller Stakes at Caulfield to her record earlier this month and is $2.60 favorite in Saturdays G3 Courtza Stakes at Caulfield. Cross Legend is only weeks away from delivering a Move To Strike foal.
The dam of Group 2 Schillaci Stakes winner Bellatrix Star - Alana's Party is also carrying a Move To Strike pregnancy. Bellatrix Star won five races (4 black type) and more than $1 million in prizemoney. Her peak performance was splitting star colt Switzerland and Golden Slipper winner Lady of Camelot when running second in G1 The Coolmore.
A Seymour Park-born and raised filly, Bellatrix Star was an astute NZ$80,000 purchase for Ellis and John Galvin’s Fortuna Syndicate from Phoenix Park’s 2022 Karaka draft and is offered as a broodmare prospect through Inglis Digital next week.
Cross Legend and Alana’s Party are amongst the current 126 bookings for the 2026 season for Move to Strike.
The broader momentum behind the sireline continues to build, with sons of I Am Invincible Home Affairs, Hellbent, Brazen Beau, Kobayashi, Overshare and Santos making their mark.
Seymour Park Release
