The massive prizemoney on races such as The Everest, Melbourne Cup and Golden Eagle tends to skew the Australian General Sires List heavily in the favour of sires that produce winners of those races, so a more accurate gauge as to just which stallions have had a good spring carnival comes with a look at the leading sires by stakes-winners list.
Heading that list on six stakes-winners each are two stallions seen as the next generation of champion sires in Pierro (Lonhro) and Zoustar (Northern Meteor), who are aged ten and nine respectively.
Both were champions on the track and both have been given every opportunity at their respective farms, Coolmore and Widden, standing at substantial service fees from day one and covering large books of top class mares.
What sets them apart from many other horses that receive similar opportunity is that they have succeeded, where so many others that tick all the boxes end up under performing.
Pierro stands this spring at a fee of $88,000, while Zoustar has shot to $154,000, a substantial rise on last year.
Below are their variations in fee since retiring to stud.
|
Year |
Zoustar - Widden Stud |
Pierro – Coolmore Australia |
|
2019 |
$154,000 |
$88,000 |
|
2018 |
$60,500 |
$88,000 |
|
2017 |
$44,000 |
$49,500 |
|
2016 |
$44,000 |
$66,000 |
|
2015 |
$44,000 |
$77,000 |
|
2014 |
$44,000 |
$77,000 |
|
2013 |
$77,000 |
Part of the reason for their success is their ability to nick with the plethora of commercial Danehill line mares and their tally of stakes-winners reflects this.
A sire that is completely free of Danehill blood, Pierro has had six stakes-winners, all of them Group winners headed by his Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes winner Shadow Hero and interestingly five of the six are from mares carrying Danehill blood.
This is hardly ground breaking reading as Pierro has built his reputation on being the outcross sire that actually works, but it’s still nice to see it reinforced so strongly for breeders that have planned their matings along these lines this year.
Zoustar is from a daughter of champion sire Redoute’s Choice and for whatever reason he has become a champion of the double Danehill cause with five of his six stakes-winners, all of them Group winners, carrying the double cross including the full sisters Sunlight and Sisstar.
Given the compatibility of these two sires with the majority of the mare population it’s not hard to see why they are where they are and why they will continue to excel.
Below is the full list of leading sires by stakes-winners, three or more.
