Darley stallions set to create magic on the Gold Coast

Darley sired yearlings are expected to be in demand at the coming Magic Millions yearling sale on the Gold Coast

With Darley stallions having provided the winners of the last three Golden Slippers, ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes and Champagne Stakes, their progeny is expected to be in hot demand at the upcoming Magic Millions yearling sale on the Gold Coast.

Renowned as Australia’s premier sale for producing two-year-olds, trainers flock to the Magic Millions each January trying to find a mature, precocious yearling they can immediately put a saddle on.

Having produced a Stakes winner, a Stakes placegetter and two city winners from his first four runners, Denman is the hottest young stallion in the country and he will be represented by 23 second-crop yearlings at the Gold Coast. Among them is lot 31, a half-brother to Va Pensiero who won the G3 Run to the Rose in the Spring last year while lot 458, a half-brother to G1 Caulfield Guineas Long John, is expected to be highly sought after.

Denman’s sire Lonhro, fresh off producing his sixth G1 winner in Bounding, has 19 yearlings catalogued as does Australia’s reigning Champion stallion Exceed And Excel who is the broodmare sire of Bounding. Both stallions have played significant roles in Darley stallions siring the winners of the last three Sydney two-year-old triple crowns. Lonhro had Pierro win all three legs in 2012, while Exceed And Excel had Helmet win the Sires’ Produce and Champagne Stakes in 2011 before siring the triple crown himself last year with his daughters Overreach winning the Golden Slipper and Guelph claiming the Sires Produce and Champagne Stakes.

Bred on the same cross as Bounding, the Willow Park-consigned lot 614 is expected to attract plenty of admirers. A bay colt by Lonhro, he is the second foal out of speedy Exceed And Excel mare Noesis, a winner of the Listed Maribyrnong Trial as a two-year-old. Another Lonhro expected to be popular is lot 619, a half-brother to Shamardal’s G1-winning daughter Maybe Discreet and Exceed And Excel’s G3-winning daughter Just Discreet.

Exceed And Excel is responsible for one of the highlights of the sale with the Baramul Stud-consigned lot 48, a half-brother to multiple G1 winner Samaready, set to light up the sales ring. Evergreen Stud Farm also has a well-bred Exceed And Excel colt entered with lot 380 a half-brother to Stakes winners Divorces and Disputes.

Street Cry will be represented by just seven lots at the Magic Millions but his yearlings are out of mares who performed at the elite level. Lot 41 from the draft of Bell View Park is the first foal from G1-winning Commands mare Russeting, while Baramul Stud’s lot 213 is out of G1 VRC Oaks winner Arapaho Miss.

Commands himself will be represented by 12 yearlings, Bernardini has five entered and Medaglia d'Oro, who was Australia’s leading first-season sire at the sales last year has four yearlings catalogued.

Darley stallions have already featured prominently in this season’s early two-year-old races with the likes of Earthquake (Exceed And Excel), Chivalry (Street Cry), Memorial (Street Cry), Kumaon (Lonhro), Occitan (Street Cry), Wawail (Lohhro) and Law (Denman) all winning races impressively enough to suggest that four consecutive two-year-old triple crowns is not out of the question.

To view all Darley-sired yearlings at the coming Magic Millions yearling sale click here.