Darley stallions currently standing on roster in Australia have had a major impact on worldwide thoroughbred horse racing over the past three months, with the progeny of six sires tallying an incredible 33 Stakes and feature-race wins.
While Street Boss was in the limelight, courtesy of Australian champion galloper Anamoe’s four G1 victories this spring, roster spearhead Exceed And Excel continued his fantastic ability to sire Stakes winners.
Mischief Magic provided Exceed And Excel with a G1-winning two-year-old in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (1,100m) in Kentucky - but he also had 10 Stakes winners in Australia, New Zealand and England since August 1.
Kermadec and Astern sired G1 winners in Tuvalu and Golden Mile, respectively, while Brazen Beau and Harry Angel also recorded Stakes winners.
Overall, there were seven wins at G1, two at G2, seven G3, 15 Listed and one Restricted Listed race winners, while Barber (Exceed And Excel) saluted in the $1 million Golden Gift at Rosehill Gardens.
The results delighted Darley and Godolphin Australia Managing Director Vin Cox.
“The fact, so many of the stallions have sired Stakes winners is really terrific and the fact that, of all those Stakes winners, 20 per cent of them are G1 wins,” Cox pointed out.
“Anamoe being our flag-bearer horse is very exciting… to see the best horse in the country winning that number of G1s as a four-year-old.
“The other fact you could draw from it is that two of the more affordable stallions on our roster, Kermadec ($16,500 including GST) and Astern ($11,000 including GST), both sired G1 winners.
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“It speaks to the depth of our stallion roster and the success of that depth.
“And that’s not to mention the evergreen Exceed And Excel, who keeps chiming in with numbers of Stakes winners and Group performers as two-year-olds.”
Although Anamoe’s victories in the Winx Stakes, George Main Stakes, Might And Power Stakes and Cox Plate, gave him great satisfaction, Cox said the emergence of star three-year-olds Aft Cabin (Astern), Golden Mile and In Secret were a testament to head trainer James Cummings and his stable teams in Sydney and Melbourne.
“Of the four best three-year-olds in the country, we have three of them and two of them (Aft Cabin and Golden Mile) are by Astern,” Cox said.
“That speaks volumes to the potential of that sire.”
And with the yearling sales fast approaching, Cox expects breeders and buyers to take particular interest in the progeny of young Darley stallions Microphone, Too Darn Hot and Blue Point.
“All three of them, and they are different styles and shapes of horses, between the three there’s a lot to be excited about,” he said.
“There’s a lot of positive talk, not just about one or the other, different people have good views on each of them - which is intriguing.”
