Feature: Lonhro – Mare quality preview

However, the best may well be yet to come for Darley's leading sire when we look at the mares he has covered in the past three seasons.

Lonhro has covered no fewer than 155 Stakes-winning mares in the last three years - 20% of which are G1 winners.

His 2009 book of mares (the offspring from which are his current yearling crop) contained 10 G1 winners including Camino Rose, Danendri, Euphoria, Fine Society, Princess Coup and Vitesse Dane, who between them recorded victories in the Coolmore Classic, Australian Oaks, Ansett Stud Stakes, Champagne Stakes, Canterbury Guineas, Kelt Capital Stakes (twice), New Zealand Oaks, Stoney Bridge Stakes and Queensland Oaks.

These 10 G1 winners formed part of an overall total of 46 individual Stakes winners covered that year, with other notable track stars including Believe’n’succeed, Fleur De Chine, Patpong, Rare Insight, Walk Alone and Zanna.

The following season, his book included 15 individual G1-winning mares including Ancient Song, Arapaho Miss, Bonanova, Diana Cazadora, Divine Madonna, Emerald Dream, Vitesse Dane, Neroli, Makybe Diva, Republic Lass and Serenade Rose. Between them, these mares won in excess of $24million on the track from 23 individual G1 victories in races such as the Melbourne Cup (three times), Salinger Stakes, Emirates Stakes, Queensland Oaks, Queen Of The Turf Stakes, Australian Oaks, Victorian Oaks, Myer Classic, Toorak Handicap and the Darley Australian Cup to name but a few.

His most recent book of mares - following a season that saw him crowned Champion sire - included an impressive 55 Stakes winners, highlighted by -G1 winners including Camarena, Ancient Song, Ellicorsam, Magical Miss, Polar Success and Rena’s Lady.

The resultant foals from these coverings will be half-relations to G1 winners Camarilla, Fiumicino, Shamekha, this season’s WS Cox Plate heroine Pinker Pinker, Happy Archer and Champion two-year-old Sepoy, plus further Stakes winners Star Of Luis, Tampiko, Induna, Madame Pedrille, M’Lady Pedrille, Caymans, Trim, Sidereus, New Spice, The Rhine, Euryale, Minnesota Shark, Impressive Jeuney, Rothesay, Translate, Hanks, Femina Fashion, Benny’s Buttons, Obsequious and Pergram.

With his G1 winners Beaded, Benfica and Denman all from different broodmare sire lines and having recorded their G1 victories at different ages as well as over different distances, Lonhro is proving himself extremely versatile as a sire.

His current crop of two-year-olds include G1 Golden Slipper contender, the unbeaten G2-winning colt Pierro, thus Lonhro has once again unequivocally proven his ability to sire class gallopers.

Lonhro’s draft of 27 yearlings catalogued in the 2012 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale can be previewed by clicking here.