Coolmore Sires Find Favour
The official Australian Studbook covering statistics were released this week for the 2022 breeding season and show our mighty stallion So You Think as the most popular sire in the country last spring.
The dual Cox Plate winning sire of nine Group I winners struck a chord with broodmare owners covering 211 mares at a fee of $93,500, which was up from the previous year when he covered 204 mares at $77,000.
It was the fifth year in a row So You Think has covered 200 plus mares reflecting his ongoing popularity with breeders as results on the track continue to justify their faith.
So You Think has sired the winners of over $11.6million so far this season highlighted by eight stakes-winners in Australia and New Zealand, seven of them Group winners!
I Am Invincible’s champion son Home Affairs was next on the list of busiest Australian sires making him the most popular first season sire covering 202 mares at a fee of $110,000.
A powerhouse sprinter from a daughter of champion sire Flying Spur, Home Affairs was priced as the best first season sire by a good margin and broodmare owners obviously agreed with that assessment.
Super pleasing was the response to our modestly priced Fastnet Rock son Acrobat, who covered 188 mares at a fee of $13,750.
Acrobat showed an undeniable brand of elite brilliance in winning his only start in the Listed Inglis Nursery as a two year-old before Christmas with injury subsequently curtailing his racing career.
The quality of his pedigree has been put into sharp focus this year with the emergence of exciting juvenile filly Learning to Fly, whose Group III winning dam Ennis Hill is a full sister to Acrobat.
Given what we knew of his talent and the quality of his female family, it was not a hard decision to give Acrobat his chance at stud and many breeders have also seen the opportunity to utilize a quality horse at a bargain price.
Proven Group I sire Wootton Bassett shuttled in from Ireland for his second Australian season and was in demand again covering 169 mares, while 2021 European Horse of the Year St Mark’s Basilica was the most popular first season shuttle sire covering 159 mares.