AUSRACING
RACING AND BREEDING ON THE INTERNET SINCE 1996

Reverse Shuttlers Breaking New Ground

by Jason Singh

The Australian and New Zealand Breeding Industries have undergone the greatest upheaval in their histories in the past decade with the introduction of the shuttle stallion. Never before have local breeders had access to stallions with pedigrees as good or with performances as meritorious. However, the downside to this is that an enormous amount of money leaves Australia and New Zealand in the form of service fees for the Northern Hemisphere based stallions and this directly affects smaller breeders who cannot compete with the subsidised fees of the imported stallions. But what if this ‘revolution’ was only just beginning, and that the real benefits to the Australasian racing and breeding industries was still to come. Enter Octagonal, Flying Spur, Baryshnikov and Hurricane Sky. If you are not already aware, these four horses have all already spent 1 or 2 seasons in the Northern Hemisphere at Stud as part of a ‘reverse’ shuttle. That is, they are Australian or New Zealand bred stallions that are serving both Northern and Southern Hemisphere Stud seasons.

It seemed only logical that as the influence of the shuttle stallions grew, most notably that of Danehill, then so would interest in Australian and New Zealand bloodstock. European and North American breeders would now see names they would recognise in Australasian stakes results. Well-bred, well-performed broodmares have often made their way to the Northern Hemisphere but for a stallion to do the same would be a much greater step. As it did with shuttle stallions initially, Arrowfield Stud led the way. Two of their stallions, Flying Spur and Baryshnikov, were sent to Europe to serve the 1997 Northern Hemisphere season. Both were Group 1 winners of the Australian Guineas and both were very well bred sons of well-known names in Europe. Flying Spur is a son of Danehill, who whilst not making the same impact as he had in Australia, is nonetheless one of the leading sires in England and Ireland. Baryshnikov is a son of the successful French miler and sire Kenmare and also a half-brother to Zabeel, something that has become far more significant in the past year. For Arrowfield, placing these two horses at Stud in Europe was not whimsical but rather the result of long term planning. Both their sires, Danehill and Kenmare were purchased in part by Arrowfield and brought to Australia to stand at their Jerry Plains operation. Matings with two Arrowfield mares in Lady Giselle and Rolls resulted in Baryshnikov and Flying Spur respectively and although both went through the sale ring, they were purchased by clients of Arrowfield and raced in the Arrowfield colours. According to Arrowfield Principal John Messara, ‘exporting bloodstock was always our long term goal when purchasing shares in Kenmare and Danehill’.

European interest in Flying Spur and Baryshnikov has been contrary to their reception at home. Flying Spur has been sensationally received in Australia with full books in each of his three seasons and remarkably, an increase in fees each time despite not having had any runners. In Europe however it is Baryshnikov who has had the best reception with the French eager to breed from the son of Kenmare. His three seasons at Haras d’Etreham in France have resulted in books of 77, 61 and 65 mares matching Flying Spurs effort of 58, 68 and 80 at the Irish National Stud.

As far as stallion prospects go, both look likely types. As a two year old Flying Spur was brilliant enough to win a Golden Slipper and the race has a history of producing top class stallions, whilst at three he went on to win the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) before defeating the older horse at WFA in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m). He is a son of Danehill, from the Star Way mare Rolls who is a half-sister to Shoal Creek, the dam of Group 1 winner and sire Encosta De Lago. Sons of Danehill are likely to be well sought after as stallions and this was a crucial factor in sending him to the Irish National Stud, although getting Irish breeders to support an Australian bred and raced horse is proving harder that expected. Still, 206 mares in three seasons should give him a sufficient number of runners to prove himself.

Arrowfield have been thrilled with the reception that Baryshnikov has received in France. Whilst not as brilliant a racehorse as Flying Spur and needing more time to mature, he came into his own late in the Spring of his 3yo season winning the Group 2 Sandown Guineas (1600m). In the following autumn came his best performance in winning the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) beating Hurricane Sky and St Covet. Whilst well bred and being a Group 1 winner, Baryshnikov’s greatest asset comes from the fact that he is a half-brother to Zabeel, a horse who is proving a sensation at Stud and who has already been the subject of some very large offers from the Northern Hemisphere. Baryshnikov was always going to appeal to French breeders being a son of their popular racehorse and stallion Kenmare from a Nureyev mare. Marc du Chambure was in the middle of establishing Etreham as a stallion station and selecting a horse from the Southern Hemisphere offered a cheaper alternative to many of the stallions available in the Northern Hemisphere. Given that Baryshnikov is by Kenmare from Lady Giselle, who in turn was from Valderna, all of whom were products of Etreham, it made the selection of Baryshnikov an easier decision. Add to that the success of Zabeel over the last 18 months and Baryshnikov’s hopes for the coming season should only be strengthened.

It is a son of Zabeel that holds perhaps the greatest chance of breaking into the Northern Hemisphere breeding establishment. Octagonal won the hearts of all racegoers with his never say die attitude and with 10 group 1 wins at 2,3 and 4 he retires to Stud with as good a record as any stallion in Australia’s history. A Cox Plate at three, the Australian Cup, the AJC Derby and two Mercedes Classics rank amongst his best efforts not to mention his Golden Slipper placing behind Flying Spur, a race many thought he should have won. Octagonal has more than race record on his side though, being from Eight Carat, the Pieces Of Eight mare, who ranks as the greatest producer in this part of the world having now had five Group 1 winners including Octagonals brother Mouawad and his 3/4 brother and successful sire Kaapstad. Given Eight Carat is also a half-sister to the great English sprinter Habibti gives Octagonal's pedigree even more weight from a marketing point of view in the Northern Hemisphere. But the significance of Zabeel should not be underestimated here. Many have talked of Danehill being the most influential sire in Australasia since Star Kingdom, but no sooner had those words been spoken than Zabeel’s star started to rise significantly and there is a good argument to suggest that he and not Danehill is the stallion with the most potential to reach the same heights as a breed shaper as Star Kingdom. To even suggest that with the wealth of International bloodstock now arriving on our doorsteps is testament to his abilities. Several leading Studs in Europe and North America approached Woodlands Stud when Octagonal was retired from racing. They settled on France and Haras Du Quesney, the Stud owned by France’s legendary Head family and run by Alec Head. With 71 mares in each of his first two seasons, Woodlands have every right to be thrilled with the venture so far.

Last of the four stallions in question is Hurricane Sky but he will probably not have the impact that many would have hoped for. The British Bloodstock Agency’s Martin Percival saw Hurricane Sky on a visit to Australia in 1997 and was impressed enough by the horse to recommend to some of the BBA’s clients that they should stand the horse. It eventuated that Hurricane Sky stood at Bill Leach’s Meddler Stud but his late arrival as well as the large movement of mares to Ireland led to him only serving 28 mares, a disappointing result in his debut season. Meddler Stud has recently closed as a stallion base and Hurricane Sky did not return to the Northern Hemisphere this year with Octagonal, Flying Spur and Baryshnikov. It is a great pity that he may not have the chance to prove his abilities in the Northern Hemisphere as he looks one of Australia's brightest prospects. His yearlings have been very well received in the early sales this year and he has had large books of mares in all his three seasons to date. His lack of mares in England though, represents a loss on another scale in that he represents the slowly diminishing Star Kingdom line and would have given English breeders a rare opportunity to breed to the sireline that has shaped Australia’s thoroughbred. Both the BBA and Wakefield remain open to the idea of Hurricane Sky returning to the UK but that will be largely dependent on the performance of his first runners.

The benefits to the Australasian breeding industry pending the success of these four stallions are significant. Success to any individual would increase their own values by significantly more than success merely in Australasia could do. In the case of Octagonal or Baryshnikov it is also likely to focus more international attention on Zabeel, and given that he is still based purely in New Zealand (although some Northern Hemisphere servings are being made available), his sons and daughters will become even more highly sought after internationally. It is unlikely that the number of Australasian bred horses travelling to the Northern Hemisphere to stand at stud there will increase significantly in the next couple of years, but if any of the current group of four prove significantly successful then the day when a Golden Slipper or Cox Plate winner is as eagerly sought by big Studs around the world as are the leading European performers may not that far away.