Photo: supplied
Six-time Group One winner Auguste Rodin will shuttle to Windsor Park Stud in Cambridge this spring in a coup for the New Zealand breeding industry.
One of the world’s finest racehorses, Auguste Rodin enjoyed elite-level success at two, three and four.
An impeccably-bred son of Deep Impact out of Galileo’s triple Group One winning daughter Rhododendron, Auguste Rodin boasts one of the most sought-after pedigrees in the world.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Auguste Rodin made an immediate impact on the track, showcasing an exceptional turn of foot and versatility over multiple distances.
As a two-year-old, his ability was immediately obvious, earning TDN Rising Star status when winning his maiden at Naas over 1400m, before taking the Gr.2 Champions Juvenile (1600m) at Leopardstown and the prestigious Gr.1 Futurity Trophy (1600m) at Doncaster.
His three-year-old campaign confirmed his status as a true champion. Auguste Rodin claimed a stunning victory in the Gr.1 Epsom Derby (2400m), followed by an emphatic win in the Gr.1 Irish Derby (2400m). His dominance continued with victories in the Gr.1 Irish Champion Stakes (2000m) before crossing the pond for a memorable triumph in the Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Turf (2400m) at Santa Anita.
Returning as a four-year-old, Auguste Rodin added another jewel to his crown, winning the Gr.1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes (2000m) at Royal Ascot.
Auguste Rodin retired as the winner of eight races with prizemoney earnings in excess of NZ$11 million over distances from 1400m to 2400m, defeating 21 individual Group One winners, with 45 Group One wins between them.
“We are privileged to welcome a racehorse of Auguste Rodin's calibre to our stallion roster,” Windsor Park principal Rodney Schick said.
“His race performance has a remarkable similarity to that of High Chaparral who we stood here at Windsor Park and who enjoyed global success and international renown through his own success and that of his sons, grandsons and daughters at stud.
“We extend our thanks to Coolmore for their continued strong endorsement and support of both Windsor Park and the New Zealand breeding industry, just as they did last season shuttling Paddington here.
“Like High Chaparral, Auguste Rodin has loads of quality and we are so excited to be able to offer him to breeders.”
Auguste Rodin’s career mirrors that of High Chaparral. Both horses share victories in the Futurity Trophy at two, the English and Irish Derbies, Irish Champion Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Turf with the key difference being Auguste Rodin’s success at Royal Ascot in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at four.
“Auguste Rodin is an exceptional racehorse and stallion prospect with the blend of class, speed and pedigree that only the very best possess,” said Coolmore’s MV Magnier.
“He is a very special horse for us at Coolmore and I truly believe he ranks up there with the best racehorses and sires that we have stood here before him.
“We’re delighted he is going to shuttle to Windsor Park Stud to enhance his future legacy in the Southern Hemisphere”.
Auguste Rodin hails from the final crop of Japanese Triple Crown winner and 11-time Champion Sire Deep Impact, a son of the legendary racehorse and sire Sunday Silence to whom Auguste Rodin bears a striking physical resemblance.
Auguste Rodin boasts six multiple-champion sires in his first three generations, directly descending from three standout race mares—all Group One performers at a mile or less.
He is the first foal from triple Group One winner Rhododendron, one of the premier daughters of immortal sire and broodmare sire Galileo and a sister to seven-time Group One winner Magical.
Both Champion sisters are out of Pivotal’s triple Group One and 1,000 Guineas winner Halfway To Heaven while his brilliantly fast third dam Cassandra Go won the time-honoured Gr.1 King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) at Royal Ascot.
The blend of Deep Impact with Galileo blood has given rise to an eyewatering 17% Group winners to runners.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien described Auguste Rodin as a rare talent.
“He was always very highly rated from the time he was a foal at Coolmore and when Ryan (Moore) first rode him as an early two-year-old he said then he was a very special horse.
“He connects two of the most powerful breeding lines in the world and was a pleasure to train.
“Physically he fills the eye so well as he has that extra quality and movement. He’s very well balanced and very well proportioned and blessed with a big stride which is usually the sign of a very good horse.”
Auguste Rodin takes his place on Windsor Park’s 2025 stallion roster with fellow Coolmore sires Paddington and Circus Maximus and alongside resident leading stallion Shamexpress, sire of the world’s highest-rated sprinter Ka Ying Rising.
Auguste Rodin will stand in 2025 at an introductory fee of $30,000+gst.
