Results on the final day of the 2006 Easter Carnival at Randwick didn't give too much fresh information to New Zealand breeders, but they did reinforce a couple of lessons of the past decade:
Danehill rules, ok – without siring any of the day's winners himself, he still dominated the card. Three different Danehill sons, Commands, Flying Spur and Danewin, sired the winners of the Champagne Stakes G1 (two-year-olds), All Aged Stakes G1 (wfa 1600m) and Sydney Cup G1 (3200m handicap).
Commands is also the sire of welter winner Picket Fence, and the Frank Packer Plate G3 winner Dream Machine is by a fourth son, Nothin' Leica Dane.
Twenty-two sons of Danehill have stood in New Zealand since 1996, and fifteen of them still do. Eight are yet to have runners: Chianti, Danasuria, Danroad, Diamond Dane, Hawkeye, Skagen, Spartacus and Viking Ruler.
The most successful New Zealand-based sons of Danehill to date are Danasinga (who stood at Waikato Stud until his sale to Australia last year) and Emerald Lodge Stud's Danske.
Australia loves her own sons – six of the nine winners are by Australian-bred stallions: Danehill's quartet, plus Canny Lad, sire of Emancipation Stakes G2 winner Fantasia.
The other three winners are by shuttle sires Timber Country and Thunder Gulch (both from the Mr Prospector sire-line) and Anabaa (by Danzig).
Eleven of the current top 20 Australian sires are Australian-bred, and seven of those are by Danehill.
In New Zealand four Australian-bred sires currently hold top 20 spots, but only one is both alive and still here, Waikato Stud's Pins. The others are Danasinga, Lord Ballina and Centaine.
The same number of Kiwi-bred sires also make our top twenty, and all remain locally available to New Zealand breeders, two in the North Island, and two in the South Island: O'Reilly, Zabeel, Danske and Yamanin Vital.
- Susan Archer
Danehill rules, ok – without siring any of the day's winners himself, he still dominated the card. Three different Danehill sons, Commands, Flying Spur and Danewin, sired the winners of the Champagne Stakes G1 (two-year-olds), All Aged Stakes G1 (wfa 1600m) and Sydney Cup G1 (3200m handicap).
Commands is also the sire of welter winner Picket Fence, and the Frank Packer Plate G3 winner Dream Machine is by a fourth son, Nothin' Leica Dane.
Twenty-two sons of Danehill have stood in New Zealand since 1996, and fifteen of them still do. Eight are yet to have runners: Chianti, Danasuria, Danroad, Diamond Dane, Hawkeye, Skagen, Spartacus and Viking Ruler.
The most successful New Zealand-based sons of Danehill to date are Danasinga (who stood at Waikato Stud until his sale to Australia last year) and Emerald Lodge Stud's Danske.
Australia loves her own sons – six of the nine winners are by Australian-bred stallions: Danehill's quartet, plus Canny Lad, sire of Emancipation Stakes G2 winner Fantasia.
The other three winners are by shuttle sires Timber Country and Thunder Gulch (both from the Mr Prospector sire-line) and Anabaa (by Danzig).
Eleven of the current top 20 Australian sires are Australian-bred, and seven of those are by Danehill.
In New Zealand four Australian-bred sires currently hold top 20 spots, but only one is both alive and still here, Waikato Stud's Pins. The others are Danasinga, Lord Ballina and Centaine.
The same number of Kiwi-bred sires also make our top twenty, and all remain locally available to New Zealand breeders, two in the North Island, and two in the South Island: O'Reilly, Zabeel, Danske and Yamanin Vital.
- Susan Archer
