Long Leaf to stand at Grassdale as Gippsland farm begins new era

Fastnet Rock’s multiple stakes-winning son Long Leaf will stand at Grassdale Pastoral in Victoria for the 2026 breeding season as the Gippsland property embarks on a new chapter under new ownership.

The stallion’s arrival from Western Australia coincides with a change of ownership at Grassdale, ending more than 150 years of continuous ownership by one family and signalling plans to expand thoroughbred breeding opportunities in regional Victoria.

From three crops of racing age, he is the sire of 27 individual winners, headed by Perth’s multiple metropolitan scorer Long Service Leaf.

Prepared by trainers David Hayes, Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig, Long Leaf won four races including the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes and Listed Blue Diamond Preview at two before his career-defining success in the Karaka 3YO Classic while competing at Group level through his two and three-year-old seasons.

Grassdale Pastoral director and Highland Bloodstock principal Christopher Constantine said Long Leaf offered breeders access to a commercial pedigree at an affordable price.

“Long Leaf brings together many of the qualities regional breeders are searching for. He was an early-running two-year-old, a stakes-winning juvenile, a million-dollar race winner at three and he is by one of the great Australian stallions in Fastnet Rock,” Constantine said.

“We believe there is a significant opportunity to build a breeding operation in Gippsland that complements Victoria’s established breeding regions while providing local breeders with greater access and value.”.

Grassdale plans to introduce breeder incentives aimed at regional mare owners and emerging breeders while promoting Gippsland as a destination for thoroughbred breeding. A service fee will be confirmed in the coming weeks.