A stallion’s height can be seen as an asset or liability, regardless of whether they were big or small. Famously, Northern Dancer, who would become of the most influential global sires of the 20th century, had an official height of 15 hands two, or 157cm.
Even then, there were suggestions he was more like 15 hands, or 150cm, and that he was listed as bigger so as not to dissuade breeders from supporting him earlier in his career. It is hard to believe 5cm could make that much a difference, but commercial breeding is literally a game of inches.
Northern Dancer and his son Danzig had to overcome negative perceptions early in their career due to their size.
Even in this era of data, heights of stallions are contested. There is no industry standard for publishing this information, so most of the time a precise measure is not made available, lest the size convince a breeder that a sire is not the right physical match for their mare.
Pedigree company Arion collects data on stallion heights, but not all of them are published. Of the 129 stallions which stand for $10,000 or more in Australia, only 86, or two-thirds, have heights listed through Arion.
Just four and half inches, or 11.25 cm, separates the smallest listed stallion on that list of 86 and the tallest. The average height of those stallions is 16 hands and half an inch, or 161.25 cm.
The most common height is exactly 16 hands (160cm), with 19 individual stallions registered at that height. They include Golden Slipper winners Farnan (Kia Ora) and Capitalist (Newgate), Rosemont’s Shamus Award and Coolmore’s Starspangledbanner. That was also the height of the highly influential sire Danehill, a grandson of Northern Dancer and son on Danzig.
Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible has just completed a third straight season as Australia’s champion stallion, breaking the progeny earnings record last season. ‘Vinnie’, as he is known, is listed at 16 hands one inch, or 162.5 cm. There are only 16 taller stallions on the list.
Widden’s Zoustar, who had more Australian winners – 208 – than any other stallion last season, is listed at the same height as I Am Invincible, as is Swettenham Stud’s Toronado, Coolmore’s Pride Of Dubai and Darley’s Street Boss and Anamoe.
Snitzel, who won four consecutive Australian sires’ titles from 2016/17 until 2019/20, is listed at 15 hands and three inches, or 157.5 cm, the same height as his Arrowfield barnmate Dundeel as well as prolific Queensland stallion Spirit Of Boom and Darley’s Harry Angel.
Written Tycoon’s Australian Sires’ Championship came between the Snitzel and Vinnie eras in 2020/21. He is not included in the list of 86 mentioned above as his fee is listed as private this year. He stands 16 hands and 1.5 inches, or 163.75 cm.
Newgate’s Extreme Choice, thanks to a combination of remarkable success with his early crops and restricted fertility, is equal with both Zoustar and I Am Invincible as Australia’s most expensive sire by service fee at $275,000, is listed at 15 hands and 3.5 inches, or 158.75 cm.
Others registered at that height include Yulong’s Panthalassa, Darley’s Brazen Beau and Pinatubo and Swettenham Stud’s Rubick.
The obvious question is which stallions are the largest and smallest in that plus-$10,000 bracket, according to Arion. Brave Smash, now at Yarraman, fits the latter category at 15 hands 2.5 inches, or 156.25cm.
There are two stallions over $10,000 who are listed at 16 hands and three inches, or 167.5cm. They are Coolmore’s So You Think and Kia Ora’s Prague. Arrowfield’s Maurice, known as ‘The Beast From The East’ in his racing days, stands a formidable 16.2 and a half, or 166.25cm, according to the Arion list.
That list doesn’t include the last two first-season champion sires in Australia.
Justify won’t return to Australia in 2024, so does not fit the category of active. If he did, he would be the tallest at a height reported by Arion as being 16 hands and 3.5 inches, or 168.75cm.
Too Darn Hot, the leading freshman sire of last season, is another who won’t visit Australia in 2024 and is listed on Arion as 15 hands and 2.5 inches, the equivalent of 158.75cm.
Looking back across the 11 individual stallions who have been crowned champion sires in Australia this century, all except one, Snitzel, were 16 hands or taller. The tallest, according to Arion, were Redoute’s Choice and Flying Spur, both 16 hands 2 inches (165cm).
A look at the most influential stallions around the world reveals a similar trend towards taller stallions. Breedshapers Galileo, Frankel, Sadler’s Wells, Mr Prospector, Storm Cat and Tapit were/are all more than 16 hands high.
Active stallions in Australia at 16.2hh and taller (service fee > $10,000)
