Slipper-winning colt Shinzo given a Golden chance by Coolmore

Coolmore is no stranger at standing Golden Slipper winners at its Jerrys Plains Australian headquarters, with Shinzo set to fulfil a destiny written when he won the famous two-year-old race at Rosehill last year when he assumes stud studies in September 2024.

Shinzo’s pedigree always pointed to precociousness. Both his sire Snitzel and his dam Samaready started favourite in Golden Slippers, and while it wasn’t to be for them, finishing 12th and third respectively in the 2005 and 2012 editions, their colt did what they weren’t able to, with the fastest Slipper victory in 15 years.

Regardless of what came next – Shinzo didn’t win in his four subsequent starts – he was booked to become the first Coolmore homebred Slipper winner to stand at stud. In fact, he is the first homebred Slipper-winning colt to go to stud in Australia since Sepoy.

There have only been nine Slipper-winning colts since 2000, all of which have gone to stud. Coolmore has had three of these, with Shinzo to join Pierro, who beat his dam home in the 2012 edition. The 2015 victor Vancouver, who departed Coolmore in 2022, is the other.

Like the other eight Slipper-winning colts, Shinzo will begin his stud career at four years of age. His opening service fee of $55,000 is identical to what Farnan, Capitalist and Vancouver stood at during their first season.

Stay Inside began his career at $77,000, the same price as Pierro, the most recent winner of the two-year-old Triple Crown, while Sepoy debuted at $66,000, Sebring at $49,500 and Stratum at $30,250.

In terms of predicting the book Shinzo may attract in his first season, the past five Slipper-winning colts have averaged more than 200 mares in their debut campaigns.

Golden Slipper winning colts since 2000 

* no longer at original stud

Basic maths values Shinzo at $10 million per season, which makes the $1.8 million Tom Magnier paid for Samaready at the 2020 Inglis Chairman’s Sale when carrying the Snitzel colt seem like savvy business.

Unsurprisingly, the marketing on Shinzo leads on the fact he won the Slipper in faster time than any of the other eight colts listed above. It’s also worth noting that he won that race in a year where colts dominated the Slipper, filling all five places home, something that hasn’t happened since 1999.

“He’s a very special horse, and we knew early on when he came into our system,” trainer Chris Waller said.

“He has a great temperament and is the most naturally gifted two-year-old I have ever trained. When you pair that with his great physique and pedigree, he is such a desirable stallion prospect.”

He was, of course, Waller’s first Slipper winner, so holds a special place in the champion trainer’s heart.

So too is the case with Magnier, who adds a second son of Snitzel to the Coolmore roster, having debuted Best Of Bordeaux last year.

“Snitzel is a four-time champion sire of two-year-olds and one of the greatest stallions we have seen in Australia in the modern era”, Magnier said.

“We are delighted to stand his best two-year-old and best-bred son at stud. The Golden Slipper has an unmatched record as a sire-making race and Shinzo has all the credentials we look for in a sire prospect, with an impeccable pedigree and incredible good looks.”

“Being foaled, raised and broken in here at Coolmore, he was a special horse since the day he was born and we look forward to welcoming him back.”

Magnier’s point about the Slipper being a sire-making race is an interesting one. The last Slipper winner to become a champion sire of Australia was Flying Spur, who won the race in 1995.

Why the Slipper is unrivalled as a race of Golden opportunities

The Golden Slipper has shaped the thoroughbred breeding industry like no other Australian race since its inception almost 70 years ago.

The StraightWarwick Barr

That is not to diminish the record of those who have come since. Stratum produced a Slipper winner of his own in his first crop and finished with 30 stakes winners, while Sebring was a prolific producer of stakes winners, 74 in all, with eight of them Group 1 winners.

Coolmore’s own Pierro, meanwhile, has produced six Group 1 winners and 36 stakes winners from seven active crops. Capitalist’s four crops of racing age have featured 19 stakes winners, while he already has over 250 individual winners.

Progeny records of Golden Slipper winning colts

Source: Arion.co.nz

Sepoy’s stud career began with huge expectations, with his first crop attracting seven-figure amounts, but fizzled out quickly. He had 22 stakes winners, among them the star filly Alizee, but was pensioned from stud duties after attracting only 12 mares in 2021.

Vancouver’s career from Coolmore never really launched and the commercial market made their minds up quickly. He has 10 stakes winners, among them Group 1 winner and now dual winner of The Quokka, Overpass. He now resides at Woodside Park, standing for $11,000.

Farnan’s oldest crop are yearlings, but the market seems keen on them already. They have averaged $228,919 through 2024, over four times service fee, and are set to hit Australian track in the 2024/25 season.

Stay Inside’s first foals will be sold over the coming month in Sydney and on the Gold Coast.

With his pedigree and profile, Shinzo will get every chance to be successful as a stallion, both commercially and with his progeny on the racetrack.

While sons of Snitzel have made a positive impression in Australia, including Shamus Award, Russian Revolution and Trapeze Artist, there remains an opportunity for his best-performed juvenile colt to assume a legacy from his sire.

2024 Stallion Fees – Latest

The latest service fees for Australia and New Zealand for the 2024 breeding season.

The StraightStaff Writer