Snitzel reclaims sires’ title in posthumous premiership triumph
Champion sire Snitzel capped his final season in remarkable fashion, reclaiming Australia’s general sires’ title posthumously while Home Affairs, Bivouac and Proisir earned important recognition with their respective premierships.
Snitzel may no longer be alive, but during the 2025/26 season the champion sire continued to posthumously deliver for his long-time supporters – in the sales ring and on the track.
And such was his rate of success he won his fifth general sires’ premiership with $26 million in prize money to add to his glittering record, having been dethroned by Written Tycoon in 2020/21.
Since then I Am Invincible (three consecutive seasons) and Zoustar (2024/25) have been Australia’s premier stallions.
But he had not lost any of his lustre from top-end yearling buyers. His yearlings this year, his 13th crop, averaged $591,862, his second highest figure, second only to this current two-year-old crop which averaged $656,903.
And those buyers who forked out big money for his yearlings in 2025 were well-rewarded in the just completed racing season, with Snitzel siring five individual two-year-old stakes winners, his equal second-best return in 17 seasons.
He also sired five juvenile stakes winners in 2023/24 and eight in 2016/17.
Snitzel’s stunning season saw him sire two Group 1-winning colts, ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Campione D’Italia and Champagne Stakes winner Fireball. Both colts will find a home at stud, possibly as soon as the 2027 breeding season.
He also sired Marhoona, who backed up her Golden Slipper victory last year, \\ with further autumn success this season, taking out the Group 1 The Galaxy.
Lazzura, who along with Campione D’Italia and Fireball is trained by Chris Waller, also won at Group 1 level this year, as did geldings Baraqiel and Transatlantic.
By prize money, the 2025/26 season was Snitzel’s best return since his 2017/18 year when Redzel won the first running of The Everest and the sprinter’s sire’s progeny earnings topped $29.2 million in Australia.
Widden’s Zoustar finished runner-up with $21.8 million in prize money for the just completed season, with Arrowfield’s new flag bearer The Autumn Sun ($18.8 million) in third.
Snitzel’s 19th and final crop of yearlings will be offered at the sales in 2027.
In further recognition for his feats this year, Snitzel also claimed his sixth Australian champion two-year-old title, narrowly holding off newcomer Home Affairs, and he finished third behind Street Boss and I Am Invincible in the three-year-old stallion premiership.
An interstate double on Friday from Newgate’s Capitalist helped him clinch the general sires honour for winners, finishing the racing season 171 individual winners, two more than Zoustar.
Guest House’s Golden Slipper victory assured Home Affairs was almost certain to win the coveted first season sires’ title, but his season was far from defined by one horse.
The Coolmore stallion capped his brilliant season on Friday with the Ciaron Maher-trained Shah Jahan scoring nicely at her third start in an 1100m maiden at Geelong, becoming Home Affairs’ 17th first crop Australian winner.
His first crop has banked $4.97 million for connections, with a further three winners also coming in New Zealand (two of them stakes winners). That saw him crowned New Zealand’s leading first season sire over Cambridge Stud’s Sword Of State.
Darley shuttler Pinatubo’s late season surge saw him pip Stay Inside for second by earnings, with his first southern hemisphere-bred crop juveniles to hit the track netting $969,000 in prize money in 2025/26.
Bivouac continued his rise by claiming the second season sires’ title (48 winners and $6.6 million) over the late Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett ($6.5 million and 57 winners) with Farnan (48 winners and $5.73 million) in third.
Fastnet Rock claimed his third straight champion broodmare sire title, with more than $36.4 million in prize money earned as the dam sire.
Joliestar, who is out of Fastnet Rock mare Jolie Bay, contributed $4.5 million to that total.
In New Zealand, Rich Hill Stud’s Proisir claimed his second champion sires’ title, finishing $450,000 ahead of Savabeel, a 10-time title holder.
The backbone of Waikato Stud’s stallion roster for two decades, Savabeel died suddenly in June. He would have turned 25 on Saturday.
O’Reilly was New Zealand’s leading broodmare sire for an eighth time while Written Tycoon was the leading sire of three-year-olds, helped by the unbeaten six-start season of Well Written.
Cambridge Stud’s Hello Youmzain was the leading second season sire in New Zealand, with 23 individual winners and five stakes winners.
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