The Straight Daily News – Rosehill vote date reset again | Arrowfield roster release | MRC’s spring shake-up |
ATC reschedule Rosehill vote to May 27
The future of Rosehill racecourse will remain in limbo for at least an extra fortnight after a vote that would determine the track’s future and paint a path forward for a divided industry was delayed.
ATC starts again with a new Rosehill vote set for May 27
The Autumn Sun back in action, fee rise for Castelvecchio
The Autumn Sun will return to the breeding barn after injury ruled him out for a season while Snitzel will serve a 20th consecutive season at Arrowfield Stud.
Four-time champion Snitzel, the sire of this year’s Golden Slipper winner Marhoona and fellow Group 1 winners this season in Switzerland, Return To Conquer and Lady Shenandoah, will remain at an unchanged fee of $247,500 (all fees inc GST).
The Autumn Sun, who was rested from 2024 stud duties due to a pelvis injury, has also had his service fee of $66,000 maintained after siring three first crop Group 1 winners Autumn Angel, Vibrant Sun and Coco Sun during the autumn of 2024.
Arguably his best horse, Group 2 winner Autumn Glow, was ruled out for the remainder of her autumn campaign after spiking a temperature which saw her scratched from last Saturday’s Arrowfield 3YO Sprint at Randwick.
Of Arrowfield’s seven stallions, Castelvecchio has received a price hike, jumping from $22,000 last year to $49,500 on the back of two first-crop Group 1 winners this season, the autumn’s Australian Derby-winning filly Aeliana and Spring Champion Stakes-winning colt El Castello.
“Our unrelenting commitment to quality has helped to generate exceptional results for breeders, vendors and owners this season,” Arrowfield chairman John Messara said.
“Those results, from only five stallions, include 38 stakeswinners, seven Group 1 winners, more than $50 million prizemoney and an average yearling sale price of $316,000.”
On a roster of seven, which includes champion European two-year-old newcomer Vandeek ($22,000), Dundeel ($88,000), Maurice ($55,000) and Hitotsu ($22,000) are all standing at unchanged service fees.
Admire Mars, the sire of last weekend’s Grade 1 Oka Sho winner Embroidery, will not shuttle in 2025 after being on the Arrowfield roster for four consecutive seasons.
MRC shakes up its spring
Racing Victoria concedes it was a mistake to move one of Australia’s premier races for three-year-old fillies to an end-of-carnival timeslot as it announced key changes to its 2025 spring calendar.
Racing Victoria, MRC abandon Thousand Guineas November date in spring overhaul
Increase for Per Incanto
Shareholders in versatile New Zealand-based stallion Per Incanto have been rewarded by his progeny’s rich vein of form with the sire earning a fee increase in 2025.
The sire of this season’s Australian Group 1 winners Jimmystar and Gringotts, the Little Avondale-based stalwart will stand for a fee of NZ$60,000 (plus GST), a jump of NZ$10,000.
The son of Street Cry, whose three-year-old son Evaporate is Group 1-placed and is a last-start winner of the ATC Carbine Club Stakes at Randwick, is the sire of 33 individual stakes winners from 11 crops of racing age.
Little Avondale, which sold a colt by Zoustar for $1.7 million at last week’s Inglis Easter sale, will also stand Per Incanto’s 2023 Blue Diamond Stakes-winning son Little Brose for an introductory fee of NZ$15,000 (plus GST).
Group 1-winning mare Deny Knowledge bows out
Accomplished front-running mare Deny Knowledge has been retired after finishing down the course in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
In a 41-start career that started in the northern hemisphere and spanned two Australian stables, Deny Knowledge won 10 races and more than $2.3 million in prize money.
Her crowning moment came in the 2024 Group 1 Might And Power Stakes at Caulfield when she dictated her own terms before staving off weight-for-age warrior Mr Brightside.
Deny Knowledge finished 12th of 13 runners behind Via Sistina in the Queen Elizabeth following her brave placing to Light Infantry Man in the Australian Cup,
A daughter of Pride Of Dubai, Deny Knowledge was first trained in Australia by Michael Kent before she was transferred to the Anthony and Sam Freedman stable after Yulong made a winning bid at last year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Deny Knowledge sold for $500,000 before claiming the Listed Grafton Cup at her second start in Yulong colours and she banked more than $1.5 million for her new owners.
Victorian yearling investment plummets
While the Australasian yearling sales market fared better than expected in 2025, data reveals investment from one of Australia’s biggest jurisdictions has plummeted by more than 17 per cent. Run The Numbers breaks down the market by buyer location.
Run The Numbers – The Victorian question
Microphone to stand in Brazil
Darley’s ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Microphone will continue his stud career in South America.
The son of Exceed And Excel has produced two stakes-performed horses from two crops to date and, as a result, he has been sold to Haras Niju in Brazil. He left Australia last week.
Microphone, who covered 12 mares last year, is the second stallion to be sold by Darley Australia in recent months after Astern was acquired to stand in Turkey.
Another former Godolphin-owned sire, Epaulette, stands at the Turkish Jockey Club’s National Stud alongside former Little Avondale shuttler Time Test.
Microphone won five of his 11 starts for trainer James Cummings, closing out his career with a second to Shadow Hero in the 2020 Randwick Guineas.
NZ star Crocetti arrives for Quokka bid after marathon trip
Crocetti has landed in Perth ahead of The Quokka with Craig Williams confirmed to ride the New Zealander in the $5 million race.
Williams was earmarked to ride the son of Zacinto last season if he had raced in Australia following his standout three-year-old campaign, which netted six wins from seven starts, including a victory in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m).
“Craig was going to ride him if he went to Australia as a three-year-old and he has always kept in touch and said to keep him in mind,” co-trainer Danny Walker said.
Crocetti arrived in Perth on Monday night following a two-leg flight that included a Sydney stopover and Walker said the sprinter handled the taxing trip with ease.
Owner-breeder Daniel Nakhle accepted the Trackside NZ and Perth Racing’s offer to fill their slot in the rich feature, and Walker, who flew to Western Australia with his stable star, is looking forward to testing Crocetti across the Tasman.
Crocetti heads into The Quokka in peak form, with his victory in the Group 1 Railway (1200m) at Ellerslie in January bookended by placings in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1200m) and Group 3 Kings Plate (1200m).
Australian First Season Sires Table
Source: Arion.co.nz
Author
