Australia’s former Champion 3yo Colt All Too Hard leads the Vinery Stud all-star stallion roster of 2018 with Vinery’s Rachael Foster celebrating the Stallion Open Day as “such a fun weekend for us, showing our guests this farm and these horses that we are all so proud of.”
All Too Hard was also celebrating as the Leading Second Season by Individual Winners in 2017-18 with 75 winners form 159 runners. Villermont won the Sandown Guineas and Gunsynd Classic, All Too Huiying the Seppelt Wines Stakes and Demonetization the Great Northern Guineas and Fertco Stakes in New Zealand.
The sire of some 15 stakes performers from just two crops, All Too Hard is already Leading Third Season Sire of 2018-19 with 13 winners from 58 runners including recent Sydney metropolitan winners Reginae, All Too Soon, Za Zi Ba, Comac and Tarka.
This year he had two yearlings sell for $500,000 with the Snitzerland filly going to Belmont Bloodstock at the Australian Easter Yearling Sale and the Military Rose filly to Heinrich Bloodstock from the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
All Too Hard is half-brother to twice Australian Horse of The Year in Black Caviar, and in being Champion 3YO Colt in 2012-13 he won the Caulfield Guineas, Futurity Stakes, All-Aged Stakes, CF Orr Stakes and second in WS Cox Plate.
‘All Too Hard was one of the best I’ve ever ridden. He was a superstar! And it is great to his progeny stepping up to the mark,’ said jockey Dwayne Dunn, after winning on Reflectivity.
Spoken about as one of the greats More Than Ready is the only stallion from both countries to be a duel Champion Sire of 2YOs in Australia and in the USA. A winner of the King’s Bishop Stakes at Saratoga he has now sired five Derby winners and multiple Oaks winners.
In Australia last season he sired 78 winners from 177 runners, including 3 stakes winners, with Prized Icon in being a duel Group 1 placed winner as his best performer. In the sales arena More Than Ready had five yearlings sell from $400,000 with the Sugar Babe colt being the $675,000 top price.
More Than Ready has had an exceptional 12-months in America with Catholic Boy winning the Travers Stakes and Belmont Derby, Rushing Fall the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, Roy H the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Santa Anita Sprint Championship and Funtastic the United Nations Stakes.
More Than Ready’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winning son Pluck had a highly respected third season in siring 44 winners from 95 runners with Life On The Wire winning five consecutive races including the Vamos Stakes.
Pluck yearlings sold up to $380,000 this year with Terry Millard buying the Diamond Cove colt at the Sydney Classic Yearling Sale. In 2018 all yearlings sold in Australia and New Zealand averaged $51,346 which is over 7.7x his service fee.
All Too Hard’s sire Casino Prince, the former Champion First and Second Season Sire, has now sired the winners of over 1,000 races with an exceptional high 68% winners-runners. The sire of 15 individual stakes winners of over $2.5m has already has 98 winners for 2018, and is ready to emulate 2017 with 103 winners and 104 in 2016.
A winner of the Alister Clarke Stakes at three and Chipping Norton Stakes at four-years Casino Prince this year had champion sprinter Lim’s Joy win his second Lion City Cup in Singapore. In Australian last season he sired 104 winners from 195 runners with Mighty Lucky his chief performer.
Powerhouse sprinter Star Turn has his first foals this season and was described by part-owner and purchaser Alan Bell “as the quintessential racehorse, running in every important race at two and three, being a tough, genuine, sound, high class colt.”
‘From day one he was outstanding,’ said Hall of Fame trainer John Hawkes. ‘He just has a great shoulder, great hindquarters; he was just a real athlete. I’m sure he will put that into his young horses.’
Hinchinbrook’s duel Group 1 winner Press Statement had his first weanlings sell this year with his Purcentage colt and Meridian filly both selling for $110,000 at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
Respected bloodstock agent James Bester stated ‘I was most impressed with the progeny of Press Statement. At nearly every farm I saw one that I shortlisted. Across the board they are good bodied individual with athleticism.’
Headwater, Exceed And Excel’s $500,000 yearling son, also had his first weanlings sell this year with his The Carnival colt making $170,000 at the Magic Millions Weanling Sale and the Manju colt for $75,000 at the Australian Broodmare and Weanling Sale.
‘I liked Headwater at the Vinery parades and his foals were some of the best I saw in the Hunter Valley last year,’ commenter bloodstock agent Andrew Williams.