Heading this division is Yarraman Park's Hinchinbrook, who was Champion First Season Sire last year and has gone right on with the job.
His total seasonal earnings are virtually double that of his closest rivals Star Witness and Beneteau and his five stakes-winners are the most of any second crop sire.
Widden Stud's Star Witness leads by winners with 45, but has considerably greater numbers to call on with 227 live foals in his first two crops as opposed to Hinchinbrook with 172.
Star Witness has just the one stakes-winner, but does have four other stakes-placed horses, three of them Group placed and with 278 live foals in his next two crops to run has the potential to really jump out of the ground next season.
Doing a remarkable job to match strides with that pair has been Arrowfield Stud's ill-fated Beneteau, whose only two crops number just 136 live foals. There is little doubt that had this Group III winning son of Redoute's Choice lived he would have been a very valuable addition to our stallion ranks.
His performance will give hope to all those planning on supporting Arrowfield's next wave of young Redoute's Choice sons in Scissor Kick and Panzer Division.
But back to Hinchinbrook, who is a fascinating stallion for a number of
reasons, but notably for being a three-quarter brother to the current
commercial darling Snitzel, who stands this spring at Arrowfield at a fee of
$110,000.Unlike Snitzel, Hinchinbrook failed to retire with a Group I win on the resume despite his best efforts which included four placings at the highest level to go along with his Group III and Listed wins at two.
As a result, the son of Fastnet Rock kicked off at a fee of $16,500, while Snitzel in comparison started his career at $33,000.
It's interesting to go back and take a look at where Snitzel was at this same point in his career back in 2011.
It's not hard to make a case that Hinchinbrook is going as well as Snitzel at the same point and possibly even better as his first big horse, Press Statement, has already emerged.
Snitzel started off with a slow burn and his next two crops featured just 144 live foals, while Hinchinbrook has 212 in crops three and four, so has the ammunition there to really power ahead if he maintains his current momentum.
Hinchinbrook has had a fee increase this year to $38,500 and that's not surprising when you look at the overall sire statistics for Snitzel and Hinchinbrook.
Snitzel runs at 6.4% stakes-winners to runners, while at this early stage in his life Hinchinbrook has 6.3%.
