72 Group I events were conducted in Australia and were won by 60 individual
horses with Winx (Street Cry (IRE) the standout performer as the winner of six
of them.Other multiple Group I winners were Black Heart Bart (Blackfriars) with four wins at the elite level as well as two time winners Egg Tart (Sebring), Global Glamour (Star Witness), Jameka (Myboycharlie (IRE) and Le Romain (Hard Spun (USA).
Australian bred horses won the lion's share of Group I races with eight imported gallopers claiming eight victories including Almandin (Ger) winning the Melbourne Cup, while seven Kiwi breds won seven Group I events – five of them three year-olds.
The most expensive Group I winner bought at auction as a yearling was Awesome Rock (Fastnet Rock), who won the Group I VRC Emirates Stakes (2000m) and was bought by Spicer Thoroughbreds as a Magic Millions yearling from the draft of Newgate Farm for $575,000.
The least expensive was Yankee Rose (All American), who was plucked from the
Inglis Classic Yearling Sale by Darby Bloodstock for just $10,000 from the
draft of Widden Stud. They also secured the second cheapest yearling purchase
to win a Group I race in Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign, who came out of
the same sale for $20,000.That can't just be luck!
The most successful sire of Group I winners was Arrowfield Stud's Not a Single Doubt, who delivered four of them – Secret Agenda, Scales of Justice, Clearly Innocent and Extreme Choice.
Other sires to produce more than one Group I winner were Snitzel (Redzel, Russian Revolution, Invader), Choisir (The Mission, Divine Prophet), Fastnet Rock (Awesome Rock, Catchy), High Chaparral (IRE) (Montoya's Secret, Tivaci), Ifraaj (GB) (Gingernuts, Jon Snow) and Stratum (Takedown, Stratum Star), Street Cry (IRE) (Winx, Heavens Above) and Teofilo (IRE) (Palentino, Humidor).
The Danehill sireline proved the dominating factor with 20 of the individual 60
stakes-winners sired by Danehill line sires, while a further six Group I
winners were from mares sired by Danehill line sires.Also worth noting the success of stallions bred from Danehill line mares, notably Sebring, Star Witness and Teofilo (IRE). Bringing them into the equation means no fewer than half of our Group I winners had Danehill feature prominently in their pedigrees.
14 years after his death, Danehill still exerts a powerful influence over our racing and breeding industry with his sire dynasty now stretching in all directions right around the world.
He had just four direct sons in Blackfriars, California Dane, Fastnet Rock and Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) sire Group I winners and while his champion son Redoute's Choice did not get on the board this season, his sons Not a Single Doubt, Snitzel, Stratum and Beneteau all did.
Fastnet Rock also proved himself as a Group I sire of sires with his son Foxwedge tasting elite success with Foxplay.
The most successful broodmare sire was Zabeel with four Group I winners –
Bonneval, Clearly Innocent, Humidor and Sense of Occasion.Other broodmare sires with multiple Group I winners were Encosta de Lago (Divine Prophet, Impending, Invader), General Nediym (Lasqueti Spirit, Hey Doc, Jameka), Redoute's Choice (The Mission, Inference) and Rubiton (Flying Artie, Redzel).
Two of the hottest sires in the country in I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) and Written Tycoon (Iglesia) featured with one Group I winner each in I Am a Star and Tycoon Tara.
Both stallions are free of Danehill blood and promise to take the breeding industry in a slightly different direction in coming years as their better bred large crops of foals come on line.
I Am Invincible represents the Green Desert branch of the Danzig line, while Written Tycoon is a grand-son of former champion shuttle sire Last Tycoon, a grand-son of Northern Dancer.
Both stallions also have growing numbers of sons at stud with the potential to establish their influence further as the years unfold.
