Following
in the footsteps of Medaglia D'Oro's Golden Slipper winning son Vancouver, who shuttled
to Kentucky this year for Coolmore, Golden Rose winner Astern is also set to
shuttle to North America for Darley.
Astern , will
stand at Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, for the 2018 breeding
season.He is currently standing his first southern hemisphere season as a
Darley stallion at Kelvinside Farm in New South Wales at a fee of $38,500.
Astern
is rated the best ever winner of the G1 Golden Rose, Australia's top
seven-furlong race for three-year-olds, and the Australian equivalent of
Saratoga's G1 Allen Jerkens.
During his juvenile campaign, he broke his maiden on debut and captured the G2
Silver Slipper Stakes at Rosehill and the G3 Kindergarten Stakes at Randwick.
Astern returned in brilliant form at three to land both the G2 Run To The Rose
and the aforementioned G1 Golden Rose at Rosehill. He also ran solid seconds in
the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington and the G2 Roman Consul at Randwick.
Darren Fox, Darley's Sales Manager in America, said: "I just returned from
seeing Astern in Australia, and I was blown away by his tremendous
physique. I couldn't be more excited to get him to Kentucky.
Medaglia d'Oro has been such an important stallion for us in both hemispheres,
and as his best son, Astern has all the credentials to follow in his father's
footsteps."
Medaglia d'Oro is having arguably his best year ever at stud and with five G1
winners, tops any other stallion standing in North America. In addition to
Songbird, Dickinson and New Money Honey, two-year-old colt Bolt d'Oro and
three-year-old filly Elate each recorded their second victories at the highest
level this past weekend in Santa Anita's FrontRunner Stakes and Belmont's
Beldame Invitational respectively.
Astern, whose dam is by top international sire Exceed And Excel , received an exciting
pedigree update last weekend when his half-sisterAlizee( Sepoy ) recorded a scintillating win the G1
Flight Stakes at Randwick.
Astern retired with five wins from nine starts and earnings of
AUS$1,179,550. His 126 Timeform rating makes him Medaglia d'Oro's
top-rated son in either hemisphere.
Astern will breed a limited book of 120 mares at Jonabell in 2018 for a fee of
$15,000 stands and nurses.