Astern to Shuttle to Kentucky

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.