Our
current crop of second season sires includes some stallions that are being
tipped for the very top of the stallion tree, so lets take a look at how
Zoustar and Dundeel compare by statistics given Widden have already set Zoustar's
fee at $154,000 and we await the fee on Dundeel, who stands at Arrowfield Stud.
The current Australian Second Crop Sires table looks like this.
This table only tells part of the story as Dundeel has achieved a chunk of his
success in other countries siring three year-old Atyaab to win the Group I Cape
Derby at Kenilworth in South Africa as well as two year-old colt Yourdeel to
win the Group I Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes and ARC Sistema Stakes,
performances that will see him crowned Champion
NZ 2YO for 2018/2019.
The overall statistics at this point in their career highlight their growing
stature as elite sires of the future.
Zoustar Statistics – courtesy Arion
Zoustar has sired the winners of nearly $10million and his 62 winners is nearly
double that of Dundeel, but on the score of stakes-winners they are seven
apiece and while Zoustar has one Group I winner, Dundeel now has three after
Castelvecchio won the Group I ATC Champagne Stakes on Saturday.
Dundeel Statistics – courtesy Arion
Dundeel's seven stakes-winners have come from considerably less runners giving
him a stakes-winner to runner ratio of 9.7%, while Zoustar has the stakes-winner
to runner ratio of 5.9%.
On the score of winners to runners, Zoustar has the edge with 52.1%, while Dundeel
has 45.8%.
Interestingly, all seven of Dundeel's stakes-winners so far are colts, which
probably reflects a little bit of his sire High Chaparral, whose statistics do favour
colts with his 22 Group I winners including only six Group I winning females.
A champion 3YO Sprinter by Northern Meteor, Zoustar has had every opportunity
at Widden and stood his first four seasons at a fee of $44,000, before going up
to $60,500 last spring after being crowned Champion Australian First Season Sire
thanks to his superstar daughter Sunlight, who has trained on this season to be
the best three year-old sprinter in the country.
Dundeel was the Champion 3YO Miler / Stayer of his generation winning the Randwick
Guineas, Rosehill Guineas, Australian Derby and Spring Champion Stakes before returning
at four to win the Group I Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Underwood Stakes. He has
stood for his first five seasons at a fee of $27,500 but we can expect a big
increase this year.
Dundeel is a horse we expect to be finding success about now as his first crop
of three year-olds mature and hit their straps, but what has caught people by surprise
is his ability to get an outstanding 2YO such as Castelvecchio and Yourdeel.
What the future holds for both young stallions will be interesting to see
unfold, but one thing for sure is that if you have a mare in foal to either,
you have hit a home run!