Photo: bradleyphotos.com.au
By Paul Vettise, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Windsor Park Stud has continued an enviable trend with its most recent stallion acquisition.
The Cambridge nursery received an outstanding response from breeders after securing Profondo, with the no vacancy sign quickly put up after announcing the Group One-winning son of Deep Impact.
He will serve a full book in his debut year, as did associate stallion Circus Maximus and Armory, who stands at Mapperley Stud in association with Windsor Park.
“The response to Profondo had been phenomenal and we closed him off shortly after we announced him,” General Manager Steve Till said.
“We bought him in partnership with Mapperley and Lion Rock Bloodstock, which is Ben Kwok who is a big investor in New Zealand, and he had been keen to partner with us if the opportunity ever came up.
“It presented itself with Profondo and we did sell some breeding rights and they went within a few hours once we’d signed the deal off and the available nominations left after that went out the door very quickly.
“He’ll serve around the 140 mark and that’s enough for a young horse, that’s the number we had in mind.”
Out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Honesty prevails, Profondo was a Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale-topper at A$1.9 million and went on to win the Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) early in his career.
“He’s a cracking-looking individual and the first three foals out of the mare have all made a million or more,” Till said.
“He won a Group One at his third start, which not many horses have the talent to do.”
His popularity mirrors that of Galileo’s multiple Group-winning son Armory in his first season at Simms Davison’s Mapperley Stud last year.
“Simms and Rod (Schick) have been good mates for a long period of time and were happy to partner together in a stallion and the opportunity came up with Armory,” Till said.
“He was the most popular first season sire and served around the 125 mark and a great support base to launch from.
“Circus Maximus was also the most popular in his first year when he served about 160 mares so he will have great representation through all the sales in Australasia next year.
“We’re very happy with his progeny here and we’ve had great feedback from all the other farms.”
Also by Galileo, Circus Maximus was successful three times at the elite level to fuel outstanding breeder interest.
“It’s been deserving of a horse with his credentials and we’ve just had the Royal Ascot meeting, which is one of the highlights of racing year globally,” Till said.
“You see the quality of the horses that run there and Circus was a back-to-back winner, he won the St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr.1, 1600m) as a three-year-old and came back and won the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr.1, 1600m) first-up as a four-year-old.
“He was at the top of the pecking order in terms of European milers.”
The older members of the Windsor Park roster continue to shine with Turn Me Loose, Shamexpress and Vanbrugh all producing recent winners.
“We’re really excited about Turn Me Loose and he keeps cranking out good winners like Turn The Ace and we’ve got It’s Business Time, who has won three of her last four,” Till said.
Turn Me Loose’s seven stakes winners to date are headed by the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) by She’s Licketysplit.
“We’re happy with what he continues to do and Vanbrugh also has a good strike rate from fewer numbers and has left horses like Group One winner Mustang Valley (Livamol Classic, 2040m) and top three-year-old Wild Night, who we bred, and Sheez Dominant,” Till said.
“Shamexpress has had another great season with Denby Road winning the Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (Gr.3, 1200m) on top of horses like Shamus and dual Group One winner Coventina Bay of course.
“Again, he’s got a good strike rate and leaves really good types who handle all conditions and has a lot to offer. It’s a really solid roster with the exciting young stallions coming through.”
