Table of contents for September 2024 in Turf Monthly

Zephyr Bay deserves a place alongside Bletchingly and Marscay as one of the best sire sons of Biscay. On the track he won nine races including setting a new track record in the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield, and setting an Australasian record of 56.2 for the 1000m when winning the AJC Challenge Stakes at Randwick. He retired to stud in NZ in 1975 not long after injuring a ligament when jumping in the Galaxy at Randwick. Despite standing in NZ, Zephyr Bay was to win the Champion First Season Sire’s Title in Australia. He was also Australia’s Champion 2yo sire in 1978/79. Zephyr Bay was to sire a total of 21 stakes winners, and had fourteen sons follow him to stud. He had seven Group 1 winners in Broad Reach…

There is no doubt that Benbatl has the looks and feel of a Darley stallion. He would be right at home at the famed Darley Studs throughout the world, and with good reason. The stallion raced in the royal blue of Godolphin but, like an increasing number of their stallions, cannot find a home at their traditional base. This allows other studs to access the remarkable bloodlines that Darley supply across the globe. Benbatl is positioned to grow the reputation of Woodside Park Stud in Victoria. Woodside Park Stud, who introduced the remarkable Written Tycoon to the breeding public, stand a broad range of stallions that give breeders plenty of choice when it comes to bloodlines. Benbatl shuttles from the Big Red Farm in Japan. Benbatl started his racing career…

Dieu D’Or is a regally bred son of Biscay who is largely forgotten in the modern era. He was a more than handy racehorse, kicking off his career by running second in a 3yo maiden at Mornington in August 1987. He won his second start, a 1 metropolitan win (MW) event at Sandown. It was to be his lone win until the Autumn of 1989 when he again won out of his grade by winning twice at 2MW races in Sydney. From there he went to Adelaide where he ran second behind Boardwalk Angel in the Group 1 Goodwood Handicap. Dieu D’Or then headed to Brisbane for the Winter Carnival and started by running third behind Count Henri in the Listed BATC Sprint. His final run that preparation saw him…

The colt was a bargain purchase for retired farmers Doug and Doreen Whittington, who paid only $3,600 at the Waikato yearling sales. He was a star in NZ winning races like the New Zealand 2,000 Guineas, the Wellington §takes and the Trentham Guineas before venturing to Australia. The owners had refused an offer of $1.75 million for the colt before he won first up in Brisbane in the Listed Black Douglas Stakes. In that preparation Kingdom Bay was to run second to Canterbury Belle in the Stradbroke. Despite his success on the track, it was in the breeding barn that Kingdom Bay was to make his mark. He was the leading First Season sire in 1989-90 and went on to win the overall Sires Title in 1992-93. Kingdom Bay sired…

We have included a background on Gold Trip that we published after he had won a memorable Melbourne Cup. It is wonderful to see that he is now going to be standing at the new Lovatsville Stud in Victoria at an attractive fee of $8,800. Melbourne Cup winners are often neglected in the stallion market, but this seems a perception that does not reflect reality. We see very few Melbourne Cup winners go to stud, simply because few are stallions. The last was Protectionist who returned to Germany for stud duties, but sadly died in 2023 just when his career looked to be gaining momentum. To date he has sired around 50 individual winners. The 2013 winner Fiorente also tragically passed in 2023 but not before leaving nine stakes winners.…

High Reserve was another underrated son of Biscay. He had only a brief career on the track but did win a good quality city 2yo race at Rosehill. He was a son of the Regal Light mare, Sailing Along, a family that traced back to the Fisherman mare, Lady Heron and one that has been a prolific family of winners even if many do not reach the top level. It was originally the family of such great stars as Malt King, Patron, Ruenelf, Whittier and Emir. High Reserve was to do a good job at stud producing five stakes winners. Hi Bernard was the winner of the 1991 BATC Bernborough Handicap, Kingston Reserve the winner of the 1995 Darwin Cup, and Sir Patrick the winner of the 1990 Stan Fox…

Sanction was another good quality son of Biscay who never reached the highs of some of his other runners. He was to win six of his 32 starts and earn $146,264 in prizemoney. He was placed in the STC Star Kingdom Stakes and was a full brother to the filly Shaybisc who was the champion 2yo in 1979-80. Shaybisc was to win nine races in total including the AJC Sires' Produce Stakes, Hobartville Stakes, Frank Packer Plate, Reisling Slipper Trial and Widden Stakes. She was also to run second in the George Ryder and Canterbury Stakes. The siblings were bred by the famed Woodlands Stud and were out of the mare Sasha by Sir Dane. Sanction was to sire six stakes winners in his career. Among them were Holy Roller…

Gold Trip won his way into Australian racing folklore by winning the 2022 Melbourne Cup on 1 November. The French bred stallion is another of the great results for Australian Bloodstock who have been importing overseas stayers into the country for some years. Despite Gold Trip now having earnings in excess of $6 million, the Cup was only his second race win and his first since arriving in Australia in September 2021. He was also rather harshly treated in the event, carrying top weight of 57.5kg in what can only be a reflection on the field this year. There were 13 Northern Hemisphere bred horses in the 23 horse field which was reduced with the scratching of the Irish bred Point Nepean. Gold Trip first faced the starter on 24…