While shuttle sires of the likes of Danehill, More Than Ready, Street Cry and High Chaparral, have long enjoyed success when sent from the Northern to Southern Hemispheres, the reverse trend of sending Australian bred shuttle stallions to cover mares in the Northern Hemisphere has enjoyed increasing success over recent seasons.
Redoute’s Choice
Fastnet Rock and Exceed And Excel are both consistently successful in the Northern Hemisphere, while champion Australian sires, Lonhro and Redoute’s Choice, have both enjoyed notable pattern race success in the Northern Hemisphere this year. Multiple Gr1 winner, Helmet (Exceed And Excel), has also made his presence felt with his first three-year-olds in the Northern Hemisphere this season, while Helmet’s ¾ brother and fellow Gr1 winner, Epaulette (Commands), is one of the top ten first crop sires in Great Britain this year.
Choisir (Danehill Dancer – Great Selection)
The Australian bred Choisir is another to have enjoyed consistent success in group/graded races in both hemispheres. His son, Starspanglebanner, has also made his mark in Europe through, for example, Gr1 Prix Morny winner, The Wow Signal, and recent Gr3 Betway Criterion Stakes winner, Home Of The Brave. The omnipresent Danehill factor is a distinct force in the reverse shuttlers, with Danehill the sire of all of Exceed And Excel, Fastnet Rock and Redoute’s Choice, and grandsire of Choisir.
One early example of an Australian shuttle stallion perceived to have failed (but whose Northern Hemisphere stats suggest otherwise) was champion Encosta De Lago (the best sire son of Fairy King). Encosta De Lago’s Northern Hemisphere representatives included short-lived Gr1 Dubai Duty Free runner up, Mutahadee, Gr3 winner, Empowering, North American stakes winner, Qushchi, and Gr1 Prix Royal-Oak runner up, Miss Lago.
Exceed And Excel
Exceed And Excel is already responsible for top level NH winners, Outstrip, Margot Did and Excelebration, but his sons, Helmet (Thunder Snow) and Excelebration (Barney Roy) have both been represented by Gr1 winners in their first Northern Hemisphere crops of foals, while Exceed And Excel’s Breeders’ Cup winner, Outstrip, is yet to be represented by his first runners.
Dual Australian champion sire, Fastnet Rock, is also busy compiling a solidly successful stud record in the Northern Hemisphere. To date, the Danehill son, who has fared particularly well when mated to daughters of Galileo, has been represented by six individual Gr1 winners in the Northern Hemisphere, including Zhukova, an impressive six length winner of the Gr1 Man O’War Stakes in 2017.
Fastnet Rock’s dual Gr1 winning son, Fascinating Rock, stood his first season at Ballylinch Stud this year.
Triple Champion Australian sire, Redoute’s Choice was represented by his first Northern Hemisphere crop of 3yos in 2017. The four time Gr1 winner, who covered exceptional mares during his shuttle stint, including the dam of champion Goldikova (Blushing Groom) and the unbeaten Arc winner, Zarkava (Zamindar), is the second leading second crop sire in France to date. He is only behind Rajasman, the sire of dual French classic winner, Brametot, and he has been represented by nine winners (from 19 runners) and two group winners (Gold Luck and Ibizia).
Lonhro (Octagonal-Shadea)
Darley’s Lonhro is an exception to the majority of sires mentioned above, in that he sports a pedigree free of the ubiquitous Danehill blood. A former reverse shuttle sire, the 11 time Gr1 winning Lonhro is well established as one of Australia’s elite sires, having topped the General Sires List in 2010-2011 and Two Year Old Sires List in 2011-2012. Well known in South Africa as the sire of July winner, The Conglomerate, as well as promising two-year-olds, Alfolk and Naafer, Lonhro (whose champion son, Pierro, will top the Leading First Crop Sires List in Australia this season) has been represented by 135 runners in the Northern Hemisphere, of which 67 have won, and five of which are stakes winners. This tally includes the very promising 2yo, Cardsharp, a good winner of the recent Gr2 July Stakes and a potential Gr1 contender, and graded stakes winners, Isotherm (Gr2 San Marcos Stakes) and Holding Gold (Gr2 Shakertown Stakes). Lonhro’s Southern Hemisphere’s winners to runners stats are 742 winners from 1040 starters.
With young shuttle sires such as Brazen Beau, Exosphere, Hallowed Crown, Pride Of Dubai, and Vancouver still to be represented on the racetrack, portents appear to be good for Australian bred sires to continue to make their presence felt in Europe and North America.
