Fee hike for Too Darn Hot to $110,000 as Darley announce four new stallions

Cover image courtesy of Darley

Standing ten stallions at their Kelvinside, New South Wales base, and eight at Northwood Park, Victoria - Darley have two newcomers in each location; Native Trail (GB) and Triple Time (Ire) in the Hunter Valley and Cylinder and Golden Mile down south.

“Our numbers are tighter than they have been in the past,” Pulford told the Thoroughbred Report, “but the quality is absolutely there - every horse on our roster is a Group 1 winner.”

With the retirement this year of the stud's stalwart Exceed And Excel and last year of Lonhro, who sadly passed away during the week, the 2024 roster has a 'changing of the guard' vibe to it.

Gallery: The retirement this year of Darley's Exceed And Excel and last year of Lonhro who sadly passed away the 2024 roster has a 'changing of the guard' vibe to it, standing at Darley

“It is definitely a different feel,” Pulford said, “we are like a football team in a rebuilding phase.

“We have lost a couple of champions (who between them served a massive 39 seasons) but we are very, very enthusiastic about what we have on offer this year.

“We are lucky to have access to the quality of horse who makes our job so much easier and rewarding.”

Fee increase for Too Darn Hot

One of the two Darley stallions to have their fees increased this season - and not surprisingly given the start he has made in both hemispheres - is the great Dubawi's (Ire) triple Group 1 winning son Too Darn Hot (GB), lifting to $110,000 (inc GST) from $44,000 (inc GST). The other is a small lift for Harry Angel from $33,000 (inc GST) to $38,500 (inc GST).

Represented by eight local winners, Too Darn Hot was in the headlines just last weekend with his son Broadsiding taking out the G1 Champagne S. at Randwick.

“We had every confidence in him from the moment it was announced that he would be standing with us,” Pulford said.

“He has covered full books every year and his first crop look like they are very good - and everyone expects that they are going to progress as they head towards Classic races.

“It is not about cheap speed with him, he has got that element of class and we are fortunate and grateful to his part-owners Watership Down Stud and our colleagues in the northern hemisphere that we are still able to offer him to Australian breeders.

“He will be very keenly sought after, all the top breeders want in as they should - he looks to be a star on the rise.”

Triple Time and Native Trail to the Hunter

Pulford is also excited about the two new boys in New South Wales, sons of two Juddmonte Stud stars in Frankel (GB) and Oasis Dream (GB).

The first Group 1 winning son of the mighty Frankel to stand at stud in Australia, Triple Time (GB) was the winning part of a memorable quinella for his sire at last year's Royal Ascot meeting, digging deep to defeat the six times Group 1 winner Inspiral (GB) in the G1 Queen Anne S.

The winner of another three races - including the G3 Superior Mile and the Listed Ascendant S. in record time - from just eight starts, Triple Time was rated 124 by Timeform and he has the pedigree to match his talent - being one of the six stakes winners produced by his stakes placed dam Reem Three (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}).

He stands for $22,000 (inc GST).

“He is a really interesting horse, a tough front-running horse - lightly raced but very talented with a career that culminated on the biggest of stages at Royal Ascot where he beat four champions including Inspiral on his merits.

“He is a good-looking horse by the best sire in the world out of a superb mare - he has a lot to offer and we think he will go down exceptionally well.”

Unbeaten at two (four wins including the G1 Dewhurst S. and the G1 National S.) and progressing to Classic success in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, Native Trail is described by Pulford as “a super race horse - and a beautiful horse; big and handsome with all the presence in the world.

“When breeders see him they are going to love him.”

Native Trail will stand for $27,500 (inc GST).

New to Victoria - Cylinder and Golden Mile

“At $44,000 (inc GST) we think we have priced Cylinder well - he is gong to be very popular both with Victorians and New South Wales breeders who have already expressed their plans to send mares to him.”

“We have not had the opportunity to retire an Australian-bred top-seed horse to Victoria since Brazen Beau and he is one of the standouts of this year's first season sires.”

Fourteen sons of Exceed And Excel have sired stakes winners, seven of those represented by Group 1 winners and with his classy form at two (G2 Todman S. winning, G1 Golden Slipper S. runner-up) and three (G1 Newmarket H) supported by an outstanding pedigree (Lonhro's family), Cylinder is undoubtedly one of the best credentialled Exceed And Excel horses to stand at stud.

Gallery: New to Victoria, Cylinder and Golden Mile, standing at Darley

Joining Anamoe as a homebred G1 Caulfield Guineas winner on the roster is Golden Mile, standing at a launch fee of $16,500 (inc GST), the Astern horse won his only 2-year-old start before an excellent spring 3-year-old campaign.

“From very early in his career he stood out, he just always looked very good.

“He had a bit of bad luck but mixed it with the best of them at weight-for-age level and he is a magnificent specimen - strong and handsome with a lovely head and a great way of moving... I really like him,” Pulford said.

Anamoe: 'Absolute Superstar'

Any discussion on Darley stallions has to feature Anamoe whose nine Group 1 victories give cause for comparisons to Lonhro. His fee remains unchanged at $121,000 (inc GST).

“Like Lonhro, Anamoe was an absolute superstar who just never did anything wrong in his whole career.”

Not only great on the track amassing in excess of $12.1 million in stakes, Anamoe made a flying start to his stud career - “19 of his first 21 mares tested in foal and he went on to be a highly fertile first season sire.”

Supporting Anamoe with 18 of their own mares - “more than we normally send to a first season sire” - Darley is delighted with the quality of his opening book.

There were over 65 stakes winners served by Anamoe last spring, amongst them the Group 1 winners Anabandana (Anabaa {USA}), Aloisia (NZ) (Azamour {Ire}), Lighthouse (USA) (Mizzen Mast {USA}), Lizzie L'Amour (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), Lasqueti Spirit (Beneteau), Kiamichi (Sidestep), The Perfect Pink (NZ) (Savabeel), Travelling Light (NZ) (El Roca), Valley Girl (NZ) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) and Lickety Split (NZ) (Turn Me Loose {NZ}).

As well as the dams of the Group 1 winners dams of Bivouac, Quick Thinker (So You Think {NZ}), Private Eye (Al Maher), King's Legacy, Gypsy Goddess (NZ) (Tarzino {NZ}) and Joliestar (Zoustar).

“It is an unbelievable book,” Pulford said, noting that it was befitting of a horse who “deserves his place at the top of the roster.”

“He is almost a gimme - a champion by a Group 1 winner out of a Group 1 winner; it is a pretty good recipe for stallion success. We are more than hopeful that he will make a huge impact, we are confident.”

The Exceed And Excel Legacy

Three sons of Exceed And Excel are part of the 2024 Darley roster, two of those in New South Wales - Bivouac whose this season will be his fourth, drops from $66,000 (inc GST) to $55,000 (inc GST) and Microphone who is into his fifth year at stud, dropping from $33,000 (inc GST) to $22,000 (inc GST).

“Microphone doesn't have huge numbers (55 foals in his first crop) but he throws a good type and people do like him. Matisse was competitive in the G1 Blue Diamond lead-ups for the Freedmans; she looks to be a very talented filly.

Gallery: This will be Bivouac's fourth season and Microphone's fifth year at stud, standing at Darley

“The pleasing thing about Bivouac," he said, "is that they are in good hands - all the best trainers have them.

“He was a late foal but still a very good two-year-old and to me they look like they are going to run.”

Sire of Sires - Shamardal

Shamardal (USA) is a stallion whose sons Darley have great faith in; three on the roster including the New South Wales based Group 1 winners Pinatubo (Ire) and Victor Ludorum (GB), and Blue Point (Ire) in Victoria.

“They are talking Pinatubo up in the northern hemisphere, there is a lot of excitement about his first crop,” Pulford said, noting that his first runner Hallasan (GB) debuted with a Newmarket third last week.

“Meanwhile I think Victor Ludorum could be the surprise packet of the Shamardals - he is the most like his sire on profile.”

Harry Angel (Ire) and Astern make up the New South Wales roster with Pulford describing the pair as “really good value, proven horses who can get you a top class horse.” While Harry Angel has a small lift to his fee, Astern has a slight drop from $22,000 (inc GST) to $16,500 (inc GST).

Value is how he also describes the Victorian based horses Kermadec (NZ) and Brazen Beau, excited to add to that roster two new horses - Cylinder and Golden Mile.

Street Boss, the current star

Street Boss (USA) is the current star of the Victorian roster and he calls Northwood Park his permanent home having not shuttled the past couple of seasons. He stands at an unchanged fee of $66,000 (inc GST).

“He won't cover a huge book of mares because of his age (rising 21) and he will fill very quickly.”

The sire of 70 stakes winners, with Anamoe one of his eight Group 1 winners, Street Boss still has the best ahead of him according to Pulford - “there has been a rise in quality in regards to the mares he has served over the last three years; so much better than those he covered at his first eleven years, so the success will keep coming for him.”

Describing the European Horse Of The Year Ghaiyyath (Ire) as “a beautiful horse by a champion out of a champion broodmare,” Pulford is looking forward to seeing the bay's first crop in action later in the year.

Though he is expecting them to be all the better later down the track - “you would not expect them to be two-year-olds but the sold well and they are in the right hands.”

Whilst Blue Point (Ire) has had just the one winner in Australia so far, Pulford is confident that there is much more to come from the horse who sired two Group 1 winners in his first northern hemisphere crop. He will stand for $44,000 (inc GST), the same fee as his first four seasons.

“Obviously we would like to see more winners but they have been competitive in stakes races - such as Blue Rocket in the G2 Karrakatta Plate last weekend - and there is no doubt that they are showing ability; success is just around the corner for him.”

Making up the Victorian roster is the flashy chestnut Paulele who at $13,750 (inc GST) is the value of the Victorian boys, entering his second season at stud.

“He is a beautiful horse with a lot of talent. If they (his foals) are as good looking as he is, they will do just fine!”

Table: 2024 Announced Stallion Fees for Darley