Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
| Zoustar | 28 | 6 | 21% |
| Hellbent | 15 | 3 | 20% |
| Too Dan Hot (GB) | 10 | 2 | 20% |
| Almanzor | 11 | 2 | 18% |
| Dundeel | 26 | 4 | 15% |
| Written Tycoon | 13 | 2 | 15% |
| Fastnet Rock | 14 | 2 | 14% |
| Trapeze Artist | 17 | 2 | 12% |
| Savabeel | 19 | 2 | 11% |
| Street Boss | 10 | 1 | 10% |
Table: Leading sires by stakes winning strike rate (10 runners or more)
Zoustar stood out as the sire of the moment, with his offspring securing six stakes victories since the start of the year, translating to an impressive stakes winning strike rate of 21 per cent. His progeny's success was highlighted by Zougotcha's three stakes wins, including two at Group 1 level. Additionally, Zoustar was represented by feature race winners Joliestar, Olentia, and Espionage.
Hellbent also made a significant mark, producing three individual stakes winners and achieving an impressive 20 per cent winning strike rate across black-type races. His notable progeny included Magic Time, the G1 All Aged S. winner, Hell Hath No Fury, who took the G2 Guy Walter S., and Fully Lit, winner of the RL Inglis Millennium.
First-season sire Too Darn Hot (GB) made his presence felt with emerging colt Broadsiding while up-and-coming shuttle sire Almanzor (Fr) sired the G1 Sydney Cup winner Circle Of Fire (GB). Dundeel (NZ) also had a successful run, capturing four stakes victories, including three from the dual Group 1 winner Celestial Legend.
| Arrowfield Stud | 7 |
| Godolphin | 5 |
| Woppitt Bloodstock | 4 |
| Widden Stud & RMA Bloodstock Trust | 3 |
Table: Leading breeders by stakes wins
Arrowfield Stud bred stock dominated having claimed almost 10 per cent of all races conducted over the period.
Arrowfield and its partners saw success with Group 2-winning colt Switzerland (Snitzel), bred in partnership with Cloros Bloodstock Pty Ltd, the G1 ATC Oaks victor Autumn Angel (The Autumn Sun), in collaboration with Jungle Pocket Pty Ltd, and the G2 Sapphire Stakes winner Wee Nessy (Snitzel).
Godolphin also had a notable presence as breeders, achieving five stakes victories, which included top-tier wins with Broadsiding in the G1 Champagne Stakes and Zapateo (Brazen Beau) in the G1 Galaxy.
Switzerland | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Debbie Kepitis’ boutique breeding operation, Woppitt Bloodstock, continued its strong performance, breeding winners of four stakes races during the period, including star stayer Riff Rocket (American Pharoah), who secured dual Group 1 victories.
Zougotcha highlighted the success of breeders Widden Stud and RMA Bloodstock Trust by claiming three stakes victories for the period.
| Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman | 4 | 10 | 40% |
| Michael Freedman | 5 | 20 | 25% |
| Grahame Begg | 2 | 10 | 20% |
| Chris Waller | 14 | 106 | 13% |
| Ciaron Maher | 7 | 56 | 13% |
| Gary Portelli | 2 | 16 | 13% |
| Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 11 | 93 | 12% |
| Brad Widdup | 2 | 18 | 11% |
| Annabel Neasham | 4 | 39 | 10% |
| James Cummings | 5 | 50 | 10% |
Table: Leading trainers by stakes winning strike rate (10 runners or more)
Almost 100 unique trainers or training partnerships have participated in stakes races across feature Sydney racing events this year to date.
Of those trainers represented by 10 or more runners, visiting duo Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman came out on top having collected four stakes victories from just 10 starters at a winning strike rate of 40 per cent.
Three of the four stakes wins occurred from individual horses including Chain Of Lighting (Fighting Sun) who claimed the G3 Birthday Card S. before taking home top honours in the feature sprint of the carnival, the G1 T J Smith S.
Chain Of Lighting | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Local trainer Michael Freedman followed closely with a winning strike rate of 25 per cent which was headlined by Manaal’s (Tassort) G1 Sires Produce S. Grahame Begg claimed top honours in the G1 All Aged S. with Magic Time (Hellbent), while Passive Aggressive’s (Fastnet Rock) G2 Challenge S. provided him with dual winners across the carnival.
Ciaron Maher and Gary Portelli too enjoyed successful carnivals having boasted a 13 per cent winning strike rate in stakes class events.
| Les Bridge | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman | 2 | 5 | 40% |
| Chris Waller | 5 | 39 | 13% |
| James Cummings | 2 | 19 | 11% |
| Ciaron Maher | 2 | 19 | 11% |
| Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 2 | 26 | 8% |
Table: Leading trainers by Group 1 winning strike rate
Delving deeper into the data, there were 13 different trainers who clinched victories in the 22 Group 1 races held this year.
Notably, Chris Waller captured nearly 36 per cent of his stakes wins at this highest level of competition. Waller emerged as the season's standout, achieving an impressive 13 per cent winning strike rate when competing in Group 1 races.
Close on his heels were Ciaron Maher and James Cummings, each securing an 11 per cent strike rate of Group 1 winners to starters. Among trainers who secured more than one top-tier victory, Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman stood out with a 40 per cent strike rate in these prestigious events, while Les Bridge achieved a perfect strike rate at this level thanks to his stable-star Celestial Legend.
| James McDonald | 15 | 57 | 26% |
| Jamie Kah | 6 | 27 | 22% |
| Tommy Berry | 7 | 60 | 12% |
| Tim Clark | 7 | 59 | 12% |
| Jason Collett | 5 | 51 | 10% |
Table: Leading jockeys by stakes winning strike rate
James McDonald emerged as the standout jockey of the series, securing 15 stakes races with an impressive 26 per cent winning strike rate. Notably, nearly half of McDonald's wins came in Group 1 events. Close behind in performance, based on strike rate, was Victorian jockey Jamie Kah, who amassed six stakes victories from just 27 rides. Tommy Berry, Tim Clarke, and Jason Collett also enjoyed productive stints, each achieving stakes winning strike rates of between 10 and 12 per cent.
