Prized Icon more than ready to step up

5 min read

By Bren O'Brien

Kooringal Stud is hoping Prized Icon will be looking to carry on the legacy of his legendary sire More Than Ready (USA) when he begins his own stud career later this year.

Prized Icon will be one of only two Group 1 winning sons of More Than Ready to stand in Australia this year, the other being Widden's Sebring, while Perfectly Ready stands at Brighthill in New Zealand. It's significant timing with More Than Ready departing Vinery after serving his 18th Australian season in 2018.

Few stallions have made the impact that More Than Ready has in Australia, where he has had 68 of his amazing 190 global stakes winners.

Prized Icon winning the G1 Champagne S.

Prized Icon is one of four multiple Australian Group 1 winners by More Than Ready, having won the 2016 Champagne S. and Victoria Derby. Sebring, More Joyous and Samaready are the other three.

Kooringal's Angus Lamont was understandably chuffed to have done a deal with Prized Icon's owners Gooree Park to stand Prized Icon.

"We were on the lookout for a horse and were in contact with Andrew Baddock from Gooree and we thought he was a good fit for the stud. There's been some negotiations going on and we are delighted to secure him," Lamont told TDN AusNZ.

"There was no doubt he was a very good 2-year old, he was never out of a place in his seven starts and then raced on as a 3-year-old." - Kooringal Stud's Angus Lamont

"I hope he will be well received. There was no doubt he was a very good 2-year old, he was never out of a place in his seven starts and then raced on as a 3-year-old."

Angus Lamont

Two times to the peak

Having progressed through the Listed Fernhill S. the previous week, Prized Icon was a dominant winner of the Champagne S. at what was his sixth run of his autumn 2-year-old campaign.

His consistency, durability and class shone through in his spring 3-year-old campaign as well, with placings in the G3 Gloaming S. and the G1 Spring Champion S. before an emphatic win in the G1 Victoria Derby at Flemington for then trainer James Cummings.

"Sometimes people seem to have a knock on Derby horses as stallions, but a lot of people want to win them." - Angus Lamont

He would go on to be placed in a G1 Australian Guineas, a G1 Chipping Norton S. and a G1 Ranvet S. in a career which yielded over $2m in prizemoney.

Watch: Prized Icon winning the 2016 Victoria Derby

"Sometimes people seem to have a knock on Derby horses as stallions, but a lot of people want to win them," Lamont said.

"The fact that he could race on and that he raced in the best company, he placed in another four Group 1s is a sign of his class. He was a good tough horse. He was sound. I think he’ll suit a lot of mares in the country and we were very happy to get him."

That More Than Ready class

That class, according to Lamont, can be attributed to his sire.

"He's a proven sire of sires. He was the only horse to be a dual hemisphere champion 2-year-old sire. That class shines through and was what got Prized Icon through his Derby success and the Champagne," he said.

One of the reasons, More Than Ready fared so well in Australia was his compatibility with Danehill-line mares. That nick produced 11 stakes winners in this country, including Prized Icon, who is from the stakes-winning Danehill mare Tropical Affair.

More Than Ready

"There are still a lot of mares by grandsons of Danehill that should really suit him. There's Bletchingly further down and that should nick well with those type of horses as well," Lamont said.

Setting the price

Prized Icon will stand for $11,000 (inc GST) in his first season.

"We discussed it with a few different people and we think that's a reasonable price for a Group 1 winning 2 and 3-year old," he said.

"We line him up with a horse like Stratum Star at Widden." - Angus Lamont

"We line him up with a horse like Stratum Star at Widden. He's similar I think, a good tough race horse that raced on. He's won over $2m and we think it’s a reasonable fee. Gooree thought that was the same and they will be supporting the horse as well."

He joins a stallion roster of four at the stud based just outside Wagga Wagga in southern NSW which also includes Duporth, Magic Albert and The Brothers War (USA).

The Brothers War also resides at Kooringal Stud

"He's a bit more expensive than those ones but the BOBS money and the racing prizemoney is very strong and there is no reason that is not going to reflect in breeding in years to come," he said.

"It’s becoming increasingly hard for people buy yearlings at sales, so I feel a lot of people are going to be returning to breeding themselves a bit and I think he's a nice fit."

"He's not far over the border from Victorian breeders either. Hopefully there is some support we can drum up from down there as well. He should be a pretty popular horse I would hope."