By Bren O'Brien
Images courtesy Cornerstone Stud
Cornerstone Stud has convinced leading American stallion operation Hill 'n' Dale Farm to invest in the Australian market with an agreement to shuttle multiple Group 1 winning turf sprinter World Of Trouble (USA) to the Barossa Valley in 2020.
In a landmark deal for Cornerstone Stud, the son of Kantharos (USA) will stand for $22,000 (inc GST) in 2020 in the first deal of its kind with Kentucky-based Hill 'n' Dale.
Cornerstone Stud principal Sam Hayes confirmed to TDN AusNZ that negotiations to bring the G1 Carter H. and Jaipur S. winner to Australia began with part-owner Craig Bernick of Glen Hill Farm at the Tattersalls Sale in Newmarket in early December, and have been completed early in the New Year after further discussions with John Sikura at Hill 'n' Dale via agent Hubie de Burgh.
"We compared him to the successful and unsuccessful shuttle stallions from the US to see where he fits in and we think he lines up exceptionally well. His race record and the way in which he won his races are very impressive. He is a front running fast horse who beat his opposition into submission. He ran very quick sectionals," Hayes said.
World Of Trouble won nine of his 13 starts, including seven of his last eight starts, with his only defeat in that period when beaten a neck in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint behind Stormy Liberal (USA) (Stormy Atlantic {USA}). In his final start, he won the six-furlong Jaipur S. in 1:06s.
“In the sixty years our family have been standing stallions this will be the fastest horse to step foot on our farm. How many horses can run 1:06s flat over six furlongs?” Hayes said.
“In the sixty years our family have been standing stallions this will be the fastest horse to step foot on our farm. How many horses can run 1:06 flat over six furlongs?” - Sam Hayes
"We are feeling equally as good about the people we are dealing with. Hill 'n' Dale are one of the biggest farms in Kentucky and they haven’t shuttled to Australia before and that relationship is very exciting to us too."
Sikura, too, has every confidence in World Of Trouble's prospects in Australia.
"World Of Trouble was uniquely talented as a Group 1 winner on both dirt and turf," Sikura said. "Speed is a universally successful attribute for stallions in both hemispheres and World Of Trouble was blindingly fast.”
Kantharos (USA), sire of World Of Trouble (USA) | Image courtesy of Hill 'n' Dale Farm
Determined to make a stallion
Hayes is determined not to 'just stand a stallion but make a stallion' and as such will be looking to involve multiple breeders in different states to ensure World Of Trouble gets the level of support to be successful.
"We are looking for them to support the horse with a couple of their nice mares each year," he said.
"We've got a hit list of people so it won't just be us making the stallion. We need to give him those numbers. We want him to have 120 mares each of the first three years, that is one of our key goals.
"We don't have an abundance of mares here in South Australia and the way we make those stallions has to be in partnership with our friends interstate."
Sam Hayes of Cornerstone Stud is determined to 'make a stallion'
The power of the outcross
Cornerstone Stud has already invested in an outcross sireline with Sir Prancealot (Ire), the former champion first season sire in Europe who is set to reverse shuttle to Rancho San Miguel in California in 2020. His first Australian yearlings will feature at this year's sales and are expected to make quite an impression off the back of the excellent performances of his Northern Hemisphere progeny, including recent Grade 1 winner Lady Prancealot (Ire).
But while outcrosses to the Danehill (USA)-line are becoming more and more desirable among stallions in Australia, Hayes admits understanding the Kantharos sireline will require a level of marketing to an Australian audience.
Sir Prancealot (Ire) | Standing at Cornerstone Stud
"The outcross factor is a big positive. It's not a sireline we are familiar with and will take some marketing and education. Kantharos is a real rising super star of US breeding. He's not a household name in Australia but if you took the time to have a glance at his statistics, you’d be incredibly impressed," he said.
"We’ve pegged ourselves to a couple of outcrosses. Sir Prancealot being one of them and it makes it very easy to mate with those stallions. Speed and outcross is an interesting combination and he has that in abundance."
"Speed and outcross is an interesting combination and he has that in abundance." - Sam Hayes
Hayes said the investment in a US shuttle stallion was a sign of intent that Cornerstone was not willing to take a backward step.
"You can't be half pregnant in the stallion game. We're pretty excited about what Sir Prancealot can do in the next two years, but you have to have other plans as well. Realistically, we are looking to Sir Prancealot and World Of Trouble as our leading stallions, with Amibidexter there to support as a good producer of winners as well."
