Breeding
In Australia
A Nursery of Champions
The Australian breeding sector is a global leader on any metric: over 12,000 foals are born each year, on farms that offer horses the chance to run in wide open spaces and, most importantly, have a history of producing champion after champion on the world stage.
Australia has been breeding thoroughbreds since Europeans first arrived over two centuries ago and our colonial bloodlines have been frequently replenished and improved – creating a locally bred horse that is renowned for its speed and soundness.
Australia is a great place to breed and race thoroughbreds, with a huge and diverse industry that covers every state and territory
The Hunter Valley in NSW is home to many top farms, and the 2022 season was a record-breaker with almost 20,000 mares covered and a high foal rate. The industry offers many chances for racing glory, with big sales events, bonus schemes and rich races for sales graduates. The weanling market is also booming, with some smart deals leading to big profits.
The industry has over 300 stallions, with I Am Invincible being the most expensive at $275,000. His rise from a modest fee to a superstar sire shows how the Australian breeding scene is always changing and growing. Australia’s breeding industry is the heart of racing dreams, where every foal has the potential to become a champion.
What Makes Australia Unique
In the land Down Under, racing is not just a sport—it’s a spectacle that captivates the nation
Paddocks that are the size of farms in most other countries; an environment that allows horses to be foaled and raised outside all year round; the continual improvement of the best bloodlines from around the globe, along with significant investment from local and international breeders means Australia is a thoroughbred nursery unlike any other.
We are, of course, renowned for our sprinters: in the past two decades, 16 horses born and raised on these shores have been rated the world’s highest rated sprinter. Of course, we’ve also produced many stars at other distances too, such as the world champion Winx and Hong Kong’s highest prizemoney earner of all time, Golden Sixty.
There is a breeding industry in each of the six states, with the largest concentration of thoroughbreds and farms in the Hunter Valley, some three hours drive north of Sydney. Victoria and Queensland also have significant broodmare populations.
Our breeders pioneered shuttle stallions in the 1880s– a trend that continues to this day – allowing our local bloodlines to be diversified and improved with horses like Last Tycoon, Danehill, Dubawi, Street Cry, Medaglia D’oro and, more recently, the likes of Justify and Too Darn Hot.
Some of our biggest farms are all commercially minded and open their gates to client horses, allowing anyone to have their bloodstock raised by the most successful nurseries. Our breeders are also sellers, not collectors, which allows people the opportunity to buy into some of our best bloodlines.
History
Revolutionising Racetracks: The Aussie Thoroughbred Tale
The Australian thoroughbred industry, now one of the biggest and strongest of its kind in the world, started out with just a single stallion, three mares and three yearlings which arrived with the first European settlers in 1788.
It has since grown to produce a thoroughbred horse population second only in size to that of the United States.
Although there are stallions in every state and territory, the breeding industry is predominately located in the states of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, which between them produce around 85 per cent of the annual foal crop.
For the first 150 years of European settlement, the Australian thoroughbred population was dominated by English bloodlines and featured stallions such as Musket (the sire of Carbine), Lochiel, Valais and Delville Wood.
Star Kingdom: Racing Royalty that Transformed an Empire
However, it was the arrival of the Irish-bred, Star Kingdom, in 1951 who did more than any other horse, up until that time, to shape the local breed.
Star Kingdom, who raced as Star King in England, proved a perfect match for the growing trend towards speed lines ahead of stamina.
Star Kingdom would sire the first five winners of the Golden Slipper – Todman, Skyline, Fine And Dandy, Sky High and Magic Night – making him the most sought after stallion in Australia.
Becoming Australia’s leading sire on five occasions, Star Kingdom died in 1967 but his impact was felt for decades with his sons and grandsons carving out their own careers at stud. Among Star Kingdom’s most successful sons was Biscay who in turn produced the outstanding sire, Bletchingly, sire of the legendary Kingston Town.
Danehill: The Maestro of
Modern Racing
The modern era though has been dominated by the Danzig stallion, Danehill, who was raced in England by his breeder Prince Khalid bin Abdullah and arrived in Australia in 1990.
Danehill would become Champion Australian Sire for nine of the 11 seasons between 1994-2005, was leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland for three years and was twice France’s Champion sire.
Ultimately, Danehill would produce 89 Group/Grade One winners and 347 stakes winners in total, while worldwide earnings for progeny exceeded more than $636 million.
And his influence continues today with his grandson, Snitzel, a four-time champion sire.
Other shuttle stallions have also played their part, with Street Cry the sire of Australia’s greatest recent horse, Winx, while Anamoe, Godolphin’s leading Group One winner is a son of Breeders’ Cup champion Street Boss.
