The Championships is over for another year and the biggest talking point was the dominance of our antipodean neighbours.
New Zealand-bred horses claimed victory in 7 of the 8 Group 1s across the two days, and finished runner-up with MO’UNGA in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, won by the brilliant UK visitor DUBAI HONOUR.
The Kiwis also trifectaed the Oaks and quinellaed the Derby while Northern Hemisphere bred horses filled the minor placings in both the Sydney Cup and Doncaster.
The Aussies were virtually unsighted.
Obviously, the prevailing wet conditions would have favoured NZ and Europe but Australia’s below par performance at the Championships is more likely a symptom of our ever-increasing obsession with producing 2yo sprinters.
Of the 8 Group 1s programmed during The Championships, 6 are between 1600m and 3200m and yet horses bred in our own back yard can’t win them.
Our obsession with precocious speed is intensified by a similarly growing infatuation with attracting overseas talent to plunder our prizemoney. What these international horses actually bring to the table for the local industry is up for debate.
What we can conclude is that if you are an owner who aspires to compete in elite races over a mile and beyond in Australia, you have a much better chance of success if your horse has a suffix other than (AUS).
Northern hemisphere gallopers are not eligible for Derbies and Oaks which has left NZ to virtually monopolise our classics (as was illustrated again this year).
Despite tragically losing TAVISTOCK in 2019, NZ has a handful of very promising sires ready to fill the void, and eventually another gaping void that will be left when the ageing SAVABEEL retires from stud duties.
A good measure of an emerging sire is if they can produce a Group 1 winner from their first crop and ALMANZOR (pictured), PROISIR, SATONO ALADDIN, TARZINO & CONTRIBUTER have all achieved that. So, it would seem NZ’s future stock is in good hands.
In a year when many Australian syndicators did not buy in NZ, Proven Thoroughbreds was active with 4 purchases.
Three of those purchases from Karaka epitomise what a NZ staying pedigree should look like:
ALMANZOR x DANAHERE filly (Kerry Parker) – $4925 inc GST for 2.5% share
RIBCHESTER x ANICETA colt (Joe Pride) – $5200 inc GST for 2.5% share
ALMANZOR x DEE DAY colt (Joe Pride) – $2850 inc GST for 2.5% share **87.5% SOLD**