Shuttle Program nears completion
Craig Tompson - Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Article taken from www.breednet.com.au
A little like NASA, could it be that Australia's shuttle program is nearing completion with the trends reversing during the last decade for the breeding industry.
Ten years ago the top 20 stallions on the sires stable were dominated by shuttle horses or imports, with the local product, if not out of favour, a little out of the picture.
The overseas horses that came were embraced as giving our industry access to the best international bloodlines and, in plenty of cases, the best international performance.
Over time some of it has fired in this part of the world, and some of it has certainly not, fingers burned and fortunes made but that's the nature of the beast.
At the end of the day the proof of the pudding was in the eating, and those that performed have been given the chance and elevated the local racehorse back to the top of the heap.
In 2002 the champion stallion was Danehill with a couple of his sons, Flying Spur and Danewin making the top 20.
Of the top 10 stallions in 2002, just two were horses that had performed on Australian racetracks, Zabeel and Strategic. There were 11 in the top 20 that were locally performed as racehorses.
Move ahead five years to 2007 and it was the Danehill-athon.
The super sire had left sons galore performing at the top level on our racetracks and they had taken it straight into the breeding barn.
Seven of the top 10 stallions were now locally performed racehorses, with 14 of the top 20 being locals in total.
Of that top 20, eight were sons of Danehill, and another was Danehill himself, in sixth place.
Interestingly Zabeel sat fourth, the last soldier of the Sir Tristram era, the previous horse to carry the "super sire" tag in this part of the world.
Now as our 2012 season draws to a close we have nine of the top 10 stallions being locally performed racehorses, with More Than Ready the only shuttler to be seen.
Born and Bred Aussie, Fastnet Rock is topping the 2012 Sires List
18 of the top 20 are likewise, with Elusive Quality the only other overseas performer to make the list.
Danehill remains the dominant influence with eight of the top 20 either by him or by a son but this season there's an extra Zabeel flavour.
The NZ based champion sits 16th on the table but has two sons also in the top 20 in Reset and Savabeel, and his grandson Lonhro established at the top.
Savabeel, the 2004 Cox Plate winner raced by Dean Watt, sits firmly in the top 20
For many breeders the shuttle stallion era has been a rollercoaster but they came in numbers and their genetic benefits coupled with the ability to produce quality racehorses for our conditions have brought us to where we are now.
The future seems certain to continue with the local product in favour with the Danehill influence through Redoute's Choice and Fastnet Rock but the Zabeel line may have some kick left yet.
Savabeel is a horse on the rise, Lonhro is established and even Pierro deserves a mention, soon to be the next big thing to head to the breeding barn.
Then what of High Chaparral? He could yet loom large with big numbers of youngsters coming and his big banger son So You Think about to enter the fray.
2012 SIRES TABLE BY EARNINGS (at July 3, 2012)
1 Fastnet Rock (AUS) Danehill
2 Lonhro (AUS) Octagonal
3 Redoute's Choice (AUS) Danehill
4 More Than Ready (USA) Southern Halo
5 Commands (AUS) Danehill
6 Bel Esprit (AUS) Royal Academy
7 Encosta de Lago (AUS) Fairy King
8 Exceed and Excel (AUS) Danehill
9 Snitzel (AUS) Redoute's Choice
10 Testa Rossa (AUS) Perugino
11 Mossman (AUS) Success Express
12 Stratum (AUS) Redoute's Choic
13 Reset (AUS) Zabeel
14 Choisir (AUS) Danehill Dancer
15 Zabeel (NZ) Sir Tristram
16 Magic Albert (AUS) Zeditave
17 Blackfriars (AUS) Danehill
18 Elusive Quality (USA) Gone West
19 Savabeel (AUS) Zabeel
20 Show a Heart (AUS) Brave Warrior
2007 SIRES TABLE BY EARNINGS
1 Flying Spur (AUS) Danehill
2 Encosta de Lago (AUS) Fairy King
3 Redoute's Choice (AUS) Danehill
4 Zabeel (NZ) Sir Tristram
5 Lion Hunter (AUS) Danehill
6 Danehill (USA) Danzig
7 Commands (AUS) Danehill
8 Scenic (IRE) Sadler's Wells
9 Fusaichi Pegasus (USA) Mr. Prospector
10 Rubiton (AUS) Century
11 Strategic (AUS) Zeditave
12 Danzero (AUS) Danehill
13 Danehill Dancer (IRE) Danehill
14 Testa Rossa (AUS) Perugino
15 Canny Lad (AUS) Bletchingly
16 Catbird (AUS) Danehill
17 Dance in the Dark (JPN) Sunday Silence
18 General Nediym (AUS) Nediym
19 Sequalo (AUS) Rustic Amber
20 Desert King (IRE) Danehill
21 More Than Ready (USA) Southern Halo
2002 SIRES TABLE BY EARNINGS
1 Danehill (USA) Danzig
2 Zabeel (NZ) Sir Tristram
3 Rhythm (USA) Mr. Prospector
4 Royal Academy (USA) Nijinsky
5 Scenic (IRE) Sadler's Wells
6 Desert Sun (GB) Green Desert
7 Serheed (USA) Nijinsky
8 Dehere (USA) Deputy Minister
9 Grand Lodge (USA) Chief's Crown
10 Strategic (AUS) Zeditave
11 Canny Lad (AUS) Bletchingly
12 Rubiton (AUS) Century
13 Encosta de Lago (AUS) Fairy King
14 Carnegie (IRE) Sadler's Wells
15 Snippets (AUS) Lunchtime
16 Octagonal (NZ) Zabeel
17 Rory's Jester (AUS) Crown Jester
18 Flying Spur (AUS) Danehill
19 Clang (AUS) Bellotto
20 Danewin (AUS) Danehill