By Black Type Horse Racing, 2 May 2024
In 2024, Swettenham Stud‘s headliner Toronado asserted himself as the number one active sire in Hong Kong, courtesy of the Group 1 success of Victor The Winner and emerging superstar Helios Express. High Chaparral’s classy sire-son continues to rise up the stallion ranks. This season Toronado has produced more Australian winners than ever before and is currently ahead of superstar sires Snitzel and So You Think for winners. Toronado will remain at a fee of $88,000 inc GST, a decision that was not taken lightly as the stallion continues to reach new levels. Boom sire Wootton Bassett‘s blazingly fast son Wooded returns to Swettenham following the sale of his half-sister in 2024 for €2.4 million.
Longchamp’s Gr1 Prix de l’Abbaye (1000m) hero, who is a full-brother to last year’s dominant Gr1 winning 2YO Bucanero Fuerte, remains at $22,000. Blue-blooded Group 1 sire Rubick ($27,500 inc GST) was Victoria’s leading sire of 3YO on earnings, wins and stakes wins last season, and he has continued on his successes this season with Erno’s Cube winning the Gr2 Reisling Stakes. In fact, Toronado ($88,000) and Written Tycoon (Private) are the only Victorian sires with more winners than Rubick this season. I Am Invincible‘s dual Stakes winning 2YO son I Am Immortal covered his largest book to date last season in his 4th year at stud on the back of some very positive feedback from trainers. From only a handful of runners, I Am Immortal has produced impressive debut winner I Am Velvet and stakes-placed filly Immortal Star, who defeated eventual Group 1 winner Broadsiding back in February. The Invincible Spirit line is in high demand and I Am Immortal presents as a value outcross with enormous upside as his first runners continue to hit the track. He will stand again for $13,750 inc GST. Also standing again is Puissance De Lune, a son of the influential Shamardal (USA), who will be available at a reduced fee of $8,800 inc GST. The talented grey has been represented by 183 runners, resulting in 93 individual winners of 246 races, including four stakes winners. Showing remarkable versatility, Puissance De Lune has produced winners in the distance range of 955 to 2600 metres.
