RECENTLY arrived from Australia with Hallowed Crown to cover this spring at Kildangan Stud is the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas star Shooting To Win.
Like Hallowed Crown, he retired to stud at Kelvinside in Australia about six months ago and he was very popular with local breeders there at a fee of A$38,500, which was more than three times the fee that Irish breeders are being asked to pay.
Described by Kelvinside’s Alastair Pulford as “an awesome looking son of a great stallion” and adding that “people who come to see him will be staggered by his physique”, Shooting To Win was acquired by Darley at the end of his racing career. He won both his starts as a two-year-old, both at six furlongs, including a minor stakes at Canterbury.
It was at three that Shooting To Win improved dramatically, scoring by three lengths in the Group 2 Stan Fox Stakes over seven and a half furlongs at Rosehill, with the very smart Scissor Kick second.
He was third behind Hallowed Crown in both the Group 1 Golden Rose at Rosehill and the Group 1 Randwick Guineas, then showed great determination to win the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas over a mile in a time that was faster than either Lonhro or Redoute’s Choice.
Shooting To Win is one of six Group 1 stars sired in his first four crops by Northern Meteor, a son of Encosta De Lago who scored in the Group 1 Ascot Vale Stakes at Flemington. Deep Field, an own-brother of Shooting To Win, won five races including the Group 2 Linlithgow Stakes at Flemington and he also started a new career as a stallion in Australia a few months ago.
listen here
Their dam Listen Here is a daughter of the champion American sire Elusive Quality and she carried off the listed Cinderalla Stakes at Morphettville.
Her dam is a half-sister to the New Zealand Group 1 star Emerald Dream, while this is also the family of champion Danewin, with five Group 1 wins to his credit, and his brother Commands, the sire of Epaulette, another young Australian sire standing at Kildangan.
There are now 13 extremely well-bred stallions covering at Kildangan this year and Cape Cross, Exceed And Excel, Raven’s Pass, Shamardal and Teofilo have already made very successful starts to their stud careers.
Dawn Approach and Epaulette will have their first runners this season, while the first crop of another champion, Slade Power, are foals this spring.
There are five newcomers this year, the 2000 Guineas star Night Of Thunder, French Navy and Fulbright, as well as Hallowed Crown and Shooting To Win, standing their first seasons in Ireland after covering in their native Australia last autumn.
Won four races, £534,338, from 6 furlongs to 1 mile, at 2 and 3 years including, Beck Caulfield Guineas, Caulfield, Gr.1, Stan Fox Stakes, Rosehill, Gr.2, also placed second in Ming Dynasty Handicap, Randwick, Gr.3, and third in De Bortoli Golden Rose Stakes, Rosehill, Gr.1, Girvan Waugh Randwick Guineas, Randwick, Gr.1. Retired to stud in Australia in 2015 and retires to stud in Ireland in 2016.
Stands at: Kildangan Stud, Monasterevin, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
Contact: Gerry Duffy, Eamon Moloney or Anthony O’Donnell
Telephone: +353 (0) 45 527600
Email: enquiries@darleyireland.com.
Website: www.darleystallions.com
Fee: €7,000 October 1st, Special Live Foal