THESE days it is a regular event for stallions to shuttle from Europe to Australia and back, but Epaulette is more widely travelled than most. This outstanding Australian sprinter-miler began his stud career at Kildangan in 2014, then covered back in Australia later that year, before standing a season at Dalham Hall at Newmarket in 2015.
Now after another autumn down under, he has returned to Kildangan to cover there at the very reasonable fee of €7,000, much less than the A$22,000 which Aussie breeders have to pay!
Epaulette’s yearlings have fetched prices up to 150,000gns at Newmarket. Epaulette has made a brilliant start to his stud career, one of the top newcomers of 2017, with 23 individual winners of 29 races and over £250,000 from his first European crop of two-year-olds.
Now, early in his first Australian season, he is sire of Meryl, who won the Group 3 B J McLachlan Stakes at Doomben in December. Four of his European winners are blacktype performers, including McMunigal, second in the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown.
Quickly off the mark as a two-year-old, Epaulette easily won his first two starts, both over six furlongs, following a debut success at Rosehill with victory in the Listed Black Opal Stakes at Canberra. He then returned to Rosehill for the Group 2 Todman Slipper Trial and was a very close second, beaten only a nose.
Epaulette was even better in his second season, scoring in the Group 1 Golden Rose over seven furlongs at Rosehill in record time, then adding the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude before running third in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas over a mile. He took on the brilliant mare Black Caviar in the Group 1 Darley T J Smith Stakes over six furlongs at Randwick and was a very creditable second, before achieving his second Group 1 triumph in the Doomben 10,000 over 1,350 metres, in which he had six Group 1 winning sprinters behind him.
Epaulette is the best son of Commands, a top-class Australian miler by Danehill and an own-brother to champion Danewin.
Commands has already sired 76 blacktype winners, including three other multiple Group 1 stars – Appearance, Undue and Purple.
Epaulette is a three-parts brother to the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas star Helmet, who sired dual Group 1 star Thunder Snow in his first season at Dalham Hall.
Their dam Accessories has produced two other group winners in Australia.
EPAULETTE (AUS), Bay 2009. Won five races, $1,708,750, from 6 furlongs to 7 furlongs, at 2 and 3 years including Carlton Mid Doomben 10,000 Stakes, Doomben, Gr.1, De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose Stakes, Rosehill, Gr.1, The Age Caulfield Guineas Prelude, Caulfield, Gr.3, Kamberra Wine Black Opal Stakes, Canberra, L, also placed 2nd Darley T J Smith Stakes, Randwick, Gr.1, Spotless Todman Slipper Trial, Rosehill, Gr.2, and 3rd Beck Caulfield Guineas, Caulfield, Gr.1 and Rydges Parramatta Run to the Rose, Rosehill, Gr.3.
Retired to stud in 2014, and sire of the winners of 31 races, and over £400,000, including MERYL (AUS), McMunigal (IRE), Sankari Royale (IRE), Field Of Roses (IRE) and Omaha Beach (IRE)
Stands at: Kildangan Stud, Monasterevin, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
Contact: Eamon Moloney, Anthony O’Donnell, Caoimhe Doherty or Gerry Duffy
Telephone: +353 (0) 45 527600
Email: enquiries@darleyireland.com.
Web: www.darleystallions.com
Fee: €7,000