Sires’ titles hotting up as season-end approaches
With the end of the 2025-26 campaign fast approaching, there are still a quartet of sires’ titles across both sides of the Tasman Sea that still theoretically hang in the balance.
Having wrapped up the first-season sire titles in Australia and New Zealand, Coolmore sensation Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) is still chasing the great Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) in the race to be crowned Leading 2YO Sire in Australia.
Sitting just over $30,000 short of the late Arrowfield Stud stalwart, Home Affairs will have a big runner hit Morphettville this weekend as the Team Hayes-trained Jacaranda returns in the Lightning Stakes (Listed, 1050m).
In what is the final stakes race run for two-year-olds, and three-year-olds, this season, the juvenile filly will be bidding to provide her sire with a big push on the final weekend with success in the Listed contest – one that will see the winner claim a first-prize cheque of $65,200.
The Coolmore-owned Jacaranda was awarded ANZ News’ Maiden Of The Week title after cruising to a debut 5.8-length victory at Seymour on January 15.
Bumped straight up to stakes class following that success, Jacaranda then produced a pair of fifth-placed efforts in both the Inglis Millennium (RL, 1100m) and TAB We’re On 2YO (Listed, 1000m) before heading for a break.
Beaten just 1.2 lengths in the former contest by subsequent Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) hero, and Snitzel’s leading two-year-old prize-money contributor, Fireball, Jacaranda is a $5 third-elect for Saturday’s Lightning behind dual-winning three-year-old Cavalry Girl (Bivouac) and Dequetteville Stakes (Listed, 1050m) scorer Never Ordinary (Dirty Work). Jacaranda has drawn barrier four for Kayla Crowther.
“She’s a filly that the trainers have always had a high opinion of and they’ve indicated that she has come back in good form,” Coolmore’s marketing and nominations manager, Tom Moore, told ANZ News. Despite holding a dual nomination in a richer 2yo only race at Caulfield, the lure of potential blacktype for the well bred filly may prove too tempting.
“With the good barrier draw now she will likely go to Adelaide and she is a filly with a whole lot of upside going forward so she’s one to follow throughout the early part of the spring.”
Coolmore Australia principal Tom Magnier purchased Jacaranda out of Vinery Stud for $300,000 at the 2025 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Bred by Greg Perry, she is the sixth winner from as many foals to race out of the unraced Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) mare Gracie’s Lass, herself a half-sister to Group 1 winner Delectation (Shamardal) and out of the stakes-winning mare Grace And Power (More Than Ready).
“She’s a well-bred filly that we intend to breed from in time when she has finished her racing career,” Moore added.
“They [Hayes brothers] will plot a path with her, depending on how she goes this weekend. They know the calendar.”
Alongside Jacaranda, Home Affairs has two further runners entered over both Sunday and Monday, while Snitzel has a significantly higher amount over the coming week, meaning the filly’s performance on Saturday could be all the more important for Coolmore.
The Leading First Season Sires’ is not the only title going down to the wire in Australia, with Darley’s Bivouac (Exceed And Excel) and Coolmore’s late shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) also separated by a narrow margin in the race to be crowned Leading Second Season Sire.
Bivouac led the title race by $49,823 at the time of writing on Wednesday, helped further by the maiden victory of stakes-placed filly One Day At A Time.
Having run third in the Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (Listed, 1000m) on debut back in October, the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained juvenile won at the fifth attempt on Wednesday in a 1000-metre contest at Sandown-Hillside, defeating Egyptian Dancer (Portland Sky) by 1.5 lengths under Jye McNeil.
“He’s [Calvin McEvoy] always had a good opinion of her,” said stable representative Mitch Whelan. “She’s shown plenty. Obviously only half a length off them in the Maribyrnong Trial in the spring and she’s going really well.
“It’s nice to see her knock it off and Jye really deserves it as he comes in and works hard for us a couple of mornings a week. I’m just really happy for him.
“She’s always been a nice type. Probably still not a heap of horse there, but she’s growing and she’s going the right way. She’s very correct and has a lovely action and does everything well. Hopefully she can be a player in the spring and we’ve got something to look forward to.”
Wednesday’s win added a further $27,500 to Bivouac’s prize-money kitty in the second-season sires’ race and the son of Exceed And Excel (Danehill) has plenty of runners to come in the next few days, as has, in fairness, Wootton Bassett.
The sires’ titles that are tightly contested over in New Zealand are the corresponding ones to those in Australia, the Leading 2YO Sires’ and Leading Second Season Sires’.
Leading the way in the 2YO Sires’ is Newgate Farm’s Russian Revolution (Snitzel), who had a narrow lead of just $13,850 over Westbury Stud’s El Roca (Fastnet Rock) at the time of writing on Wednesday, with the latter named having much the higher amount of nominations in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Cambridge Stud shuttler and reigning NZ Champion First Season Sire, Hello Youmzain (Kodiac), who enjoyed an inconsequential maiden winner in Sydney on Wednesday, has a nice $44,547 cushion over Windsor Park’s Circus Maximus (Galileo) in the race to be crowned Leading Second Season Sire. Both have runners entered in New Zealand over Saturday and Sunday.