Lyndhurst’s stallion duo leading the ranks in Queensland

Image: Better Than Ready (Credit: Lyndhurst Stud)

The state of Queensland got the new season off to a flier last Saturday courtesy of the Tony Gollan-trained Boomtown Boss’ (Spirit Of Boom) success in the opening stakes race, the Aurie’s Star Handicap (Gr 3, 1200m) at Flemington, and as the 2026-27 campaign begins Lyndhurst Stud manager Jeff Kruger is hoping for yet another big year with his leading stallion duo.

Jeff is part of the famed Kruger family that has held ownership of Lyndhurst since 1956, and stands both Better Than Ready (More Than Ready) and Barbaric (I Am Invincible) on the Warwick-based property.

Better Than Ready landed his fourth successive champion sire’s title in Queensland during 2025-26, while the eight years younger Barbaric took champion first-season honours in the state.

Having had 278 runners for the season, Better Than Ready sent out a total of 128 winners to collect between them 220 wins, four stakes victories, and prize-money earnings of $10,378,727 to leave him in 15th place overall in the General Sires’ Table and over $2 million clear of his nearest Queensland-based rival in Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo) – the sire of Boomtown Boss and son of former Lyndhurst champion Sequalo (Rustic Amber).

Meanwhile, Barbaric left it ultra late in the season to stake his claim for the first-season honours, with Armand making a winning debut at Gatton over 1100 metres on July 30 to bring him level on five winners with Jonker, a son of Spirit Of Boom, and ahead overall – with Barbaric’s $232,810 in prize-money earnings narrowly outweighing the $213,975 accrued by Jonker.

“That actually came down to the last race because he and Jonker actually were on five winners apiece at the end,” Kruger told ANZ News.

“Although Barbaric had only had nine runners, and I think Jonker had 19.”

Off an opening fee of $8,800 (all fees inc GST) for his first three seasons, Barbaric made a statement early with quality foals seeing his books increase season after season to cover almost 100 mares by his third year before covering 89 mares in 2025 at a fee of $6,600. He remains at that fee this season.

“His results are encouraging off a small book, he did cover 79 mares in his first crop but we only got 60 odd live foals with mares having bad luck,” Kruger added. 

“We always knew we’d be on the back foot, but it was good to get that first-season sires title over the line.”

Barbaric was sent to Kruger and Lyndhurst by Newgate Farm’s Henry Field in a deal that was originally spoken about at a bar, so Kruger reveals.

“I planted the seed a while ago with Henry at Newgate” he recalls. “He was sitting at a bar seven or eight years ago in Melbourne and I said to him you can’t stand them all so if you get one give me a ring.

“He gave us a deal that was too good to refuse on Barbaric.  

The now 17-year-old Better Than Ready, however, is partly owned by Yarramalong’s Richard Foster and sits alongside some of Lyndhurst’s greats as a multiple winner of the Queensland champion sires’ title.

“He joins a host of other Lyndhurst stallions on this list, the likes of Sequalo, Celestial Dancer, Grand Chaudiere, Smokey Eyes,” Kruger said.

“He looks great. I’m pretty chuffed that he’s gone four years in a row now up here as champion sire in Queensland.”

Better Than Ready’s top performer on the track in prize-money terms was Chidiac, winner of the $1 million Country Championships Final (1400m) under Zac Purton in April and also winner of the Hawkesbury Crown (Gr 3, 1300m) just a month later.

“Look, all it takes is one decent race and that’s what has happened, Chidiac won the $1 million championships race back in April,” Kruger added.

“We had a lead already but that just put him further ahead, and the year before Chrysaor won the Callander Presnell – which is a $1 million race at Randwick. 

“So sometimes, it only takes one race, but that’s the way it is these days.”

With close to 70 per cent winners-to-runners, it is not surprising this is the fourth title for Better Than Ready, who is a son of Vinery’s late top sire More Than Ready (Southern Halo), places him joint-third for most title wins by a Lyndhurst stallion – behind the imported great Smokey Eyes (Stardust) and Celestial Dancer (Godswalk) and alongside Grand Chaudiere (Northern Dancer).

“He was sort of one out of the blue, Richard Foster had been talking about standing the horse but he had nowhere for him to go,” Kruger recalled of the decision to stand the stallion.

“I’d helped him syndicate the horse and he was relatively cost effective, we made money on the syndication before we started.”

As well as the stallion duo, Lyndhurst is renowned for its excellent hosting ability for mares in foal, and Kruger revealed that there are plenty back again for the upcoming breeding season.

“We have 60 mares of our own, and we foal about 120 a year,” he adds.

“Because we’ve got a 24-hour CCTV facility, and have done for 30 years, we’re actually a bit ahead of the times when it comes to that. 

“My father started all that before most of the big farms would have done it, so we have a lot of mares coming just to foal.”

With just the two stallions currently stationed at Lyndhurst, the job Jeff, Griff and their team have done for 2025-26 is quite a remarkable one. Could Better Than Ready make it five?