Plenty of quality further afield for 2026

Charyn (Credit: Cambridge Stud)

Breeders in New Zealand and outside of the states of NSW and Victoria have plenty to look forward to this breeding season as new stallions hit the ranks. Having looked at the new editions in both NSW and Victoria over the past couple of days, we now turn attention to eight newbies that will be available outside the big two states, and also across the water.

Starting in New Zealand, their top new recruit looks to be that of Cambridge Stud shuttler Charyn (Dark Angel), a top-class miler in the UK and wider Europe.

The winner of a French Group 2 as a juvenile, Charyn would then go on to be Group 1 placed as a three-year-old before becoming the dominant miler as a four-year-old – taking out a trio of Group 1s in the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr 1, 1m), Prix Jacques le Marois (Gr 1, 1600m) and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) to earn him the title of Cartier Champion Older Horse in 2024.

Bred and sold by Grangemore Stud, the son of Dark Angel (Acclamation) was purchased by owner Nurlan Bizakov’s Sumbe for 250,000gns at Book 2 of the 2021 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Having stood the 2026 northern hemisphere breeding season at Montfort et Preaux for a fee of €35,000 (approx. AU$57,400), he will be introduced to Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay’s stud at a fee of $35,000 (plus GST).

A brother to Mill Reef Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) winner Wings Of War, who now races in Hong Kong for Douglas Whyte, Charyn is out of the Listed-placed winner Futoon (Kodiac).

“The acquisition of Charyn for our stallion roster is the beginning of another exciting chapter for the stud and a very important relationship with Charyn’s owner, Nurlan Bizakov,” Sir Brendan said.

“His status as the highest-rated miler in the world of his year stamps him as an elite performer, and we are excited to show him to the New Zealand industry.”

Another stallion stationed in New Zealand that has arrived from the northern hemisphere is the well-travelled The Foxes (Churchill). 

Based at Novara Park, where he is available at a fee of $10,000 (plus GST), the six-year-old was a three-time Group 2 winner on the track for owners King Power Racing, including on his final race start in the 2025 Huxley Stakes (Gr 2, 1m 2.5f) at Chester. 

The son of Churchill (Galileo) also raced at the elite level on four occasions, running fifth in the 2023 Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f), second in the 2023 Belmont Derby (Gr 1, 10f), and a pair of fourth-placed efforts in the 2023 International Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2.5f) and 2024 Hong Kong Cup (Gr 1, 2000m).

Bred by Barronstown Stud, The Foxes was purchased for 440,000gns by SackvilleDonald at Book 1 of the 2021 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. He is a brother to Listed winner Perotan, closely related to Group 2 scorer Bangkok (Australia) and a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Matterhorn (Raven’s Pass) being out of the winning Darshaan (Shirley Heights) mare Tanaghum.

“The Foxes is bred on the exact same Sadler’s Wells sire line over a Darshaan mare that produced the outstanding sire and sire-of-sires High Chaparral,” Novara Park principal Luigi Muollo said.

“Breeders will also love the depth of this pedigree – he carries a second dam by the legendary Nureyev, the same influential broodmare sire that powered Zabeel to greatness.”

Names that Kiwis will be a lot more familiar with are Group 1 scorers Return To Conquer (Snitzel) and Savaglee (Savabeel).

The former, who is standing at Waikato Stud for a fee of $15,000 (plus GST), was unbeaten in four appearances on the racetrack for Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, winning the Counties Challenge Stakes (Listed, 1100m), Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (Gr 3, 1200m), Matamata Slipper (Gr 3, 1200m), and Sistema Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).

Consigned to the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale by Blue Gum Farm, Return To Conquer was purchased by Te Akau Racing principal Sir David Ellis for $1.3 million. He is out of the unraced Lonhro (Octagonal) mare Vaujany, herself a sister to Surround Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) winner Ghisoni and a half-sister to black-type performer Andermatt (Snitzel).

“He’s a beautiful horse and very precocious,” George Chittick said. “One of the things I took away was, yes, there is plenty of Snitzel in there, but there is a touch of Lonhro, too. 

“I’d be very pleased walking out to get him from the paddock each day and bringing him to the barn or showing him to clients. We’re very excited and proud to be a part of the next stallion for WS.”

Meanwhile, Savaglee will stand for a fee of $17,500 (plus GST) in conjunction with two studs, Simms and Margaux Davison’s Mapperley Stud and the Schick family’s Windsor Park, after a deal involving the two farms and Lion Rock Bloodstock acquired the rising five-year-old shortly after his retirement.

Raced by Dick Karreman’s The Oaks Stud, Savaglee was originally bought by the farm’s general manager Rick Williams on behalf of Karreman as a yearling out of breeder Waikato Stud’s Karaka draft for $400,000 in 2023.

A winner of the Matamata Slipper as a juvenile, the son of Savabeel (Zabeel) would go on to land the Hawke’s Bay Guineas (Gr 2, 1400m), James & Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m), and Levin Classic (Gr 2, 1400m) to add to his feature victory in the New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) – finishing the season as NZ Champion Three-Year-Old.

“I’m really excited to again be involved with Windsor Park and Lion Rock in securing a superb stallion prospect,” Simms Davison said.

“I loved him when we inspected him at The Oaks, he oozes quality and style and is a magnificent physical. Together with his race performance and pedigree he really is the total stud package.”

Moving back to Australia, Queensland will see a pair of new stallion additions in Prague (Redoute’s Choice) and Graff (Star Witness), the former standing at Oaklands Stud for a fee of $8,800 (inc GST), with the latter being stationed at Eureka Stud for $9,000 (inc GST).

Both are Group winners, with Graff landing the 2020 Caulfield Sprint (Gr 2, 1000m) and Prague taking out both the Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) and Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) of the same year.

Graff had previously stood at Kitchwin Hills in NSW, but a move to Eureka was announced mere days ago for 2026. He is already the sire of Grafterburners – a stakes winner with over $2.1 million in prize-money – and was also Group 1 placed in The Autumn Sun’s (Redoute’s Choice) Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m).

“We are delighted to have secured an interest in Graff to stand him in partnership with Australian Bloodstock,” Eureka Stud’s Angus McAlpine said. “They are firm believers in the immense ability and toughness he had as a racehorse and are bullish to support him after seeing these qualities passed on to his progeny.”

Prague has also been on the move, relocating from the Hunter Valley’s Kia Ora to Oaklands after covering 32 mares at a fee of $11,000 in 2025.

A $1.6 million purchase out of Bhima Thoroughbreds for Phoenix Thoroughbreds and Aquis Farm at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, he is a half-brother to Group 1 winner Stratum Star (Stratum) being out of the Pins (Snippets) mare Purely Spectacular.

Over to Western Australia and European import Royal Patronage (Wootton Bassett) will be standing at Darling View Thoroughbreds for an introductory fee of $16,500 (inc GST).

Beginning his career in the UK, where he was a Group 2 winner as a juvenile, the son of Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) then moved to trainer H. Graham Motion in the United States before being acquired by Gai Waterhouse and Johnny McKeever for 300,000gns at the 2023 Tattersalls Horses-in-Training Sale.

He would go on to land the Tramway Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) on his stable debut before later registering a career-high success in the 2025 Canterbury Stakes (Gr 1, 1300m). Retired following a down-the-field run in the All Aged Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) earlier this year, Darling View were able to negotiate a deal to stand the seven-year-old.

“I didn’t like our chances of buying a Group 1 winner of that calibre especially after his sire Wootton Bassett died, but we were able to clinch a stud deal,” Darling View manager Brent Atwell said.

Royal Patronage is out of the winning Dalakhani (Darshaan) mare Shaloushka, herself a sister to Irish Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) placegetter Shalapour being out of a close relative to dual Derby hero Shahrastani (Nijinsky).

Westbury Park will be hoping that Straight Charge (Written By) can provide them with some positives during the breeding season after the recent loss of their popular sire Winning Rupert (Written Tycoon).

A classy two-year-old, Straight Charge landed the Silver Slipper (Gr 2, 1200m), placed in the Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) and Todman Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), and also ran sixth in the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) during the 2023-24 season.

Purchased by Yulong for $270,000 out of Lime Country Thoroughbreds at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, he is a half-brother to winners Staroshka (Star Witness) and Jarbardar (Written By) being out of the I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) mare Matryoshka.

With much discussion about falling foal crops across Australasia in recent years, competition amongst the new stallions for available mares will be fierce  and the two questions we are all trying to predict are, which stallions will be commercial in 2029 yearling sales and which will still be with us 2030 and beyond. Tomorrow we look at the sires’ tables from the 2025-26 season, with some stallions still current and some maybe not.