BRINGING so much joy to so many people through his life, Octagonal – a racehorse who developed a huge cult following – was euthanised in October due to his decline in physical health at his home of Godolphin Stud, Denman, at the age of 24.
Earlier this year I was fortunate to visit “Woodlands” in the Upper Hunter Valley where Octagonal and his other retired stud mate Strategic resided in their retirement.
Both looked in fine fettle and appeared happy and content, living and cared for in luxury.
This year’s W.S. Cox Plate at Moonee Valley, won again by Winx, marks the 21st anniversary of Octagonal’s first stirring victory in the nation’s premier weight-for-age event as a three-year-old in Melbourne.
In the following autumn, Octagonal won the thee-year-old Triple Crown in Sydney – group 1 races Canterbury Guineas, the Rosehill Guineas, and the Australian Derby.
Winning 10 group 1 races, Octagonal kept his tally of Cox Plates intact for the next two seasons, creating a record of three successive wins in the prestigious group 1 event.
The 1996 Australian Horse Of The Year, Octagonal won 14 races and had seven seconds, including the group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes and Champagne Stakes, the VRC Victoria Derby, and AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and earned over $5.89 million.
A New Zealand foal bred at the famed Cambridge Stud, Octagonal belonged to the first crop by its champion sire Zabeel, by Sir Ivor’s champion imported sire son Sir Tristram.
He was a yearling sale purchase by high profile Sydney owners Jack and Bob Ingham, and was trained throughout his career by John Hawkes at their Warwick Farm headquarters at Crown Lodge.
Fondly known as the Big O when racing, Octagonal was revered for his ability to continually prevail in close finishes.
As a five-year-old he recorded his 10th group 1 race in the STC Mercedes Classic, a victory that saw him become the highest stakes earning horse in Australian racing at the time.
While siring 23 stakes winners, Octagonal’s crowning glory from stud duties is Lonhro, also an Australian Horse Of The Year.
Another to thrill the Australian racing crowd, Lonhro – who stands at Darley Kevinside, Aberdeen, and commands a $88,000 service fee – won 11 group 1 races and took a champion Australian sire title as the sire of 58 stakes winners.
Now the hunt is on to look for Lonhro’s successor, including his young sons Pierro, whose first crop are two-year-olds, Denman, Benfica and first-season sire Exosphere.
Strategic’s influence lives on in progeny
STRATEGIC may be retired from stud duties at Godolphin’s Denman district property “Woodlands”, however his influence lives on, particularly when studying results of last season’s group 1 winners.
A leading sire by Zeditave, Strategic daughters produced three group 1 winners last season. Other daughters by Strategic who have produced stakes winners in more recent times includes expatriate Godolphin galloper Holler, by Commands, Le Romain, by US-bred Hard Spun, and $1 million earner Griante, by Good Journey.
The 24-year-old Strategic himself has sired 25 stakes winners. His more recent major flag bearers include the ill-fated colt Meurice, and $1.3m earning mare Platelet.
A half-brother to successful sire Clang, Strategic won seven from 18 starts when racing in the mid 1990s.
He was a brilliant juvenile, winning the STC Silver Slipper Stakes-G2, the Pago Pago Stakes-G2, and Skyline Stakes-G3, before advancing on as a three-year-old to win the group 1 MVRC Australia Stakes in Melbourne.
