HE may have just turned 15, but when Stratum suddenly died of a reported heart attack at his home Widden Stud, two weeks into the serving season last year, the industry was truly shocked.
The 2005 Golden Slipper winner served 22 mares during his 2016 serving time, one of them young Manhattan Rain mare, Ausbred Friend.
Recently I was told that Ausbred Friend foaled her Stratum colt from breeder, Shannon Lawlor who along with enthusiastic parents Chris and Lynne, is a well-known principals of animal pharmaceutical company International Animal Products.
The Lawlors were proud to show off their Stratum colt which was born on August 8 at Fairview Park Stud, Grose Wold. Stratum himself was also foaled in the Hawkesbury Valley, being bred by the now closed Reavill Farm at nearby Freeman’s Reach.
What makes this colt more special is his dam Ausbred Friend is a half-sister to Able Friend, an Australian-bred galloper who swept all before him in 2014 and 2015 and was ranked the world’s best sprinter in 2015. By Sharmadal, Able Friend earned $HK10 million from his 10 wins, and four placings.
Stratum has been an outstanding sire of more than 415 winners, 34 stakes winners including more recent group 1 winners gelding Takedown and stallion Stratum Star.
A dual group 1-winning chestnut of $2.4 million in earnings, Stratum Star, has retired to stand at Widden Stud, and is currently serving his first book of mares.
Two other Stratum sire sons to continue the line, and both represented with their first foals this season, are Va Pensiero, and another chestnut, I’m All The Talk.
A juvenile Sydney group winner, I’m All The Talk stands at Mungrup Stud in Western Australia.
Va Pensiero stands his first season at Kevin Pendergast’s Riverdene Stud, near Wagga Wagga.
The bay stallion was a dual Sydney group winner, winning one of Sydney’s early three-year-old speed tests the San Domenico Stakes-G3.
Other stallions with first foals include 2015 Golden Slipper winner Vancouver (by Medaglia d’Oro), US-bred No Nay Never (Scat Daddy) and Pride Of Dubai (Street Cry), all standing at Coolmore Stud, Jerrys Plains; Japanese bred Read Impact (Deep Impact) at Arrowfield Stud, Scone; Super One (I Am Invincible) at Newgate Farm, Aberdeen; New Zealand bred Kermadec (Teofilo) at Godolphin, Aberdeen, and Irish bred Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) Godolphin, Victoria; Spill The Beans (Snitzel) at Aquis, Queensland; Nostradamus (Medaglia d’Oro) at Rosemount, Victoria; and Rich Enuff (Written Tycoon) at Woodside, Victoria.
