With the serving season underway, broodmare owners and breeders were treated to extravagant wining and dining during last month's stallion parades in the hope to sway people's minds, if not yet decided, to use their horse this stud season.
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Following the Louth races, I headed south to attend the north-eastern Victorian inspections of horses in the region.
The weather may have been cool, but the equine talent was 'red-hot' as several hundred attendees landed at Godolphin's immaculate Northwood Park, near Seymour, the state-of-the-art Yulong - in the Mangalore district, and history-ridden Widden Victoria near Riddles Creek, just north of Sunbury.
Group 1 winner Paulele was welcomed in as the new Godolphin/Darley stallion at Northwood Park with the handsome chestnut bringing a different sireline branch to the great Galileo.
Winner of eight races and $2.4 million, Paulele is by English classic winner Dawn Approach, a son of English Derby winner New Approach, both one-time shuttlers to Godolphin's Hunter Valley property, Kelvinside.
Paulele joined Impending, Kermadec, Earthlight, Blue Point, Brazen Beau, Ghaiyyath, and Street Boss, whose fee is $66,000 fee, for Northwood Park's lineup.
While 21-year-old champion Australian sire Written Tycoon is well proven, young stallions Alabama Express, Grunt, Lucky Vega, Tagaloa, Pierata, and new-boy Diatonic looked ready to take Yulong to new dynasties.
Like VRC Blue Diamond Stakes-G1 winner Tagaloa, Diatonic is by outstanding Japanese sire Lord Kanaloa which belongs to the iconic Mr Prospector sireline.
Widden Victoria welcomed its new recruit, Bruckner, a Group 1 placed stakes winner by Snitzel. The handsome brown horse stands alongside the proven Magnus, Nicconi, Star Witness, Gold Standard and Overshare - its youngsters being Russian Camelot, Doubtland, and Dirty Work.
Nagambie's showcase property, Swettenham Stud - owned and managed by Adam Sangster - had several stallion-parades with its trump-card being Irish bred Toronado, a High Chaparral horse now commanding an $88,000 fee.
The outstanding sire paraded along with its other proven sires Puissance De Lune and Rubick, and young horses I Am Immortal, and second seasoner Wooded, an Irish bred son of Wootton Bassett.
Smaller properties within the region also opened its doors to visitors including neighbour Leneva Park and the time-honoured Blue Gum Farm near Euroa, now co-owned and managed by Sean and Cathy Dingwall.
Transferred from the Hunter Valley's Newgate Farm, Flying Artie - sire of first crop Group winning Melbourne mare Afoora - looked in fine condition, while ATC Todman Stakes-G3 and Breeders' Plate-G3 winner Sejardan is set to continue the Sebring sireline.
The newer Leneva Park stands first season Japanese bred and triple Melbourne Group 1 winner Fierce Impact, by Deep Impact, and Irish bred Invincible Spirit horse Royal Meeting, whose oldest progeny are set to begin juvenile careers.
Vale Show A Heart
Show A Heart, the last linesire branch to the great Star Kingdom, died recently at his long-time home at Glenlogan Park in south-east Queensland.
Show A Heart's only commercial stakes winning sire son, Toorak Toff - trained by Rick Hore-Lacy to win two Group 1 Melbourne races and $1.2m in stakes - holds Star Kingdom's last living sireline thread standing at Kingsley Park, Cygnet, Tasmania.
Aged 25, the Queensland-bred Show A Heart won Group 1 races as a two, three, and four-year-old, to secure six wins four at Group 1 level.
At stud, Show A Heart proved an immediate success being crowned champion Australian first season sire, then continued his stud success taking many Queensland champion sires' titles.
Apart from Toorak Toff, Show A Heart sired over 20 stakes winners with others including Melbourne Group 1-winning geldings Heart Of Dreams, earned $1.6m, and Woorim, $1m.
By Bletchingly grandson Brave Warrior, Show A Heart also proved his worth as a broodmare sire. While his standout Group 1 winner - as a broodmare sire - is Miss Cover Girl, interestingly Group winners and current stallions standing at stud produced from Show A Heart mares are Winning Rupert, Extreme Warrior, Barbaric and Swear.
