Farewelling Lonhro: Australian icon on the racecourse and in the breeding barn

I can still recall his astounding win in the 2004 VRC Australian Cup. It appeared the dark brown galloper was in trouble in the straight but like a true champion, the five-year-old stallion found extra to get-up on the line to salute.

Then his final two starts were a win in the Group 1 STC George Ryder Stakes over Grand Armee, before the tables were turned with Lonhro finishing second in the Group 1 AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes, in front of a huge, disappointed Randwick crowd.

In a star-studded career, Lonhro raced 35 times for 26 wins, including 11 Group 1 races, earning $5.7 million which would equate to many more millions in today's prizemoney language.

He was a mid-December born foal, born on the now Godolphin-owned Woodlands in between Jerry's Plains and Denman.

Bred and raced by the then owners Bob and Jack Ingham, Lonhro became the property of Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum after the Thoroughbred giant secured the Inghams' bloodstock enterprises in May 2008. Like his New Zealand-bred sire Octagonal, by New Zealand and Australian champion sire Zabeel, Lonhro was a pin-up horse of Australian racing and caused much fanfare when he retired to Woodlands in 2004.

Breeders flocked and Lonhro rewarded them to become a champion Australian sire, champion sire of two-year-olds, and a leading sire of three-year-olds among his national titles.

He sired over 1000 winners of which 97 were stakes winners and 13 Group 1 winners including Pierro, Kementari, Lyre, Lindermann, Aristia, Denman, Mental, Exosphere, Benfica, and Bounding.

Lonhro became a sire of sires including current active stallions Exosphere and Encryption in Queensland, Impending in Victoria, Denman at Twin Hills, Cootamundra, and Pierro - a champion Australian sire and a stalwart at Coolmore Stud, Jerrys Plains.

This Sir Tristram sireline prominently continues via Pierro's $5.8m track earner and young sire son Pierata, which now has his first two-year-olds racing. These includes dual Melbourne stakes winner Coleman, also second in the Group 1 ATC Golden Slipper Stakes and third in the Group 1 Sires' Produce Stakes, and Group 1-placed Fearless.

Lonhro's legacy also continues via his broodmare daughters, which have produced over 100 Group winners including So Si Bon, Zapeteo, Osborne Bulls, Golden Mile, and up-and-coming three-year-old Barber.

Documenting the deeds of Lonhro, the great horse almost had his 14th Group 1 winner at Randwick on Saturday when Amenable ploughed through the heavy conditions to finish second in the Group 1 ATC Schweppes All Aged Stakes - the final Group 1 event in the state for the season.

With the second on the heavy 10 track, the four-year-old gelding - yet to win a stakes race and was also second in the Group 3 VRC Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap last month - now has prizemoney of over $700,000.

Magic Time also relished the heavy conditions to win the All Aged Stakes in brilliant style to give the four-year-old mare her second Group 1 win and a total of six wins from 11 starts.

This was much to the delight of connections - Cranbourne trainer Graeme Begg and owners John and Trish Muir - who bred the outstanding mare at their Southern Highlands breeding property Milburn Creek Thoroughbreds, Wildes Meadow.

Winning her first Group 1 race, the Rupert Clarke Stakes on a good track at Flemington last November, Magic Time is a first crop member by Yarraman Park's hot stallion Hellbent, and is by its champion Australian sire I Am Invincible.

Recent efforts of Manaal, winner of the Group 1 ATC Sires Produce Stakes, helped encourage buyers to push a colt's price to $80,000 which topped the Inglis Gold Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction in Melbourne last Sunday.

Both Manaal and the colt, from Viascon, are by first crop juvenile sire Tassort, a Brazen Beau stallion which stands at Newgate Farm, Aberdeen.