OAKLANDS Stud would have rightful claims on being declared the Stud of the Year if such a title could be bestowed.
When the Queensland thoroughbred industry gathered for its annual awards presentation evening on August 14, Oaklands Stud celebrated victory in three important categories.
It claimed the Queensland Stallion of the Year through Lion Hunter. The deceased stallion, sire of Group 1 runners Gold Edition, Lovely Jubly, Rampant Lion, Midnight City and Upilio, captured the gong for the fourth consecutive year.
Oaklands principal Neville Stewart said: “Lion Hunter was fantastic. He was a great sire for Oaklands and a great sire for Queensland and Australia and it is a big effort for a stallion to be a leading sire when he has no young progeny.
Lion Hunter closed the 2007-8 season with progeny earnings of more than $3.5m and Gold Edition (x Glimmers – Success Express USA) and Chinchilla Rose (x Chiara-Last Tycoon Ire) were the major contributors.
Royal Diploma captured the Champion Broodmare honour for Oaklands Stud.
The dam of Group 1 AJC Galaxy Handicap (1100 metres) Typhoon Zed, Royal Diploma has an exciting future according to Stewart.
“She is a young mare and to have a Group 1 winner so early is great. It is a real career shaper,” he said.
Oaklands has retained a Tsuimai-Royal Diploma filly to race and breed, ensuring the line continues. They have since sent Royal Diploma to Ferocity (Lion Hunter-Chiara-Last Tycoon Ire) after rejecting offers to have her covered by interstate stallions.
Besides his win in the Galaxy, Typhoon Zed also sealed placings in the Group 2 Melbourne Racing Club Caulfield Sprint and the Group 2 Victoria Racing Club Salinger Stakes.
The Oaklands Stud treble was completed when Pure Theatre (Nureyev-A Goodlookin Broad USA-Broad Brush USA) was named Queensland’s first season sire for 2007-8.
Despite the massive disruptions caused by the shutdown of racing through the Equine Influenza drama, Pure Theatre’s progeny earned more than $100,000 on the track.
His winners included the Mark Webb trained Que and Bradford, formerly with Webb and now with Kelly Doughty.
Stewart is expecting further good results from the stock of Pure Theatre, which showed his best as a three-year-old when successful in the Group 3 Guineas Prelude before placings in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas and Group 2 AAMI Vase.
“Pure Theatre brings a whole new dynamic with Nureyev to Queensland. They are precocious, tough horses that should get better as late two-year-olds and three-year-olds.” Stewart said.
Stewart said the treble could be attributed to his faith in the Queensland breeding industry.
“Don’t be fooled into sending better mares to New South Wales because you will not get a better result.” he said.
“Queensland breeders should realise their progeny is just as good as New South Wales and they should stay here and support their local breeding and racing industry rather than sending their good mares south.”
The success for Pure Theatre has given his foal daughter (pictured) from Transparent something to which to be proud. The filly is a member of Pure Theatre's crop of 2008-9.
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