Click here for the full list of Australian Group I winners.
Some 72 Group I events were run in Australia and won by 60 individual Group I winners.
Horses bred here in Australia dominated as they should with only five European imports claiming Group I wins which is pleasing given they often make up the majority of the field in many of our open age staying events from 2000m upwards.
Those that were successful are Our Ivanhowe (Ger), The United States (IRE),
Gallante (IRE), Magic Hurricane (IRE) and Gailo Chop (Fr), who is trained
overseas.The Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate this year were all run on tracks rated a good 3 which may have been a contributing factor in the success of Australasian bred horses in these iconic races.
Kiwi breds also more than made their mark with 14 saluting at the highest level including Melbourne Cup winner Prince of Penzance.
They were particularly effective in the 'classic' races with the Victoria Derby (Tarzino), Australian Derby (Tavago), Australian Oaks (Sofia Rosa) and Queensland Oaks (Provocative) all falling to Kiwi breds, while last season's Victoria Derby winner Preferment returned to win a further three Group I events.
The NZ suffix was also carried by Criterion, Lucia Valentina, Music Magnate, Turn Me Loose, Kermadec, Suavito, Azkadelia and 2YO Group I winner Sacred Elxir, so whatever way you look at it, this was a vintage season for the Kiwis.
With five Group I wins to her credit, superstar mare Winx (pictured Steve Hart) (Street Cry (IRE) was
the most successful racehorse going through the season undefeated.The Chris Waller trained four year-old was sent for a spell on a high note after winning the Doncaster Handicap, so we can hopefully expect more of the same when she returns this spring.
Brilliant sprinter Chautauqua (Encosta de Lago) and classy stayer Preferment (Zabeel) were next best with three Group I victories each.
The only other multiple Group I winners with two each were classic three year-old Tarzino (Tavistock), high class four year-old Turn Me Loose (Iffraj (GB) and the evergreen speedsters Buffering (Mossman) and Flamberge (Exceed and Excel).
The most successful sires with three Group I winners each were Encosta de Lago (Chautauqua, English, Vanbrugh), More Than Ready (USA) (Perfect Reflection, Eagle Way, Prized Icon), Not a Single Doubt (Extreme Choice, Good Project, Single Gaze) and his sire Redoute's Choice (Peeping, Howard Be Thy Name, Abbey Marie).
Those stallions with two Group I winners were Street Cry (IRE) (Winx, Stay With Me), Tavistock (Tarzino, Tavago), Teofilo (IRE) (Kermadec, Palentino), Written Tycoon (Capitalist, Music Magnate) and Zabeel (Preferment, Provocative).
Worth noting for their lack of any Group I winners this season are Fastnet Rock and Snitzel, seen by many as the most commercial sires in the country.
On the basis of stallion farm, Darley came out on top, their stallions past and present siring 13 individual Group I winners with a particular mention for ill-fated Street Cry, who sired two himself and also had one each sired by his sons Street Sense (USA) (Politeness) and Street Boss (USA) (The Quarterback).
Street Cry will also take top honours this year as Champion Australian Sire by earnings when the season finishes at the end of July, his success sure to reflect warmly on his brilliant Group I MRC Blue Diamond winning son Pride of Dubai, who takes up stud duties at Coolmore in the spring.
The Danehill sireline overall was the most successful as we have come to expect
producing 16 individual Group I winners, but there is growing success for other
branches of the Northern Dancer line most notably through Sadler's Wells and
his full brother Fairy King, who between them produced 14 Group I winners.These sirelines also dominate on the dam side of the pedigree with Fairy King's champion son Encosta de Lago the most successful broodmare sire, his daughters producing four individual Group I winners – Japonisme (Choisir), Sofia Rosa (Makfi), The Quarterback (Street Boss) and Peeping (Redoute's Choice).
Next best were Strategic, sire of the dam of three Group I winners – Holler (Commands), Le Romain (Hard Spun (USA)and Griante (Good Journey (USA) – and Danehill, who also sired the dams of three Group I winners – Turn Me Loose (Iffraaj), Prized Icon (More Than Ready (USA) and Magic Hurricane (Hurricane Run).
Danehill's sons also made a big impact here with his various sire sons Commands, Danehill Dancer (IRE), Danzero, Danewin, Flying Spur (2), Lion Hunter, Lucky Owners and Redoute's Choice all tasting success as Group I dam sires.
The Danehill blood is not going anywhere fast, so breeders need to work out how to make best use of it going forward to produce the champions we crave.
The European experience has shown us that line breeding to different branches of Northern Dancer can be extremely successful and we have a plethora of commercial options for breeders seeking to replicate those types of matings.
As the Danehill blood begins to dissipate and appear further back in our pedigrees it seems inevitable that what started as a negative, the frequently much maligned double Danehill cross, may ultimately in time become a positive as the variant branches of the Danehill line establish themselves.
We're not there yet, but time changes all things.
