Kingstar Farm is coming into the new season with a big dose of optimism, having had their best ever yearling sales result in 2024 and are anticipating great things from the first crop of their young sire Time To Reign.
“Kingstar’s philosophy is pretty simple, Matthew is a part-owner of Newgate Farm and shareholder in their colt syndicate. He has shares in stallions there, Kia Ora, Darley and of course Kingstar Farm amongst others. Kingstar support all of these stallions with our growing broodmare band,” said Cook.
“We look for value, so often aren’t buying at the top end, but that’s what gets us results. We had our best yearling sale results (to date) in 2024.”
Kingstar Farm took 16 yearlings to the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and sold them all, with a sale-topper of $1.4million for the Extreme Choice colt out of Mischief Night (Shamardal {USA}) who was purchased by Highway Farm. They also sold a Deep Field filly out of Forest Fantasy (Stratum) for $475,000 to Curran Bloodstock. Kingstar Farm also took another 16 yearlings to the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale where a pair of Extreme Choice yearlings sold well; the colt from Boomstress (Spirit Of Boom) sold for $275,000 to Matt Vella Bloodstock, while the filly from Clockwork Orange (More Than Ready {USA}) was purchased by Byerley Bloodstock for $200,000.
Positive reports on Time To Reign’s 2-year-olds
“Time To Reign’s first crop yearlings sold exceptionally well from Gold Coast in January through to Inglis’ May Sale, averaging over seven times the service fee with all, bar one, selling. They’re just athletes and were well-found by some good judges so he deserves heavy support this season. There are some very positive reports coming from the leading stables. Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have one called Crown The King who’s on track for the first 2-year-old trials in Sydney, and Gary Portelli has an unnamed gelding heading the same way.”
Time To Reign is group winning juvenile and a half-brother to G1 Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain). A pre-Christmas 2-year-old, Time To Reign won on debut in Sydney in October, beating future Group 1 winner Bivouac. He won his second race too, then came back in the autumn to win the G2 Silver Slipper S and was fifth in the G1 Golden Slipper. A virus curtailed his 3-year-old spring campaign and ultimately his career.
His sire Time For War was a Group 2-winning son of Snitzel who only had two crops before dying of colic, and he sired five stakes winners from his 122 live foals at a very respectable rate.
“We’ve selected over two dozen of our broodmare band to back him and have had renewed interest from shareholders and the public based on the talk about his 2-year-olds. It’s an exciting time for Time (to Reign).”
A few of the mares going to Time To Reign are: Listed winners Honey Flower (Bel Esprit) and Jasminka (NZ) (Sakura Seeking {USA}), stakes-placed winner Abba (Pendragon) from Black Caviar’s (Bel Esprit) family as well as her winning daughter Flying Mia (Flying Artie), unraced mare Dowager Girl (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) who is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Dowager Queen (NZ) (Savabeel), and Flying Squad (Flying Artie) who is a half-sister to G3 Widden S. winner Amercement (Lonhro).
Group-placed winner Jehannedarc (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) joins the list of Kingstar mares heading to Time To Reign, as does Lunatique (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) who is a young, unraced, full sister to triple Group 1 winner Fierement (Jpn). Dual Listed winner Marquardt (NZ) (Shamardal {USA}), stakes placed 2-year-old winner Shamurt (Murtajill) who is the dam of unraced 2-year-old Crown The King (Time To Reign) mentioned by Cook and Shelled (Shooting To Win) who is a winning half-sister to Listed winner Baby Corn (Exceed And Excel) dam of recent G3 Carbine Club S. winner Kaizad (Capitalist).
Listed winner Tweet (Magic Albert) and Group 3-placed winner Whey Sauce (Jpn) (Kurofone {USA}) who is the dam of Group 1-placed winner Prioritize (USA) (Tizway {USA}) round out some of the quality mares Kingstar Farm are sending to capitalise on Time To Reign in 2024.
Extreme matchups ahead
In 2023, Kingstar Farm sold Emirate (Extreme Choice) for $1 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale to Aramco Racing and Mick Price Racing. The now 3-year-old colt was unbeaten in his two starts as a 2-year-old. “We’re hopeful that Emirate could emerge as one of the top 3-year-olds this season,” said Cook.
Kingstar’s association with Extreme Choice features G1 Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside, who was bred and sold by the farm at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. It also includes Group 3 winner Wollombi, bred and sold by the farm at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, who now has a full brother born this season.
“The dam of Emirate, Sweet Bouquet, also has an exceptional full sister to Emirate bred to Northern Hemisphere time and is going back to Extreme Choice. We have two Northern Hemisphere-bred Extreme Choice fillies born early this year, the other is out of Princess Emmy, the dam of two stakes horses. Both fillies are very exciting. Matthew is a trader and may offer them at (Inglis) Easter or being Northern Hemisphere timed, they could go into work and head to Europe if they show promise, as Matthew races a few horses in France.”
Winning mare Sweet Bouquet (Dream Ahead {USA}) is a half-sister to Group 2 winner and sire Santos, Group 3 winner Melagrana (Fastnet Rock), and the dam of Group 3 winner Sebonack (Capitalist). Emirate is her first foal, and she also has a 2-year-old colt by Time to Reign.
“Champagne Boom is another we hope to send to Extreme Choice. She looks to have a bright future at stud and has a Capitalist colt earmarked for the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale.”
Champagne Boom (Spirit Of Boom) won the Listed Debutant S. and her first foal is promising 3-year-old gelding Stoli Bolli (Deep Field). She has a classy 2-year-old by North Pacific with Chris Munce and a Capitalist yearling. Champagne Boom is out of a winning half-sister to G2 Sandown Guineas winner Scenic Warrior (Brave Warrior) and Listed winner of 12 races Stanzaic (Raise A Stanza {USA}).
“The dam of Dublin Down may go to Extreme Choice or return to Exceedance at Vinery, that may depend on timing. Her yearling colt by Glenfiddich is seriously exceptional and will be a sales highlight.”
Dublin Lass (O’Reilly {NZ}) was a wonderful race mare winning seven races including two at Listed level. As a broodmare, her first two live foals are winners, led by G3 Pago Pago S. winner Dublin Down (Exceedance) who has just turned three. Her 2-year-old filly by Exceedance has been named Dalkey.
“Mischief Night, the dam of the $1.4 million colt will go back to Extreme Choice.”
Unraced mare Mischief Night (Shamardal {USA}) is the dam of dual Group 3 winner Our Playboy (Sebring) who won six races and has earnings over $600,000. Mischief Night is a half-sister to Group 1 winner and exciting young sire Pierata, as well as Group 3 winner Ashokan (More Than Ready {USA}), and her dam is Group 3 winner November Flight (Flying Spur).
Other stallions add to the mix
“Many of our mares are going to busy Hunter Valley stallions, so we always have a Plan B, timing is everything when a mare is ready so we often switch stallions so they doesn’t miss an opportunity to get in foal.”
“We’ve already had three very good Artorius foals this season, we may have to find a few more for him. We’ll support the first-season sires Militarize, King’s Gambit and Ozzmosis over there as well.
King’s Gambit, winner of the Listed Debutant S. at two and G2 Roman Consul S. at three, retires to Newgate Farm in 2024 at a fee of $22,000. “The dam of Gr.1 winner Lady Laguna, Catalina De Lago, is going to King’s Gambit which is a big coup for him.”
Catalina De Lago (NZ) (Encosta De Lago) won three races in New Zealand up to a mile and Lady Laguna (Overshare) is just her second foal. She hasn’t had a foal for the last three seasons but is currently due to State Of Rest. Catalina De Lago is a half-sister to Group 2 winner She Will Be Loved (Strategic).
“Stay Inside’s dam, Nothin Leica Storm, is due to foal a Capitalist after missing a few years and is booked to Ozzmosis.”
Nothin’ Leica Storm (Anabaa {USA}) has been a frustrating breeder, with only three live foals in nine seasons at stud, missing every other year including her last three years in succession. In 2023, she was served by both Extreme Choice and Capitalist. Champion 2YO in Australia Stay Inside was her second live foal, and she also has 4-year-old mare Stormy Revolution (Russian Revolution) who was a winner at three last season.
| Mare | Sire | 2024 Booking | 2024 Foal | 2023 Yearling | 2022 2-Year-Old |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Bouquet | Dream Ahead | Extreme Choice | Extreme Choice filly | / | Time To Reign colt |
| Champagne Boom | Spirit Of Boom | Extreme Choice | In The Congo/North Pacific | Capitalist colt | North Pacific filly |
| Dublin Lass | O’Reilly | Exceedance/Extreme Choice | / | Glenfiddich colt | Dalkey |
| Mischief Night | Shamardal | Extreme Choice | Stay Inside | / | Extreme Choice colt |
| Catalina De Lago | Encosta De Lago | King’s Gambit | State Of Rest | / | / |
| Nothin Leica Storm | Anabaa | Ozzmosis | Capitalist/Extreme Choice | / | / |
This article was written by Renee Geelen for TTRAusNZ.
