Benbatl to stand for $22,000 in first southern hemisphere season
New recruit Benbatl, a son of the breed-shaping Dubawi (Dubai Millennium), will spearhead the Woodside Park Stud stallion roster and will stand for an introductory fee of $22,000 (all fees inc GST), adding depth to the Vobis-focused line-up of six sires.
Shalaa (Invincible Spirit), himself the sire of 20 metropolitan winners since the start of the calendar year, has had his fee slightly reduced to $19,800 while the consistent Rich Enuff (Written Tycoon) earned himself a small increase in fee to $13,200 on the back of strong racecourse results.
Woodside Park owner Eddie Hirsch has reduced the fees of barnmates Foxwedge (Fastnet Rock) ($9,900), dual Quokka-producing sire Vancouver (Medaglia d’Oro) ($9,900) and Delaware (Frankel) ($7,700) for the 2024 breeding season in line with the current subdued market sentiment.
Woodside’s Mark Dodemaide returned from Japan on Wednesday after inspecting the Big Red Farm-based Benbatl, the winner of the Dubai Turf (Gr 1, 1800m), Bayerisches Zuchtrennen (Gr 1, 2000m) and the Caulfield Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) in Melbourne, and after the latest visit he was convinced more than ever that the Dubawi stallion has the right credentials to be a success in Australia.
“He really is like father, like son. Benbatl is a touch above 15.3hh, very muscular with a good shoulder, a deep girth, short cannons and good feet,” Dodemaide said of the well-bred stallion who was runner-up to Winx (Street Cry) in the 2018 edition of the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m).
“If you like Dubawi, you will love Benbatl.”
By the same sire as Darley shuttler Too Darn Hot, who had his southern hemisphere fee increased to $110,000 earlier this week, Benbatl’s Japan-bred yearlings and foals also impressed Dodemaide.
“They included a colt out of Native Code who made 72,600,000 yen (AUD$700,000) at the Select Foal Sale last year,” he said.
“When you were rated 125 and inside the top ten horses racing in the world in any one year, you are a serious racehorse and he also has a big pedigree.
“He is out of champion three-year-old filly Nahrain and his grand-dam Bahr is a Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner at Royal Ascot. He is also directly descended from champion New Zealand mare La Mer.
“We see Benbatl as an elite miler who stretched to 2000 metres, winning his second last start at Newmarket [the Joel Stakes] in a track record 1:34.56 seconds.”
Benbatl’s rostermate Shalaa, who joined the Woodside roster last year after crossing from Arrowfield Stud, and Dodemaide is of the belief the price offers breeders a “proven stallion” at a value fee.
“Shalaa is already up to 16 stakes winners, so fits the proven category,” he said.
“He really keeps ticking over the city winners having 20 since January 1 this year including Whizz Kid, Mornington Glory, Jennilala and the extremely exciting two-year-old Roselyn’s Star for trainer John O’Shea.”
Rich Enuff’s fee was increased slightly, up from $11,000 last year, on the back of his consistent results and two recent stakes winners in Western Australia.
Three-year-old Oscar’s Fortune downed the state’s golden girl Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni) in the Roma Cup (Gr 3, 1100m), the key lead-up to last week’s The Quokka (1200m), won by Vancouver’s Overpass for the second year in a row. Oscar’s Fortune finished third in the $5 million slot race.
The Maureen Daly-owned filly Siren Assault also won the Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Ascot earlier this month before finishing fifth to potential star Bustling (Frosted) in the Karrakatta Plate (Gr 2, 1200m) last weekend, while First Light Racing’s filly Abounding won the $3 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m) on the Gold Coast in January.
“Rich Enuff sits on 69.2 per cent winners to runners and he’s had two recent Group winners in Western Australia,” Dodemaide said.
“In total, Rich Enuff has eight stakes winners including the outstanding Abounding, Dosh, Rich Fortune and Lempicka.
“Importantly, from a trader’s perspective, he has five winners in Hong Kong including two very talented horses, Wunderbar and Mighty Stride.”
Dodemaide has labelled Foxwedge as the “best value stallion in Australia” while he holds a similar opinion about Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) hero Vancouver who sits at 69 per cent winners to runners ratio.
The experienced industry figure also said that breeders were “raving about” the track record-breaking miler Delaware’s first foals as the stallion prepares for his third season at Woodside Park.