Vinery Stud will look back on another successful twelve months confident it will lead into an exciting new season in 2019-20.

It heralds the first 2yo crops by Press Statement and Headwater to complement a roster coming off a record-breaking season.

MORE THAN READY is the world’s greatest-ever winner-getter having burst through the 1,800 individual winner mark in July.  Next best is industry icon Danehill on 1,623.

Another major milestone beckons the Vinery flag-bearer if he maintains last season’s strike-rate of 12 Stakes winners.  He currently sits fifth on the honour-roll for sires of Stakes winners (195) and will pass Danzig (198) and a double-century in the near future.

Vinery reports More Than Ready’s latest southern book is filling fast at a $55,000 fee.

ALL TOO HARD is also in the business of breaking new ground with his first three crops from Vinery.

He was the equal Leading Third Season Sire by winners (107) in Australia last season and his progeny won 187 races, which bettered the old record held by Smart Missile (180).

There’s a positive vibe with All Too Hard’s latest crop of juveniles leading into the classics this season.  His 2yo winners-to-runners strike-rate was better than any other NSW-based stallion in the Australian Top 50 2yo Sires.

Lindsay Park’s Fling heads his fillies for the spring carnivals and Jeweliana will chime in for the summer features in Brisbane.  Alligator Blood is another untapped talent with Group 1 trainer David Vandyke. And Steely (Quintessential) started the new season with a bang, breaking his maiden at Hawkesbury for Gerald Ryan on the 1st of August.

CASINO PRINCE sired a century of individual winners for the fourth season in a row.  He totalled 106 world-wide while maintaining a phenomenal 69% winning strike-rate.

His Singapore Horse of the Year Lim’s Cruiser went within a neck of an unprecedented hat-trick in the Lion City Cup Gr.1 earlier this year before travelling to England where he wasn’t out of place in Royal Ascot’s Diamond Jubilee Gr.1 and July Cup Gr.1.

Casino Prince hit a purple-patch of feature winners at the back-end of the season with Baccarat Baby (Sunshine Coast Guineas), The Candy Man (Queensland Premier’s Cup), What’s New (Singapore Silver Bowl & Stewards’ Cup) and Charmed Princess (Grafton Guineas).

The Candy Man is back in work for trainer Barry Baldwin and is being set for the Cameron Hcp Gr.3 at Newcastle in September.

There are no better value-for-money stallions in the Hunter Valley than Casino Prince or his Vinery colleague Pluck at a $6,600 fee.

PLUCK sires tough, consistent gallopers, like Star Boy, who get into a winning groove and refuse to surrender.

Star Boy went into the Ramornie Hcp LR on a hat-trick last month only to be nailed a nose on the line.  He is being aimed at the $1.3million The Kosciuszko at Randwick as is Awesome Pluck who was placed in last year’s Kosciuszko.

Champion NZ trainers Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman produced another Pluck stakes winner in May when 2yo Rhaegar landed the Auckland Futurity Stakes LR.  Their stable has been the launching pad for Pluck Stakes winner Mongolian Wolf (ATC Frank Packer Plate Gr.3) and his Kiwi Stakes performers Gasoline and Pluck That who were subsequently sold to Hong Kong.

Press Statement and Headwater come on stream this season with their first starters conceived at Vinery and they are priced at a $16,500 service fee.

Press Statement (Hinchinbrook) yearlings sold to $340,000 at the Magic Millions and $270,000 at Inglis Classic.  “He was a genuine Group 1 horse and the feedback from the breakers has been very positive,” Vinery General Manager Peter Orton said.  “They’re tough and they’re athletes.”

Headwater (Exceed And Excel) topped first-season sire aggregates at Inglis Classic with buyers taking a shine to his ‘speed on speed’ precocity and good looks.

Aristia provided Vinery with one of the season’s highlights when she carried the big V brand to a Flemington spring double in the Wakeful Stakes Gr.2 and VRC Oaks Gr.1.  She was an $80,000 graduate through Vinery’s consignment to the 2017 Inglis Easter Sale.

Exhilarates followed up with a major payday in the $2million Magic Millions 2YO Classic RL in January.  The Godolphin filly was bred and sold by Vinery for $600,000 at the 2018 Gold Coast Magic Millions.

Other Vinery graduates to win black-type during the season included Kooweerup (SA Breeders Stakes Gr.3), Eckstein (Southern Cross Classic Gr.3) and Special Missile (Scone Cup LR).

Vinery tapped into Exceed And Excel again at the 2018 Inglis Easter Sale when bidding $180,000 for brilliant colt Exceedance.  He came from the clouds to win on debut at Wyong before charging home for an eye-catching second at Rosehill.

“He went shin-sore twice and was still a big baby when he got so far back in those two races,” Orton explained.  “He has bloomed during a spell and hasn’t lost too much race-fitness.”

The Golden Rose is the first of the Group 1 plums on the table for Exceedance and fellow Vinery colts Born A Warrior (I Am Invincible) and Reloaded (Snitzel) before progressing to the Caulfield Guineas or Coolmore Stud Stakes.

Victory in those stallion-making races for any of the trio will rubber-stamp a residency on the roster at Vinery.