A WIN FOR BREEDERS

There has been considerable interest in the 2010 service fees of each of Kitchwin Hills’ stallions – the rising star Dane Shadow and our exciting new stallion Duporth.

In what will be a boon for breeders, Kitchwin Hills has resisted the temptation to increase Dane Shadow’s fee – he will stand in 2010 at an unchanged service fee of $16,500 (inc. GST).

And Kitchwin Hills is excited to announce that Duporth, the handsome Group 1 winning son of Red Ransom (USA), will start his stud career at a value fee of $22,000 (inc. GST).

“I know breeders will be surprised that we haven’t increased Dane Shadow’s fee,” said Kitchwin Hills’ stud manager Mick Malone. “It was something we discussed at length, but we wanted to ensure another 150 or so quality mares to back up last year’s book.

“We are taking a long-term view by not pricing him where many are saying we could. We can see the future benefit by creating two solid books, back to back.

“We have huge plans for Dane Shadow and don’t want to risk anything in building his future. If breeders have a good win out of this then good luck to them, this will only help us all in the future.”

Breeders to Dane Shadow already have had a huge bonus with his 2010 yearlings achieving an average return of more than nine times his fee. In his first four years at stud, Dane Shadow covered small books, but once his stock began racing, so did his profile after he started producing some exciting performers. This led to a book last year double the average of his first four years, and he attracted mares of increasing quality.

Therefore with a marked increase in the quality and quantity of his covers, Dane Shadow is set to go to another level. Breeders in the 2010 season are set to profit off this book when that crop goes to the sale ring, the same year as those bred in 2009 hit the track as 2YOs.

Dane Shadow again will be limited to between 150 to 160 mares, and Kitchwin Hills reserves the right to select the mares he will cover.

DUPORTH TICKS ALL THE BOXES

Duporth offers breeders a rare combination of speed, bloodlines, type and value.

He retires as Red Ransom’s only Australian stallion son to win a Group 1 race over the premier sprint distance of 1200m – as a 3YO he beat a crack field older horses, including the champion Apache Cat, at weight-for-age in the 2009 BTC Cup at Doomben. (Duporth, far right, is pictured mowing down Apache Cat and Bank Robber).

That win capped off a stellar season in which he also won, in the spring, the $1m Group 2 (now Group 1) Golden Rose (1400m, Rosehill) and the Group 2 San Domenico Stakes (1100m, Rosehill), a prestige spring sprint for 3YOs that has also been won by the successful stallions General Nediym, Charge Forward, Testa Rossa and Our Maizcay.

Duporth comes from an exceptional family. His three-quarter brother, Excites, won the 2006 Group 1 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and stands at stud, while another three-quarter brother, Tickets, won the 2009 Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m).

His dam Staging, a Group-winning daughter of Success Express (USA), is on the verge of history – if Tickets can crack it for a Group 1 win, then Staging will join Shantha’s Choice as the only active mares in Australia to produce three Group 1 winners. Breeders will be heartened by the fact that while Duporth is an outcross for Danehill-line mares, his own dam has worked perfectly with Danehill-line stallions to produce Excites (by Danewin) and Tickets (by Redoute’s Choice).

Red Ransom, is proving an outstanding sire of sires, leaving last season’s champion juvenile sire Charge Forward, Domesday and Group 1-producing New Zealand sire Ekraar. He also is the sire of All American and Onemorenomore.

Duporth is an eye-catching, imposing individual, and if he can replicate himself through his offspring, then yearling sellers will reap the rewards in the sale ring.

We believe that Duporth, with his rock star looks, wonderful pedigree and great racetrack performance, is the best value new sire to stand in Australia this year.

Duporth also will cover a limited book, which will assist breeders in their financial outcome at sale time.