Patinack recognises a trend

The decision by Patinack Farm to bolster their 2011 stallion stocks with two Derby winners is further evidence of a growing demand in Australian racing for stayers.

There is no doubt Australia owners are starting to realise that patience is a great reward and that most of the richest races for horses older than three are those races run from 2000m and further.

Patinack Farm two weeks ago announced it had invested in the 2010 Group 1 Prix de Jockey Club (French Derby, 2100m, Chantilly) winner Lope de Vega (IRE), and this week it has bought the 2009 Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) winner Monaco Consul (NZ).

Lope de Vega (ch c 3, Shamardal (USA)-Lady Vettori, by Vettori (IRE)), also won the Group 1 Poule D’Essai des Poulains (French Guineas, 1600m, Chantilly), so he has a degree of speed that will suit the middle ground. His form tapered in his final three starts, finishing 11^th behind Workforce in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m, Longchamp) before his retirement.

Lope de Vega will cover his first northern hemisphere season in early 2011 at Ballylinch Stud, County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Monaco Consul (br h 4, High Chaparral (IRE)-Argante (NZ), by Star Way (GB)) was injured when 14^th behind Americain in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) on November 2. He also won the 2009 Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m, Randwick) and his trainer Michael Moroney said after the colt’s Derby win that he felt Monaco Consul was more of 2000m horse than a true stayer.

Both horses will stand at Patinack Park, Richmond Grove, next spring.

Patinack Farm owner Nathan Tinkler admitted he was conscious of the trend towards middle-distance horses and stayers in his media release after the purchase of Monaco Consul – albeit a document that spelled his name Tinker.

Of course, next year we will also see the champion So You Think retire to Coolmore Stud where he will join his sire High Chaparral, who has just finished his first Australian spring covering mares.

The first indication of this move by owners and trainers away from precocious speed was at the 2010 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Premier Yearling Sale when Australian buyers clamoured over themselves like locusts in the Mallee to get hold of anything that was either bred or looked like a stayer – and that was a year free of High Chaparral, who didn’t shuttle in 2007 because of equine influenza.

Horses by Zabeel are always in demand at Karaka, but at the last sale buyers couldn’t get enough of yearlings by staying influences like Pentire and Golan. Even John Thompson, from New Zealand’s Rich Hill Stud, admitted he was caught by surprise by the surge of interest in Pentire. “I would have liked to have had more of them to sell,” he said.

Rich Hill sold a colt, from Amristar Jet, for $NZ600,000 – others sold for $NZ450,000, $NZ330,000 and $NZ240,000. Another Pentire colt, from Goodness Me, sold at Inglis Easter for $350,000. Not bad off a $NZ25,000 service fee.

I expect a similar growth in interest at Karaka next month, especially with High Chaparral’s second last Windsor Park crop to go under the hammer, and of course we will see a good number of youngsters by the great Zabeel, who at 24 is in the sunset of his career.

And while there are those that will be their staying horses as yearlings, there is a host of agents and trainers overseas trying to buy the next Americain – and like the prices for staying horses at the yearling sales, the vendors are waiting and the prices have gone up.

Photo: Monaco Consul beating Extra Zero in the 2010 Victoria Derby at Flemington.