The right fit for Viking Ruler

The announcement that the royally-bred Viking Ruler will continue his stud life in Victoria is encouraging not only for Victoria’s stallion-starved breeders, but also for the horse himself.

Viking Ruler (b h 1998, Danehill (USA)–Tristalove (NZ), by Sir Tristram (IRE)) will transfer this week from Sir Patrick Hogan’s Cambridge Stud, Cambridge (NZ), to stand at Robert Thompson’s historic Mornmoot Stud, near Whittlesea, only 20kms north of Melbourne.

Thompson said Viking Ruler will be welcome in his new home by taking up residency in the same stallion box that housed Mornmoot’s most famous stallion Century, who died, aged 25, in 1994. Century was crowned Australia’s leading sire in the 1978/79 season – he is the last Victorian-based stallion to achieve the feat.

Viking Ruler won the 2001 Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick – his only win in nine starts – although he also finished second in the 2001 Group 2 AAMI Vase (2040m) at Moonee Valley and the 2002 Group 2 Royal Sovereign Stakes (1200m) at Warwick Farm before injury halted his career.

The stallion has been a resident of Cambridge Stud at Cambridge, New Zealand, since he retired in 2003. It was a fitting place for the stallion to start his stud career as his dam Tristalove (b m 1990, ex- Our Diamond Lover) was bred by Sir Patrick. She is a Group 1-winning granddaughter of the famous stud’s champion broodmare Eight Carat (GB) (by Pieces Of Eight (GB)).

Let’s be fair dinkum, Hogan is not letting go of Viking Ruler because he’s a huge commercial success, as the stallion’s recent Karaka yearling sales results – he averaged only $NZ16,000 from 10 yearlings sold (20 offered) – suggest he’s lost his appeal.

While Viking Ruler has sired a disappointing three Stakes-winners from his five crops of racing age – the multiple Group winner and Group 1 placed Red Ruler, Bart Cummings’ good sprinter and Group 2 winner Kroner and the 2009 Group 1 Queensland Derby winner Court Ruler – he will get a different type of mare in Australia, and it just might suit him.

It’s true that Cambridge gave the good-looking horse his chance, but it is likely the dour mares he received in New Zealand didn’t nick with this horse, who was a bit one-paced himself. Back in Australia, where the Danehill blood is supreme, Viking Ruler will get mares with speedier pedigrees, especially those with Star Kingdom blood – a proven nick to Danehill – as well as more mares linking to different sons of Northern Dancer than Danehill’s sire Danzig.

Viking Ruler’s younger brother Kempinsky, who also stands in Victoria at Independent Stallions, Nagambie, is starting to leave a few winners as his stock mature as 3YOs. Trainer Mick Price has a good opinion of his recent city-winning son of Kempinsky, No Vacancy (br g 2006, ex Lucid Dream (NZ), by Bassenthwaite (GB)), who trounced Guru Bob over 1200m at Moonee Valley on February 2, and Guru Bob followed up by finishing runner-up to star colt Denman in last Saturday’s Group 2 D’Urban Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.

Thompson has good client support at Mornmoot, where he stands the stallions Happy Giggle (by Rory’s Jester), Fomalhaut (Spinning World) and El Cumbres (Hussonet). Thompson claims he has 15 bookings to Viking Ruler at a pre-Easter fee of only $5500 (inc. GST) and his targets will be owners of broodmares looking to breed to race; a good tactic in Victoria as there is a wealth of breeders not involved in the commercial yearling sale side of the industry.

For instance, Makybe Diva’s sire Desert King, also by Danehill, is getting good support under at similar criteria at Bombora Downs, Bittern, on the Mornington Peninsula. In the last four seasons Desert King has covered books of 130, 130, 84 and 73 (2009) at a fee of $9900, yet despite that he doesn’t have a yearling in next week’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, which suggests that those breeding to him are wanting to retain the offspring to race.