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Racing Confidential: Why the Sydney Cup field makes for sobering reading for breeding buffs

Just one of the 23 horses in Saturday’s Sydney Cup field is Australian-bred … and that horse, Zardozi, was conceived in England. Is the Australian staying breed no more?

Ray Thomas
6 min read
April 10, 2025 - 3:44PM
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The record-breaking results at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale earlier this week might have given the racing and breeding industry cause to celebrate but the composition of the Sydney Cup field makes for sobering reading.

There are 20 starters plus three emergencies for the 3200m marathon and 22 of those horses were born overseas.

The only Sydney Cup starter that is said to be Australian-bred is Zardozi – and she was conceived in England!

Godolphin mare Chanderi was served by champion English sire Kingman to southern hemisphere time and sent to Australia in-foal. She gave birth to Zardozi in the spring of 2020.

So, Zardozi is technically Australian-bred but the rest of the Sydney Cup field has a very cosmopolitan feel to it.

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There are nine Irish-bred stayers, six from England, four out of France and three with the New Zealand suffix. This begs the question: What has happened to the locally-bred stayers?

The Queen Elizabeth Stakes line-up is not much better with only two Australian-bred horses – Tom Kitten and Lindermann – among the 14 starters.

It’s often said that the decline of the Australian staying breed coincided with the internationalisation of the Melbourne Cup when Irish stayer Vintage Crop won in 1993.

In truth, there were danger signs before that when the New Zealand-bred horses started dominating our staying races.

Regardless, the Australian racing and breeding industry is very robust as reflected at the Inglis Easter Sales when more than $150 million was spent on some of the best-bred yearlings in the southern hemisphere, and the record race prizemoney levels.

• Inside James Cummings’ ‘outside the box’ Sydney Cup tilt with Zardozi

Also, there is no argument that Australia is renowned for producing world-class sprinters and often our best speed horses clean up at Royal Ascot in England.

But there is no simple solution to the decline in Australian-bred stayers although Arrowfield Stud supremo John Messara is a proponent of increasing prizemoney for the three-year-old classic races like the Derby and Oaks to encourage breeders and owners to invest more in stayers.

This comes after Arrowfield Stud’s emerging young stallion Castelvecchio sired the filly Aeliana, an outstanding winner of the ATC Australian Derby last week.

Castelvecchio is also the sire of Verona Rose, one of the main chances in the ATC Australian Oaks (2400m) on Saturday.

There are 10 starters in the Oaks and eight are Australian-bred including wonder filly Treasurethe Moment (by Alabama Express), already the winner of the VRC Oaks and chasing an eighth successive win in the fillies classic on Saturday.

And you can’t get any more Australian than last spring’s Melbourne Cup winner, Knight’s Choice, who was bred at Norm and Di Bazeley’s Elswick Stud at Walcha in northern NSW.

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WHAT also can’t be disputed is the success of The Championships format.

The Championships was first introduced in 2014 and it certainly lives up to it’s advertising slogan of the “Grand Finals of Australian Racing”.

Day One of The Championships featuring the Doncaster Mile and ATC Australian Derby produced exceptional racing and Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes-Sydney Cup meeting promises more of the same.

There are no fewer than 23 individual Group 1 winners at Royal Randwick on Saturday including 11 proven topliners in the Queen Elizabeth.

With no NRL games scheduled in Sydney this weekend, Royal Randwick deserves a bumper crowd on Saturday.

• TURF TALK: The horse to send everyone home a winner on Day 2 of The Championships

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I’VE often felt one thing Australian racing doesn’t do well is recognising historical achievements.

Earlier this week, trainer Ciaron Maher eclipsed the national prizemoney but the feat received virtually no fanfare.

As of Thursday morning, Maher’s starters had earned more than $51.73 million to eclipse Chris Waller’s record of $51.66 million set last season.

Maher has more than three months of the season remaining to add to his tally and potentially set a mark that could stand the test of time.

Waller is still a chance of retaining prizemoney honours with his stable having already won more than $42 million prizemoney.

Both trainers have multiple runners on Day Two of The Championships where there is $12.7 million on offer.

On a similar theme, Via Sistina, the Waller-trained mare who is the $1.85 favourite for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, can equal one of the most significant records in Australian racing.

Via Sistina is attempting a seventh Group 1 win for the season, a feat achieved only once previously by the mighty Winx in 2018-19.

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SYDNEY’S improved sprinter Headwall has earned a start in the $5 million The Quokka at Ascot in Perth later this month.

Trainer Matthew Smith said a deal was struck after Headwall after his unlucky third in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes behind Briasa and Overpass last week.

Briasa is likely to go to the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 19 but Headwall will again clash with dual Quokka winner Overpass in Perth.

“Headwall will be leaving for Perth on Monday,’’ Smith confirmed.

“The horse is in the best form of his career. He was unlucky in the Oakleigh Plate (fourth) and the Newmarket (second) and again in the TJ Smith.

“But what it shows is that he has a big race in him. We are excited to be taking him to Perth and hopefully he gets his chance.’’

Smith confirmed Sydney’s star young jockey Zac Lloyd had agreed to ride Headwall in the rich Perth sprint on April 26.

Meanwhile, Smith’s immediate focus is on emerging stayer Waltham in the Group 1 $2 million Sydney Cup (3200m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Waltham is backing up after finishing eighth behind Cup favourite Alalcance in the Chairman’s Quality last week.

“I think Waltham’s run was OK the other day,’’ Smith said.

“They went too slow mid-race and it didn’t suit him. He’s the type of horse that needs to get into his rhythm so he needs a genuine tempo.

“The Sydney Cup has a big field so I’m hoping that produces some pressure but they do tend to go slow in these staying races.

“Waltham’s a genuine stayer and although he might still be 12 months away he deserves his chance in Saturday’s race with only 50kg.’’

• 14 experts, 4 Group 1s: Saturday feature race tips and betting strategies for Randwick

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WHAT THEY SAID

“Alalcance has pulled up great after Saturday, she was brilliant to watch in the Chairman’s. I wouldn’t have thought 3200m is any issue but then again going to ‘two miles’ is a different ball game although she gives every indication she will stay the trip.” — Trainer Adrian Bott.

“It is most likely Royal Patronage will go to the (Champions) Mile race in Hong Kong. All going well, he will be my first international runner,.” — Bott again.

“It is very rarefied air. Winx has been the benchmark so to be challenging her record for most Group 1 wins in a season is quite staggering. It is very exciting.’’ — Yulong’s Vin Cox about Via Sistina’s bid for history in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

“My biggest fear watching some of these races over the carnival is they crawl and sprint because dropping back to the 2000m trip could make it hard for him. Maybe if we are able to slide over from that draw, it could help him out.” — Issy Paul about Dubai Honour.

“Rousham Park has a nature that he wants to fight, that’s his strong point. Via Sistina will be hard to beat and Dubai Honour is unbeaten in Sydney so it’s a strong field. I think Rousham Park is up to their level.” — Trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka.

“I always like to travel around and I think riding in Sydney at least once in a jockey’s career is important.” — Christophe Lemaire, rider of Rousham Park.

“If the yearlings aren’t good enough for Easter, they go into the other two sales. This sale is for the best of the best. If we have a yearling that doesn’t have the pedigree it can bring the whole sale down. But clearly the Australian buyers themselves love the product, the New Zealanders are buying it, there are plenty of Asian buyers, and some North American investors, too.” — Inglis managing director Mark Webster after the record-breaking Easter Yearling Sale.

“Despite trialling impressively last week, a slight amount of heat was detected in his leg this morning (Wednesday). While he’s trotting soundly, we believe it’s prudent not to push the boundaries. This issue is in the opposite leg to his original injury and is therefore unrelated, but the horse has nothing more to prove. We have now reached a point where we believe he deserves a well-earned retirement.” — Chris Waller, trainer of Alligator Blood.

Originally published as Racing Confidential: Why the Sydney Cup field makes for sobering reading for breeding buffs

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/superracing/nsw-racing/racing-confidential-why-the-sydney-cup-field-makes-for-sobering-reading-for-breeding-buffs/news-story/2dae6237eb5026eff9360b0586fbb8b3