Benbatl to stand for A$22,000 in first southern hemisphere season

New recruit Benbatl, a son of the breed-shaping Dubawi, will spearhead the Woodside Park Stud stallion roster and will stand for an introductory fee of A$22,000 (£11,450/€13,350), adding depth to the Vobis-focused line-up of six sires.

Shalaa, himself the sire of 20 metropolitan winners since the start of the calendar year, has had his fee slightly reduced to A$19,800, while the consistent Rich Enuff earned himself a small increase in fee to A$13,200 on the back of strong racecourse results.

Woodside Park owner Eddie Hirsch has reduced the fees of barnmates Foxwedge (A$9,900), dual Quokka-producing sire Vancouver (A$9,900) and Delaware (A$7,700) for the 2024 breeding season in line with the current subdued market sentiment.

Woodside’s Mark Dodemaide returned from Japan on Wednesday after inspecting the Big Red Farm-based Benbatl, the winner of the Dubai Turf, Bayerisches Zuchtrennen and the Caulfield Stakes in Melbourne, and after the latest visit he was convinced more than ever that the Dubawi stallion has the right credentials to be a success in Australia.

Dodemaide said of the well-bred stallion who was runner-up to Winx in the 2018 edition of the Cox Plate: “He really is like father, like son. Benbatl is a touch above 15.3 hands, very muscular with a good shoulder, a deep girth, short cannons and good feet.

“If you like Dubawi, you will love Benbatl.”

By the same sire as Darley shuttler Too Darn Hot, who had his southern hemisphere fee increased to A$110,000 earlier this week, Benbatl’s Japan-bred yearlings and foals also impressed Dodemaide.

“They included a colt out of Native Code who made 72,600,000 yen (A$700,000) at the Select Foal Sale last year,” he said.

“When you were rated 125 and inside the top ten horses racing in the world in any one year, you are a serious racehorse and he also has a big pedigree. 

“He is out of champion three-year-old filly Nahrain and his granddam Bahr is a Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner at Royal Ascot. He is also directly descended from champion New Zealand mare La Mer.

“We see Benbatl as an elite miler who stretched to 2,000 metres [mile and a quarter], winning his second last start at Newmarket [the Joel Stakes] in a track record 1:34.56 seconds.” 

As for Shalaa, who joined the Woodside roster last year after crossing from Arrowfield Stud, Dodemaide is of the belief the price offers breeders a “proven stallion” at a value fee. 

“Shalaa is already up to 16 stakes winners, so fits the proven category,” he said.

“He really keeps ticking over the city winners having 20 since January 1 this year, including Whizz Kid, Mornington Glory, Jennilala and the extremely exciting two-year-old Roselyn’s Star for trainer John O’Shea.”

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