11th June 2026
When DUBAWI (Dubai Millennium) retired to stud in Australia in 2007, the Australian foal crop exceeded 18,500.
After just three southern hemisphere seasons and six individual Group One winners, it is fascinating to consider how different our horse population may have looked had he continued to shuttle.
Fast forward almost two decades, 6,000 fewer foals and with a fresh lick of paint due for application to the Pattern, Dubawi’s influence is still well felt.
Through his sons TOO DARN HOT, GHAIYYATH and NIGHT OF THUNDER (who shuttled just once), DUBAWI now makes up a significant component of the leading sires by Stakes Winners / Runners from Southern Hemisphere foaled progeny featured below.
Yes, stallions that did not shuttle can effectively be ruled out of this discussion, but it remains intriguing how well a select group of European-bred and raced stallions have performed in Australasia.
With the fewest number of stallions shuttling since well before the days of Bob Hawke sculling beers at the cricket, the commercial reality is obvious: many of these horses are now considered too valuable to risk them turning left at the front of the plane.
As highlighted in today’s TDN article, The Rise Of The Super Sire, fewer stallions are increasingly responsible for a larger share of the sport’s economic outcomes.
With top-heavy prizemoney races disproportionately influencing the Champion Sire Table, why not assess stallions by Stakes Winners / Runners from southern hemisphere-bred foals?
Draw your own conclusions, but when analysing the Top 100 alongside this season’s service fees and the weight of numbers behind certain stallions, it makes for an interesting read.
