All roads led to the Hunter Valley last week for the annual round of stallion parades when studs open their gates to the public and broodmare owners get a chance to make last minute decisions on just which stallion to choose for a favoured mare, it’s a fun mix of horses and social activity offering a great insight into the Australian breeding industry.
Captivant is one of three stallions at Kia Ora Stud and is the pride and joy of his breeder Senga Bissett, who was in the crowd on Saturday to snap a picture of her Group I winning colt.
“You never dream you will breed a colt that’s good enough to stand at a farm like this,” she said.
“They will give him every opportunity to succeed and I’m just so proud of him.”
Bissett sold Ashleigh Thoroughbreds and is now retired, but has much to look forward to as she retained an interest in the yearling brother to Captivant that was bought by China Horse Club / Newgate / Go / Trilogy for $625,000 at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale this year.
Prague was holding court at Kia Ora while Caroline Searcy and Shane Wright waxed lyrical about his prospects and they made reference to the fact he had covered the dams of two runners in the G3 San Domenico Stakes.
That fact became an important one when one of those mares turned out to be Electric Charge, whose son Libertad won the race! She produced a colt by Prague last spring for Rheinwood Pastoral and is due to foal to him again now.
Story from Breednet
