The momentum continues to build as Woodlands-sired stars deliver on every front. Another 76 winners hit the track across Australasia last week, underlining the depth and consistency of our stallion roster and reaffirming why Woodlands Stud continues to lead both on the track and in the breeding barn.

With spring racing now in full swing and the breeding season nearing its first month, there’s a buzz of excitement across the industry. Our stallions are delivering victories in everything from maiden races to feature events, breaking records, leading sire tables, and producing exceptional early-season results in the breeding shed. Last week also marked a significant milestone as our sires celebrated their 100th individual 2-year-old winner for the year.

Here are the main highlight's from last week:

Video: Downbytheseaside's latest Group 1 winner D MAC winning the Golden Slipper

DOWNBYTHESEASIDE: A SIRE ON THE RISE

With only four crops of racing age, Downbytheseaside is quickly emerging as one of the most influential young sires in the sport. His progeny are hitting their stride as 2-year-olds, and the results continue to speak for themselves.

The standout moment of the week came courtesy of D MAC (Washington VC dam), who stormed to victory in the Group 1 Golden Slipper for 2-year-olds at Gloucester Park on Friday night. Bred in Southland by Justin, Brad and Lynley Morris and now in the care of the Hall stable, the talented colt is unbeaten in two starts since arriving in Australia, a sign of exciting things to come.

Another Downbytheseaside son, MY ULTIMATE BARNEY (Sweet Lou dam), was also back in the headlines. Bred and raised at Woodlands Stud under the Estate of Charles Roberts, the talented 3-year-old notched up his 10th career victory at Wagga Wagga in a heat of the NSW Breeders Challenge. Showing blistering early speed, he took control of the race and never looked back, finishing with a sharp 25.0 final quarter - everyone is struggling to come up with a horse who has matched this speed!

Downbytheseaside’s influence stretches far beyond Australasia. In North America, he is now the leading sire of 2-year-olds by stakes earnings - over $500,000 ahead of his nearest rival in Sweet Lou, comfortably ahead of both Cattlewash and Huntsville and a remarkable $1.3 million clear of Captaintreacherous.

His success reached new heights over the weekend when his record-breaking son Sipponasearoc became his fourth millionaire, and his progeny claimed six Sires Stakes Finals at Dayton, including:

$300,000 2YO Fillies Final – Seaside Shuffle (Santana Blue Chip dam)

$300,000 2YO Males Final – Lindy Dragonwater (Dragon Again dam)

$400,000 3YO Males Final – Harrisburg Heist (Western Ideal dam) - also a Downbytheseaside sired trifecta

Three additional $100,000 Finals

Downbytheseaside’s continued rise is clear. His progeny are winning across multiple continents, proving their class at the highest level, and setting the foundation for an exciting future.

Photo: Lather Up

LATHER UP: FRIDAY NIGHT TREBLE

With only small crops on the ground so far, Lather Up continues to punch well above his weight, producing talented, versatile racehorses who are stepping up to the mark week after week.

Friday night racing saw his progeny shine across Australia. HUXTON (Changeover dam) impressed at his Australian debut, taking the victory at Newcastle in a slick 1:53.1. Meanwhile, PREPARATION (Mach Three dam) weaved through the passing lane to score his second win at Hobart, pacing a career-best 1:58.2 for the mile.

Rounding out his night at Gloucester Park, AKOYA PEARL (Mach Three dam) delivered one of the upsets of the night, paying 20/1 on her way to a determined victory in her fourth career win. It was a heat of the WA Oaks, so she now heads into the Oaks Final on October 3rd with momentum on her side.

The success of Lather Up and his progeny continued into the weekend. SOAP AND BUBBLES (Art Major dam) added another win to her impressive record, taking out her sixth victory from 10 starts at Melton, while QUEEN ANASTASIA (Perfect Art dam) etched her name into the season's record books as Woodlands stallion's 100th individual 2-year-old winner of 2025 with her win at Launceston.

2025 2-Year-Old Winners Breakdown:

American Ideal – 18

Bettor’s Delight – 25

Downbytheseaside – 30

Sweet Lou – 15

Lather Up – 8

What The Hill – 4

OTHER NEWS

SWEET LOU – #1 IN NORTH AMERICA

The most popular pacing sire of the last two seasons, Sweet Lou, continues to deliver both domestically and abroad.

He is now the leading All Age Sire in North America, with fellow Woodlands sires Bettor’s Delight (3rd), Downbytheseaside (4th) and American Ideal (6th) all featuring in the top six.

Closer to home, Sweet Lou’s progeny continue to climb the leaderboards, currently ranked 2nd in Australia (only behind Bettor's Delight) and 4th in New Zealand.

A highlight of his week was Hadron Collider’s (Bettor’s Delight dam) victory in the Timaru Summer Cup, a horse bred and raised at Woodlands before being sold as a yearling and now trained by the Cullen Racing team.

BETTOR'S DELIGHT - THE BENCHMARK

Week after week, Bettor’s Delight continues to cement his place as the most influential sire in the World. Adding 25 more winners to his tally last week, he was represented by at least one winner at every New Zealand meeting and scored multiple doubles and trebles across Australasia.

Bettor’s Delight currently leads the sire standings across every category in New Zealand (All Age, 2YO, 3YO, 4YO and 5YO+) and two in Australia (All Age and 2YO), a remarkable achievement that highlights his enduring influence on our breed.

WOODLANDS BRED TIMARU SUCCESS

The depth of Woodlands’ breeding program was on full display at Timaru, where five winners on the card were bred and raised at the stud, with a further three finishing in the money. These results highlight our ongoing commitment to supporting the harness racing industry and our proactive efforts to support foal numbers in New Zealand.

The winning lineup featured:

Hadron Collider (Sweet Lou) – $82,500 Yearling

Third Party (Bettor’s Delight) – $80,000 Yearling

Ideal Conqueror (Downbytheseaside) – $3,100 Gavelhouse purchase

Freeze Frame (Bettor’s Delight) – $120,000 Yearling

Wavewatcher (Downbytheseaside) – $3,200 Gavelhouse purchase

Also on the card, Zoom X (Bettor’s Delight) secured a win for his connections, bringing the day’s tally to six victories for our stallion roster.

Full results can be seen here

STELLAR SEVEN AT GLOUCESTER

Gloucester Park’s premier meeting on Friday night was another showcase of Woodlands dominance, with seven winners sired by our roster. Highlights included:

Group 1 2YO Golden Slipper – D Mac (Downbytheseaside) - Breeders: Justin, Brad & Lynley Morris

Akoya Pearl (Lather Up) - Breeder: Nathan Turvey

Louie Lebeau (American Ideal) - Breeder: Martin & Maureen Pierson

Ardens Horizon (Bettor’s Delight) - Breeder: John Stiven (Arden Lodge)

Magnificent Storm (American Ideal) - Breeder: Todd Macfarlane

Star Casino (Bettor’s Delight) - Breeder: Reg Caldow

Bettor Fortune (Bettor’s Delight) - Breeder: Paul & Pauline Renwick

The results once again demonstrate the quality, versatility and consistency of Woodlands stallions, and the breeders behind them.

Full results can be seen here

WOODLANDS WEEKLY WINNERS WITH CAMPBELL'S COMMENTS

From Group 1 victories to milestone moments and early breeding season results, the past week has once again highlighted the impact, influence and quality of the Woodlands stallion roster. As the spring racing season intensifies and the breeding season continues to build momentum, the results speak for themselves: Woodlands stallions are leading the way — on the track and in the breeding barn.

Contact our friendly team today if you have any bookings or queries regarding our sires for the 2025-26 season.

Cameron Grant (NZ): +64 22 096 1897 or cameron@woodlandsstud.co.nz

Mark Hughes (AU): +61 451 650 707 or mark@woodlandsstud.co.nz

Office: +64 9 292 8250 or office@woodlandsstud.co.nz

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