Lonhro the star of season 2010-11

With the completion of the 2010-11, there’s no doubt the star of the Australian season was Darley sire Lonhro.

Crowned Champion Sire, and the first Champion racehorse to achieve that feat in 40 years, Lonhro ended the season some $1.20 million clear of his nearest rival Redoute’s Choice.  Fellow Darley stallion Commands was third ahead of Encosta de Lago and High Chaparral.

Lonhro mare Beaded led the way among his 14 individual stakes winners which was more than any other stallion.  She was victorious in the G1 Doomben 10,000 and, in 8 starts at the elite level, the gusty mare never finished further back than fourth.

Group 1 winning juvenile Benfica was another Lonhro star.  He recorded a dominant victory in the G1 T J Smith Stakes and appears to be a colt with enough scope to progress into his classic season.

Benfica was one of 13 individual two-year-old winners for Lonhro.  He finished in fourth spot in that category behind fellow Darley stallion Exceed And Excel.

Further cementing his ability to produce runners of the highest calibre, Lonhro’s stakes winners show the versatility of his sire power.  Stakes-winning juvenile filly Euryale, three-year-old fillies Celts, Parables, Obsequious, up-and-coming gelding Scarf and the tough campaigners Launay, Pinwheel, Tampiko and Dysphonia are just some of his recent stakes winners.

Lonhro has gone from strength to strength and his stakes winners to runners strike-rate was superior to any stallion with 100 runners or more during the season.

And Lonhro joined the likes of Bletchingly, Sir Tristram and Danehill as stallions who have achieving Champion Sire honours with just four crops racing.