Darley stallion Commands finished the season with a fanfare on Saturday to capture the Australian winners’ premiership with 143 individual winners. 

Commands sired four winners comprising Sacred Orders (Caulfield), Gentleman Jim (Morphettville), Mr Make Believe (Bairnsdale) and Palands (Lismore).

Gentleman Jim and Palands had already posted wins earlier in the season but Sacred Orders and Mr Make Believe were greeting the judge for this first time in 2009-10.

Sacred Orders (7g Commands – Blessed Vengeance by Sanction) has won 6 races for trainer Gary Portelli but the Chairman’s Retirement Hcp (1400m) was his one and only victory in 2009-10.

Mr Make Believe (3c Commands – Simply Believe by Kenmare) is trained by Peter Moody and he was the other newcomer to the winner list when he scored on debut in Gippsland.

The two new names on the scoresheet increased the Commands tally to 143 and they won a total of 226 races.  Don Caudillo took the honours with 7 wins ranging from the Provincial Cup at Doomben to country sprints at Mackay (3), Yeppoon, Townsville and Moranbah.

Commands (Danehill) had been runner-up to Encosta de Lago in the last two Australian winners’ premierships.  The Coolmore resident holds the record with 147 individual winners set in 2008-09.

Redoute’s Choice finishewas runner-up this season with 139 winners but the Arrowfield sire won the contest that counts with $9.03 million in earnings to top the 2009-10 Australian sires’ premiership.

Redoute’s Choice also topped the Australian 2YO premiership in the winners category with 15 in 2009-10.  Next best were More Than Ready and first-season sire Stratum (13).  

Widden sire Stratum won the 2YO and first-season sires’ titles with $3.01 million.  Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily contributed $2.26 million of that total.   

Danehill was a runaway winner of the broodmare sires’ award with $14.01 million.  Melbourne Cup winner Shocking supplied $3.68 million to make it five damsire titles in a row for the former Coolmore colossus.