Swettenham Stud scooped the pool when the Victorian North East Breeders Association announced its sire awards on Saturday.  Bianconi was named leading Victorian stallion while Keep The Faith was recognised as the top first season sire.

Bianconi (Danzig) sired 105 winners of 164 races for prizemoney of $3.24 million in 2009-10.  His flag-bearer was Lindsay Park’s G1 winning sprinter Nicconi who will further the Bianconi sireline when he commences stud duty at Widden next month.

“Bianconi is only 15 years old but he seems to have been around forever,” Swettenham Stud’s Adam Sangster said this week.  “We dubbed Bianconi ‘the people’s stallion’ two years ago because his progeny have given so much enjoyment to so many people.”

Keep The Faith’s initial crop included brilliant Lindsay Park colt In Faith who won his first two starts at Morphettville and Adelaide by a combined margin of more than six lengths.

His unbeaten gelding Socks won four from four last season and signed off with a victory in the Tasmanian Sires’ Produce Stakes.

Keep The Faith filly Sayahailmary won the Jack Maher Classic at Wodonga last month and, like the majority of his youngsters, will be continue to improve this season.  “Everyone reckons they will be far better at three,” Sangster continued.  “It’s always a good sign when trainers want to buy shares in a stallion after his first progeny have raced.”

Sayahailmary confirmed that prediction when she followed her Maher Classic victory with a game second to Darley colt Censor at Flemington last Saturday.  The winner is unbeaten after three starts and trainer Lee Freedman is setting him for the upcoming spring features.

Peter Moody has nominated Sayahailmary for the G1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield in October and jockey Linda Meech reckons she has a bright future.  “I think she can get a mile and might be able to go further,” Meech said after the Maher Classic.  “She’s such a nice horse and we think a lot of her.”

Sayahailmary (3f Keep The Faith – Danish Moon by Danehill) is a homebred for Perth based owner Rhonda Wyllie who won the 2001 Thousand Guineas with Danehill filly Magical Miss

Mrs Wyllie and her late husband Bill raced Magical Miss.  She was trained by Bart Cummings and also won the G1 VRC Oaks and G2 Memsie Stakes before retiring to stud.  Her best foal to date is the stakes-placed Shamardal colt Weasley.

The Wyllies also raced Sayahailmary’s dam Danish Moon with Bart.  She won over a mile at Ballarat and is a direct descendant of Arc de Triomphe winner Gold River.  

Danish Moon was bred back to Swettenham sires after foaling Sayahailmary.  She has a new season 2YO filly by Dash for Cash and a yearling colt by Host.  

Keep The Faith (Sunday Silence) will stand at Swettenham for an “Early Bird” service fee of $9,000 (inc gst).