Darley stallion Lonhro stretched his lead on top of the Australian third-season sires’ premiership when Lonhreign scored on debut at Geelong on Friday.  The Colin Little trained youngster collared odds-on favourite Bell Trees to win the Bay Building Services 2YO Maiden (1000m) by a long neck.

Lonhro has sired the winners of $7.05 million so far this season and he leads the third-season title by daylight.  Darley residents dominate the top-end of the table with Exceed And Excel ($3.19 million) and Reset ($2.39 million) next best on the leader-board.

It’s a similar scenario in the winners’ premiership with Lonhro (97) well ahead of Exceed And Excel (85) and Reset (58).

Lonhreign (2g Lonhro – Emlozza by Encosta De Lago) was a $57,500 buy from the Lustre Lodge consignment at the 2009 Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale and he began paying that back at the first opportunity.

He stalked heavily backed favourite Bell Trees who was pestered in front by long-shot Decided.  The odds-on pop was a sitting shot in the straight for Lonhreign who was given the run of the race by Jason Maskiell.

Lonhreign’s dam Emlozza was a smart racemare for owner-breeder John Thatcher winning at Group 3 level in Melbourne and Adelaide.  The immediate family also includes the Thatcher homebred Piavonic (Scenic) who defeated mighty mare Sunline in a memorable edition of the G1 Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley in 2001.  She has a 100% record at stud with Von Costa De Hero easily the best of her three winners to date.

Von Costa De Hero (Encosta de Lago) was a G2 winner of the Victorian Sires’ Produce Stakes and he was also runner-up in the G1 STC Golden Slipper Stakes and G1 VRC Australian Guineas.

Von Costa De Hero is the latest addition to Darley’s roster and will command a $16,500 service fee at Northwood Park in Victoria.

Lonhro is based at Darley’s Kelvinside nursery in NSW and his fee has taken a hike from $33,000 to $88,000 in 2010.  His Group 1 winning son Denman will return from England to stand at Kelvinside this year.