O’Reilly (NZ) has swept all three stallion categories in New Zealand for the second time in his celebrated stud career.
The Waikato Stud champion claimed the Dewar Stallion Trophy for leading New Zealand sire based on Australasian earnings, the Grosvenor Award for New Zealand earnings and Centaine Award for global earnings – a repeat of his trifecta in 2012-13.
O’Reilly’s progeny earned more than $2.35 million in New Zealand for the season, eclipsing Darci Brahma by $650,000 to take out his fourth Grosvenor Award.
The rising 21-year-old Last Tycoon stallion easily claimed the other two titles at the expense of High Chaparral, finishing $3 million in front to secure his third Dewar Award and more than $5.7 million clear in the Centaine Award.
“It’s just been such a tremendous season because he’s finished second on the broodmares’ list as well, so that’s just a hint of what’s still to come. It’s bloody incredible really and I just wish he could live and breed forever.”
O’Reilly finished $170,000 behind perennial champion stallion Zabeel on the broodmares’ tally and ninth on the Australian general sires’ list.
It was Zabeel’s third straight broodmares’ title and the Cambridge Stud sire again claimed the Australian broodmares’ title, some $3.5 million clear of Danehill.
Undoubtedly O’Reilly’s star performer this year has been Silent Achiever (NZ), who claimed three Group 1 wins, although Sacred Falls (NZ) was again a high-flyer, landing his second straight win in the G1 Doncaster Mile. Meanwhile, O’Reilly’s Group 1 winning juvenile O’Marilyn is likely to prove a force to be reckoned with in the 2014-15 season.
Super stallion Zabeel (NZ) both the Australian and NZ broodmare premierships. In Australia, he was the damsire of 206 individual winners, including 18 individual black type winners led by Group 1 winners Atlantic Jewel (Fastnet Rock), Dundeel (High Chaparral), Go Indy Go (Bernardini) and Silent Achiever (O’Reilly).
In New Zealand, he was the damsire of 69 individual winners, including six individual black type winners.