Highview have set their fees for the 2023 breeding season.
New recruit Divine Prophet, a Group One-winning full brother to dominant New Zealand sire Proisir, takes top billing at $13,500 +GST.
Divine Prophet was a high class two-year-old, placing third in the G1 ATC Champagne Stakes. He then came back the following spring to win the G3 ATC Up and Coming Stakes first up, in Chautauqua like style, and then the race every three-year-old is aimed for, the G1 MRC Caulfield Guineas. Both of those races are stallion making races that have been won by a who's who of great Australian sires.
Already the sire of 72 winners including Group Two winners See You In Heaven and Promitto, Divine prophet’s oldest progeny are four-year-olds.
“Proisir has absolutely exploded this season,” Highview’s Brent Gillovic said. “Here you have his full brother, a Group One Guineas winner, a proven sire already, only a nine-year-old, his yearlings have sold up to $375,000 and he's available at a fraction of his full brother's fee. It's a no brainer isn't it?"
Divine Prophet was one of two stallions procured by Gillovic from Aquis Farm in Queensland to stand at Highview this season. The other, Santos will stand for $7,500 +GST.
“Aquis have a large number of stallions on their farm in Queensland, Gillovic said. "There aren’t a great deal of available mares in that state and it's a fair hike from the Hunter Valley and beyond. So, they are looking to other options for their stallions to help them reach their full potential.
“They invited me to make a case for relocating Santos over here. I later went back to them and cheekily suggested that Divine Prophet might go better in New Zealand too. He has more than 100 rising two-year-olds about to run for him next season, so I didn’t think they’d take me seriously. You could have knocked me over with a feather when they agreed to send him over too!
Santos is by the phenomenal sire I Am Invincible – sire of almost 100 stakes winners, 14 of them at Group One level including Imperatriz and Media Sensation. He is also making a name for himself as a sire of sires through the likes of Brazen Beau and Hellbent.
Santos was restricted to eight racetrack appearances, winning two of them including the G2 Skyline Stakes at Randwick as a two-year-old.
“You look at Santos and he’s just a ‘wow’ horse,” Gillovic said. “They often say his sire is the best-looking horse in the Hunter Valley and he’s in a similar vein. He’s as nice a horse as you’ll see. I’m sure breeders won’t be disappointed.
“He’s a big horse – he’d be 16.2hh – so you wouldn’t necessarily expect him to throw two-year-olds. But Ulanova has done a really good job in New Zealand this season, and he also had a first starter (West of Dalby) win against older horses at Newcastle the other day and Nigel Tiley had one trial impressively at Avondale (Vila Belmiro) so they obviously have ability.”
Divine Prophet and Santos join High Chapparal’s Group One winning son Wrote at Highview, who will stand for $6,500 +GST in 2023.
“I have given his fee a great deal of thought,” Gillovic said. “He has had a Group Three winner either side of the Tasman this season including Best Seller who unfortunately ran into Legarto (when finishing 2nd) in the G1 NZ 1000 Guineas.
“He has had a very high percentage of winners to runners and his sale results have provided breeders an excellent return on investment.
The quality of his mares has improved from his first year at stud and he clearly is an upgrading stallion both physically and ability wise."
"He has had a few recent sales of tried horses into top Australian stables and his only two Hong Kong-based runners have both won, resulting in interest from Hong Kong buyers. So, I think he has a bright future in front of him and he is priced really well.”
“We have always strived to provide value for our clients. We know how hard it is to turn a profit. These three stallions are all proven and each one of them offers something different and all represent terrific value.”
2023 Fees: Divine Prophet $13,500 +GST, Santos $7,500 +GST, Wrote $6,500+GST