08 May 2026
Windsor Park has announced its 2026 stallion roster and fees, headed by Auguste Rodin and Paddington
Auguste Rodin, the best-of-the-best son of breed shaper Deep Impact, will return to Windsor Park after covering an outstanding first book of mares and is confirmed to stand for his second season at a fee of $30,000 + GST.
A leading European 2YO and Champion 3YO, Auguste Rodin was a six-time Gr.1 winner, including at two years of age. He trained on to win both the English and Irish Derbies, while his four Gr.1 victories at three also included weight-for-age wins against older horses in the Irish Champion Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Remarkably, he became the only 3YO in history to win all four of these championship Gr.1 races in his classic season.
“He served an outstanding book of mares in his first season with us. He was world-class on the track, and he is world-class in temperament. We have received excellent reports on his foals in the Northern Hemisphere, with his progeny possessing the quality, strength, and athleticism you would expect from such an outstanding individual,” commented Stud Master Rodney Schick.
Like Auguste Rodin, fellow Ballydoyle superstar Paddington will again shuttle to Windsor Park Stud from Coolmore (Ireland) for his third Southern Hemisphere season.
Paddington proved an instant hit with breeders in his first two seasons at Windsor Park, serving full books in both years.
The Champion 3YO son of Siyouni was a four-time Gr.1 winner in just 68 days and already has an outstanding representation of weanlings on the ground throughout Australasia.
“We are thrilled with Paddington’s weanlings. He is leaving size, strong-bodied horses with deep girths and quality heads. With his profile and type, we expect his progeny will be keenly sought after throughout Australasia’s leading yearling sales,” commented Schick.
Paddington will stand in 2026 for a fee of $30,000 + GST.
Windsor Park’s highly successful sire Shamexpress has enjoyed another outstanding season in 2026 with over $21 million in progeny earnings, highlighted by the World's highest rated racehorse and Hong Kong-based Everest champion Ka ying rising.
Shamexpress will stand in 2026 for a fee of $25,000 + GST.
After an impressive debut yearling sale season, where Profondo progeny sold for up to $425,000, $400,000, and $375,000, the handsome Gr.1-winning son of Deep impact has made a highly encouraging start to his stud career.
Profondo will stand this season for an unchanged fee of $17,500 + GST.
Champion miler Circus Maximus, whose first crop are now 3YOs, has already sired a classic winner with impressive New Zealand Derby victor Road to paris.
In total, Circus maximus has produced eight black-type performers and is currently New Zealand’s leading second-season sire.
Circus maximus will stand in 2026 for a fee of $20,000 + GST.
Proven stallion Vanbrugh rounds out Windsor Park’s 2026 stallion roster.
The Gr.1-winning son of Encosta de lago has built a successful stud career, boasting an excellent stakes winners-to-runners ratio.
High-class Gr.1-placed filly Single red appears to have a bright future ahead following her New Zealand Oaks placing and recent impressive victories, with a Gr.1 Queensland Oaks campaign now on the horizon.
With his yearlings selling for up to $130,000 at Karaka, Vanbrugh will stand in 2026 for a fee of $6,000 + GST.
Windsor Park is also proud to partner with Mapperley Stud as co-owners of Champion 3YO Gr.1 winner Savaglee, a son of outstanding champion sire Savabeel from the highly commercial female family of Orchestral and Sepals.
Savaglee has proven immensely popular with breeders and will cover a full book of mares in his debut season at a fee of $17,500 + GST.
Armory, another champion racehorse, has also made an exciting start at stud, highlighted by his first runner, debutante Silhouette, and a $625,000 sale at last year’s NZB Ready to Run Sale.
His 2026 fee has been confirmed at $10,000 + GST. - NZ Racing Desk
Trans-Tasman weekend for Forsman
Single Red (NZ) (Vanbrugh) will by flying Andrew Forsman’s flag in Queensland on Saturday, but the trans-Tasman trainer will also have plenty of firepower back in New Zealand.
The Cambridge horseman will head to Arawa Park with a handful of runners, with his charge being led by Group Two performer Kitty Flash (NZ) (Ace High), who will be seeking an elusive stakes victory in the Gr.3 Rotorua ITM Stakes (1400m).
The lightly raced daughter of Ace High has placed at stakes level on five occasions, including in her last three outings, and Forsman is hoping she can shed her bridesmaid tag this weekend.
Forsman has been pleased with her progression since her first-up placing in the Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m) at Otaki last month, with his only concern being track conditions, with Arawa Park rated a Soft7 on Friday morning, with rain forecast overnight.
“She had to do a bit of work first-up, she would have improved a lot for it,” Forsman said. “I feel like up to 1400m suits and clearly the better the track for her the happier we would be.”
Stablemate Pacifico (NZ) (Ardrossan) will also be hunting for black-type success in the Listed Campbell Infrastructure Rotorua Cup (2200m) following his last start placing in the Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m).
“He is going really well and I thought it was a game effort last start, he came again,” Forsman said. “We have always queried him over a middle distance, but I thought that was a strong effort.
“Typically he is better right-handed, but Rotorua is a left-handed track that he has seemed to have performed well at. I expect another competitive run from him.”
On the undercard, Forsman will be represented by last start placegetters Accentuate (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) and Morning Cocoa (NZ) (Vadamos) in the Pedersen Homes 1400 and Laser Electrical 2200 respectively, while Forsman will be keeping a close eye on track conditions for Desert Jewel (NZ) (Proisir), who is set to make her debut in the Atkinson And Donaldson 1215.
“I think Accentuate will handle a wet track to a point and her last start run at Te Rapa was good,” Forsman said. “I think if it was a similar sort of track we would be confident.
“She is in good form and is improving all the time, and she should be spot on heading into Saturday.
“Morning Cocoa is going really well. Stepping up from the mile to 2200m will be the query and if the track does become testing that is probably going to be a concern, but we have seen her race over ground on slower tracks before and run well.
“Desert Jewel has had a couple of quiet trials. We have just tried to ride her a little bit conservatively in those trials and get her to finish off. It was quite deep and testing in her last trial and if the track got into the Heavy range we would probably save her for another day.”
Across the Tasman, Single Red will commence her Queensland campaign in Saturday’s Listed Gold Coast Bracelet (1800m), with the Group One performer set to jump from barrier five with jockey Craig Grylls retaining the ride.
“She travelled via Sydney to the Gold Coast last Sunday and has handled it all really well,” Forsman said.
“It is a big advantage to have Craig on. I think Craig has done a bit of riding in Brisbane anyway and he is certainly a well established and capable jockey, so we don’t lose anything with having him on. Having someone on who knows the horse I think is a big key.”
Back in New Zealand on Saturday, Forsman will head south to Waverley with just the one runner, and he is confident Mr Mojo Risin’ (NZ) (Deep Field) can bring home the winner’s cheque following the Treadwell Gordon 1400.
“I am rapt with him,” Forsman said. “He didn’t have much luck resuming, he was a little bit keen, he didn’t begin that well and he had to do a bit of work. He sat up on speed and just felt the pinch and knocked up late, but I thought it was a run he would have taken a lot of improvement out of.
“Up to the 1400m, I think the tempo will suit him a bit better.
“We have elected to take the blinkers off, he trialled really well without the blinkers on going into Ellerslie and hopefully he isn’t as keen in the run and that will help him.
“I am expecting him to be hard to beat." - Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Cup performance to determine Maison Louis’ winter path
Queensland Derby winner Maison Louis (NZ) (Super Seth) turned in his best performance of the spring at his second run from a spell, and trainer Tom Charlton is looking for a similar effort when the four-year-old heads to Gosford.
Maison Louis tackles Saturday's Listed Gosford Gold Cup (2100m) off the back of an eye-catching return when he closed late for sixth to Hellsing (Dandy Man) at Randwick over an unsuitable 1500m.
It was exactly what Charlton wanted to see from the gelding first-up following a spring campaign in which he was in and out of form.
"He couldn't have done any more. He looks to have come back well," Charlton said of the first-up run.
"He ran third in the Hill Stakes (Gr.2,1900m) second-up last prep, which is a strong weight-for-age race, so if he can replicate that he will run well.
"He let himself down a bit pre-race last preparation, so we're just trying to build a bit of confidence for him and get him back in his groove."
Following five early scratchings, Maison Louis has come into barrier 11 and while Charlton isn't convinced the tight Gosford circuit will be an ideal fit, he also doesn't expect it to be a disadvantage.
"He is short-coupled and hasn't got a great, big action," he said.
"He's got a turn of foot for a horse over that trip, so I think he will be fine."
Charlton isn't committed to a program with Maison Louis and says where the horse heads will be dictated by performance, although options in Sydney and Brisbane will be considered, including The Q22 (2200m) at Eagle Farm on June 13.
Maison Louis was an $8 chance for the Gosford Cup on Friday with the Matt Smith-trained Portland heading markets as a $5.50 favourite. – RAS Newswire
NZ Racing Desk
Joshua Smith
Joshua Smith
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing
