Newgate unveils Wodeton as Capitalist continues remarkable rise

Image: Bradley Photos

As Newgate says, “he’s the highest rated 2 Year-Old of his generation” with Wodeton retiring to Newgate Farm in the Hunter Valley this season.

“He is a very good horse and just takes everything in his stride – at the same stage of their careers Wodeton is equally as good as Switzerland,” said twice World’s Best Jockey James McDonald.

And in following it was the near legendary Sydney trainer Chris Waller stating, “He was beaten such a small margin in the Golden Slipper. That was heartbreaking, but he was the first colt home.”

“He could’ve easily got the bob of the head and won, producing an extraordinary turn of foot from 13th on the turn to be the first colt home in the Group 1 Golden Slipper, beaten 0.1 lengths.”

Competitive at the highest level throughout his two-year-old season, Wodeton won on debut at Rosehill over 1100m by 3.9 lengths, rocketing to outright Golden Slipper favouritism.

Although beaten, he was the most talked about juvenile colt of his generation, and being pre-post favourite for the Slipper he was placed in both starts of the Silver Slipper Stakes and Todman Stakes. Those searching for the best betting apps Australia will remember the hype he generated throughout his juvenile campaign.

Next-up fourth to Vinrock in the Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick, Wodeton returned as a three-year-old with two second placings in the stallion-making Golden Rose Stakes and San Domenico Stakes.

A $1.6 million yearling purchase by Tom Magnier, Wodeton was the highest-priced colt from the first Australian crop of Champion Sire Wootton Bassett, who today has sired the winners of more than $104 million in stakes.

A graduate of the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Wodeton is from the family of Champion Sprinter Silent Witness through his Exceed And Excel stakes-winning dam Fiesta Vista, a half-sister to Group 2 winner Express Rock.

And it was celebrations in early August that Capitalist was crowned Leading Sire of Australian Winners for the 2025/2026 season, having himself been Champion Australian 2YO of 2015/2016.

In a close race to the finish to be the leading sire of Australian winners, it went right down to the wire with Newgate-based Capitalist landing two new winners on the Friday to take the title.

The Paul Snowden-trained two-year-old filly Miss Trump scored at Port Macquarie and three-year-old filly Designer Award saluted at Wangaratta with both fillies having their second race start.

The youngest stallion in the Top Five sires by Australian winners this season, Capitalist was the Champion First and Second Season Sire by winners back in 2021 and 2022, so his progression to the top of the overall sires list by winners was not hard to predict.

Capitalist is keeping elite company in adding his name to the list of past sires to win the title.