With Ole Kirk being Australia’s Champion First Season sire for 2024-25, he’s enjoying one of the most remarkable starts to a stud career in recent times.
Hosting 13 first-crop 2yo winners and four Stakes winners from just 27 runners, it was jockey Regan Bayliss saying Aerodrome’s “strong will to win” in taking out the Clarendon Stakes.
“He’s a lovely horse and he’s just going to keep improving. I think the more runs we get into him and the more he steps up in trip,” with Ryan giving praise to the son of dual Group 1 winner Ole Kirk.
“He’s going to keep getting better and better, and not sure if the heavy ground was to his liking. Being such a big striding horse, he found a way to get the job done and he’s got a bright future.”
Quickly away from barrier five, and driving through the field to be behind the leader, two off the rail, and on straightening Bayliss had him taking charge at the 150m and to score by ¾ length.
Now the fifth dual winner for Ole Kirk, and two from four for Randwick trainer Michael Freedman, Aerodrome was a $190,000 buy at the 2024 Australian Easter Yearling Sale for Nine9Park.
As the first foal of Epaulette’s Group 3 SAJC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner She Shao Fly, she’s from the family of Dao Dao and All Thrills Too, with her full sister selling to Japan for $70,000, from Gilgai Farm.
Today Ole Kirk heads the First Season Sire table for leading prizemoney, winners, stakes winners and wins, while he’s second on the 2YO Sires’ table behind Snitzel in earnings and 2yo winners.
And with O ’Ole earning $1.9m for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic and second in the Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes, it was King Kirk winning the Group 3 Breeders’ Plate.
Legacy Bound is the winner of the Group 3 SAJC Breeders’ Stakes, and Prestige Forever the MVRC Valley Pearl Stakes and second in the VRC TAB 2YO Plate, while Free The One is also a winner in Korea.
Averaging 159 mares in his first three seasons, Ole Kirk in 2024 had his Supara filly make $1m as a first crop yearling, his Kibibi colt top at $400,000 and average $306,000 at Sydney Easter.
Now as Australian Champion 3YO Male of 2020-21 in winning the Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas, Ole Kirk is closely related to Black Caviar and All Too Hard, by champion sire Written Tycoon.
And with Vinery Stud’s General Manager Peter Orton stepping away “to focus on his own thoroughbred farm and bloodstock portfolio,” it is now Adam White acting as the interim General Manager.
“This is something that I am very keen to do,” said Peter. “And I leave when the Vinery operation is in a great place, with exciting young stallions coming through and a robust client base.”
“And with a strong broodmare portfolio to ensure the continued success and growth of the business, it was with Dr. Thomas Simon that we established the business in Australia back in 2000.”
“The most important next step is to ensure that there is an appropriate handover to new management and to ensure that all Vinery clients, staff and bloodstock are well looked after.”
Leaving the business after 25 years, Peter has managed Vinery Stud’s Australian arm since its inception, beginning with shuttle sire More Than Ready and operating a 90-mare broodmare band.
The young son of Southern Halo became a champion sire in both hemispheres, and with the success of More Than Ready, Peter developed Vinery into a leading Australian stud farm.
Today with a premium resident broodmare band, the ever-expanding stallion roster has included such prominent sires as Red Ransom, Mossman, All Too Hard and Testa Rossa over this period.
Now, Vinery is positioned for its next phase, with exciting young stallions such as Exceedance, Hawaii Five Oh and Ole Kirk, who leads all first season sires by winners, stakes winners and prizemoney.
