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Royal Meeting continued his fine first season with Take A Bow producing an extremely impressive 4-length debut win at Gatton. Having been scratched from her initial starting point (a mid-week metro maiden), Take A Bow won in stylish fashion with her co-trainer Matt Hoysted delighted with the performance "We have a very good opinion of her and while we were expecting her to do that, it's always pleasing to see them perform, particularly after she missed the kick badly."

The O'Dea/Hoysted stable will point the $40,000 Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling purchase for Jamie Walter's Proven Thoroughbreds from the Bell River draft at a Saturday city race next before aiming up at black-type targets "We do think she is a stakes filly in waiting and will measure up to that class."

Take A Bow joins fellow Royal Meeting runners with Spring Stakes aims with Clint McDonald this week declaring that his brilliant Group 1 winning juvenile Hayasugi will be targeted at the Manikato and Moir Stakes double, while Chris Bieg's city-winning Royal Majesty is having a Spring plan mapped out to encompass stakes race targets.

Royal Meeting sits comfortably towards the top of the first season sires table and standing at a fee of $22,000 (incl GST) represents exceptional value to the astute breeder mapping his trajectory.

Why does a champion trainer break a self-imposed ‘no spec policy’ to buy a colt Snitzel colt with zero clients in mind and why does he still believe this horse has what it takes to be a leading sire – let’s find out.

Inside mail is what has led a lot of trainers and bloodstock agents over the years to identify their stable stars of the future and that’s also what led Ciaron Maher to splash out $575,000 for a Snitzel colt from Fontiton at Inglis Premier that would go on to become brilliant sprinter Generation.

A fast and precocious filly that won both the Group III MRC Blue Diamond Preview and Group II MRC Blue Diamond Prelude, Fontiton only ever had two foals before her premature passing, but Maher believes she had something special that could be the catalyst in making a stallion of the future.

Ciaron Maher Racing, Australian Bloodstock and new Victorian Stallion Station, Lovatsville, are pleased to announce that Gold Trip will stand this coming season at the Central Victoria-based stud, Lovatsville for a fee of $8,800 (incl. GST).

As a Melbourne Cup winner and weight-for-age Turnbull Stakes victor, Gold Trip retires having demonstrated immense talent and resilience to compete and perform in the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup in back-to-back years. Racing as a 2 year-old in France, onto multiple Group 1 performances as a Classic European 3 year-old where he ran a gallant 4th to Sottass in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, followed by a glittering Australian racing career.

Providing Champion trainer Maher with the crowning achievement of his training career in winning the Melbourne Cup, Gold Trip retires as one of Maher’s best ever gallopers “He won a Melbourne Cup, was beaten a lip in the Caulfield Cup, was a weight-for-age Turnbull Stakes winner, could have won a Cox Plate and was elite in an Arc. He is a legitimate freak.”

Co-purchaser and owner of Gold Trip, Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett spoke of the attraction of Gold Trip when sourcing him from Europe “What appealed to us in Gold Trip was his dynamic turn of foot, as we saw in that explosive performance in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes. There is no doubt in my mind that he was beating the best 2000m field assembled in this country in the last 20 years and he beat them with his head on his chest.”

Lovett further added, in qualifying Gold Trip’s stud credentials “Weight-for-age is our measure for the elite, however when he was asked to carry weight in the big handicaps he had the class to do that too and I believe that is a quality that will resonate with breeder’s looking to breed a genuine racehorse.”

Lovatsville’s Sam White is delighted to add Gold Trip to the Lovatsville roster “It is quite rare that the Australasian breeding community get a chance to access horses who have performed so well in an Arc, arguably Europe’s premier race. Gold Trip had the versatility to race at the highest level here for multiple seasons demonstrating his class and toughness, while also displaying obvious speed where he flew past subsequent Cox Plate winner Romantic Warrior in the Turnbull.”

White feels that Gold Trips performance, physique and price point will pique the interest of many breeders “At $8,800 he is priced extremely well considering his ability. We want to inject further value into the opportunity by providing very attractive breeding right packages so that Gold Trip’s supporters can access him for the duration of his career for a modest outlay.”

Alongside the breeding right packages in Gold Trip, Ciaron Maher Racing, Australian Bloodstock and Gold Trip’s ownership group have committed to supporting the horse at stud, ensuring that he starts his career at stud positively. 

The 2024 breeding season heralds the arrival of a new industry player with bespoke stallion station Lovatsville set to join the Victorian breeding scene

Lovatsville is the result of a partnership among several key industry stakeholders, including Leneva Park, Seymour Bloodstock. Lovatsville will focus on stallion management, with a commitment to innovative marketing strategies and excellent client relations.

Heading the Lovatsville venture is Victorian native, Sam White, a respected industry figure with over ten years of combined experience at Coolmore and Ciaron Maher Racing. The stallion station will operate from Seymour at the Northwood Road facility previously run by Leneva Park at the well-known Seymour Park property. 

White highlights the unique advantage that the Lovatsville team brings to the Australasian market with its diverse experience in both racing and breeding, setting the stage for a holistic service offering to clients.

"Our partnership's background in both breeding and racing gives us a unique perspective on what the industry needs right now. Having open and ongoing conversations with our clients is central to our approach. This transparency and dialogue will be key to shaping the future of our stallions," he said.

“Our goal is to stand good looking, well-bred stallions that have proven themselves. We will make them available at ‘real rates’ to ensure that our clients have the best chance to see a return on their investment, whether that’s through the sales ring or on the racetrack.”

Excitingly for Victorian Breeders, Royal Meeting the sire of this season’s Blue Diamond winner, Hayasugi, transitions into Lovatsville’s care and stands at an increased fee of $22,000 (incl. GST). “We are absolutely thrilled for Victorian breeders that Royal Meeting remains in Victoria and stays on Northwood Road. It is a credit to Aquis, Leneva Park and the stallion’s shareholder group that he has started his career in such amazing fashion, siring a Blue Diamond winner from his first crop.” White further added. “Given the feedback we have received over the past 9 months from some excellent judges we are extremely pleased, but not completely surprised by this given the pedigree, performance and profile of Royal Meeting himself and the type of stock that he was producing.” 

Through Leneva Park’s support, Lovatsville has acquired the standing rights for 3-time Group 1 winning Champion Miler Fierce Impact, who in his first 3 seasons at stud has covered over 400 mares. Fierce Impact’s first crop yearlings have already entered the yards of Ciaron Maher, Team Hayes, Simon Miller, Mike Moroney, Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr, Tony & Calvin McEvoy along with Smith himself who has supported the stallion extensively at stud. Fierce Impact stands his fourth season at stud for a slightly reduced fee of $13,750 (incl. GST)

Joining Fierce Impact in 2024 will be the freshman Snitzel speedster, Generation who will stand at an introductory fee of $11,000 (incl. GST), with generous breeding right packages available. “Generation suits our model perfectly, being an undefeated city winning 2 year-old, dual Group 3 winning sprinter who was Group 1 4th in the Manikato and the William Reid,” said White. 

“Being out of the dual Group winning 2 year-old Fontiton, who was an extremely attractive filly, and with Fontiton’s dam, Personal Ensign, also being a stakes winning sprinter, we have identified a prospect that breeders can access at an affordable price with a view to producing a good looking, fast type of yearling.”

To learn more about Lovatsville, how you can access their stallions, partner in future prospects, book to this seasons stallions or acquire breeding rights in Generation, please contact: