Bullbars To Stand At Highview Stud

Highview Stud and the Hong Kong Breeders’ Club announced today the purchase of multiple Group performer Bullbars, a half-brother to three-time Group 1 winning Australian 3yo Helmet, for stud duties this spring.

“We are delighted to obtain a horse with his credentials,” said Highview Stud’s managing director Brent Gillovic.

“He is an outstanding type, dark brown in colour and a touch over 16 hands short coupled with good presence, correct and masculine,” Gillovic says.

“In my opinion he is the perfect type of individual to suit New Zealand broodmares,” Gillovic said.

“Bullbars combines the blood of the two best 3yo males in Australia last season and his pedigree is only going to get stronger. He has performed in races that make great stallions and he’s a great type, there’s plenty to recommend him.”

Trained by Peter Snowden, Bullbars was a metropolitan winner at Caulfield in his only two-year-old start.

In the spring of his three-year-old season Bullbars was a narrowly beaten third in the Listed MVRC Essendon Nissan Stakes then finished fourth in the Listed VRC Henry Bucks Stakes and then a close up third in the Group 2 MVRC Bill Stutt Stakes.

He returned in February last year and was runner-up in the Listed MRC Manfred Stakes beating Group 1 winner Star Witness home and then backed up 10 days later for a barnstorming last-to-first win in the Group 3 VRC Colin Hayes Stakes in a most impressive victory with a long sustained run down the Flemington straight culminating in a magnificent success which saw him defeat the likes of Enjin Number Nine and Anacheeva.

Trainer Peter Snowden’s son, Paul (who runs his father’s Melbourne operation) described the scintillating CS Hayes Stakes win by Bullbars as “awesome”.

“It was an awesome win. I said before the race that if he drew a good marble he would get the coin. Thank heavens we were able to get a good run and was able to overcome the barrier.”

Jockey Mark Zahra said: “I like the way he pinned his ears back and had a crack late. He is such a good horse.”

The CS Hayes Stakes is considered a “stallion making” race with the likes of Zabeel, Starcraft, Mossman and Dash For Cash having been among its previous winners.

On the strength of that win Bullbars started favourite for the Group 1 VRC Australian Guineas only to be defeated by the crack filly, Shamrocker, who went on to also win the Group 1 AJC Derby.

The Australian Guineas runner-up has been a great source of successful stallions with O’Reilly, Stacraft, Mossman and Darci Brahma all finding one better on the day as did current Australian leading first-season sire Casino Prince.

Bullbars is the first foal from the imported Singspiel mare, Accessories (GB), who is also the dam of Group 1 Caulfield Guineas, AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes and AJC Champagne Stakes hero Helmet as well as this season’s Listed Camberra RC Black Opal winning 2yo Epaulette who ran this year’s subsequent Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Pierro to an inch in the Group 2 Todman Slipper Stakes.

Helmet’s Group 1 wins to date have come in the Caulfield Guineas, AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes and AJC Champagne Stakes.

The family is one of Sheikh Mohammed’s finest and is full of black print performers throughout Europe.

“It is an unbelievable pedigree,” Gillovic says.

“His dam (Accessories) could well be considered one of the most valuable broodmares in Australasia today given what her first three foals have achieved,” Gillovic said.

“Personally I am of the opinion Sprinters / Milers make the best stallions. In the Sale ring today type is most important and the bulk of the buying bench are looking for that earlier horse that will get up and be showing something within 12 months or so.

“His progeny are going to be very appealing to the Australian and Asian markets which is very important,” he says.

Bullbars’ sire, Elusive Quality, is the sire of 72 stakes winners worldwide including the young stallions, Smarty Jones (Kentucky Derby-G1 and Preakness Stakes-G1), Ravens Pass (Breeders’ Cup Classic-G1), Queen Elizabeth Stakes-G1) and Quality Road (Florida Derby-G1, Woodward Stakes-G1) as well as the proven Elusive City who has sired 15 stakes winners in his five years at stud.

The progeny of Elusive Quality are held in particularly high regard in both Singapore and Hong Kong.

Bullbars is the latest investment in the Australasian bloodstock industry by the Hong Kong Breeders’ Club. It also has interests in other stallions such as Starcraft, Snitzel, Danroad, Align, Towkay and Lucky Owners.

Bullbars will stand at a first-season fee of $7500 plus gst and there are limited shares available in him. He will stand alongside Align $5000, Danroad $5000 and Sufficient $4000, all plus gst.