Dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin will shuttle to Windsor Park Stud in New Zealand to stand his first southern hemisphere stallion season for an introductory fee of NZ$30,000 (plus GST).
The Coolmore-owned horse won the Epsom Derby on his second start as a three-year-old, before claiming victory in the Irish Derby at The Curragh the following month.
He then ran poorly in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, causing misery for the bettors who wagered heavily on him to win the race.
However, punters who kept the faith subsequently cleaned up on betting apps as Auguste Rodin triumphed in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
Sportsbook operators were forced into making another sizeable payout later in the year when the son of Deep Impact triumphed in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita.
The Aidan O’Brien trained horse produced several solid performances as a four-year-old, most notably when digging deep to win the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.
With six multiple champion sires in his first three generations, Auguste Rodin’s addition to the stallion roster is undoubtedly a major coup for racing in New Zealand.
Windsor Park principal Rodney Schick told ANZ Bloodstock News: “It’s really exciting. We’ve had a great relationship with Coolmore for twenty-six years now and he certainly is right up there with some of the best we’ve had.
“Being a son of Deep Impact is very exciting but also his race record is the equivalent to High Chaparral who we had so much success with in New Zealand and Australia, and what he’s doing is a sire of sires now is great too.
“We’re just looking forward to bringing him over and putting him into the market and seeing him in New Zealand.”
Auguste Rodin, who is the first foal out of 2016 Fillies’ Mile winner Rhododendron, initially made his mark in Group-race company as a two-year-old.
He won his first Group contest in the Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown before claiming victory at the top level in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster.
Schick believes that early track record of success coupled with further wins as an older horse will make Auguste Rodin a sought-after stallion.
“The one thing I love to see in a stallion is that they can come out early and be a two-year-old and then train on at three and four,” Schick added.
“You don’t see as much now with stallions going to stud, but he certainly did it at the front-end and the back-end of his career and from 1,400 metres to 2,400 metres, so he’s such an exciting horse.
“He has an amazing pedigree, from his sire line and all through his dam line as well, as they say, he ticks all the boxes.”
Coolmore’s latest foray into racing in New Zealand further boosts their presence in a jurisdiction they have been keen to establish a foothold in over the past few years.
Several other Coolmore sires have stood at Windsor Park including Paddington. He got over one hundred mares in foal last year and is scheduled to shuttle back in 2026.
Circus Maximus is resident at the stud, adding further quality to a breeding operation which is going from strength to strength in New Zealand.
Schick will likely be keeping a close eye on developments in Australia after Coolmore confirmed City Of Troy will be shuttling there to perform stallion duties.
The son of American Triple Crown hero Justify is regarded by O’Brien as the best horse he has ever trained and his pedigree will be appealing to owners in the southern hemisphere.
While his racing career ended with a disappointing run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on the dirt at Del Mar, his high-class turf form makes him an intriguing proposition as a stallion.