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Son of Written Tycoon to join Hunter Valley roster at end of racing career.
Dual Group 1 winner Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) will stand at Vinery Stud at the end of his racing career.
The Team Hawkes-trained colt broke his maiden in the Talindert Stakes (Listed, 1100m), before finishing third in the VRC Sires' Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) on his next start. The son of Written Tycoon (Iglesia) then finished fourth in the ATC Sires' Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and third in the ATC Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) on his final start as a juvenile.
Ole Kirk finished second in both the Rosebud Handicap (Listed, 1100m) and Run to the Rose Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) on his first two starts this season and landed his first top-flight race with an impressive victory in the Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), which he then followed up with an equally dominant win in the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m).
"We are obviously delighted to be involved with Ole Kirk and to have secured the breeding rights for when he retires to stud", said Vinery Stud's general manager Peter Orton.
"He will be a very important addition to the young, exciting stallion ranks at Vinery. Being by Written Tycoon, certainly the hottest stallion of the moment and an emerging sire of sires, Ole Kirk's pedigree offers a vital outcross to the plethora of Danehill line mares in Australasia.
The colt has the benefit of a strong shareholder group involved in his racing, and they are strongly committed to his future at stud. We have the added advantage of having his elite breeder Ric Jamieson involved in identifying mares to suit the horse and breeding a good number of his own mares to Ole Kirk ensuring he has every opportunity to succeed at stud."
Ole Kirk was bred by Rick Jamieson's Gilgai Farm and purchased out of their draft by International Thoroughbred Solutions at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $675,000 - the second most expensive yearling sold at the auction that year.
The colt hails from Gilgai Farm's best known family, being out of unraced Bel Esprit (Royal Academy) mare Naturale, who is herself out of Helsinge (Desert Sun), making her a sister to multiple Group 1-winning champion mare Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), while she is also a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner and now Vinery Stud-based sire All Too Hard (Casino Prince).
Helsinge herself is out of Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Scandinavia (Snippets), who also produced Group 1 winner and Sun Stud-based sire Magnus (Flying Spur), Group 2-winning pair Wilander (Exceed And Excel) and Scandiva (Fastnet Rock) and Listed winner Arctic Flight (Flying Spur).
"As breeder and part owner of our most exciting horse Ole Kirk, I am thrilled to have Vinery come in as a partner in the colt" said Jamieson.
"Ole Kirk has the genetic potential and the elite racetrack performance to play a major role in the ongoing development of the Australian Thoroughbred industry. He is from one of the most successful pedigrees in the Australian Stud Book, descending back to the blue hen mares Scandinavia and Helsinge. His sire line traces back through to Last Tycoon and Try My Best, making him a great genetic match for mares carrying Danehill in their pedigree.
"We had great interest from a number of studs for him but after many detailed discussions we settled on Vinery, as their team headed by Peter were very keen to land him for stud duties and made a compelling proposal.
"With the support of all current owners as well as that of Vinery and their loyal clients he will be supported with a great line-up of mares when he begins his stud career. Personally I believe we have been fortunate and put our foot on a future great speed stallion and can't wait for him to begin the next phase of his exciting career."
Ole Kirk is currently spelling and will soon resume work for his Autumn three-year-old campaign.
