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A look at the sires who produced the highest-rating runners of 2022/23.
There is another month to go in the 2022/23 Australian racing season, but it's safe to say what will be the top ratings performances for the season have already been recorded.
Twenty-seven horses returned a peak Timeform rating of at least 121 in Australia this season with only one stallion boasting multiple representation on the top-raters list.
That is Waikato Stud legend Savabeel, who produced the highest-rating local galloper I Wish I Win and Queen Elizabeth Stakes runner-up Mo'Unga.
Savabeel is one of four New Zealand stallions represented among that group, eight are exclusively Northern Hemisphere-based and two are no longer with us, with the remaining 12 available to Australian breeders.
Darley and Coolmore are the Australian farms with multiple stallions on the list, Darley by Street Boss and Kermadec with Coolmore Australia home to Pride Of Dubai and So You Think, while it also stood now Woodside Park-based Vancouver when he played his part in Overpass's conception.
The top five were:
127+ - Dubai Honour (PRIDE OF DUBAI): The William Haggas-trained gelding arrived in Australia with a peak Timeform rating of 123, which already had him the highest-rated product of Coolmore's two-time Group 1-winning son of Street Cry, a status he strengthened with two 127+ performances in Sydney. The first came in the G1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m), followed by the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (200m) a fortnight later.
127 – I Wish I Win (SAVABEEL): The son of the stallion who produced more individual Group 1 winners in Australia than any other sire this season pressed his claims for recognition as not only Australia's top sprinter, but best horse, with a brilliant last-to-first win in the G1 T J Smith Stakes (1200m).
126 – Anamoe (STREET BOSS): There was no more consistent performer at the highest-level than James Cummings' son of the Darley stallion, who won six races at the highest level for the season, four of them in a rating of at least 125, including 126 performances in the G1 Cox Plate (2040m) and G1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m).
126 – Giga Kick (SCISSOR KICK): Clayton Douglas' horse of the lifetime matched Anamoe's effort to run to at least 125 on four occasions, the first of which came when running to that figure in the $15 million The Everest (1200m). The gelding by the former Arrowfield stallion, a son of Redoute's Choice who now resides in Africa, also ran to 125 when winning the G1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) and second to I Wish I Win in the T J Smith but posted his peak number with victory in the G1 All Aged Stakes (1400m).
125 – Gold Trip (OUTSTRIP): The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained import picked a good day to register his first win in Australia, recording a new career peak when he became the first horse since Makybe Diva to carry the No 1 saddlecloth to victory in the Melbourne Cup. Only Protectionist (128), Verry Elleegant (127) and Americain (126) have been higher-rating Melbourne Cup winners in the post-Makybe Diva era than the entire who is easily Outstrip's best-performed product.
Ten horses ran to a peak rating of 124 during the season.
Alligator Blood (ALL TOO HARD) – Futurity Stakes win
Eduardo (HOST) – Concorde Stakes win
El Bodegon (KODIAC) – Cox Plate third
Imperatriz (I AM INVINCIBLE) – William Reid Stakes win
I'm Thunderstruck (SHOCKING) – Makybe Diva Stakes win
Mr Brightside (BULLBARS) – Doncaster Mile win
Nature Strip (NICCONI) – The Shorts win
Rothfire (ROTHESAY) – Stradbroke Handicap second
Zaaki (LEROIDESANIMAUX) – Tramway Stakes win
Al Maher's son Private Eye ran to 123 on three occasions, while a handful of horses – Cascadian (New Approach), Top Ranked (Dark Angel), Mazu (Maurice), Overpass (Vancouver) and Think About It (So You Think) – all ran to 122 at least once.
Ellsberg (Spill The Beans), Lost And Running (Per Incanto), Mounga (Savabeel), Artorius (Flying Artie), Paulele (Dawn Approach), Deauville Legend (Sea The Stars) and Without A Fight (Teofilo) were the others to go to 121.