Sir Tristram (IRE)

The supersire's supersire
9:48 AM Friday Oct 31, 2008

In 1976 a young, ambitious Waikato studmaster found himself with "A horse that my agent couldn't recommend, that we could barely afford anyway, that my fellow shareholders wanted out of, and my staff didn't want to handle."

Against all odds, Patrick Hogan and Sir Tristram would transform the Australasian thoroughbred and the New Zealand bloodstock business, setting new standards of racing, breeding and marketing excellence.

Sir Tristram’s place among the 20th century’s greatest thoroughbred sires is secure, with 130 stakeswinners including a great tribe of 45 Group One winners, a world record he held until 2002.

A horse...that my fellow shareholders wanted out of, and my staff didn't want to handle

The list began with classic winner Sovereign Red from his first, 1977 crop, and ended with the last of his three Melbourne Cup winners, Brew, foaled in 1994. His progeny won well over $50 million in Australia & New Zealand and earned him a total of 17 official Australasian sire premierships, to which he's added nine broodmare sire titles.

There are many contenders for the title of "best racing son or daughter of Sir Tristram", but most selections would include the brothers Sovereign Red & Gurner’s Lane, top-drawer classic winners Grosvenor, Dr Grace, Tristarc and Riverina Charm, Golden Slipper winner Marauding and the mighty mare Empire Rose.

Sir Tristram’s success drove an unprecedented rise in New Zealand bloodstock values during the 1980s and 1990s. He provided the top-priced lot at all but two National Yearling Sales from 1983 to 1996, and total sales of his yearlings in New Zealand exceeded $57 million, among them Karaka’s first million-dollar yearling, in 1989. 

Sir Tristram’s sireline is now well-established, most notably by the son Sir Patrick Hogan selected to follow him at Cambridge Stud, champion sire Zabeel and his sons,  but also by Grosvenor (54 SW), Kaapstad (45 SW) Marauding (32 SW), Military Plume (26 SW) and nine others that have left Group One winners.  Among his paternal grandsons His Royal Highness (14 SW), Yamanin Vital, Greig and Westminster have sired Group One winners, and his champion great-grandson Lonhro has already produced five stakes horses from his first crop.

Sir Tristram's daughters have proved invaluable at stud, leaving the winners of more than $100 million  including 170 SW, most recently Hawke’s Bay Guineas G2 winner Tell A Tale, and outright or category champions Saintly, Ethereal, Viscount, Triscay and Bint Marscay.

No stallion has done better with Sir Tristram mares than fellow supersire Danehill. He left 99 foals from Sir Tristram mares, 17 (17%) of them stakeswinners, including G1 winners and sires Nothin’ Leica Dane, Danske & Viking Ruler. Danehill's heir, Redoute's Choice is following suit with ten stakeswinners from mares by Sir Tristram or his sons.