Kitchwin Hills will hold fast-rising stallion Dane Shadow’s 2011 fee at 2010 prices and reduce striking newcomer Duporth’s second-season charge.

Despite across-the-board praise for the exciting young stallions, the Hunter Valley stud, in announcing the new-season service fees today, has recognised the tough position of breeders in the current market.

Kitchwin Hills has kept Dane Shadow’s fee at $16,500 (including GST) and reduced Duporth’s from $22,000 to $19,800.

Duporth’s much-anticipated foals are now only three months away, and it is pertinent to repeat what Randwick trainer John O’Shea (who did not train Duporth) said about the horse.

O’Shea summed up the anticipation around the first foals of this outstanding Group 1 winning son of Red Ransom with the comment: “When I first spotted Duporth as a 2YO during track work at Randwick, he stopped me dead in my tracks. I can only imagine where he is headed as a stallion if he puts this quality into his racing stock.”

Kitchwin Hills manager Michael Malone said: “When you look at what a super job other stallion sons of Red Ransom are doing and then look at Duporth’s racetrack performances (in the Golden Rose, the BTC Cup defeating Apache Cat, and the San Domenico) and his bloodlines (see Staging, Success Express, Excites and Tickets), then you start to get a little bit excited about this stallion’s prospects.

“Then you see him up close and you realise you just have to get your mares exposed to him,” Malone added.

Each week Dane Shadow’s rise gathers pace and he is punching well above his weight, as seen this month when, within 24 hours, he produced Red Tracer (winner of the Listed P.J. Bell Stakes at Canterbury) and Hurtle Myrtle (Group 2 Sapphire Stakes winner at Randwick).

“At the recent yearling sales I had a number of high-profile breeders ask what Dane Shadow’s fee would go to, suggesting off the back of his racetrack success and consistent strong sale results that he would surely have his fee raised,” Malone said.

“Despite the strong feedback we are taking into consideration the uncertainty of the current market place, so the Dane Shadow syndicate has declined the opportunity to do so.

“The syndicate’s decision is one of opportunity for all breeders. When you consider his progeny’s racetrack success, sales results and his ability to produce a sale type, you would have to think there is no better value stallion in the country right now.”

Dane Shadow’s 2012 2YO crop will be larger than his first two seasons combined. If you’ve liked what you have seen from his first crops in Hurtle Myrtle, Shellscrape, Shadow Assassin, Turnitup, Shadows In The Sun, Red Tracer, etc.

Dane Shadow (b h 2001, Danehill (USA)-Slight Chance (NZ), by Centaine)
$16,500 (including GST)

Duporth (b or br h 2005, Red Ransom (USA)-Staging, by Success Express (USA))
$19,800 (including GST)