The untimely death of star stallion Commands on July 12 appears to have only heightened interest in his progeny. The first Commands youngsters to go under the hammer since his passing were two colts at last week’s New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run sale and they sold for $280,000 and $330,000 respectively.
Commands was not always in favour however and he became a successful stallion the hard way.
Bred by Arrowfield Stud, Commands was a full brother to Champion three-year-old Danewin being a son of Danehill out of the imported My Swanee mare Cotehele House. Raced by Jack and Bob Ingham, he failed to win at the elite level but was placed in a G1 Galaxy and a G1 Caulfield Guineas. His best win came a day before turning three when he defeated the older horses in the G3 Missile Stakes at Rosehill.
Commands retired to the Ingham’s Woodlands Stud as the winner of four of his 15 career starts and in his first season at stud in 2000 he stood for just $10,000. However he quickly endeared himself to breeders when he landed G1 winners in his first two crops in Undue and Paratroopers. By 2004 his service fee had risen to $30,000 and three years later it doubled again.
Commands became renowned for siring tough, durable gallopers who were consistent and able to perform at the top level. Darley acquired Commands in 2008 following the purchase of the Ingham brothers’ racing and breeding empire and thought so highly of him he was shuttled him to the Japan operation in 2010 and 2011.
He set an Australian record of 155 individual winners in the 2010-11 racing season. To date he has sired nine G1 winners including Darley stallions Epaulette and Skilled as well as four-time G1-winning mare Appearance and multiple G1 winner Purple (pictured above with her Lonhro colt). He is one of only two stallions in Australia to have sired 10 or more Stakes winners in each of the past four racing seasons.
Just last Saturday, Commands sired his 65th individual Stakes winner when Rommel claimed the G2 WA Guineas at Ascot. He is the sire of an amazing 742 individual winners to date and combined his progeny have won 2410 races and over $87 million in prizemoney.
The achievements of the Commands stock on the racetrack has also been acknowledged in the sales ring in recent times and at the Inglis Easter yearling sale earlier this year Tyreel Stud consigned a daughter of Commands out of Stakes winner Crossyourheart. Knocked down for $600,000 to Shadwell Stud, she is the highest-priced filly ever sold by her sire.
In what would turn out to be his final season at stud last year, Commands covered 161 mares including G1 winners Rewaaya, Demerger, Star Shiraz, Gaze and Oxigenada as well as G1 producers Milliyet (Samantha Miss) and High Heels (Desert War). His legacy will live on through his sire sons including Epaulette, Skilled and Ambidexter who stands at Cornerstone Stud in South Australia, while his daughters have already started to make an impact as broodmares with Politeness and Onemorezeta, both G3 winners over the Melbourne Spring Carnival, out of daughters of Commands.
There are 15 yearlings from Commands’ second last crop entered for the Magic Millions yearling sale on the Gold Coast next month and with very few opportunities left to purchase stock by the star stallion they are certain to be in very high demand.
