The countdown is on to the VOBIS Showdown and Guineas

The second running of the VOBIS Sires Showdown is just over one week away. This year is even more special with the inaugural running of the VOBIS Sires Guineas on the same day.

Last year saw the Matt Laurie trained Prince of Sussex take out the coveted crown. The sprinter had been targeted at the race by his trainer, who later went on to be sold to Hong Kong after his win.

Bred by Victoria’s Chris Jackson, the son of Swettenham sire Toronado, was an Inglis Melbourne Premier purchase and had been sold at the sale in 2018 for $145,000.

The VOBIS Sires Showdown is a 1200 metre two-year-old race worth $1 million dollars for the progeny of VOBIS Sires and will be held on April 18 at Caulfield behind closed doors.

Last year, the atmosphere was electric as spectators held their breath to see who would take out the coveted title, as the runners were loaded into their barriers.

This year, we will see the VOBIS Sires Guineas be run for the first time over a mile on the same day. The progeny of VOBIS Sires eligible three-year-old’s will line up to contest the prizemoney ordinarily worth $500,000*.

But the story didn’t begin here. In fact, history had already started to be written many years prior when the Showdown stepped off a float at Stockwell Stud in 1966. Where George Smith was the Studmaster at the time.

Showdown, trained by Fred Winter snr, like his sire was up and running early, winning four of his five starts at two in 1963, including the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes (1200m) and the Group 2 Coventry Stakes (1200m), at Royal Ascot. Timeform gave him a rating of 133.

At three, Showdown struggled to recapture his juvenile form, but he hit back at four to win the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes (1600m) at Royal Ascot, which earned him the title of England’s leading miler of 1965.

Cox offered $80,000 (more than $1 million in today’s dollars) for Showdown, which was rejected, and he left for home disappointed and without a horse.

Three months later, with the help of the British Bloodstock Agency and Bill Stutt, from Melbourne’s Wright Stephenson & Co, the deal was done and stallion was syndicated with Cox taking 10 of the 40 shares.

In early October, the first juvenile race of the season in Melbourne was the Maribyrnong Trial (900m) at Flemington—Showdown’s gelding Prodromus (out of Forego) won the C&G division while his daughter Dual Choice (out of Unit) trounced her rivals in the fillies’ division.

A week later, Dual Choice brilliantly won the Debutante Stakes (800m) at Caulfield and she returned in the autumn to win the Merson Cooper Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield, which at the time was Victoria’s premier race for 2 year-olds.

Dual Choice was to prove the best sprinting filly Australia had seen for years. At three, she won the Group 2 Freeway Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley, the Group 2 Ascot Vale Stakes (1200m) and Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) at Flemington, and then outgunned the colts in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m, Caulfield) before capping off a massive campaign by winning the Group 1 Craven A Stakes (1200m), against all comers, at Flemington on the first day of the Melbourne Cup carnival.

While that was happening, Showdown’s stocks were boosted even further when two sons trained by Tommy Smith, Silver Sharpe and Royal Show, emerged as the best of their age as Classic-contending 3 year-olds in the 1970 spring.

Royal Show (out of Melbourne Cup winner Wodalla’s half-sister Joelma) was the better of the two—he had finished second behind Baguette in the Golden Slipper—although Silver Sharpe (out of Snowline) won the AJC Derby and Victoria Derby double. Royal Show beat the older horses at weight-for-age in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Warwick Farm before winning the Group 1 Canterbury Guineas (1900m, Canterbury) and Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m, Rosehill), but Silver Sharpe had his measure beyond 2000 metres.

Showdown’s stud career was on a stellar rise. His fee jumped to $4000, and by 1978, after his star youngsters Tontonan (a brother to Prodromus) and Toy Show—both owned or part-owned by Cox—won the Golden Slipper in 1973 and 1975 respectively, Showdown’s fee skyrocketed to a Victorian record $12,000 in 1978 – the equivalent of about $60,000 in today’s dollars. He died in 1985 having sired 46 Stakes winners from a stud career during which 60 mares was a full book.

It’s fitting therefore, that the horse who can lay claim to be Victoria’s greatest stallion is honoured with a race which sees two-year-olds line up for $1 million-dollars.

This year will be slightly different with the meeting taking place behind closed doors, however there is no doubt, the eyes of Australia and the world will be watching and waiting for the next chapter in history to be written.

One thing is for certain, Victorian sires produce horses which create history.

To view the ballot order for The Showdown, click here.

To view the ballot order for the VOBIS Sires Guineas, click here.

*Racing Victoria announced reductions to prizemoney due to COVID-19, which will mean the 2020 VOBIS Sires Guineas and Showdown will see their prizemoney reduced to $452,500 and $905,000 respectively.