On the eve of this year’s New Zealand Cup, Monday 7th November, the handsome son of Christian Cullen, RAGING BULL, celebrated his fourteenth birthday.
He suffered his first defeat at the 2011 NZ Cup meeting when the then unheralded three-year-old gelding Smolda was commencing to build a career that saw him retire with earnings of $2.41 million. Raging Bull was defeated on just five occasions in his brief career, all second placings, and Smolda inflicted three of those defeats.
The Bull has a pedigree that is quite unique in the Southern Hemisphere - being sired by the legendary NZ-bred Christian Cullen but from an American-bred daughter of the superstar stallion Artsplace. Despite such impressive breeding credentials he was not rushed by Kiwi breeders when retired to stud . In fact he has only 85 foals who are now three years or older but from those he has compiled some impressive statistics and winners:
Wildwest (Jeremes Jet mare) 1.52.8 $487,990
Our Bare Knuckle (Il Vicolo mare) 1.51.5 $100,340
Princess Holly (Falcon Seelster mare) 1.52.6 $100,305
In addition to those three standout performers, there are two current three-year-olds in New Zealand that look to have big futures ahead of them.
Village Rebel, from a Bettors Delight mare, has now had eight starts for three wins (in succession) and two placings including a fast-closing third to Copy That at Cambridge on the 28th October. Of course Copy That showed he is the best horse racing in NZ currently with a decisive win in the NZ Cup, just 11 days after that win at Cambridge.
Raupunga Lad, from a Live Or Die mare, is trained in Southland by Macca Lodge studmaster Brent McIntyre. He in undefeated in three starts over the past two months and is sure to add to that record when he resumes from a spell in early 2023.
So Raging Bull has displayed siring power from very limited opportunities to date. Even the leading sires of today with their large books of mares would be happy with such results from each 100 foals sired.
Wildwest recently resumed racing for the Gary Hall stable in WA and on Friday 11th November he finished powerfully to claim second prize in the $100,000 GROUP 1 James Brennan Memorial at Gloucester Park. It wont be long before he takes his earnings past the $500,000 plateau.
Raging Bull - breeding his biggest book ever in 2022
Aussie Breeders are paying more attention to this talented son of Christian Cullen than our counterparts across the ditch. Raging Bull has already exceeded the biggest book of mares he had bred in NZ... and there is still another ten weeks of the season to go.
There are some talented mares who have been booked or bred to him including the racemares:
Glenferrie Shuffle 1.57 $279,839 (Australian Breeders Crown winner)
Married To The Mob 1.56.1 $119,775 (NSW Breeders Challenge winner)
Dame Puissant 1.56.2 $115,039 (3rd in WA Oaks)
The Dams of - Taking The Miki 1.54.2 $221,325 (WA Oaks winner 2022)
Mister Jay Cee 1.52.4 $209,390
Mighty Ronaldo 1.54 $372,971
Im Sir Blake 1.49.2 $$376,446
Johnny Disco 1.51 $281,844
Plus half-sisters to - Queen Of Fire 1.57 $176,808
Majestic Emperor 1.58.1 $186,378
Restrepo 1.52.4 $527,118
Tightrope 1.53.6 $204,098
Gumdrops 1.53.1 $256,910
Raging Bull has already sired some of his best performers from the No Nukes/Western Hanover line mares so mares by American Ideal, Live Or Die, Jeremes Jet, Badlands Hanover etc will be perfect for match ups. Of course the mixture of the Bettors Delight and Christian Cullen blood has proven to be a lethal formula in producing Stakes winners so certainly Bettors Delight and any mares by Cam Fella sires will be perfect to breed to the Bull. There are an increasing number of Stakes winners in Australia with double crosses of Artsplace in their pedigrees so mares by Art Major, Modern Art, Sportswriter, Grinfromeartoear and Dream Away etc will also be perfect matches for Raging Bull.
There is still time to Book your mare to Raging Bull and if in Victoria your resulting foal will be eligible for the Vicbred Pure tier of the Vicbred futurity scheme and the high-end $12,000 First Win Bonus.