Playing God will equal a long-standing WA record when he stands for a $33,000 (inc GST) service fee at Darling View Thoroughbreds this year.
It’s the equivalent of recently-deceased Mungrup Stud champion Oratorio (Stravinsky) who covered 111 mares at a $33,000 (inc GST) fee in 2010. Playing God’s services will increase for the fourth year in a row, the past three at Darling View, since transferring from Mungrup Stud.
The dual G1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m) winner has sired 12 Stakes winners in his first five crops. Investmentstrategy can register the first black-type victory from the sixth crop in the G3 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Ascot this Saturday.
Darling View studmaster Brent Atwell believes Playing God deserves another rise following year-on year increases from $11,000 in 2019. Atwell did consider increasing the fee beyond $33,000 but was mindful the 15 year-old stallion remained within the budget of the vast majority of Western Australian breeders.
“He’s been very well received already,” Atwell said in an interview with ANZ Bloodstock News reporter Tim Rowe on Tuesday. “People are booking mares without even knowing his fee and we’ve had some good interest from Eastern States breeders as well.
“The Westspeed Platinum Scheme is going unbelievably well, so I think people can see there’s money to be made and this year’s Magic Millions Yearling Sale was right up there with the best in Australia as far as percentages go.”
Playing God has sired four stakes winners so far this season – Feels Playful, Playing Marika, Nerodio and Bustler – and Atwell is confident that the best is yet to come. “I see him in the top echelon at the moment – he’s at nearly 9.5% Stakes winners to runners, so he sits right up there in the stats with a lot of the good horses. And he will only improve on what he’s been able to do so far.”
His 14 yearlings at this year’s Perth Magic Millions, conceived off a $13,200 service fee, averaged $133,929 and sold to $280,000. “He has done what he’s done, with all due respect, off a few mid-range books,” Atwell added. “And in the past couple of seasons he’s really getting just about every breeder’s best mare.
“We are very fortunate that he’s the best stallion WA has to offer.”
Playing God is poised to claim his first WA sires’ title this season with a sizeable lead at the top of the table. It would break the remarkable twelve-year winning sequence of his own sire Blackfriars (Danehill).
Darling View’s second-season sire Splintex (Snitzel) will remain at an unchanged fee of $11,000 in 2023 while new recruit Lightsaber (Zoustar), will stand for an introductory fee of $6,600. Long-standing resident stallions Patronize (Redoute’s Choice) and Lucky Street (Oratorio) will stand at private fees this year.
