Set among the original 1820 stone buildings of the historic Segenhoe property, Vinery general manager Peter Orton and his team welcomed close to a 1000 breeding enthusiasts. 

The weather was almost as impressive as the stallions on parade and the feedback from those present indicated there’s not a weak link in the line-up for 2014.

Champion sire More Than Ready was one of four international shuttle stallions on show for the first time since his return from Kentucky.

There was no doubt that the stallion in the spotlight was Black Caviar’s distinguished half brother All Too Hard whose first foals are certainly catching the eye.  

Among them is the seven-day-old colt from Group 1 winning mare Allez Wonder, which upstaged his four-time Group 1 winning father when paraded for the crowd. 

The extremely spunky colt is highly-regarded and will certainly be sought after when part of the Patinack Farm dispersal sale at the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast this month.

With up to 200 foals a year born on Vinery, every foal is special and as if on cue, Melbourne Cup legend Makybe Diva foaled her All Too Hard on the Saturday of the parades to add to the burgeoning reputation of its sire. 

Golden Slipper-winning sire Mossman, Testa Rossa, Myboycharlie, Casino Prince and Congrats all took their turn centre stage during the event – and they will all cover substantial books this year.  

Breeders are always looking to the future and More Than Ready’s young sire son Pluck may well prove every bit as good as his illustrious sire.

Pluck’s first yearlings will be catalogued for the Gold Coast Sales in January and will be racing for two-year-old riches in 2016. 

For those who follow thoroughbred breeding, this near black stallion is one of the most exciting prospects in recent years.

The footage of the Vinery stallions on parade can be seen on Youtube by searching ‘Vinery Open Day 2014’.