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Group One results this season have done much to dispel the misconception that Australian breeding is waning as a source of high class middle distance and staying performers.

The often espoused view is that Australia doesn’t breed stayers or middle distance horses og Group One standard and is reliant in these categories on horses from New Zealand or the northern hemisphere to put on a show.

That theory has been dispelled since August 1 with Australian-bred horses winning 11 of the 14 G1 races run over 1600m or further and already include two of the big three spring races - the Caulfield Cup and the WS Cox Plate.

Rick Jamieson, breeder of the Caulfield Cup winner and leading Melbourne Cup contender Jameka, is adamant that Australian studs have the ammunition to be more than competitive against the influx of horses from overseas.

“I believe we breed very good stayers. We just don’t get the chance to showcase them as much as we could due to the preference given to internationals,” Jamieson said.

“Take Winx in the Cox Plate for instance. She might not be a stayer per se, albeit she did win a Queensland Oaks over 2400m, but I don’t reckon I’ve seen a better horse than her over a middle distance.

“I really don’t think it’s a lack of will nor opportunity to breed middle distance and staying horses. It boils down more to a lack of a way to put them up on the stage.”

Darley Australia’s managing director Henry Plumptre is also convinced of Australia’s ability to produce quality stayers.

“This industry is largely cyclical. It is recognised globally that Australia produces the best sprinters and much of the programming is tailored as such,” Plumptre said.

“Every industry goes through phases. We tend to focus predominantly on two and three-year-old racing over shorter courses and I don’t think it’s detrimental to racing and breeding in Australia especially when you do it better.

“Australian-bred sprinters also tend to dominate in what is possibly the second most competitive sprinting arena in Hong Kong, but who is to say that the wheel won’t turn in the favour of stayers in coming seasons.

“We certainly now have the best of both worlds in relation to the quality of sires and broodmares here at stud.”

Leading agent, James Bester, believes the facts speak for themselves and alluded to the recent success of Australian-bred stayers in South Africa including that of Ovidio last weekend.

A son of Danehill Dancer and in the powerful stable of Justin Snaith, Ovidio took out the Listed Woolavington Stakes over 2400m at Kenilworth for the second year in succession and had previously won a G2 over 2800m.

Bester had selected Ovidio at the 2012 Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney, paying just $30,000 for the privilege.

Bester also purchased Mac De Lago for $65,000 from the Melbourne Premier sale, another astute buy with the Encosta de Lago galloper winning the G1 Greyville Gold Challenge in June and subsequently running third behind another Australian-bred in The Conglomerate in the G1 Durban July over 2200m.

“South African owners and trainers are now taking a much closer look at Australia for not just sprinters, but as a source of quality stayers too,” Bester said.

“Shadwell, for instance, has purchased a number of horses from Australia that have gone on to enjoy staying success in South Africa.

“Probably the most compelling argument is that of the Australian-bred son of High Chaparral in Enaad who was named Champion Stayer of South Africa in 2015-16, while another locally bred stayer in Mongolian Khan is the reigning New Zealand Horse of the Year.

“Importantly, Enaad – a half-brother to Pride Of Dubai – was both bred and is raced by Sheikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, again underlying the faith overseas investors have in Australia.

“I have a close association with Coolmore Australia and with such stallions as So You Think (High Chaparral) and Adelaide (Galileo) coming through, they won’t be the last Australian stayers you see grab some headlines.”