Some breeders have lamented the lack of proven affordable commercial sires in the Hunter Valley this year, but sometimes you might miss what is staring you right in the face.

With 98 Australian winners to his credit Vinery Stud's quiet achiever Casino Prince has his century in sight and is on track for his best ever season having closed out 2015 with 89 winners and five stakes-winners.

His current tally of winners have earned $4.1 million in prizemoney and include six individual stakes-winners – Escado, Hooked, Mighty Lucky, Casino Dancer, Slots and Timeless Prince.

The only other sires on the Vinery roster to post more stakes-winners than Casino Prince this season are champion sire More Than Ready (USA) and evergreen Mossman, with seven apiece.

Given his level of achievement, $11,000 seems a more than reasonable fee for the breeder seeking a proven option at an affordable price.

In the 'bang for buck' stakes, Casino Prince has few peers and given the right mare has shown he can throw a champion.

Starting his stud career at Patinack Farm in 2008, Casino Prince was interestingly chosen by renowned breeder Rick Jamieson as the partner for his then considered promising broodmare Helsinge, who had produced quite a smart filly as her first foal in Black Caviar.

Fast forward to 2011 and Black Caviar had become a rising superstar, while the All Too Hard colt resulting from that mating in 2008 fetched $1,025,000 to top the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Casino Prince

Fast forward again to 2013 and the Casino Prince colt that would race as All Too Hard had won four Group I races to emerge as Champion 3YO Colt earning himself a slot on the Vinery Stud roster at a fee of $66,000.

Casino Prince transferred from Patinack to Vinery in 2013, so it's an interesting exercise to view father and son and contemplate the physical and genetic mix that might be required to produce another All Too Hard!

A Group I winning son of champion sire Flying Spur, Casino Prince owes much in appearance to the female side of his pedigree with considerable refinement coming from his dam sire Last Tycoon (IRE) and even the French shuttler Kenmare (Fr), who sired his grand-dam.

That refinement can be used to good advantage and when Casino Prince gets a good one it's usually a seriously good one.

His 12 stakes-winners to date include Group I winners All Too Hard and Escado as well as Hooked and Longport, who were both placed at Group I level.

For those broodmare owners with decisions still to make, it might be a good time to revisit Casino Prince.