Therefore there was a lot to like about the wins on debut of He's Remarkable (Pentire-Axiom)and Rockandready (More Than Ready-Bumps) at the lakeside circuit last week, coming as they both did from well off the pace and wide on the home-turn.
It seems almost impossible to fathom now but only four or five years ago John Thompson was seriously considering not continuing to bring Pentire down on his southern hemisphere shuttle so significant a shun was he receiving from local breeders. Serving less than 100 mares between the seasons 2002-2004 and leaving only 44 live foals, the former high-class European stayer was being heavily penalised for a slow start to his breeding career.
Pentire's standing with local breeders changed significantly after the 2004/2005 racing season during which the career of the near champion Xcellent commenced with group one victories in the NZ Derby and Zabeel Classic and his Australian trained daughter Recurring took the Group One Railway Handicap after earlier placing second in the Group One Sallinger Stakes at Flemington. The floodgates had suddenly opened for Pentire - he had gone from a stallion acknowledged by breeders as capable of leaving slower maturing middle distance-staying types to one who could throw serious WFA and sprinting horses.
Using the expression career defining to describe the next couple of seasons for Pentire's progeny would be putting unwarranted expectations on a stallion who has already reached heights most studmasters can only dream about, but it will be fascinating to monitor their progress, coming as they do from far and away his biggest and best books of mares.
Unraced due to an eye injury, Axiom is a Zabeel daughter of the dual Australian group two winning Centaine mare Arletty, a leading three-year-old filly of her year in NZ before transferring to become an inaugural member of the O'Sullivan stables short-lived Sydney operation from where she tasted further group race success as a four and five-year-old. Arletty's best performer to date from her nine foals is the three win Zabeel gelding Maythehorsebemagic.
Arletty is a half sister to the 2007 NZ Broodmare Of The Year winner River Century the dam of group one winners Legs and Guyno while she's a three-quarter sister to group one winner Sixty Seconds and group three winner Spottswoode. Adding further credence to a most prolific family is Arlettys full sister Rivertaine, the dam of three individual winners in Hong Kong including multiple group placed performer Regency Horse and the five times winning O'Reilly Rally.
Axiom's first foal is the promising Melbourne trained mare Fashion Black, a winner twice including a city victory, and two placings from just five starts. Her next foal was the $360,000 Karaka Premier Yearling Sale graduate He's Remarkable, followed by a full brother who sold to Fashion Black's trainer Danny O'Brien for $160,000 at this years Karaka Sale. She is due to foal again to Pentire this spring after failing to get back in foal to him the previous season.
Another stallion on an ever increasing upward surge in popularity over recent seasons has been the Australian based More Than Ready who just a matter of days after his daughters Taupo success registered his 73rd stakeswinner worldwide when a two-year-old son won a group three event in North America. Like Pentire, most of More Than Ready's sire success has been generated off his down-under shuttle service where he demands a service fee of $121,000 Aus (down from last years pre recession $148,500), a jump from $40,000 in 2007 largely courtesy of consecutive Champion Australian Two-Year -Old Premierships in 2007/2008 and 2008/2009, and a significantly higher fee than the $30,000 US he currently commands Stateside.
Rockandready is bred on a very similar cross to More Than Ready's second Golden Slipper winner Phelan Ready whose dam is a daughter of the Scenic stallion Blevic.
Bumps an unraced daughter of Scenic from the Christmas Tree mare Final Claus has fashioned a most respectable record at stud with Rockandready her sixth individual winner from the eight of her nine foals to make it to the racetrack. Two of her earlier progeny - both by Rory's Jester - were stakesplaced while her 2006 son by Fastnet Rock named Therock already has a fourth to his credit in a listed event after only 6 lifetime starts.
Final Claus's hails from an imported family which has crossed successfully with Australian speed influences. Her dam the imported Northfields mare Life At Last left a VRC St Leger winner in Full At Last and a daughter Imposing Life is the grand dam of Group One Blue Diamond Stakes winner Reward For Effort while Betty Box, a full sister to Life At Last, is the dam of Aynda who in turn is the grand dam of Waikato Stud stallion Fast N Famous.
Rockandready was sold as a yearling at the 2009 Karaka Premier Sale to Grant Searle for $190,000 before being re sold in the yearling section of the 2009 National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Sale for $75,000 and again in the two-year-old section of the same sale this year for what could well turn out to be a bargain price of $90,000. While the financial plight of her co-breeders is likely to have had something to do with the unusual ownership changes the filly doesn't seem to have taken the passing around personally judging by her Taupo win.
Conclusions:
He's Remarkable - from a stable not reknown for having their charges wound up to win first time out, the colt looks just the type to make up in a Derby horse in the autumn and further enhance the reputation of his sire for leaving middle-distance Classic performers.
Rockandready - big long legged type who never looked suited to debut venue at any stage but overcame that with raw natural ability to win easily and while the 1000 Guineas may come around a little too soon for her, she may just be good enough to give the race a huge shake.
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