Keyarna Blue: Last But No Means Least

Hawkes Bay breeder Alan Jackson no longer owns any of the family to generate any commercial upside however he will have gained an immense deal of personal satisfaction as the breeder of last Saturday's impressive Adelaide listed winner Keyarna Blue (O'Reilly-Oh Blue Angel by Semipalatinsk); the first stakes winner he has bred.

A $66,000 purchase by Kieran Moore Bloodstock from the Little Avondale draft at the 2011 Karaka Select Sale, Keyarna Blue produced an impressive turn of foot to switch ground and run down the favourite Hazard in the closing stages of the Listed Darley Laelia Stakes over 1600m at Morphetville.

Post race sectionals confirmed the visual impression with the strongly built three-year-old daughter of O’Reilly timed to run her last 600m in 34.1 and 200m in 11.27. Platelet who came with a powerful finishing burst to win the Group 1 Goodwood Handicap a few races later ran her last 600m in 33.56 and 200m in 11.36.     

Although jumping significantly in class from her last start maiden win at Kilmore – her third start and first of a new preparation - the merit of the performance at the Victorian provincial when she quickened impressively to win by nearly four lengths, was obviously not lost on punters who kept her very safe in the market at 9-1.

Keyarna Blue was an attractive yearling whom good judges expected to make a little more than $66,000. She was still the highest priced O'Reilly filly of that sale, a time when the stallion was going through a rare quiet patch. Although a November foal, Keyarna Blue was a strong, well balanced yearling with a particularly pronounced shoulder and forearm.

Acting on advice from Randwick Bloodstock’s Brett Howard, Jackson purchased Oh Blue Angel, the dam of Keyarna Blue, for AUS$80,000 at the 2007 Sydney Easter Broodmare Sale. She had won four races and AUS$170,000, including a listed event over 1400m at Flemington. The mare to that stage had left four foals and was carrying a service to first season sire Fastnet Rock.

The resulting Fastnet Rock filly sold for $85,000 at the 2009 Karaka Premier Sale, while the following year her Fast N Famous colt sold for $120,000 - some idea of his quality lies in the fact that he was the highest priced of 44 lots by his sire that year at Karaka, including 15 in the Premier session.

Ramiel (Fastnet Rock-Oh Blue Angel), a spectacular looking weanling who didn't retain quite the same athleticism as a yearling, has won two races to date for David Hayes. The Fast N Famous colt, a more lithe, athletic yearling than Ramiel, will not race after developing a serious fetlock issue as a two-year-old when reputedly showing a lot of promise for Roger James.

Sadly Oh Blue Angel died from complications just hours after foaling Keyarna Blue - the third and final foal from the mare for Jackson. She had a booking that season to Iffraaj.

Keyarna Blue is O'Reilly's 66^th individual stakeswinner and his 13th so far this season including Australian group one winners Shamexpress and Sacred Falls.

Semipalatinsk, the dam sire of Keyarna Blue, was in a way, Australia's answer to Centaine. An American bred but Italian raced grandson of Star Kingdom, Semipalatinsk sired 26 stakeswinners including sprinters, Oaks winners and Australian Grand National victors but his comparative record as a broodmare stallion is almost without peer. His daughters have left group one winners the calibre of Private Steer, Savannah Success (damsire of Savabeel), All Silent, Star Shiraz and Blue Diamond Stakes winner Danelagh.

Interestingly there are some reasonably prominent physical similarities between Semipalatinsk and Keyarna Blue, far more than he had with Ramiel and the Fast N Famous colt.

Many breeders remark that their first stakeswinner is a lifetime moment and for a kiwi breeder these days to achieve the feat in Australia is real achievement. Alan Jackson will have found plenty of desirable spots on the Ahuriri foreshore this week to celebrate with a locally brewed pilsner or one of the regions great syrahs and with Keyarna Blue's repertoire it would come as little surprise if he finds himself repeating the dose in Melbourne this spring around Southbank or St Kilda.