Guillotine: Building Momentum

The flashing light that flicked on the Montjeu stallion Guillotine late last season has continued to brighten with impressive wins to start the new season from two members of his oldest crop three-year-olds - Daniel (Guillotine - Tina by Danasinga) in Singapore and Beauty's Beast (Guillotine - Black Beauty by Black Minnaloushe) at Ruakaka.

And he looks to have another promising type in an unnamed gelding from the Volksraad mare Alleyrun who won easily at the Te Teko trials a fortnight ago.

It may only have been a 800m Catchweight trial conducted on a heavy track but there was something about the belligerent manner in which the three-year-old dealt to his eight rivals that indicated he is well above average. The strongly made gelding from a moderate female family cost his co trainer Tony Pike $50,000 from the Mapperley draft at the 2012 Karaka Select Sale.

Brilliant Terror (Guillotine - by Brilliance), who was the inaugural winner for his sire when successful over 1350m at Rosehill in June has since been sold to continue his racing in Hong Kong, while Guillotine's other two-year winner Daniel franked that seven length debut win in Singapore with an almost equally comprehensive win at the same venue at his next start in late August.

This relatively early show of form for a son of Montjeu shouldn't be a complete surprise because Guillotine was very prominent in pre post betting markets for the Golden Slipper of his year following an impressive debut win at Canterbury in January 2007.

Luck deserted Guillotine when fifth in the traditional Slipper lead up the Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes, which instead saw connections target the Group 1 Champagne Stakes, where after getting back and suffering interference, he made ground strongly to finish fourth behind the winner, the ill fated Meurice.

Subsequently the aftermarth of EI and injury saw his career total just 14 starts however he was able to show his juvenile form was no flash in the pan when in his final season of racing as a four-year-old he defeated a high class field to win the 1600m Group 2 Dato Tin Chin Nam Stakes at Moonee Valley.

Interestingly Guillotine has thrown more on type to his maternal sireline through Defensive Play and Fappiano. He is not as upright and is slightly longer through the barrel than many of the Montjeu stock and his deep shoulder and strong front end are characteristic traits of his maternal sireline.

Guillotine and his half brother the outstanding VRC Derby and Melbourne Cup winner Efficient are two of our four live foals left by their dam the stakesplaced Refused The Dance.

The promising start made by Guillotine will have encouraged supporters of Montjeu's two other commercially domiciled sons at stud in N.Z - Windsor Park's shuttler Pour Moi and Fairdale's Nom Du Jeu. While both also won at two years they did not have the precocity of their paternal full brother so it will be an interesting exercise in a couple of years time to line-up the relative records of all three stallions.

With many breeders still to finalise their matings the momentum generated by Guillotine of late could hardly have been more opportune for Windsor Park and one imagines it won't be long before the book full sign goes up on Kaipaki Road.