So the Cup is over for another year and the punting post mortem's have begun.
The Cup was a kind race to me in the late 90's and early this millennium, but I had gone off the boil lately, largely due to the increasing competitiveness of the overseas horses and the myriad of different formlines they were bringing downunder. My luck turned this year, yet ironically European horses finished in the first six placings. Maybe the experience had made me wiser...
Excuse me for sounding a little bit like John Mitchell, but in success one should still analyse the accomplishment, as there is still much to learn.......so here it goes:
Dunaden: Watch, watch, watch and watch again. On my first look at the Geelong Cup replay I wasn't overly impressed. Sure he let down well to hit the front 200m out, but then he just seemed to flatten out. I didn't think for a moment it was in the same league as the Cup trials of Media Puzzle, She's Archie or Americain.
But the more times I watched the replay the wiser I became; Williams had deliberately dropped his hands when he hit the front, wanting the horse to have a softer run as possible.
Tanby's consistent form through the spring and his subsequent win in the Bendigo Cup were important pointers, however the clincher was probably Dunadens weight - the records show that 53.5kgs is such a winnable Cup weight.
Red Cadeaux: I liked the way he fought right to the line for a close third in the Irish St Leger. He was off the bit a long way out, and although the time was 7 seconds off standard, he kept closing on the dead heating winners. He carried over 60kgs at the Curragh that day and the race has been a good guide to Melbourne down the years with the likes of Vinnie Roe, Vintage Crop and Profound Beauty performing well in both races.
The clincher came with the Trackside preview show on Monday night. There was a shot of him being hotwalked at Werribee and despite an exercise blanket I could still see that he looked in excellent condition, especially in his coat, which was a rich dark red chestnut colour. Obviously he was warming to Melbourne like his rugby team had to Queenstown. Also his trainer Ed Dunlop knows how to travel a horse - he has done so fantastically well with the marvellous mare Snow Fairy - so despite not having had a run in Australia, he was looked well enough to risk.
Lucas Cranache: You knew the moment he started drifting alarmingly in the market for the Caulfield Cup that the stable knew they didn't have him fit enough and so it proved; he mounted a big run from the 600m and looked a real chance with 200m to go, then peaked. The Freedman's have an ideal property down on the Mornington Peninsula for getting a horse fit off the racetrack, plus they had always signalled their intention to go straight from Caulfield into the Cup, so I wasn't concerned when he didn't run again.
I was also taken with a replay of one of his German wins where he stormed home over the last 200m of a 2400m race, showing rare speed for European stayer. Then when I saw he had only finished five lengths from the authoritative Arc winner Danedream in another of his German runs, I couldn't leave him out. Finally and while it wasn't a deal breaker, but his rider Corey Brown has a good record in the Cup, and seem to gets stayers to relax well, and I could see him spending little petrol on the paint from his draw.
Americain: In hindsight the weight probably beats him, although Mosse believes it was the firm track. Still, if he had been closer to them at the turn I still think he may have won. But we will never know.
The Beaten Brigade: Manighar ran slightly better than I thought he would. As a rule horses don't improve between five and six years to win the Cup now and he had his chances last year. The blinkers that went on for the Cup probably sharpened him up sufficiently to run fifth instead of seventh/eighth.
I had Fox Hunt in my multiples but maybe he just lacks the class and speed that you need to win now. He seemed to fit the profile of a Jardines Lookout type of horse, tough and always finding the line. Or maybe the Mark Johnston recalcitrance which I took for a smokescreen was in fact no mirage and he genuinely thought the race was too bigger step. I must go back and look at his form again, possibly I missed something.
If the track had been dry last year I still maintain Holberg would have gone close to winning, instead of running sixth. Godolphin are going to win this race shortly, however this years pair didn't excite me as much as Holberg who had a racing profile that suggested he was comfortable racing close to the pace and could quicken or slow without coming off the bridle.
Of Godolphin's duo, Lost In The Moment appealed more. He finished strongly at Goodwood in a race that featured a number of his English rivals in the Cup. I only sighted a replay of one of Modun's six career starts and it was on the dirt and right handed. It was a reasonably competitive pattern race and he won it well enough, drawing away over the closing stages, but he did race a fraction boldly, which may only be down to his lack of experience. But I had little hesitation to relegate him when I read a report from Werribee that he looked overly bold in his work, which is contrary to the relaxed types I favour for these type of races.
Niwot: Franked the form that comes out of the Lexus now, with a strong performance to finish eighth. While his Lexus win was very comprehensive, I hadn't rated the field overly and when two moderates Macedonian and Raffaello filled the minor placings it tended to confirm my suspicions. He has an excellent Flemington record, including a two-mile win in the Andrew Ramsden, but it's been a long while since form from those sorts of races has bought any reward in the Cup - the St Leger winner Dolphin Jo finished fifth or thereabouts on a rain affected track three or so years ago. Niwot ran to form.
Glass Harmonium: Something told me that he may do a Jeune, being a big bold six-year-old stallion and all, so I had a few tickets on him just in case. Sure once he missed the kick his race was as good as over but he seemed to settle okay at the back of the field, but just didn't run on. Somehow I don't think that theory was ever going to work.
At First Sight: At first I wasn't overly concerned about him not wining the Bendigo Cup, as it was acknowledged he had missed vital work going into the Caulfield Cup and was still likely to be short of fitness. He went up to win at Bendigo then bottomed out. As a friend so rightly reminded me on Cup eve, you need absolutely everything to go right going into these type of races. Maybe he just isn't quite good enough? I would still like to see this horse with another Australian preparation.
Tullamore: Racing well in his leadups although I was concerned that he has always tended to race up on the bit and may not get 2 miles. A lot of Savabeel's have the same tendency and maybe the are sharp mile and a quarter to mile and a half horses. Also Brisbane Cup form hasn't translated into Cup form for many years.
The Cup is a fascinating race for punters. Chances are I suspect a number of my theories will go out the back door next year. Oh well, the analysis sure beats an investment property.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Hastings, Saturday 27 August
The first day of the Hastings Spring Carnival invariably generates a lot of enthusiasm amongst the racing fraternity and with it been a few seasons since the days feature had included as many horses with genuine Australian Spring Carnival aspirations, this years raceday carried a little extra significance.
But not sufficient to warrant the decision of the Hawkes Bay Racing Club to charge racegoers $20 at the gate. Sadly the extent of the cost reeked of desperation in times of falling turnovers, and I understand, resulted in tens of people turning around at the gates and going home. It's hard to argue that New Zealand racing clubs cannot now afford to charge for feature days, but the price must reflect the product - which includes the standard of the facility, and be advertised appropriately.
The crowd looked down on recent years although they seemed to come out of rabbit holes for the Makfi Challenge Stakes, generating real atmosphere around the parade ring. The undercard featured some promising performances and history shows that many of them will frank that form on the final two days.
Race 1: As a friend so wisely pointed out pre race, any Volksraad who can win it's debut on a soft track must have some ability, and so it proved with Ginner Hart sustaining a wide searching run from the 600m to win narrowly but meritoriously and remain undefeated.
I thought the runner-up Micken was the horse to take out of the race. Like his highly promising half sister Guiseppina, he is a light type, quite narrow and all legs, but a really nice mover in full stride. Kevin Myers looks to have made another astute purchase, picking the Darci Brahma gelding up for just $25,000 at last years Ready To Run Sale. The Darci Brahma's look to me like they'll stay and be that much stronger as autumn three-year-olds.
Race 2: Manny Pacuiao failed to deliver the knockout blow on this occasion but he's one to follow when going beyond 1200m. He also seemed to get lost around the tight Hastings turn and took a long time to get balanced, so may need a bigger track such as Trentham or Te Rapa.
Race 5: Anywhere near her best form, November Rain would have won this weakish affair easily, but sadly for most of last season and again this prep, she looks but a shadow of the fine three-year from two seasons ago. Sterling Prince looks in good fettle and battled on after getting little peace in front from the 1000m. At eight he is unlikely to return to the form that won him a group two race in Melbourne earlier in his career, but as he creeps down the ratings can pickup a nice handicap between 2000 and 2400m.
Race 6: I'm not sure what to make of Baldovino's effort? To be fair to the horse, he carried almost as much hype into the day as many of the better Makfi contenders and it's hard to be critical of a winning effort, but maybe he has had enough for a first preparation. I hadn't seen him before in the flesh but had visions of seeing a bigger, more robust individual, and perhaps he has just lightened off. It would pay to be careful when taking short odds on the Mossman four-year-old again at the Carnival.
No Excuse Maggie produced the run of the day and can be backed with confidence again at the Carnival, however she would need to get her own way in front if she is to run out 2000m.
Race 7: Smoulder's run was typically game and she deserves to pick-up a nice race this campaign - a race like the Couplands Mile would be a good target. Back In Black didn't have a lot of luck late and with form at the Carnival previously, he is worth consideration if he makes the trip down again from his Te Aroha base.
Race 8: Apparently Twilight Savings has had her share of problems since the 1000 Guineas, so much so that she was nearly heading for a broodmare career this spring, before some of that reknown Murray Baker horsemanship began to turn her world around just a couple of weeks ago. She won well against a strong line-up with that destructive turn of foot she hadn't shown since before Christchurch, and there still looks some improvement in her - especially her coat.
Race 9: Featuring four horses who had won group one races in Australia last season and three other group winners including a previous Horse of the Year, this years Makfi field had depth like probably no previous edition.
Wall Street epitomises everything there is to love about the thoroughbred physique; tall but well proportioned, strong without being bulky, masculine with an intelligent head and an eye of courage. If anything he looked in better physical condition than early last season.
The ten days Scarlett Lady had in the Queensland sunshine after the Oaks looked to have done her the world of good. She paraded with a shinning oily coat and bright in the eye. There was some softness to her girth and she will improve a lot with the run.
The two four-year-old stallions Jimmy Choux and Lion Tamer also looked well, if a tad pretty.
Mufhasa, bucking and squealing like a stallion in the stabling area was obviously well. The one horse who looks like she will take a little time is Kiwi Lady - her coat was back and she carried some condition.
Apart from Wall Street's effort, the race probably ran to script. As he had done in most of his previous five group one wins, Mufhasa sat on the speed before dropping the opposition on the turn, utilising his strength and turn of foot to establish a winning break.
It's almost as if Sam Spratt and Mufhasa were made for each other; both good looking, feisty, free spirited and tough, they are a double act that have consistently provided some of the domestic racings most exciting moments, since claiming their first major race together in the 2008 Couplands Bakeries Mile.
In saying that I'm not sure that Mufhasa, despite five group one wins and a Horse of the Year title heading into Hastings, has quite got all the accolades he deserves. Maybe it's got something to do with him going winless in a couple of Australian campaigns.
That deserves to change after his Makfi win. It's always a tough race to win and a genuine group one contest, which is more than one can say for some other races in our domestic calendar with an equivalent grading.
Round two in three weeks time promises to be another fiercely competitive contest.
Race 10: Affirmation was an outstanding winner of the last; hooked at least four horses wide at the 200m by James McDonald, she balanced quickly and must have gone close to running the fastest last 200m of the day. Like most of the best stock of Cape Cross she isn't overly big. A study of her form showed she was a few lengths below our best three-year-old fillies last season, and while she has undoubtedly improved, it's more evidence of the talent that crop possessed.
Horses to Follow: Micken, No Excuse Maggie, Twilight Savings, Scarlett Lady and Jimmy Choux.
But not sufficient to warrant the decision of the Hawkes Bay Racing Club to charge racegoers $20 at the gate. Sadly the extent of the cost reeked of desperation in times of falling turnovers, and I understand, resulted in tens of people turning around at the gates and going home. It's hard to argue that New Zealand racing clubs cannot now afford to charge for feature days, but the price must reflect the product - which includes the standard of the facility, and be advertised appropriately.
The crowd looked down on recent years although they seemed to come out of rabbit holes for the Makfi Challenge Stakes, generating real atmosphere around the parade ring. The undercard featured some promising performances and history shows that many of them will frank that form on the final two days.
Race 1: As a friend so wisely pointed out pre race, any Volksraad who can win it's debut on a soft track must have some ability, and so it proved with Ginner Hart sustaining a wide searching run from the 600m to win narrowly but meritoriously and remain undefeated.
I thought the runner-up Micken was the horse to take out of the race. Like his highly promising half sister Guiseppina, he is a light type, quite narrow and all legs, but a really nice mover in full stride. Kevin Myers looks to have made another astute purchase, picking the Darci Brahma gelding up for just $25,000 at last years Ready To Run Sale. The Darci Brahma's look to me like they'll stay and be that much stronger as autumn three-year-olds.
Race 2: Manny Pacuiao failed to deliver the knockout blow on this occasion but he's one to follow when going beyond 1200m. He also seemed to get lost around the tight Hastings turn and took a long time to get balanced, so may need a bigger track such as Trentham or Te Rapa.
Race 5: Anywhere near her best form, November Rain would have won this weakish affair easily, but sadly for most of last season and again this prep, she looks but a shadow of the fine three-year from two seasons ago. Sterling Prince looks in good fettle and battled on after getting little peace in front from the 1000m. At eight he is unlikely to return to the form that won him a group two race in Melbourne earlier in his career, but as he creeps down the ratings can pickup a nice handicap between 2000 and 2400m.
Race 6: I'm not sure what to make of Baldovino's effort? To be fair to the horse, he carried almost as much hype into the day as many of the better Makfi contenders and it's hard to be critical of a winning effort, but maybe he has had enough for a first preparation. I hadn't seen him before in the flesh but had visions of seeing a bigger, more robust individual, and perhaps he has just lightened off. It would pay to be careful when taking short odds on the Mossman four-year-old again at the Carnival.
No Excuse Maggie produced the run of the day and can be backed with confidence again at the Carnival, however she would need to get her own way in front if she is to run out 2000m.
Race 7: Smoulder's run was typically game and she deserves to pick-up a nice race this campaign - a race like the Couplands Mile would be a good target. Back In Black didn't have a lot of luck late and with form at the Carnival previously, he is worth consideration if he makes the trip down again from his Te Aroha base.
Race 8: Apparently Twilight Savings has had her share of problems since the 1000 Guineas, so much so that she was nearly heading for a broodmare career this spring, before some of that reknown Murray Baker horsemanship began to turn her world around just a couple of weeks ago. She won well against a strong line-up with that destructive turn of foot she hadn't shown since before Christchurch, and there still looks some improvement in her - especially her coat.
Race 9: Featuring four horses who had won group one races in Australia last season and three other group winners including a previous Horse of the Year, this years Makfi field had depth like probably no previous edition.
Wall Street epitomises everything there is to love about the thoroughbred physique; tall but well proportioned, strong without being bulky, masculine with an intelligent head and an eye of courage. If anything he looked in better physical condition than early last season.
The ten days Scarlett Lady had in the Queensland sunshine after the Oaks looked to have done her the world of good. She paraded with a shinning oily coat and bright in the eye. There was some softness to her girth and she will improve a lot with the run.
The two four-year-old stallions Jimmy Choux and Lion Tamer also looked well, if a tad pretty.
Mufhasa, bucking and squealing like a stallion in the stabling area was obviously well. The one horse who looks like she will take a little time is Kiwi Lady - her coat was back and she carried some condition.
Apart from Wall Street's effort, the race probably ran to script. As he had done in most of his previous five group one wins, Mufhasa sat on the speed before dropping the opposition on the turn, utilising his strength and turn of foot to establish a winning break.
It's almost as if Sam Spratt and Mufhasa were made for each other; both good looking, feisty, free spirited and tough, they are a double act that have consistently provided some of the domestic racings most exciting moments, since claiming their first major race together in the 2008 Couplands Bakeries Mile.
In saying that I'm not sure that Mufhasa, despite five group one wins and a Horse of the Year title heading into Hastings, has quite got all the accolades he deserves. Maybe it's got something to do with him going winless in a couple of Australian campaigns.
That deserves to change after his Makfi win. It's always a tough race to win and a genuine group one contest, which is more than one can say for some other races in our domestic calendar with an equivalent grading.
Round two in three weeks time promises to be another fiercely competitive contest.
Race 10: Affirmation was an outstanding winner of the last; hooked at least four horses wide at the 200m by James McDonald, she balanced quickly and must have gone close to running the fastest last 200m of the day. Like most of the best stock of Cape Cross she isn't overly big. A study of her form showed she was a few lengths below our best three-year-old fillies last season, and while she has undoubtedly improved, it's more evidence of the talent that crop possessed.
Horses to Follow: Micken, No Excuse Maggie, Twilight Savings, Scarlett Lady and Jimmy Choux.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Super Easy: A Sign of Things to Come Methinks
It may only have been a Class Four event in Singapore but the many high profile New Zealand breeders who have invested so heavily in the stallion career of the five-time group one winning Danehill entire Darci Brahma should sleep a little easier tonight, following the emphatic victory earlier this evening by his well named three-year-old son Super Easy.
The colt who had looked so promising in his three previous starts - all in New Zealand last season - was making his Singapore debut and despite the opposition, could hardly have been more impressive, drawing away to win by five lengths without any apparent effort from horse and rider.
It was difficult to assess Darci Brahma's first crop to the races last season. A listed winning colt and a stakesplaced colt in Australia from a handful of starters, and three individual winners of three races and two stakesplaced horses from eleven starters in New Zealand would normally be considered a most satisfactory start, but Darci Brahma is no normal stallion.
Bred in the purple and a most attractive and talked about foal, Darci Brahma may have been a colt burdened with enormous expectations from the day he was born yet he never once showed it, fashioning a racing career the like of which you would expect to see in a Hollywood movie, winning on debut as a two-year-old on the opening day of the Karaka Yearling Sales a year to the day after he had sold there for a record $1.1 million, and culminating in two consecutive group one sprint victories as a four-year-old.
A group one winner at two ( in Australia), three and four years of age between 1200m and 1600m, rarely is our industry blessed with such a well credentialed stallion prospect. Serving books of mares that would have done George Best proud, buyers from throughout Australasia liked what they saw when his first crop yearlings hit the sales in the summer of 2010, paying accordingly for a line-up that were on the whole strikingly similar in type to dad - medium sized, athletic, strongly girthed horses with attractive and intelligent heads.
Although Darci Brahma was a group one winner at two, it was over 1600m in June of his juvenile season and it could be that his progeny throw more to his distaff line, which while full of black-type, does lack two-year-old form - extending to his dam, an Oaks winner by Zabeel. Also, while it is easy to be wise in hindsight, but if one could select one trait from his yearlings that may have suggested his stock would need to be handled patiently, it was that some lacked a touch of maturity, especially through the neck and head.
Super Easy, who was selected from the Karaka Premier Yearling Sale for his Singaporean owners by Michael Wallace Bloodstock and Michael Freeman for $140,000, was always an eyecatcher in the yard here last season but he looks to have matured considerably from his first preparation, especially through the girth, shoulder and neck. This result, all of eight days into the new season should give confidence to Darci Brahma's fans, of which there are many, both financial and non.
The colt who had looked so promising in his three previous starts - all in New Zealand last season - was making his Singapore debut and despite the opposition, could hardly have been more impressive, drawing away to win by five lengths without any apparent effort from horse and rider.
It was difficult to assess Darci Brahma's first crop to the races last season. A listed winning colt and a stakesplaced colt in Australia from a handful of starters, and three individual winners of three races and two stakesplaced horses from eleven starters in New Zealand would normally be considered a most satisfactory start, but Darci Brahma is no normal stallion.
Bred in the purple and a most attractive and talked about foal, Darci Brahma may have been a colt burdened with enormous expectations from the day he was born yet he never once showed it, fashioning a racing career the like of which you would expect to see in a Hollywood movie, winning on debut as a two-year-old on the opening day of the Karaka Yearling Sales a year to the day after he had sold there for a record $1.1 million, and culminating in two consecutive group one sprint victories as a four-year-old.
A group one winner at two ( in Australia), three and four years of age between 1200m and 1600m, rarely is our industry blessed with such a well credentialed stallion prospect. Serving books of mares that would have done George Best proud, buyers from throughout Australasia liked what they saw when his first crop yearlings hit the sales in the summer of 2010, paying accordingly for a line-up that were on the whole strikingly similar in type to dad - medium sized, athletic, strongly girthed horses with attractive and intelligent heads.
Although Darci Brahma was a group one winner at two, it was over 1600m in June of his juvenile season and it could be that his progeny throw more to his distaff line, which while full of black-type, does lack two-year-old form - extending to his dam, an Oaks winner by Zabeel. Also, while it is easy to be wise in hindsight, but if one could select one trait from his yearlings that may have suggested his stock would need to be handled patiently, it was that some lacked a touch of maturity, especially through the neck and head.
Super Easy, who was selected from the Karaka Premier Yearling Sale for his Singaporean owners by Michael Wallace Bloodstock and Michael Freeman for $140,000, was always an eyecatcher in the yard here last season but he looks to have matured considerably from his first preparation, especially through the girth, shoulder and neck. This result, all of eight days into the new season should give confidence to Darci Brahma's fans, of which there are many, both financial and non.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Horses To Follow 2011/12
Incredibly its less than 60 sleeps till the first day of the Hawkes Bay Spring Carnival so its time we took a look at some horses who showed enough to be backed with confidence for 2011/12.
Kekova: Kekova was very consistent throughout her inaugural six start campaign, culminating in a competitive Te Rapa maiden win at her final start for the season. Typical of the progeny of her sire Elusive City, she handles most types of tracks and looks best suited between 1200 and 1400m. An attractive looking three-year-old filly with some length, if she has one confirmation fault it is a lack of length in her front cannons. With her ability to race on the speed and find plenty in a finish she should easily win a couple more races but has yet to show the turn of foot to win in Pattern company.
Aldebaran Star: Tall and rangy son of No Excuse Needed who despite his physical immaturity made good progress this season at three. Aldebaran Star is a half brother to Telegraph Handicap runner-up Tootsie but is physically a different type all together to his Pins sister, and judging by the way he finished off his 1400m assignments this season he looks ideally suited to a mile and with some furnishing, possibly further with time.Well placed by his connections - who include part owner, jockey Jonathan Riddell - the gutsy chestnut looks capable of taking a higher rating in the seasons ahead.
Beejay Belle: For such a natural two-year-old himself, some will question the progress Perfectly Ready's youngsters have made this season however the promise shown by this filly and the fact that a number of his 21 starters looked capable of physical improvement entitle him to some grace from breeders and yearling buyers.
The manner of Beejay Belle's win on debut, when under a ride 600m from home, initially cast a slight doubt on her genuineness but in hindsight it may well have deserved quite a contrary response and she was probably just lacking race fitness and racing on heart. Her next two starts produced fast finishing seconds, the later in the Matamata Breeders where she lost little in comparison to the winner Anabandana, while her final start for the season in the Sires at Awapuni is best ignored after getting back on a day when nothing made ground from off the speed and then striking interference in the straight. A filly who always hit the line hard indicating that 1600m should hold no fears next season.
Hold It Harvey: Tough and versatile southerner who seems to get better with time. Chased our best all over the country between a mile and 2000m from spring till autumn and although most of the usual suspects had gone to the paddock, his wins at his final two starts for the season in the Thompson and Awapuni Gold Cup were so comprehensive and accomplished with a tremendous turn of foot over the closing stages that the likes of Wall Street and Keep The Peace would had to have been at their peak to hold him out. This season's wfa ranks were not strong and with many of our outstanding crop of three-year-old fillies targeting Australia, the situation next season should not be any different, giving the King Cugat seven-year every chance to secure that elusive group one success.
Planet Rock: A $295,000 Karaka yearling, Planet Rock debuted at Trentham over 1000m in December, narrowly going under to another first starter in Super Easy, after laying out slightly in the closing stages. She then came north to chase a start in the Karaka Million and burst into clear favouritism for the rich race with an outstanding winning performance at Ellerslie in mid January, coming from well off the pace at the 300m to score effortlessly. She ran third in the Million itself, finishing just in front of Super Easy who had a much tougher run. Given that she was stepping up significantly in class and taking a line through Super Easy's finish, her run could on face value be seen as true to form but it's also highly conceivable that she had improved significantly with raceday experience from Trentham and that in fact the Ellerslie track on Million night, made shifty from afternoon showers, blunted her big finish. While extremely athletic, the tall daughter of Fastnet Rock still looked the type to improve a great deal physically from two to three and she looks the testing material for Anabandana next season between 1400 and 1600m.
Alvesta: An 800m scurry often conducted on a heavy track hardly sounds like much of a form guide, yet the two-year-old race on the Wanganui Guineas card has produced it's share of talent. Who will forget the 1994 edition when Our Maizcay beat a game Ballroom Babe with eight lengths to the third horse. Whether this years victor Alvesta is in their league is unlikely but his six length stroll to beat subsequent stakeswinner and group one placed Antonio Lombardo and Karaka Million winner Fort Lincoln, makes him a fair sort of horse. A season ending injury suffered two weeks later in Sydney when preparing for a stakes race meant he was not sighted again and although by a sire whose stock can have a tendency to not train on, he has a bit of length and leg about him to suggest he should at least measure up at three, although the distances of the Guineas races are likely to find him out.
Rockburn: Tall and slow maturing son of Thorn Park who debuted this season at four and immediately showed his class with a win on debut at Taupo, running the quickest time of the day of four 1200m events, including a R80 contest, before another success two starts later on a Premier Day at Awapuni. Takes a long slightly extravagant stride and understandably was not suited by the shifty Ellerslie track at his final start for the season after been galloped on at his penultimate start. Fits the profile of another patiently handled son of Thorn Park in Veyron, and conceivably he too could end up a chance in a group race at a mile.
So Divine: A fast finishing fourth on debut followed by an easy win over 1600m had the dogs barking but the company in hindsight was not strong. She then ran third to Starcheeka at Trentham over 1600m however her next start effort for third to the same horse in the Oaks Stud Classic was a significant upgrade in performance, with the increase to 2000m the key. Her effort to make-up considerable ground from the rear was arguably the standout performance on a high class card. She then travelled to Christchurch where she ran a close and luckless third in the Warstep, before going to the paddock. Missing the Oaks may have been a blessing as she was not overly furnished for such a tough assignment. Hunterville breeder Brian Lamp already has one of the sale ring bargains, stealing the sister to dual group one winner Monaco Consul for just $9000 and there should be plenty more upside to come.
Fleur De Lune: Another member of a vintage three-year-old filly crop; she quickly went through the classes with sharp acceleration late in the stretch a trademark of the three wins from her first four starts. An unlucky second to Veyron, beaten a head with four lengths to Gendarme, preceded a start in the Group One Breeders Stakes. Belying her 30-1 odds, the filly ran the gamest of thirds at Te Aroha, beaten a head and neck, with fellow three-year-old Smoulder second. She backed up a month later in a listed event over 1400m at Rotorua on a heavy track, only to be nabbed close to home by Dowager Queen who was in receipt of 9kg. Typical of the better Stravinsky's she is of medium height and length, but strongly made. While she ran the 1600m right out at Te Aroha it would not surprise to see her dropping back in distance and tackling races like the Railway and Telegraph next season.
Safari: A compact five-year-old sprinting son of the disappointing Jungle Pocket, whose local stock have tended to have more of a predisposition towards the middle distances. Still prone to a bout or two of greenness, which cost him at least a race this season, he still managed this season to take his record to three wins from seven starts and showed his ringcraft maybe improving by navigating through some tight quarters on his final start for the season to beat a very strong R70 field on Hawkes Bay Cup day.Will start the season on a low 68 rating but with his sharp turn of foot, you would expect him to move just as swiftly through the grades.
Booming: Its rare to see a staying horse, even a placegetter in an Auckland Cup, win over 1200m and on reflection the performance of Booming to win freshup over a handy field of R90 sprinters at Awapuni should have signalled that the big son of Don Eduardo was in for a somewhat extraordinary season. But even a win two starts later in the 2000m Zabeel Classic at 13-1 couldn't have prepared even his most ardent supporters for what was to occur next in the Thorndon Mile, when with 57kgs he quickened like a leading sprinter to charge through on the rails and take the group one handicap. Connections are apparently eyeing the Melbourne Cup and if he can continue with the level of improvement shown this season, they should do so with some optimism.
Pussy O'Reilly: The beautifully bred Pussy O'Reilly was limited to just two starts at two, finishing second on debut at Pukekohe in December, before returning in April to win a competitive contest at Te Rapa. A feature of both her starts was her last 200m, especially at Te Rapa where she seemed to have learnt from the race and trials experience and stretched out with a lovely pendulum like action over the closing stages. There were some promising types in the later event and it should prove a strong form race - one of the few to start again, the well beaten fourth place getter Under The Sun came out and won impressively at his next start. Typical of many O'Reilly's she did not look and race like a natural two-year-old. Octapussy, the mother of Pussy O'Reilly did not start as a two-year-old and finally achieved black type as a six-year-old, while her sire has only left one stakeswinning two-year-old filly - Shamrocker, successful in the 2010 Group Two VRC Sires Produce.
Narrowly missing the cut were, Letmeby, Cap Eden Roc, Phar Cry, Super Easy, Nuits St George, On The Level (again) and Kiwi Lady (how many three-year-old fillies can one have).
Kekova: Kekova was very consistent throughout her inaugural six start campaign, culminating in a competitive Te Rapa maiden win at her final start for the season. Typical of the progeny of her sire Elusive City, she handles most types of tracks and looks best suited between 1200 and 1400m. An attractive looking three-year-old filly with some length, if she has one confirmation fault it is a lack of length in her front cannons. With her ability to race on the speed and find plenty in a finish she should easily win a couple more races but has yet to show the turn of foot to win in Pattern company.
Aldebaran Star: Tall and rangy son of No Excuse Needed who despite his physical immaturity made good progress this season at three. Aldebaran Star is a half brother to Telegraph Handicap runner-up Tootsie but is physically a different type all together to his Pins sister, and judging by the way he finished off his 1400m assignments this season he looks ideally suited to a mile and with some furnishing, possibly further with time.Well placed by his connections - who include part owner, jockey Jonathan Riddell - the gutsy chestnut looks capable of taking a higher rating in the seasons ahead.
Beejay Belle: For such a natural two-year-old himself, some will question the progress Perfectly Ready's youngsters have made this season however the promise shown by this filly and the fact that a number of his 21 starters looked capable of physical improvement entitle him to some grace from breeders and yearling buyers.
The manner of Beejay Belle's win on debut, when under a ride 600m from home, initially cast a slight doubt on her genuineness but in hindsight it may well have deserved quite a contrary response and she was probably just lacking race fitness and racing on heart. Her next two starts produced fast finishing seconds, the later in the Matamata Breeders where she lost little in comparison to the winner Anabandana, while her final start for the season in the Sires at Awapuni is best ignored after getting back on a day when nothing made ground from off the speed and then striking interference in the straight. A filly who always hit the line hard indicating that 1600m should hold no fears next season.
Hold It Harvey: Tough and versatile southerner who seems to get better with time. Chased our best all over the country between a mile and 2000m from spring till autumn and although most of the usual suspects had gone to the paddock, his wins at his final two starts for the season in the Thompson and Awapuni Gold Cup were so comprehensive and accomplished with a tremendous turn of foot over the closing stages that the likes of Wall Street and Keep The Peace would had to have been at their peak to hold him out. This season's wfa ranks were not strong and with many of our outstanding crop of three-year-old fillies targeting Australia, the situation next season should not be any different, giving the King Cugat seven-year every chance to secure that elusive group one success.
Planet Rock: A $295,000 Karaka yearling, Planet Rock debuted at Trentham over 1000m in December, narrowly going under to another first starter in Super Easy, after laying out slightly in the closing stages. She then came north to chase a start in the Karaka Million and burst into clear favouritism for the rich race with an outstanding winning performance at Ellerslie in mid January, coming from well off the pace at the 300m to score effortlessly. She ran third in the Million itself, finishing just in front of Super Easy who had a much tougher run. Given that she was stepping up significantly in class and taking a line through Super Easy's finish, her run could on face value be seen as true to form but it's also highly conceivable that she had improved significantly with raceday experience from Trentham and that in fact the Ellerslie track on Million night, made shifty from afternoon showers, blunted her big finish. While extremely athletic, the tall daughter of Fastnet Rock still looked the type to improve a great deal physically from two to three and she looks the testing material for Anabandana next season between 1400 and 1600m.
Alvesta: An 800m scurry often conducted on a heavy track hardly sounds like much of a form guide, yet the two-year-old race on the Wanganui Guineas card has produced it's share of talent. Who will forget the 1994 edition when Our Maizcay beat a game Ballroom Babe with eight lengths to the third horse. Whether this years victor Alvesta is in their league is unlikely but his six length stroll to beat subsequent stakeswinner and group one placed Antonio Lombardo and Karaka Million winner Fort Lincoln, makes him a fair sort of horse. A season ending injury suffered two weeks later in Sydney when preparing for a stakes race meant he was not sighted again and although by a sire whose stock can have a tendency to not train on, he has a bit of length and leg about him to suggest he should at least measure up at three, although the distances of the Guineas races are likely to find him out.
Rockburn: Tall and slow maturing son of Thorn Park who debuted this season at four and immediately showed his class with a win on debut at Taupo, running the quickest time of the day of four 1200m events, including a R80 contest, before another success two starts later on a Premier Day at Awapuni. Takes a long slightly extravagant stride and understandably was not suited by the shifty Ellerslie track at his final start for the season after been galloped on at his penultimate start. Fits the profile of another patiently handled son of Thorn Park in Veyron, and conceivably he too could end up a chance in a group race at a mile.
So Divine: A fast finishing fourth on debut followed by an easy win over 1600m had the dogs barking but the company in hindsight was not strong. She then ran third to Starcheeka at Trentham over 1600m however her next start effort for third to the same horse in the Oaks Stud Classic was a significant upgrade in performance, with the increase to 2000m the key. Her effort to make-up considerable ground from the rear was arguably the standout performance on a high class card. She then travelled to Christchurch where she ran a close and luckless third in the Warstep, before going to the paddock. Missing the Oaks may have been a blessing as she was not overly furnished for such a tough assignment. Hunterville breeder Brian Lamp already has one of the sale ring bargains, stealing the sister to dual group one winner Monaco Consul for just $9000 and there should be plenty more upside to come.
Fleur De Lune: Another member of a vintage three-year-old filly crop; she quickly went through the classes with sharp acceleration late in the stretch a trademark of the three wins from her first four starts. An unlucky second to Veyron, beaten a head with four lengths to Gendarme, preceded a start in the Group One Breeders Stakes. Belying her 30-1 odds, the filly ran the gamest of thirds at Te Aroha, beaten a head and neck, with fellow three-year-old Smoulder second. She backed up a month later in a listed event over 1400m at Rotorua on a heavy track, only to be nabbed close to home by Dowager Queen who was in receipt of 9kg. Typical of the better Stravinsky's she is of medium height and length, but strongly made. While she ran the 1600m right out at Te Aroha it would not surprise to see her dropping back in distance and tackling races like the Railway and Telegraph next season.
Safari: A compact five-year-old sprinting son of the disappointing Jungle Pocket, whose local stock have tended to have more of a predisposition towards the middle distances. Still prone to a bout or two of greenness, which cost him at least a race this season, he still managed this season to take his record to three wins from seven starts and showed his ringcraft maybe improving by navigating through some tight quarters on his final start for the season to beat a very strong R70 field on Hawkes Bay Cup day.Will start the season on a low 68 rating but with his sharp turn of foot, you would expect him to move just as swiftly through the grades.
Booming: Its rare to see a staying horse, even a placegetter in an Auckland Cup, win over 1200m and on reflection the performance of Booming to win freshup over a handy field of R90 sprinters at Awapuni should have signalled that the big son of Don Eduardo was in for a somewhat extraordinary season. But even a win two starts later in the 2000m Zabeel Classic at 13-1 couldn't have prepared even his most ardent supporters for what was to occur next in the Thorndon Mile, when with 57kgs he quickened like a leading sprinter to charge through on the rails and take the group one handicap. Connections are apparently eyeing the Melbourne Cup and if he can continue with the level of improvement shown this season, they should do so with some optimism.
Pussy O'Reilly: The beautifully bred Pussy O'Reilly was limited to just two starts at two, finishing second on debut at Pukekohe in December, before returning in April to win a competitive contest at Te Rapa. A feature of both her starts was her last 200m, especially at Te Rapa where she seemed to have learnt from the race and trials experience and stretched out with a lovely pendulum like action over the closing stages. There were some promising types in the later event and it should prove a strong form race - one of the few to start again, the well beaten fourth place getter Under The Sun came out and won impressively at his next start. Typical of many O'Reilly's she did not look and race like a natural two-year-old. Octapussy, the mother of Pussy O'Reilly did not start as a two-year-old and finally achieved black type as a six-year-old, while her sire has only left one stakeswinning two-year-old filly - Shamrocker, successful in the 2010 Group Two VRC Sires Produce.
Narrowly missing the cut were, Letmeby, Cap Eden Roc, Phar Cry, Super Easy, Nuits St George, On The Level (again) and Kiwi Lady (how many three-year-old fillies can one have).
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Te Rapa: No Winter Wasteland
Surely one of the best initiatives in local racing since the millennium has been the renovation and sand slitting of the Te Rapa track.
Before the refurbishment it was a photo finish between Te Rapa and Trentham for the rights to the saying "the punters graveyard", but any claim to that tag has long since passed as now year round it provides punters and horses with arguably the fairest and most consistent surface in the country.
As a consequence the autumn, and even some of the winter form on the track can measure up anywhere and the form from last Saturday's meeting should prove no exception.
The No Excuse Needed colt Under The Sun won a competitive juvenile contest nicely enough and has the physical scope to improve further at three. He also joins a couple of other raceday winners with trials placings behind Pussy O'Reilly, further enhancing the reputation of that filly.
Under The Sun's sire tends to be a little underrated with his stakeswinners to runners a more than respectable 8%. Interestingly the Roger James trained colt is bred on a similar cross to Carlton House the favourite for next weekends English Derby - both are by sons of Machiavellian (Street Cry in Carlton House's case), with Carlton House being out of a Bustino mare and Under The Sun being from a Maroof mare, who himself was a son of a Bustino mare.
So Pristine may not have beaten an overly strong field but she never looked comfortable on the soft track at any stage - she was zero placings from three starts on soft prior to Saturday. She's had her quirk's in the past but with maturity the rising six-year-old mare can land a much stronger race than the Dunstan Stayers Final next season.
At no stage in the home straight bar the finishing line did Kekova look a winning hope in the Special Conditions Maiden 1400m. Subsequently it was reported that her jockey had dropped his whip 200m from the finish but in fairness to Mark Sweeney the three-year-old filly didn't look at home in the testing conditions but still showed a ton of courage over the closing stages to win narrowly. A long barrelled strongly made filly, not dissimilar in appearance and pluck to another Elusive City female in Hinemoa, connections have good reason to feel she may show similar improvement between three and four years.
It was a shame Safari and Captain Kirk were late scratchings at the barrier but the Rating 80 1400m should still prove to be one of the strongest form races for some months. While Geographer, who looks set to do his future racing in Hong Kong, won well, I felt the next three home lost little in comparison.
Pure Cruising was second-up after a long lay-off recovering from serious leg injuries so you could forgive a horse who won his last start before the break at 1600m (over Veyron and So Pristine to boot) to be a little dour second-up over 1400m. And that he was, although the soft track may have inconvenienced him, especially when getting balanced to make his final run at the 200m.
Pure Theatre the sire of Pure Cruising has an interesting background. Conceived in Kentucky, foaled at The Oaks in Cambridge and sold at Karaka for $850,000, a winner on debut defeating Distinctly Secret at Hastings before an Australian campaign that saw him win the Group Three Caulfield Guineas Prelude quite brilliantly followed by a third place finish to Lohnro and Ustinov in the Guineas itself.
I can clearly recall Pure Theatre at Karaka. He was the most magnificent of yearlings, not big but very athletic with a most attractive masculine head and a small white star. $850,000 was a lot of money at Karaka in those days and predictably all the good judges liked him with the early bidding action resembling the opening minutes on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Sadly the son of Nureyev never recaptured that race form and his record as a stallion, albeit that he would not have served a great quality of mare in Queensland, has been decidedly average and not befitting a horse of his type, pedigree and ability. Sound familiar?
It's hard to get too optimistic over day to day racing propositions but Pure Cruising looks capable of being competitive in pattern company at 1600m next season and handicap races such as the Coupland and Richhill Miles may not be completely out of the question.
Third-place-getter Phar Cry may have been inconvenienced by being in the worst of the chopped-up ground on the rail on Saturday. The finishing kick which highlighted her brief initial campaign last season has deserted her this time in and although she is up in class and has been ridden closer to the pace in her new campaign, she could just be getting slightly dour as some horses are prone to do as they mature.
Art Beat, who finished nicely for fourth was giving weight to all her conquerors and with her proven ability to handle wet tracks looks in for a profitable winter.
Horses to Follow: So Pristine and Phar Cry
Before the refurbishment it was a photo finish between Te Rapa and Trentham for the rights to the saying "the punters graveyard", but any claim to that tag has long since passed as now year round it provides punters and horses with arguably the fairest and most consistent surface in the country.
As a consequence the autumn, and even some of the winter form on the track can measure up anywhere and the form from last Saturday's meeting should prove no exception.
The No Excuse Needed colt Under The Sun won a competitive juvenile contest nicely enough and has the physical scope to improve further at three. He also joins a couple of other raceday winners with trials placings behind Pussy O'Reilly, further enhancing the reputation of that filly.
Under The Sun's sire tends to be a little underrated with his stakeswinners to runners a more than respectable 8%. Interestingly the Roger James trained colt is bred on a similar cross to Carlton House the favourite for next weekends English Derby - both are by sons of Machiavellian (Street Cry in Carlton House's case), with Carlton House being out of a Bustino mare and Under The Sun being from a Maroof mare, who himself was a son of a Bustino mare.
So Pristine may not have beaten an overly strong field but she never looked comfortable on the soft track at any stage - she was zero placings from three starts on soft prior to Saturday. She's had her quirk's in the past but with maturity the rising six-year-old mare can land a much stronger race than the Dunstan Stayers Final next season.
At no stage in the home straight bar the finishing line did Kekova look a winning hope in the Special Conditions Maiden 1400m. Subsequently it was reported that her jockey had dropped his whip 200m from the finish but in fairness to Mark Sweeney the three-year-old filly didn't look at home in the testing conditions but still showed a ton of courage over the closing stages to win narrowly. A long barrelled strongly made filly, not dissimilar in appearance and pluck to another Elusive City female in Hinemoa, connections have good reason to feel she may show similar improvement between three and four years.
It was a shame Safari and Captain Kirk were late scratchings at the barrier but the Rating 80 1400m should still prove to be one of the strongest form races for some months. While Geographer, who looks set to do his future racing in Hong Kong, won well, I felt the next three home lost little in comparison.
Pure Cruising was second-up after a long lay-off recovering from serious leg injuries so you could forgive a horse who won his last start before the break at 1600m (over Veyron and So Pristine to boot) to be a little dour second-up over 1400m. And that he was, although the soft track may have inconvenienced him, especially when getting balanced to make his final run at the 200m.
Pure Theatre the sire of Pure Cruising has an interesting background. Conceived in Kentucky, foaled at The Oaks in Cambridge and sold at Karaka for $850,000, a winner on debut defeating Distinctly Secret at Hastings before an Australian campaign that saw him win the Group Three Caulfield Guineas Prelude quite brilliantly followed by a third place finish to Lohnro and Ustinov in the Guineas itself.
I can clearly recall Pure Theatre at Karaka. He was the most magnificent of yearlings, not big but very athletic with a most attractive masculine head and a small white star. $850,000 was a lot of money at Karaka in those days and predictably all the good judges liked him with the early bidding action resembling the opening minutes on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Sadly the son of Nureyev never recaptured that race form and his record as a stallion, albeit that he would not have served a great quality of mare in Queensland, has been decidedly average and not befitting a horse of his type, pedigree and ability. Sound familiar?
It's hard to get too optimistic over day to day racing propositions but Pure Cruising looks capable of being competitive in pattern company at 1600m next season and handicap races such as the Coupland and Richhill Miles may not be completely out of the question.
Third-place-getter Phar Cry may have been inconvenienced by being in the worst of the chopped-up ground on the rail on Saturday. The finishing kick which highlighted her brief initial campaign last season has deserted her this time in and although she is up in class and has been ridden closer to the pace in her new campaign, she could just be getting slightly dour as some horses are prone to do as they mature.
Art Beat, who finished nicely for fourth was giving weight to all her conquerors and with her proven ability to handle wet tracks looks in for a profitable winter.
Horses to Follow: So Pristine and Phar Cry
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thorn Park: Recasting the Mould
After his first two crops supplied consecutive winners of the Matamata Breeders Stakes and a seperate Wellesley Stakes winner, Thorn Park's start at stud was promising enough, but the fact that all three of those Pattern wins came on surfaces between slow and heavy would have weighed heavily on breeders and yearling buyers especially when that trio could only manage one subsequent win - a rating 75 - between them.
Things looked up briefly last summer when La Etoile and Glamorous Girl took competitive group two contests on firm surfaces in the Rich Hill Mile and Desert Gold Stakes respectively and while both mares have failed to win again since, the Windsor Park stallion should have silenced many of his critics with an outstanding 2010/11 domestic season.
Significantly for those fairly questioning the stallions ability to leave horses who are just as competitive on top of the ground and can train on, all three of Thorn Park's group one winners this season have shown this capability and in bucketloads.
Jimmy Choux emerged from a competitive and even crop of two-year-olds last season to completely dominate his contemporaries on all surfaces this season; four-year-old mare The Party Stand worked her way through the middle distance staying ranks culminating in success in the Zabeel Classic on a good three track and although Veyron's group one win came on a heavy track, the five-year-old (Thorn Park's oldest crop) showed during his unbeaten seven win sequence that he was every bit as classy on fast surfaces - running some impressive overall times and sectionals.
Despite Jimmy Choux's form, Thorn Park was one of the more serious casualties of the extremely disappointing local market at this years Karaka Sale, however the son of Spinning World -obviously taking that snub personally - has since come out and shown he is far from a 'one trick' stallion, with new group one winners The Party Stand and Veyron complemented by the likes of the very promising listed winner Magic Briar. And Jimmy Choux's outstanding win in the Group One Rosehill Guineas, supported by Centennial Park's group one WFA form in Sydney this autumn should see his progeny under closer scrutiny from Australian buyers in future.
Thorn Park was reputed to have cost Windsor Park close to a million dollars when purchased just prior to his final racing campaign at the 2004 Brisbane Winter Carnival. Sure he didn't at that stage have the elusive group one victory on his record - that came with success in the Group One Stradbroke Handicap at his last career start - but it still seemed a very realistic price at the time for a multiple set weight group two winning Australian sprinter tracing to the Blue Hen mare Denise's Joy, and an excellent physical specimen to boot.
There's little doubt that being a son of stallion Spinning World would have discounted his purchase price. While the Champion son of Nureyev has been far from a failure at stud and has had fertility issues throughout his stallion career, he hasn't been the siring success his racetrack performance and pedigree suggested and notably his temperament quirks are well known and a number of his stock, especially the fillies, have reputations for being difficult to handle.
Plenty of kiwi breeders obviously didn't see these quirks of temperament as inherent, supporting the stallion with nearly 300 mares during his first two seasons at stud. And his mares didn't lack for quality either - the
stallion having a healthy 18 Karaka Premier Sale entries as a first-season sire in 2007.
When a prospective yearling buyer at this years Karaka Sales mentioned to me that he would not be inspecting any yearlings by Haradasun simply because he was a son of Fusiachi Pegasus, it struck me as rather short sighted. History has shown that a number of comparatively moderately performed stallions have left sons considerably superior to themselves in the breeding barn, locally Star Way (Star Appeal) and Pompeii Court (Tell) immediately come to mind, and the tremendous season being experienced by the Spinning World stallion Thorn Park is another example of how it pays to have few pre conceived ideas in this game.
Things looked up briefly last summer when La Etoile and Glamorous Girl took competitive group two contests on firm surfaces in the Rich Hill Mile and Desert Gold Stakes respectively and while both mares have failed to win again since, the Windsor Park stallion should have silenced many of his critics with an outstanding 2010/11 domestic season.
Significantly for those fairly questioning the stallions ability to leave horses who are just as competitive on top of the ground and can train on, all three of Thorn Park's group one winners this season have shown this capability and in bucketloads.
Jimmy Choux emerged from a competitive and even crop of two-year-olds last season to completely dominate his contemporaries on all surfaces this season; four-year-old mare The Party Stand worked her way through the middle distance staying ranks culminating in success in the Zabeel Classic on a good three track and although Veyron's group one win came on a heavy track, the five-year-old (Thorn Park's oldest crop) showed during his unbeaten seven win sequence that he was every bit as classy on fast surfaces - running some impressive overall times and sectionals.
Despite Jimmy Choux's form, Thorn Park was one of the more serious casualties of the extremely disappointing local market at this years Karaka Sale, however the son of Spinning World -obviously taking that snub personally - has since come out and shown he is far from a 'one trick' stallion, with new group one winners The Party Stand and Veyron complemented by the likes of the very promising listed winner Magic Briar. And Jimmy Choux's outstanding win in the Group One Rosehill Guineas, supported by Centennial Park's group one WFA form in Sydney this autumn should see his progeny under closer scrutiny from Australian buyers in future.
Thorn Park was reputed to have cost Windsor Park close to a million dollars when purchased just prior to his final racing campaign at the 2004 Brisbane Winter Carnival. Sure he didn't at that stage have the elusive group one victory on his record - that came with success in the Group One Stradbroke Handicap at his last career start - but it still seemed a very realistic price at the time for a multiple set weight group two winning Australian sprinter tracing to the Blue Hen mare Denise's Joy, and an excellent physical specimen to boot.
There's little doubt that being a son of stallion Spinning World would have discounted his purchase price. While the Champion son of Nureyev has been far from a failure at stud and has had fertility issues throughout his stallion career, he hasn't been the siring success his racetrack performance and pedigree suggested and notably his temperament quirks are well known and a number of his stock, especially the fillies, have reputations for being difficult to handle.
Plenty of kiwi breeders obviously didn't see these quirks of temperament as inherent, supporting the stallion with nearly 300 mares during his first two seasons at stud. And his mares didn't lack for quality either - the
stallion having a healthy 18 Karaka Premier Sale entries as a first-season sire in 2007.
When a prospective yearling buyer at this years Karaka Sales mentioned to me that he would not be inspecting any yearlings by Haradasun simply because he was a son of Fusiachi Pegasus, it struck me as rather short sighted. History has shown that a number of comparatively moderately performed stallions have left sons considerably superior to themselves in the breeding barn, locally Star Way (Star Appeal) and Pompeii Court (Tell) immediately come to mind, and the tremendous season being experienced by the Spinning World stallion Thorn Park is another example of how it pays to have few pre conceived ideas in this game.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Savabeel: Finding his Calling
There were high expectations for Savabeel when he retired to Waikato Stud in 2005. A Cox Plate winner and group one placed at two, the son of Zabeel was seen in many quarters as the much awaited heir apparent to his champion sire.
While the emergence of Lohnro over the last two years has spared Savabeel the pressure of carrying the mantle of the Zabeel lineage, Savabeel's own results make for an interesting analysis, particularly when considering where they now position him in our stallion market and how they evaluate alongside the careers of two other Zabeel sire sons in Reset and Don Eduardo.
Given his pedigree breeders were always going to be slightly more forgiving than usual, however with his oldest progeny about to turn four at the conclusion of the 2009/10 season and just a solitary group winner on his resume in the form of the filly My Emotion, Savabeel's future was under intense scrutiny from breeders faced with any number of alternative options. The 2010 Karaka Sale rather told the story, when on the back of a booming market buyers deserted his progeny, with only passings halting a more significant average drop from the 2009 Sale.
Things begun looking up in November last year when his three-year-old fillies Lady Kipling and Placement ran third in group one races on either side of the Tasman respectively, and his son Digital Fortress ran a close fourth in the VRC Derby. Since then the winners haven't stopped and interestingly they haven't been confined to his oldest four-year-old progeny either with more Pattern performances from his three-year-olds highlighted by Do Ri Ma's victory in a strong rendition of the Group Two Kewney, and locally via a most promising two-year-old Savabill who capped some good form with a win in the Listed Fairview Ford Slipper at Matamata.
However it's two three-year-olds who have had their share of problems, one mental, the other physical, who could be well take Savabeel's profile to a new level over the next couple of months - more than likely at the Queensland Winter Carnival. Kudakulari, a horse rated highly by the Bart Cummings stable from day one, returned from a spell after been gelded, to win the Listed Canberra Guineas last week and Scarlett Lady, who had an operation for a bone chip after running fourth in the Royal Stakes, showed her class and staying potential with a storming finish to beat a strong field fresh-up at Ellerslie on Saturday.
To date there doesn't look to be any discernible affinity to particular broodmare bloodlines bringing success Savabeel's way but what is becoming apparent is the tendency for the physical makeup of his better progeny to be stronger and more robust than is the norm for his stock. Throwing more to his dam sire Success Express than Zabeel, Savabeel has largely stamped his progeny, leaving an athletic but lighter boned type - particularly beneath the knee - and without the strength, particularly through the girth, gaskin and crop of many of the better Zabeel's.
The clues lie in the dam sires of five of his six stakes winners: My Emotion (Rory's Jester); Do Ra Mi (Snippets); Kudakulari (O'Reilly); Savabill (Desert Sun) and Warrentherooster (Pompei Court). On type these five all exhibit considerably more of their dam sire and although in O'Reilly's case, he can leave a range of types, from personal inspection Kudakulari throws to the rangier and stronger group.
Don Eduardo who was the first of the Zabeel trio to retire to stud in 2003 has a stakeswinner to named foals (233) ratio of 3.4%; Reset, to stud a year later, just 2.5% from named foals and Savabeel to stud in 2005, also 3.4% from 179 named foals. While it's hardly a percentage in the league of his own sire (9.1%) or Redoutes Choice (7.9%), it's a figure which has the potential to appreciate over the next 12 months through the likes of Scarlett Lady, Placement, Digital Fortress, Dowager Queen, Mother's Milk and co.
With one of the strongest shareholding registers seen in a NZ stallion and the support of Waikato Stud, Savabeel has always had a level of support most studmasters only dream of. Testimony to that support was last season where for the first time Sababeel served less than 120 mares but still posted a more than respectable 85 services at a time when the knives were well and truly being sharpened.
Assessment: As a son of Zabeel, early expectations at stud were probably ill founded despite his Pattern form as a juvenile, although interestingly his improving record at stud is not necessarily supported by the form of his four-year-olds - Savabeel's oldest crop. Has served far superior quality books of mares to contemporary Don Eduardo and even allowing for his recent results, it's extremely hard to see how he can be warrant triple the service fee of the Haunui stallion. Somewhat of a cliche but the next six months will tell the story. Best results require careful broodmare selection especially as to type.
While the emergence of Lohnro over the last two years has spared Savabeel the pressure of carrying the mantle of the Zabeel lineage, Savabeel's own results make for an interesting analysis, particularly when considering where they now position him in our stallion market and how they evaluate alongside the careers of two other Zabeel sire sons in Reset and Don Eduardo.
Given his pedigree breeders were always going to be slightly more forgiving than usual, however with his oldest progeny about to turn four at the conclusion of the 2009/10 season and just a solitary group winner on his resume in the form of the filly My Emotion, Savabeel's future was under intense scrutiny from breeders faced with any number of alternative options. The 2010 Karaka Sale rather told the story, when on the back of a booming market buyers deserted his progeny, with only passings halting a more significant average drop from the 2009 Sale.
Things begun looking up in November last year when his three-year-old fillies Lady Kipling and Placement ran third in group one races on either side of the Tasman respectively, and his son Digital Fortress ran a close fourth in the VRC Derby. Since then the winners haven't stopped and interestingly they haven't been confined to his oldest four-year-old progeny either with more Pattern performances from his three-year-olds highlighted by Do Ri Ma's victory in a strong rendition of the Group Two Kewney, and locally via a most promising two-year-old Savabill who capped some good form with a win in the Listed Fairview Ford Slipper at Matamata.
However it's two three-year-olds who have had their share of problems, one mental, the other physical, who could be well take Savabeel's profile to a new level over the next couple of months - more than likely at the Queensland Winter Carnival. Kudakulari, a horse rated highly by the Bart Cummings stable from day one, returned from a spell after been gelded, to win the Listed Canberra Guineas last week and Scarlett Lady, who had an operation for a bone chip after running fourth in the Royal Stakes, showed her class and staying potential with a storming finish to beat a strong field fresh-up at Ellerslie on Saturday.
To date there doesn't look to be any discernible affinity to particular broodmare bloodlines bringing success Savabeel's way but what is becoming apparent is the tendency for the physical makeup of his better progeny to be stronger and more robust than is the norm for his stock. Throwing more to his dam sire Success Express than Zabeel, Savabeel has largely stamped his progeny, leaving an athletic but lighter boned type - particularly beneath the knee - and without the strength, particularly through the girth, gaskin and crop of many of the better Zabeel's.
The clues lie in the dam sires of five of his six stakes winners: My Emotion (Rory's Jester); Do Ra Mi (Snippets); Kudakulari (O'Reilly); Savabill (Desert Sun) and Warrentherooster (Pompei Court). On type these five all exhibit considerably more of their dam sire and although in O'Reilly's case, he can leave a range of types, from personal inspection Kudakulari throws to the rangier and stronger group.
Don Eduardo who was the first of the Zabeel trio to retire to stud in 2003 has a stakeswinner to named foals (233) ratio of 3.4%; Reset, to stud a year later, just 2.5% from named foals and Savabeel to stud in 2005, also 3.4% from 179 named foals. While it's hardly a percentage in the league of his own sire (9.1%) or Redoutes Choice (7.9%), it's a figure which has the potential to appreciate over the next 12 months through the likes of Scarlett Lady, Placement, Digital Fortress, Dowager Queen, Mother's Milk and co.
With one of the strongest shareholding registers seen in a NZ stallion and the support of Waikato Stud, Savabeel has always had a level of support most studmasters only dream of. Testimony to that support was last season where for the first time Sababeel served less than 120 mares but still posted a more than respectable 85 services at a time when the knives were well and truly being sharpened.
Assessment: As a son of Zabeel, early expectations at stud were probably ill founded despite his Pattern form as a juvenile, although interestingly his improving record at stud is not necessarily supported by the form of his four-year-olds - Savabeel's oldest crop. Has served far superior quality books of mares to contemporary Don Eduardo and even allowing for his recent results, it's extremely hard to see how he can be warrant triple the service fee of the Haunui stallion. Somewhat of a cliche but the next six months will tell the story. Best results require careful broodmare selection especially as to type.
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