Issue 13, June 11, 2009
LIKE A ROCKET: Singapore’s sprint sensation Rocket Man is making international headlines for his sire Viscount.
Viscount finds his place When a stallion topples off the commercial platform, climbing back into favour can be an almost impossible task. A perfect example is D ese r t K in g (B h 1994, Danehill–Sabaah, by Nureyev). The Irish Derby winner arrived from Ireland to stand at Coolmore in 1998 riding the wave of Danehill fever, and he hit his commercial peak when his much-hyped yearlings sold in 2001 for a premium. Unfortunately, the stallion didn’t fit the Australian desire for precocious speed and Desert King soon found himself on the commercial back-shelf. Coolmore stopped shuttling the horse after 2002. Then along came Makybe Diva – triple Melbourne Cup winner – and six-times Group 1 winner Desert War, and interest in Desert King grew dramatically. Victoria’s Lynden Park Stud snapped
him up to stand at their Tyabb stud in 2005 and DK served a big book of 130 mares at a fee of $8800. While Desert King attracted the numbers, only 13 yearlings sold (from 21 offered) from that first Lynden Park crop (now 2YOs) at an average of $21,692. Desert King has found his place in the market – he’s the perfect horse for breeders looking for an opportunity to breed a Group 1 horse at a very reasonable fee (in 2008 he stood at Lynden Park’s associate, Bombora Downs , Bittern, at a fee of $13,200). In light of the Desert King story, it will be interesting to see if ex-Woodlands Stud stallion Viscou n t (br h 1998, Quest For Fame–Antwerp, by Sir Tristram) can resurrect his commercial status after a disappointing start to his stud career. Viscount now stands at Neville Duncan’s Oakland Park Stud, Busselton, WA. His
2009 fee is $9900, down from a peak at Woodlands of $33,000 in 2007. Duncan is best known as the breeder of Northerly, Marasco and Saturday’s Belmont Guineas favourite Grand Nirvana. Viscount covered 37 mares in his first season in WA – and then along came the superstar Singapore sprinter R o c k e t Man and his first Group 1 winner Ne r oli (2009 Queen Of The Turf Stakes, Rosehill). Viscount’s career could mirror Scenic (Sadler’s Wells), who bounced back in popularity when standing in the west. Last Saturday, Viscount’s impressive son Kid nap p e d (b g 2006, ex Youthful Presence, by Dehere) looked every bit a Derby horse when he charged home to win over 1400m at Flemington. A lot of life remains in the Viscount story, especially if Rocket Man makes it to Australia in the spring. DANNY POWER
He’s a clever man, Sir Patrick Hogan. Not just for being smart enough (and lucky) to put his faith in Sir Tristram (by Sir Ivor), and in turn, Zabeel (by Sir T), but also the way he is currently building his stallion team at his famous Cambridge Stud. It’s worth noting that Hogan hasn’t sourced a son of Zabeel to stand at Cambridge. Maybe it is because the right horse (at the right price) hasn’t come across his bow, but more than likely, he sees a future in finding the right horses to cover his wonderful band of broodmares, many saturated with the potent blood of Sir Tristram and Zabeel. K e e p e r (b h 1997, Danehill– Nuriwah, by Pleasant Colony) is a prime example. The Group 1 Goodwood Handicap (1200m) winner was a very good racehorse, but not a star. However, he is a fine example of his champion sire Danehill, and he comes from an outstanding international family. It is no coincidence that Keeper’s third Group 1 winner, the Patinack-owned Lin k y Din k (b f 2006, ex Gimmick), winner of the T J Smith Plate (1600m, Eagle Farm) is from a mare by Sir Tristram, because that’s one of the reasons Hogan targeted the Keeper for NZ. Linky Dink is Keeper’s second Group winner from a Sir T mare, joining the 2007 Group 2 Royal Stakes winner Keep The Passion (ex Impassion). The Danehill-Sir Tristram cross works wonderfully well, and should continue to do so through Danehill’s sons and daughters of Sir T and Zabeel.
Summer Bird has an interesting double cross of Storm Bird (by Northern Dancer), the dam-sire of Birdstone and the sire of Summer Squall. It is not a duplication you would expect to see in this part of the world, but more likely in North America where Storm Bird has made a big impact, especially through his son Storm Cat.
WORDS BY DANNY POWER
Game, set and well named Punters looking for an omen bet surely should have collected on Rolngarros, a 4YO son of Distant Music (by Distant View), who won at Sale (at $5) on Tuesday. Rolngarros’s win comes two days after the finish of the French Open tennis championship, played in Paris, on the famous clay courts of Roland Garros. The gelding gets his clever moniker through his dam, Advantage Venus, who is equally well named, as she is by Clay Hero (by Proud Knight). Advantage Venus (br m 1997, ex Autumn Choice’s, by Home Sweet Holme), also is the dam of Strath Ayr – an unraced 3YO filly by Grass Wonder (by Silver Hawk). PS: Only one flaw to the above. Venus Williams has never won a French Open.
Korean win for Dane Shadow One of the more interesting results over the weekend was the win by the Australian-bred filly Ihwasan at the Seoul Racecourse in South Korea. Ihwasan becomes the fifth individual first crop winner by Kitchwin Hills’ exciting young sire Dane Shadow (B h 2001, Danehill–Slight Chance, by Centaine). The 2YO filly was born in Korea after her dam Twilight Moon was sold in foal to Dane Shadow, for $32,500, at the 2006 Magic Millions Winter Broodmare Sale. Twilight Moon, who unfortunately died in Korea in August 2008, is by Grand Lodge (by Chief’s Crown) from the Bluebird mare Celestial. The third dam
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HUSSONET: The Arrowfield-based sire of the very promising 2YO Latin News.
of Ihwasan is the imported mare Cheeky Trot, who was bred to southern hemisphere time, and raced with distinction in Perth, winning the 1981 Group 2 Karrakatta Plate (1200m) at Ascot. Cheeky Trot (by Godswalk) also is the dam of the smart juvenile winner Dancer’s Choice, by Bletchingly, who won the 1989 Group 3 SAJC National Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville. Ihwasan boasts a 3x4 cross of Danzig (by Northern Dancer) – a duplication that is starting to work quite well in Australia where there is a plethora of Danzig blood. Ihwasan’s win, against older horses over 1000m on the dirt, came on the same long weekend that Dane Shadow’s impressive son Shellscrape easily won the $100,000 Rubicon 2YO Quality (1200m) at Doomben on Monday. Dane Shadow stands at Kitchwin Hills, Scone, at a fee of $16,500 (inc. GST).
Birdstone and the Belmont Summer Bird’s surprise win in last weekend’s Group 1 Belmont Stakes, at Belmont, New York – the final leg of the
US Triple Crown – draws further attention to his sire Birdstone (by Grindstone). It was only two weeks ago, that legendary trainer D. Wayne Lucas was lamenting that the Belmont Stakes had lost significance as a race that produces stallions, and up pops Birdstone, sire of two legs of the 2009 Triple Crown. Not only is Birdstone, who won the Belmont in 2004 when he thwarted Smarty Jones’s bid for the Triple Crown, the sire of Summer Bird – out of the Summer Squall mare Hong Kong Squall – he also sired the Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, who finished third in the Belmont. It’s worth noting that Makybe’s new sire Street Hero (by Street Cry) is from a Summer Squall mare – and he’s bred on a similar Mr. Prospector and Summer Squall cross as Summer Bird. Both Street Cry (by Machiavellian) and Birdstone are proving wonderful representatives of the Mr Prospector line, which has been best known for its speed influence, but is now blossoming through these two stallions, who have the ability to sire middle-distance stayers.
Latin News was so impressive winning at his debut at Canterbury (1250m) on Wednesday, that it is hard to imagine the son of Hussonet (by Mr. Prospector) not being a contender at Group level for 3YOs next season. Latin News is from the Danehill mare Email Me, who is out Iwan, a sister to the 1987 Group 1 Golden Slipper winner Marauding (b h 1984, Sir Tristram–Biscalowe, by Biscay). This is a family that has been surprisingly quiet for Group quality horses since Marauding, despite being mated to the best stallions. Biscalowe appears in the pedigree of only two other Stakes winners – her son Springsteen (by Danehill) was a winner at Listed level and Voodoo Beat (by Sir Tristram out of Biscalowe’s daughter Cajun Magic) claimed the Group 3 Port Adelaide Cup. Trainer Bart Cummings paid $180,000 for Latin News at the 2008 Magic Millions Premier Sale on the Gold Coast. Hussonet already has produced a Group 1 winner from a Danehill mare – the 2008 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Reaan (now at stud at Lindsay Park, Angaston, fee $16,500), who is out of Ribe, while Hussonet’s two Sydney autumn Stakes winners Gold Trail (ch g 2004, ex Trail Of Gold, by Danewin) and Miss Darcey (ch f 2005, ex Miss Bussell, by Danzero) are out of sons of Danehill. DANNY POWER