Issue 23, August 28
LEGION: A promising sire from the Lee Freedman nursery.
Freedman’s sire factory D o n E d uar d o’s incredible feat of producing two sprinting stakes winners – Sweet Alliance and Moti – at Randwick last Saturday has prompted trainer Lee Freedman’s website, freedman.com.au to make a study of the many successful stallions to pass through Freedman’s stables. Of course, apart from the New Zealand-based Don Eduardo (by Zabeel (NZ)), Freedman trained Australia’s 2008-09 champion stallion Encosta D e Lag o (by Fairy King (USA)) and the 2006-07 season’s leader Flying S pu r (by Danehill (USA)). The Freedman list is extensive. He also trained the leading sires Danze r o (by Danehill (USA)), Danasinga (by Danehill (USA)), T owkay (by Last Tycoon (IRE)) and also the surprise-packed success of last season, the WA-based O rato rio (by Stravinsky (USA)).
Recent Freedman graduates at stud, but still to have a runner include Bel Dane r o (by Danehill (USA)), Califo r nia Dane (by Danehill (USA)), Be nicio (by More Than Ready (USA)) and the first season prospect Exce e d in gly G o o d (by Exceed And Excel). But the great trainer is selling himself short. There are others who have left their mark in the breeding shed. He also trained the underrated South Australian stallion Akhadan (by Danehill (USA)), who has sired six Stakes winners from limited opportunities. Akhadan’s only win was a maiden at Sale, but he regularly sires winners from a modest fee (2009 – $4400). One of the first Freedmantrained horses to go to stud was the lightly-raced Dantib e s, by Danehill (USA) from Cap d’Antibes (by Better Boy), who covered his first
book in Queensland in 1997 and so far he is the sire of two Stakes winners. It was while writing this story that the former Freedman-trained L e g io n (by Redoute’s Choice), a halfbrother to General Nediym, sired his second winner when Garter Girl led throughout at Mornington. Garter Girl’s third dam is the champion mare Citius (by Star Kingdom). Legion showed tremendous talent before injury curtailed his career after five starts (one win). He stands at Larneuk Stud, Euroa, at a fee of $4400 (inc. GST). Nearby at Noor Laine Stud, Euroa, the Freedman-trained Easy Choic e (by Redoute’s Choice), a brother to Not A Single Doubt, will begin his stud career in 2009. The $1.6m yearling, unraced due to a wind problem, stands for a fee of $3300 (inc. GST). DANNY POWER
D e e r Valley’s win in the Group 3 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill last Saturday, is not only a boost for her rising star sire Lon h r o (by Octagonal) but also for a famous female family. Deer Valley, a daughter of the Danehill mare Danislew, is from the family of one of Australia’s greatest gallopers, Kingston Town (blk g 1976, BletchinglyAda Hunter (Ger), by Andrea Mantegna (FR)), the winner of 14 G1 races for owner-breeder David Hains. Danislew is from the imported mare Ada Slew (USA) (by Seattle Slew (USA)), an unraced daughter of Ada Hunter. Hains bred Ada Slew in North America after sending some of his best mares, including Ada Hunter, Rose Of Kingston and Spirit Of Kingston, to his Kentucky farm in the late 1980s. Some of the foals, such as Ada Slew, were bred to northern hemisphere time, while others, such as Spirit Of Kingston’s 1996 Group 1 Victoria Derby winning son Portland Player (by Theatrical), were bred to SH time and foaled in New Zealand while their dams were en-route home. Ada Hunter also is the dam of Private Thoughts, a brother to Kingston Town, who won the 1981 Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill, and became a handy sire. The only other Stakes winner descendant of Ada Hunter is Lady Elsie (by Rainbows For Life (USA), a daughter of Kingston Town’s sister Princess Kingston. Lady Elsie won the 1998 Listed Twilight Glow Stakes at Caulfield.
WORDS BY DANNY POWER
Don’t pass on Savoire Vivre Pass Me By’s powerful all-theway win at Moonee Valley last Saturday – his fourth win on end – draws further attention to his Tasmanian-based sire Savoir e V iv r e, who stands at Armidale Stud, Carrick, near Launceston. Savoire Vivre is one of the best-bred stallions in Australia, although his champion sire Sadler’s Wells (by Northern Dancer) hasn’t had the same impact south of the equator he has had in Europe. Savoire Vivre’s dam Oh So Sharp (by Kris) was the filly of her generation, winning the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m, Newmarket)-Epsom Oaks (2400m, Epsom) double before beating the colts in the Group 1 St Leger (2800m) at Doncaster. Pass Me By has an interesting input of speed on his dam side. His third dam Royal Juanita (by Sovereign Slipper) is a daughter of the very fast mare Juanita Gay, by flying imported grey Don Juan from Teppo Miss, by Empyrean. Royal Juanita is the dam of the former good Stakes-winning sprinter Group Decision (by Plush). Tasmanian breeder Rob Lynch, who bred and owns Pass Me By, has had good success with this family, including another offspring of Royal Juanita, the grey Getaway Girl (by Plush) who was a handy city winner for trainer Lee Freedman. Savoire Vivre (b h 1997), who was Group 2 placed from only three starts, is the sire of three stakes winners from limited opportunities. His 2009 fee is only $4400 (inc. GST).
PIRATES, pictured as a yearling at Willow Park Stud, near Scone.
Messara’s mind is racing
The love of Bianconi
Pinhooking outfit BC3 Thoroughbreds put on a good show at Sutton Grange last Sunday when their 30 2YOs were put up for auction. (Read our online story.) One of those impressed by the day was Arrowfield’s John Messara, who was guest speaker at the post-gallops lunch. Messara’s son Paul paid $160,000 for a StarcraftChinese Whispers (by Woodman) filly, who breezedup brilliantly. I said to John Messara after the gallops that Arrowfield was in a position to hold a similar private ready-to-run sale, considering it had the palatious Arrowfield Training Centre next door to the stud at Scone. He said: “I know, my mind is racing. “We could do it, but the biggest issue is that Scone is more than three hours from Sydney, whereas this sale is only an hour from Melbourne. Accommodating the people in Scone would be a problem.” Even so, if Messara’s mind is on the boil with an idea, you suspect something will come of it.
Young trainer Jason Warren isn’t at the stage of having the clients to shop at the top end of the yearling sale price list, which is why he has a stable full of horses that are not considered to be by commercial stallions. One of those stallions is Bianconi, the upstanding son of Danzig who has been part of the Swettenham Stud roster at Nagambie since 2000. Two of Warren’s stable stars are daughters of Bianconi – Cor o natio n D iva and R h y t h m In Paris. It’s not a coincidence that Coronation Diva has struck her best form as a 5YO, and Rhythm In Paris is a 4YO. Warren believes the best way to get results with the Bianconi stock is to give them time. “I like them a lot, but you can ruin them very easily by pushing them early. I haven’t had too many that can’t gallop and they all needed time to mature,” he said. Coronation Diva (b or br m 2004, ex-Zephyrit, by Zephyr Zip) has won five of her 10 starts – her last two impressively at Moonee Valley
(2040m) and Flemington (1800m). And in keeping with my theory on Northern Dancer over doubles of Star Kingdom, Zephyrit is line-bred 3x3 to Biscay. Rhythm In Paris (ch m 2005, ex-Rhythm In The Skye, by Arctic Rhythm) has been very impressive winning her two starts on wet tracks at Bendigo and Cranbourne. Warren is excited by her future. Rhythm In Paris’ dam is by the little-known stallion Arctic Rhythm, an unraced son of Jugah (by Northern Dancer) from Orchestrina (ShowdownJoelma), a sister to the brilliant dual Group 1 winner Royal Show. Bianconi stands at a 2009 fee of $8800 (inc. GST).
Ahoy, Twiglet does it again While on the topic of Jason Warren, it’s worth noting that the highest-priced horse in his stable, the impeccably-bred Pirates, has won his past two starts and looks to be a horse with a bright future – he ploughed through the mud at Mornington on Thursday for a commanding win. Pirates (b h 2005, by Redoute’s Choice) is the second last of 12 foals from the broodmare gem Twiglet (b m 1987, Twig Moss (FR)-Extradite, by Bletchingly), the dam of the outstanding Group 1 winners, Hong Kong star Fairy King Prawn (by Danehill (USA)) and the Salinger Stakes winner Easy Rocking (by Barathea (IRE)), and the triple Listedwinning filly Crevette (by Danehill (USA)). Bloodstock agent Rob Roulston paid $300,000 for Pirates as a yearling at the 2007 Inglis Easter Sale for Hong Kongbased owner Phillip Lau. “Pirates has been a late maturer, but he has the makings of a good horse,” Warren said.