monthly
TURF
November 2020
THIS MONTH POITREL - 100 YEARS ON FIRST FAMILY OF THE MELBOURNE CUP MORE NEW STALLIONS FOR 2020 ANOTHER GREAT RACE IN HISTORY
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ne reason that the Melbourne Cup has lost some of its relevance to the Australian thoroughbred is that the race has reduced influence in the sales ring. Having a Melbourne Cup victory on your resume does not assure stud success like it did in days gone by. This was not always the case, and Cup winners were often among our most highly sought-after families, and these lines had a huge impact on the Australian breed.
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here are two different categories here. Firstly, we have the stallions and while we have seen a growing number of entires winning the Cup in the last 20 years or so, their impact at stud have been mixed. We have seen one of our leading stallions in So You Think placed in the Cup, but the last winner to have a marked effect on breeding I suggest was the 1994 winner, Jeune who sired 28 stakes winners.
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t is relatively easy to still find Comedy King in modern pedigrees, though of course his influence is fading back in time. We have spoken of some of his sons and rather oddly he only ever produced two stakes winning daughters.
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rmolu, out of an All Black mare, won the 1931 Williamstown Easter Cup but Stagegirl, out of a Stepniak mare, was by far his best. She won the Adelaide Guineas and beat the colts in the South Australian Derby but is best remembered for her win in the 1918 VRC Oaks Stakes. At stud she produced the Toorak winner, The Gay Mutineer by Lucknow.
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even sons of Comedy King went to stud, but none matched the success of their wonderful sire. There is always of course the question as to what might have happened had Artilleryman got an opportunity at stud, but we cannot dwell on that. Five sons produced only one stakes winner and these were Biplane/Gallant Airman, Divine Comedy/Birdcage, Harvest King/Calulu King, Mimetic/ Black Thread, and Tavistock/Billy Barton. Interestingly both Birdcage and Calula King won the VRC Standish Handicap for 2yo’s. Another son, Kingbier produced two stakes winners in Simon’s Bier and Triple Chief. Again it is interesting that both of these won the same race in the Adelaide City Handicap.
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he best sire son of Comedy King was King Of Mirth, who had won the 1923 Adelaide Guineas, Port Adelaide Guineas and South Australian Derby and later the 1925 VRC Hotham Handicap. He was out of a mare by Pistol, a son of Carbine, but importantly his second dam was Auraria who we mentioned as the 1895 Melbourne Cup as a 3yo. The stallion stood in South Australia and rather oddly five of his twelve stakes winners were females.
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f these Whimsical Lass is the standout and she produced Conservator by Chatham who we discussed last month as a son of Windbag. Another of Chatham’s best sons High Rank was also out of a Comedy King mare. Whimsical Lass has ensured that King Of Mirth continues to play a role in Australian breeding. One who owes their heritage to this mare is Natural Blitz who won the G1 Hong Kong Sprint and raced in Australia as Shout From Maroof. Century Miss, the 1979 Golden Slipper winner was another along with her granddaughter, November Song who ran 4th in the 1999 Queensland St Leger and was the dam of November Flight who won the 2008 STC Millie Fox. In turn, she has produced Ashokan to win the 2012 Skyline Stakes and Pierata who is at stud for his first season this year after winning five stakes races including the G1 All-Aged Stakes and over $5 million in prizemoney.
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ister Olive is one of only two Melbourne Cup winning mares to have produced two stakes winners. In the case of Sister Olive, she produced a daughter called Mount Of Olives by Lucknow who won the 1928 South Australian Derby and a son called Manolive by Manfred who won four stakes races in the 1937 Perth Cup, the 1938 Williamstown Cup and Eclipse Stakes and 1939 CF Orr Stakes.
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anolive started at 100/1 and finished 11th in the 1938 Melbourne Cup and had finished 12th behind Buzalong in the Caulfield Cup. He cemented a unique place in history by winning at the Final Handicap, the last race of the Flemington carnival on the Saturday following the Cup. Manolive covered the mile and a quarter journey in 2.02 beating the track record of 2.02.5. This was the last record held by the immortal Phar Lap and the unassuming son of Sister Olive created his own part of history by wiping that champion from the history books. He was later to set another course record when winning the Williamstown Cup over 12 furlongs. Manolive was to go to
stud at Elouera Stud, Bassendean in Western Australia where he had little success. If you look closely you can find him in the pedigree of Manna Miss by Umatilla who won the Mormoot Stud Stakes at Moonee Valley in 2006.
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ildenhalll, a full sister to Manolive, produced Head Mistress who won the VRC Mimosa Stakes while Lady Olive by Manfred out of Sanchi Tope, a full sister to Mount Of Olives, produced Saucy Girl (AUS) to win the WATC Queen’s Plate and Star Monarch, winner of South Aust. St. Leger Stakes.
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t was the stakes winning Mount Of Olives that was to ensure the lasting legacy of Sister Olive. Her descendants have produced many black type winners including Symphony Miss by Distant Music who won the 2009 MRC Mannerism Stakes. One of the best was Reinsman by Landau who was a very good galloper of the 1960’s winning the Ascot Vale (2yo) Stakes, Stanley Plate and VRC St Leger Stakes. He went to stud where he produced Kilmore Cup winner, Don Casino.
VINO ROSSO Spendthrift Farm Vic Fee $13,750
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ino Rosso is another of the US offerings at Spendthrift Farm in Victoria. He was another million-dollar earner retiring with 6 wins from 15 start and a little over US$4.8 million in prizemoney. He won the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic and Santa Anita Gold Cup both as a 4yo and was crowned Champion Older Dirt Male in USA in 2019. He was unbeaten in his two runs as a 2yo and won the G2 Aqueduct Wood Memorial Stakes and ran fourth in the Belmont as a 3yo.
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is dam Mythical Bride was a winner over a mile and by champion stallion, Street Cry. Her dam was the stakes winning Flaming Heart by Touch Gold who produced stakes winners Commissioner by AP Indy and Laugh Track by Distorted Humor. Vino Rosso’s third dam was another stakes winner in Hot Lear by Lear Fan and his fourth dam also a stakes winner in Medicine Woman by Dr Blum.
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he sire of Vino Rosso is Curlin, a stallion we have not seen in Australia quite surprisingly. He was a champion racehorse and was the highest North American money earner with over US$10.5 million when he retired. His wins included the 2007 Preakness Stakes, 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic, and 2008 Dubai World Cup. In turn he was a son of Canadian bred Smart Strike by Mr Prospector out of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame mare Classy 'n Smart.
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gain, Spendthrift is offering these wonderful bloodlines at a bargain fee. But, of course, with this comes risk, and the big one is how these lines will adapt to Aus-
tralian conditions. We know a lot of the names, but the female family is a long-term US one and not one that seems to have been sent overseas very often. There is no doubting the racing quality of the stallion or the lines, but this does not ensure success.
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he family is not that of early 2yo’s and that could be to its detriment in the sales ring. Fortunately, this is better accepted in Melbourne than Sydney, but it is hard to see too many sales toppers from Vino Rosso’s first couple of crops. Once again, the key will likely be Danehill line mares and this is where the stallion looks to have plenty of options. His pedigree is free of Danehill, Danzig or indeed any son of Northern Dancer apart from Vice Regent whose son Deputy Minister is duplicated in Vino Rosso’s pedigree. Deputy Minister we know in Australia as the sire of Dehere. This brings us to the pedigree of the stallion which is quite heavily inbred to Deputy Minister and Mr Prospector. I would recommend stearing clear of these influences in the pedigrees of mares to go to the stallion but there are any number of mares that do not carry these lines. Some breeders might be tempted to duplicate Street Cry as he is found through a female in the stallion’s pedigree, but I would suggest this is unlikely to be a successful strategy.
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he key to Vino Rosso will be Danehill, and for this reason I would probably have preferred to see him stand in the Hunter Valley where the majority of these mares reside. Still, there will be plenty available, and I would recommend that breeders try to have a look at the stallion and consider his physical attributes when considering him for their mares.
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ino Rosso offers some interesting bloodlines and I think has the potential to produce more than his share of quality offspring. Breeders need to use caution when considering mares that contain multiple lines of overseas families, but overall the stallion should suit a wide range of mares and has the potential to produce a range of successful types. Many though may not be early 2yo types but hopefully the buyers can look past this and ensure that his progeny are given the best opportunity to perform on the track.
Sister Olive winning the Melbourne Cup
All of this and a whole lot more in our November Edition available on the digital bookshelves shelves right now. You can buy it through the app stores at both apple and google, or by visiting our website. Only AUD$5.50 including GST
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