Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday July 30

Never off the board in five starts, the Rubick filly Peggy Selene looks well-placed to add a second win to her record at the first metropolitan meeting of the new season at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

Narrowly beaten by the next start stakes-winner Parlophone, after a torrid run over 1000m at Sandown Hillside at her most recent start, Peggy Selene heads a field of 11 newly turned three-year-old fillies in the Andrew Gilbert/ Gavin Lisk Hcp over 1000 metres.

Peggy Selene breaks her maiden in style at Ballarat  (Pat Scala / Racing Photos)

The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained daughter of Rubick began her career with Pat Sexton at the Gold Coast, finishing runner-up at her first two starts.

Bred by Go Bloodstock, Peggy Selene was purchased for just $9,000 out of the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft at the 2018 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale.

She is the third winner from as many foals out of the stakes-placed General Nediym mare Star Salute.

Trained by Peter Moody, Star Salute began her own career with a similarly consistent record as that of her daughter.

A first up winner at Sale, Star Salute won two of her next three starts before splitting to Celebrity Girl (Starcraft) and the future dual Group 1 winner Platelet (Strategic) in the Listed Cap D'Antibes Stakes (1100m) at Flemington.

Bred by Baramul Stud, Star Salute was purchased by Moody for $100,000 at the 2010 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.

She was back in the sales ring two years later when purchased Belmont Bloodstock Agency for $42,000 at the Inglis Australian Bloodstock Sale just a month after her final start.

Advertisement

Rubick (Mark Smith)

Fast forward four years and Star Salute was purchased by Paul Moroney Bloodstock/Criterion Glenhaven for $140,000 at the 2016 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale when carrying a colt by Shamus Award.

That colt, named Brutality, was purchased by Joe Pride for $40,000 at the 2018 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.

Brutality took his record to two wins, two seconds and a third from nine starts when he ploughed through the mud at Warwick Farm on Wednesday for a dominant win.

Star Salute was purchased to be covered by Sir Own Glenn’s champion Criterion. The son of Sebring’s well documented fertility problems resulted in her coming up negative and Star Salute was a late addition to the court of Coolmore Stud’s popular Rubick, with Peggy Selene the result.

Star Salute is one of five winners from six to race out of the Spinning World (USA) mare Spinning Star who is a half-sister to the Listed stakes-winner Be my Princess (Chief’s Crown) the dam of the South African stakes-winner Flying Princess (Flying Spur).

Spinning Star is out of the Sir Tristram mare My Dear Rebecca who is a half-sister to the stakes-placed St Clemens (London Bell), the dam of  St Clemens Belle who claimed the scalps of Iron Horse and Slavonic in the 1999 Group 1 Fruit 'N' Veg Stakes (Kingston Town) Classic).

Star Salute made her fourth trip to the sales when consigned to the recent Inglis Australian Easter Broodmare Sale. She sold for $40,000 carrying a positive test to Russian Revolution so her new owner would have had a big result should Peggy Selene be her second city winner in the space of four days.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Merchant Navy 3YO Primed for Spring Stakes Campaign
Cody Cole is happy to play a waiting game with Landlock before confirming the three-year-old’s main goals for the season.
Spring Trial Watch – Hawkesbury
There was an interesting set of trials at Hawkesbury on Monday that featured heat winners including Golden Slipper winner Marhoona, Randwick Guineas winner Linebacker as well as the Waterhouse Bott stable Cups contenders Sir Delius (GB) and Vauban (FR), plus we may have seen an Everest horse.
Commemorative Retired to Stud
Watching the progress of Godolphin horses as they start stepping our for their new trainers has been interesting to say the least and will get more so this weekend when we see Tom Kitten go around in the Group I MRC Memsie Stakes at Caulfield, but one horse we won’t be seeing again is Commemorative.
Sires With Winners - Monday August 25
Here is the full list of 12 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Narrow Miss for Hellbent Gelding in G2 Foxbridge
Lhasa proved he is more than a synthetic track specialist when he nearly caused an upset when finishing runner-up in Saturday’s Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa.
Well Bred Zousain Debut Winner
A full sister to Zousain’s Group III winning filly Drifting, Cheeky Contiki made a winning debut at Pakenham on Monday for the Lindsay Park Racing team.
Sires With Winners - Sunday August 24
Here is the full list of 67 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
First Southern Hemisphere foals for Paddington
A four-time Group I winner by champion French sire Siyouni, European superstar, PADDINGTON, has had his first Southern Hemisphere foals arrive on the ground at Windsor Park.
Was it that Unusual? Who is the Oldest?
There was a lot of attention in the media regarding the age of Australian Horse of the Year elect Via Sistina (IRE) when she returned to racing for a new campaign at Randwick last Saturday, but was it really that uncommon to see an eight year-old G1 winner?
Top Filly Beats Top Colt in G1 Prix Morny
The Group I Prix Morny (1200m) at Deauville overnight produced a mightly clash between unbeaten Starspangled banner colt Gstaad and unbeaten filly Venetian Sun with the filly prevailing, although Starspangledbanner got some consolation with a new G3 winning 2YO at Goodwood.