It’s pretty remarkable that in a country with unequalled access to the best sires from around the world, that the likely first three across the line for the champion sire title this season are locally breds that did not win at the highest level and started out moderately priced.
With an $876,000 lead over Not A Single Doubt with just weeks of the season left, it seems safe to anoint Written Tycoon as this seasons champion sire.
So, in 2021 Victorian breeders will have access to the reigning champion sire for the first time since the halcyon days of Better Boy, Century and Showdown in the 1970s.
Not A Single Doubt stood his first six seasons at a fee of $13,750, I Am Invincible covered his first four seasons at $11,000, while Written Tycoon began at $8,250 for his first two seasons and $6,600 for his next two.
All three have already ticked the box as sire of sires.
In the opening race for two-year-old fillies over 1100m at Caulfield on Saturday, I Am Invincibles son Brazen Beau has two of the leading chances in Zapateo and Shame For Fame. Written Tycoon’s son Rich Enuff has a well-regarded first-starter in the Henry Dwyer-trained First Division who traces back to the peerless Dark Jewel.
The grand old man Written Tycoon has the Grahame Begg-trained debutant Libiamo, while the Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained Viviane will line up for the fourth time.
Libiamo and Viviane come from the 168 mares covered by Written Tycoon in 2017 when his fee was raised to $88,000 from $49,500 the previous season. They represent the increase in quality of mares covered by Written Tycoon, with Libiamo being a daughter of the Group III Tibbie Stakes winner Fine Bubbles and Viviane, a daughter of Curtana, a dual Listed winning sister to 3-time Group 1 winner Flamberge and a half to Group II winner Sunburn land and Group III winner Durendal out of David Moodie’s wonder mare Razor Blade.
We will take a punt on Libiamo, a $170,000 purchase by her trainer out of the Sun Stud draft at the 2020 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
Sun Stud had bought Fine Bubbles for $400,000 out of the Yarraman Park Stud draft at the 2016 National Broodmare Sale. The $320,000 earning daughter of Casino Prince was carrying her first foal, the I Am Invincible colt Covert Ops who was runner-up to Dubious in the Group III Breeders’ Plate at Randwick. He was to prove a frustrating character before his sale to Singapore.
Fine Bubbles is a daughter of the Listed Gosford Belle Of The Turf winner Pekalan (Sri Pekan). This family has risen to new heights in recent years through the deeds dual Group 1 winner In Her Time, a recent $2.2million purchase by Yu Long Investments at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale, and The Everest hero Yes Yes Yes.
The family traces back to the once non-Stud Book mare Vista Anna, an excellent servant for John Cobcroft, who raced Vista Anna’s AJC The Galaxy winner Salaam.
John Cobcroft’s father, Gavin Cobcroft, founded the family when he bought the mare Future Queen, a daughter of champion stallion Heroic, off Jack Mandel at Scone for 120 guineas in 1949. She foaled Vista Anna’s dam Vistaed from a mating to Port Vista.
Vistaed’s half-sister Boothi (Todman) left the 1973 Tramway Handicap winner Big Circle.
Fine Bubbles has a yearling Fighting Sun filly named Talento. She foaled an I Am Invincible colt last spring before missing to National Defense (GB).
