Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Friday December 31

Isotope has looked a Group 1 winner in waiting from the time she became the talk of the town with a dazzling 10-length romp on debut at Doomben in April last year.

The Tony Gollan-trained daughter of Deep Field backed that up with another dominant performance at the Sunshine Coast before facing defeat for the first time when second to the top-class Rothfire in the Group 1 BRC JJ Atkins Stakes.

That remains her only start at the elite level to date. Isotope has had her ups and downs since.

In the $2million Magic Millions 3yo, Guineas Isotope was in a challenging position when she clipped the heels of Away Game, dislodging jockey Ryan Maloney.

Sydneysiders had a taste of Isotope's talent when defeating Odeum and Bella Nipotina in the Listed Darby Munro Stakes at Rosehill before narrowly going down to Wild Ruler in the Group II Arrowfield Sprint.

Isotope wins the Darby Munro stakes (image Steve Hart)

More drama was to follow when Isotope underwent surgery for colic in June.

The Black Soil Bloodstock colour-bearer has been on R and R and makes a belated seasonal debut in Saturday's Listed Nudgee Stakes (1200m) for fillies and mares at Doomben.  

Bred by Daandine Stud, Isotope was a $170,000 purchase by Gollan Racing/John Foote Bloodstock/Black Soil Bloodstock at the 2019 Magic Million Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

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She is the first foal of the useful Choisir mare Great Dansaar who won three races for Bjorn Baker before finishing her career battling around North Queensland.

Isotope was a $170,000 Magic Millions yearling

At the conclusion of her 27-start career, Great Dansaar was consigned by Three Bridges to the 2016 National Broodmare Sale where Daandine Stud/Boomer Bloodstock P/L (FBAA) had the final say at $80,000.

The timing could hardly have been better. After a fast-finishing second in the Golden Slipper, her half-sister Yankee Rose had just won the Group 1 ATC Sires' Produce Stakes.

A bargain-basement $10,000 yearling purchase by Darby Racing, Yankee Rose added the Group 1 ATC Spring Champion stakes at thee. The daughter of All American was sold to Japan, where she was later joined by another Darby Racing overachiever, She Will Reign.

The Japanese value racetrack performance over everything, and it has been serving them well.

The Tasmanian icon Mystic Journey is another heading to the land of the rising sun.

Not that Yankee Rose lacked depth to her pedigree.

Her yearling price was an anomaly as her siblings all found favour in the sales ring. They included her $500,000 half-brother by Redoute's Choice at Easter this year and her $460,000 half-sister Miravalle  (Redoute's Choice), who became the second stakes winner for her dam Condesaar when capturing the Group III Kembla Grange Classic.

A daughter of the dual Group 1 winning two-year-old Xaar (GB), Condesaar failed to impress the track. Her two starts resulted in an 8 of 14 at Muswellbrook and 12 of 14 at Cessnock.

A half-sister to the Group 1 New Zealand Derby winner Redoute's Dancer (Redoute's Choice), Condesaar is a granddaughter of the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks winner and Group 1 Irish Oaks runner-up Condessa (Condorcet).

This is one of the many successful branches of the Simon's Shoes family.

Great Dansaar is shaping up as an excellent buy for Jan Clark's Daandine Stud.

Darby Racing purchased Dansaar's Winning Rupert filly for $90,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions.

Named Rupertaar, she has won three of four for Bjorn Baker, the latest coming at Gosford on Wednesday.

If Darby went drilling where they struck oil before, the same can be said of Black Soil, who shelled out $450,000 for Great Dansaar's Sebring colt at the Gold Coast in January. He has been named Prince Of Plenty and is also trained by Tony Gollan.

So, the hopes must be high for the fourth foal of Great Dansaar, a Spirit Of Boom filly in the Daandine draft heading to the Gold Coast in January.

Great Dansaar is a dream broodmare. Isotope was born on September 4, the latest Great Dansaar has foaled with her following four foals born in August.

The daughter of Choisir produced a full brother to Isotope on August 16.

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