Often, a stallion will have a flurry of winners when he relocates, and one such stallion could be in for a career highlight on Saturday.
After four solid books of mares, Palentino's appeal to breeders diminished dramatically last spring and finds a new home in 2022 at Glen Eden Stud.
There is no denying the handsome son of Teofilo (IRE) needs a good winner or two. He may have one in Solar Blast, who lines up in Saturday's Group III South Australian Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Morphettville.
The Richard and Chantelle Jolly-trained gelding impressed with his fast-finishing third behind Henry Dwyer's accomplished Star Turn filly Prairie Flower over 1050m at Morphettville on April 23.
Given plenty of time to find his feet by apprentice Angus Chung, Solar Blast was wide the trip, raced erratically down the straight and still charged home for third. A run that suggested that 1400m of the Sires should prove ideal.
Sun Stud consigned the son of Teofilo to the 2020 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale, which was held as part of the Inglis Digital August (Early) Online Auction.
The description was "correct; well put together individual with a great outlook. An ideal pinhooking opportunity."
And so it proved with the handsome bay selling to Richard and Chantelle Jolly for $50,000 as part of the Kitchwin Hills draft at the 2021 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.
Solar Blast is the third foal of the O'Reilly mare Gale Force Sun, who failed to trouble the scorer in two starts in New Zealand.
Her dam Breezy was a top-class performer for Danny O'Brien. The Waikato Stud colour-bearer began her career in New Zealand but blossomed under O'Brien.
The daughter of Pins won five races highlighted by a record-breaking performance in the Group III Schweppervescence Trophy (Frances Tressady) at Flemington before finishing a close-up fourth in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic won by Regal Cheer from Star Shiraz and Mnemosyne.
Breezy is a half-sister to the South African group winners and Group 1 placegetters Dahlia's Legacy (Dahar) and Neo Star (Centaine), as well as the unraced Zeffi (Centaine), dam of the 10-time winner and $1.3million earner Century Kid.
Breezy is a daughter of Zephyr Magic, a Group II winner of twelve races and placed in the Group 1 WRC Telegraph Handicap.
The daughter of Zephy Bay is a half-sister to Happy Heiress, who won the Group II Southern Cross Stakes in South Africa and is the granddam of Happy Valentine (Group 1 Scottsville Allan Robertson Championship) and Happy Spirit (Group II South African Oaks).
Zephyr Magic and Happy Heiress are two of four daughters of the Battle Wagon mare Lucky Heiress to leave stakes-winners. The others are Bed Of Roses, dam of dual Listed winner Gwendolyn and Flying Floozie, dam of 5-time Group 1 winner Starcraft.
Lucky Heiress was a true blueblood, a half-sister to three stakes-winners headed by the enigmatic Taras Bulba.
Back when punters could boo without being escorted off the track, Taras Bulba was booed more than most.
A $13,500 yearling buy in New Zealand for George Hanlon on behalf of Gilio (Jim) Marconi, the son of Oncidium was, by any standards, a racehorse of the highest class.
The winner of two of his four starts at two, Taras Bulba was unplaced in his first three starts in Melbourne at three.
Taken to Sydney, he won the Rosehill Guineas and AJC Derby, then run in the spring. Two weeks later, Taras Bulba finished second to Battle Heights in the Cox Plate, then was midfield in the VRC Derby and Melbourne Cup.
A trip across the Nullabor resulted in a sixth in the Caris Diamond and seconds in the Australian Derby and Perth Cup.
Taras Bulba's autumn campaign was comparatively light. He was third in the Tulloch Stakes before defeating Cap d'Antibes in the Champion Stakes, then returned to Melbourne to capture the St Leger.
It took four starts for Taras Bulba to break his duck at four. It came in the Underwood Stakes. All hell broke loose at his next start when finishing third as an odds-on favourite in the Turnbull Stakes.
Marconi was non too pleased when Hanlon said he would be booing too.
After finishing fourth on a heavy track in the Cox Plate, the son of Oncidium next appeared in the Blamey Stakes in February 1976, and he was in the stable of TJ Smith.
It proved a tough baptism for his new trainer. Taras Bulba was beaten as a 5/4 favourite by Lord Dudley, and punters again vented their collective disappointment.
It was an otherwise fruitful campaign with wins in the Chipping Norton Stakes and versions of the VRC and AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the latter at the expense of Balmerino and Leica Lover.
At five, Taras Bulba failed to win in seven starts. He split How Now and Denise's Joy in the Underwood Stakes and played second fiddle to the grand old stayer Battle Heights in the Craven Plate.
After bleeding for a second time when second to Red Ruffian in the Expressway Stakes, Taras Bulba continued his career in the United States, winning at Hollywood Park.
