Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday May 26

Two industry heavy hitters, Coolmore and China Horse Club, have over $3,500,000 worth of horseflesh sitting on the bench for Saturday's $1,000,000 XXXX Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm.

Coolmore has the $1,900,000 Magic Millions sales-topper, Basquiat requiring two scratchings and the $900,000 Easter Yearling Political Debate needing four.

Basquiat a $1,900,000 Magic Millions sale-topper

China Horse Club has two sons of Zoustar, the $425,000 Inglis Classic yearling Ringmaster requiring one scratch and the $340,000 Easter Yearling Metallicity needing an unlikely five withdrawals.

Political Debate has opened up the second favourite in a wide-open market, and the race for the seasons leading sire may hinge on his participation.

The stunning son of So You Think could counter the Group 1 victory of Lombardo in last week's Goodwood, which vaulted I Am Invincible back to the top of the standings.

We will take a chance on Basquiat gaining a run.

The Chris Waller-trained, son of Snitzel has been runner-up at his two starts at Warwick Farm and Hawkesbury behind two nice juveniles in North Star Lass and Burgunder.

Basquiat is the first foal of Bonny O'Reilly, who has been a windfall for a series of owners from the time she made $100,000 to the bid of Bjorn Baker Racing/Michael Wallace at the 2014 NZB Premier Yearling Sale.  

Bonny O'Reilly a $100,000 Karaka yearling

From one of Waikato Stud's most revered families, Bonny O'Reilly was the first of five consecutive foals for the Pins mare Pretty.

Bonny O'Reilly's younger sister Dahooil is the dam of the budding superstar Espiona. Following Dahooil came the Ocean Park filly Pretty To Sea, a Listed stakes-winner and runner-up in the Group III Adrian Knox Stakes.

Advertisement

The winner of a Ballarat maiden in four starts for Danny O'Brien, Pretty is a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Glamour Puss and Vision and Power and the Group II Stan Fox Stakes winner Rare Insight.

Rare insight is the dam of Group 1 Coolmore Classic winner Steps in Time, whose son I Am Lethal lines up in Saturday's Group III Fred Best Classic at Eagle Farm.

Bonny O'Reilly rarely ran a bad race. She won half of her 16 starts and ran up a sequence of five wins culminating in the Listed BRC Helen Coughlan Stakes, the race that concludes a brilliant programme at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Bonny O'Reilly sells for $1.2million when carrying Basquiat

Consigned by Attunga Stud to the 2018 Magic Millions National Broodmare, Bonny O'Reilly was an $825,000 purchase for Jadeskye Racing/Samaco Racing.

Back in the same ring a year later and carrying a positive test to Snitzel, Bonny O'Reilly made $1,200,000 to the bid of Widden Stud/David Redvers Bloodstock.

Two year's later, that hefty investment returned $1.9million with the sale of the Snitzel colt Basquiat to Tom Magnier.

Danny O'Brien had the final say at $430,000 for Widden Stud's Zoustar x Bonny O'Reilly colt at the recent Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.

The till will continue to tick over as Bonny O'Reilly has a weanling I Am Invincible colt and revisited Snitzel last spring. 

Advertisment
More Reading...
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 - Monday August 25
Here is the full list of 12 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.