Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Friday October 21

If performing on the Moonee Valley track is hereditary, the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained debutant Sailor’s Rum has a walk-up start in Saturday’s $500,000 Inglis Banner (1000m).

The son of Merchant Navy is the second foal of the Reward For Effort mare Brugal Reward, who excelled at the track.

Sailor's Rum a $190,000 Inglis Premier yearling

Her career highlight was defeating Modern Wonder in the Group III Typhoon Tracy Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley, which followed a dominant performance over the same track and distance a week earlier.  

A brother to the Canterbury winner Standing Order, Sailor’s Rum was a $190,000 purchase for McEvoy Mitchell Racing / Belmont Bloodstock Agency (FBAA) from the draft of his breeder B2B Thoroughbreds at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.

Brugal Reward loved The Valley (image Racing Photos)

A $45,000 Inglis Premier yearling, Brugal Reward, won four and placed in seven of her 27 starts while banking $260,290. She is the best of two winners from three to race out of Tiger Tess (Hold That Tiger), a half-sister to the magnificent Apache Cat.

While he takes his place among the greatest sprinters of his generation, Apache Cat was given the chance to stretch his speed to the 2020m of the 2006 WS Cox Plate.

Perhaps encouraged by his second in the Feehan Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley, the Cox Plate proved a bridge too far. The spectacularly marked son of Lion Cavern clocked in seventh behind Fields Of Omagh.

Apache Cat (image Mark Smith)

Returned to sprinting in the autumn of 2008, Apache Cat was invincible.

Advertisement

He reeled off wins in the Group Lightning Stakes, Group 1 Australia Stakes, Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes, Group 1 BTC Cup and Group  Doomben 10000.

The Greg Eurell-trained superstar defended his Australia Stakes title at Moonee Valley the following year. The final win of a memorable career came at the Valley in the Group II Schweppes Stakes (AJ Moir Stakes), elevated to Group 1 status in 2013.

Apache Cat is out of the Whisky Road mare Tennessee Blaze. Another of the family to go through the Inglis Premier Sale,  Tennessee Blaze was a $6,000 purchase for Paul Radford.

The family was devoid of black type for five generations, stretching back to the Relic mare Geneve, dam of the 1966 VRC Oaks and 1967 AJC Oaks heroine Farmer’s Daughter (Agricola).

Tenessee Blaze defied the odds to become a successful broodmare.

Few of her consorts were commercial successes, but all her eleven foals made it to the track, and nine were winners. 

Advertisment
More Reading...
Bryce Bevan Appointed Head of Digital at Magic Millions
Magic Millions' commitment to conduct online thoroughbred auctions has received a huge boost with today's announcement that Bryce Bevan has been appointed as Head of Digital.
Hellbent Winner Impresses at Sha Tin
Astute trainer Mark Newnham paid $425,000 at the 2023 NZB Ready to Run Sale to secure a promising two year-old by Hellbent and Invincible Ibis delivered on that promise when scoring a last to first win at Sha Tin on Wednesday.
First Win for Storm Boy Half-Brother by Pierro
Progressive Pierro colt Shangri La Boy is a very different horse to his older half-brother Storm Boy and while that Group winning colt is covering his first book of mares at Coolmore this spring, this fellow is on his way with an impressive maiden win at Rosehill on Wednesday.
Talented So You Think Mare Goes Two for Two
So You Think is setting the pace for winners this season as we head into October and one of those promising winners is talented four year-old mare Enamorada, who made it two wins in as many starts when saluting at Sandown on Wednesday as favourite.
Milan Park Experience Highs and Lows
Tony Rider experienced the extreme highs and lows of breeding thoroughbreds within a matter of hours on Wednesday.
Sires With Winners - Wednesday October 1
Here is the full list of 49 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
New SW Wrote - Fast Network Wins G3 National Day Cup
Trainer Dennis Yip claimed a timely first win of the 2025/26 season, taking out the feature HK$4.2 million Gr.3 National Day Cup Handicap (1000m) at Sha Tin’s National Day fixture on Wednesday when his stable star Fast Network, a New Zealand bred son of Wrote, blitzed a strong field under Alexis Badel.
Promising Victory For Too Darn Hot’s Ripley
Racing in the same Qatar Bloodstock coloured silks worn to victory on Friday night by West of Swindon (Wootton Bassett) in the Group 2 Stutt Stakes, 3yo Too Darn Hot colt Ripley highlighted his future potential with a two-length maiden victory at Rosehill on Wednesday.
King’s Legacy Filly Salutes for Yulong
The first stakes-winner for her sire King’s Legacy when winning the Group III SAJC David Coles AM Stakes (1200m) last season, Steel Trap was subsequently purchased by Yulong privately and she posted her first win in their colours at Sandown on Wednesday.
Generation Foals Built for Speed
Victorian farm Lovatsville offer a diverse stallion roster for this spring geared to satisfy a wide spectrum of breeder ambitions and if explosive Aussie speed is your thing then Snitzel stallion Generation will fit the bill.