Brave Mead First Stakes Winner for Brave Smash

Mark Smith - Friday March 24

It’s been a good week for the exciting young stallion Brave Smash (JPN). Kimochi won at Randwick on Wednesday, and Brave Mead credited the Aquis stallion with his first stakes-winner in the Listed Brix Property Group Valley Pearl (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.

Brave Mead in a canter (image Grant Courtney)

Ridden by John Allen for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Brave Mead was hunted up to lead from an inside barrier and never looked back.

He had the small field off the bit and chasing by the time they straightened. The son of Brave Smash (JPN) was untroubled to defeat the Better Than Ready filly Ana Jaahzaby two and three-quarter lengths with the Zoustar filly Celestial Storm three and a quarter lengths back in third.

Carrying the colours of Australian Bloodstock, Brave Mead was a close-up third at his career debut over 1200m at Pakenham on February 23 when a heavily backed favourite. He blew away a field of maidens over the same course and distance three weeks later.  

&ldq

uo;It was a good performance, and it’s great to get a winner for Australian Bloodstock and for Brave Smash.

“His (Brave Smash) record is excellent, and we’ve got a couple of nice ones tucked away for the same camp, so he’s one to watch for sure.”

“We were a little bit disappointed first-up where he raced a touch green, but we haven’t had a chance to really test him.

“His racing has been quite thick and fast, and he’s done a pretty good job running three times in four weeks.

Advertisement

Brave Mead has the looks to match ability (image Grant Courtney)

“The team have done a good job to hold him together, but he’s got a great attitude. He was very well-behaved beforehand.

“The (ATC) Sires is in eight days, and he didn’t do much today.

“He looks like he’ll get seven (furlongs), no problems. I’ll have a chat with Ciaron and the team.

“He’s not fully furnished. He’s a nice medium-sized horse with a bit of scope. He’s not just a two-year-old; whatever we’re getting from him now, he will improve into his three-year-old spring, so that is exciting as well.”

A $90,000 purchase for Ciaron Maher Racing when offered by Lustre Lodge at the 2021 Inglis July (Early) Online Sale, Brave Mead is a half-brother to Listed Geelong Classic winner Solemn (Bernardini) and stakes-placed Honeywine (Street Cry).

Bred by A B Breeding Venture, he is the seventh winner from the nine to race for the Galileo mare Mead, a half-sister to Group 1 Australasian Oaks winner La Volta and dual Listed winner Terevega.

Mead has a yearling filly by Hellbent and was covered by Tassort last spring.

Aquis Farm’s Brave Smash (JPN) is the fifth first-season sire to produce a stakes-winner.   

Advertisment

Race Result - Brix Property Grp Valley Pearl LR 1200m

Moonee Valley Track: Soft(5) Time: 1:12.04
1
Brave Mead
- 2c Brave Smash (JPN) x Mead (AUS) (Galileo (IRE))
Tnr: C Maher & D Eustace Rdr: John Allen 58
Brave Smash
2
2.8
Ana Jaahza
- 2f Better Than Ready (AUS) x Merirosvo (USA) (Lonhro (AUS))
Tnr: Ben & J D Hayes Rdr: M J Dee 56
MM Gold Coast Yearling Sale $100,000
Seller: Yarramalong Park, Kalbar, Qld
Buyer: Anthony Freedman Racing/Julian Blaxland Bloodstock (FBAA)
3
6.1
Celestial Storm
- 2f Zoustar (AUS) x Sebring Dream (AUS) (Sebring (AUS))
Tnr: R Griffiths & M De Kock Rdr: D Oliver 56
Zoustar
4
10.2
Mochi
- 2f More Than Ready (USA) x Muscovado (AUS) (Big Brown (USA))
Tnr: E & D Browne Rdr: O P Bosson 56
5
10.4
Manhattan Baby
- 2f Mikki Isle (JPN) x Maddison Avenue (AUS) (Manhattan Rain (AUS))
Tnr: M C Conners Rdr: Tim Clark 56
More Reading...
G1 Plan for Brave Mead
A stakes-winner last season at two, Brave Smash (Jpn) colt Brave Mead has kept up the good work this year and added another stakes victory to his tally at Rosehill on Saturday when taking out the $200,000 Listed ATC Darby Munro Stakes (1200m).
Racing’s Night of Champions August 28
45 of the top horses in Australia will be recognised for outstanding performances during the 2024/2025 racing season at Racing’s Night of Champions.
First Foal for Hilal Delights Grangewilliam Stud
The first foal by Grangewilliam Stud’s Group Two winner and multiple Group One performer Hilal arrived on Thursday morning with a filly born out of the well-related No Nay Never mare La Frox.
Zoustar Entering the Zenith
The dictionary tells us Zenith is an astronomical term —describing the highest point in an arc travelled by a star, planet or another celestial body- and in the case of this story it’s planet Zoustar!
Melbourne Cup on Radar for Sons and Lovers
Joseph O’Brien knows what it takes to win a Melbourne Cup and that was mentioned as a possible goal for progressive young stayer Sons and Lovers, who won the Group III Ballyroan Stakes (1m4f) at Leopardstown overnight.
Wootton Bassett Set to Blast Out of Winter
Many people may have anticipated Wootton Bassett (GB) would have been our Champion Australian First Season Sire last season and while that didn’t quite eventuate, he did finish the season with a wealth of horses holding spring potential and several were in action at the trials this morning.
Brave Mead Back to Best
A stakes-winner last season at two, Brave Smash (Jpn) colt Brave Mead would have been a certainty beaten if he had gotten rolled at Caulfield on Saturday, but he managed to get clear running at just the right time and hit the line hard for Mark Zahra to snatch a well-deserved win.
Sires With Winners - Thursday August 7
Here is the full list of 36 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Extremely Good Week!
It’s been a memorable week for Star Thoroughbreds having sold their multiple Group winning mare Olentia for $2.6million and then the purple and white stars were back in the winner’s circle at Canterbury on Wednesday carried by 3YO Extreme Choice colt Estremo.
First Godolphin Winner for Maher
Champion trainer Ciaron Maher saddled his first winner for Godolphin at Kembla on Thursday and he did it with a blue-blood colt by Too Darn Hot (GB).