Pedigree Watch G1, Golden Eagle and Broodmare Sire on Fire

Tara Madgwick - Sunday November 5

Super interesting racing in Australia on Saturday with three brand new Group I winners at Flemington, a Japanese winner of the $10million Golden Eagle and a broodmare sire on fire at Flemington with three stakes-winners – so let’s take a look at the pedigrees.

So that broodmare sire on fire… that would be Fastnet Rock. He sired the dams of three Group winners at Flemington on Saturday in Queen of the Ball (I Am Invincible), Cause for Concern (Worthy Cause) and Amazonian Lass (More Than Ready (USA), who is likely to back up in the Group I VRC Oaks next Saturday.

Click to se all the interactive sire lists at Breednet.

Fastnet Rock is currently the leading broodmare sire by winners and stakes-winners in the country this season.

The $2million Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) was won by progressive colt Ozzmosis, emulating the success of his sire Zoustar, who won the race in 2013, read about him here.

Ozzmosis is the sixth G1 winner for Zoustar and is the second G1 winner among eight SW’s for Darci Brahma as a broodmare sire. He carries a 4 x 3 double cross of Danehill, which features in so many offspring of Zoustar, who is one stallion that seems to tolerate the double up to good effect in a consistent way. He has sired 43 SW’s in total and 26 of them have the double Danehill, four of them G1 winners.

One of the most interesting things about Ozzmosis is his female family which traces back to a mare called Getting There, which we highlighted in this story (read it here) in early September that regarded two new stakes-winners in the family in Griff and Star Patrol. Ozzmosis won his first stakes race two weeks later to make three exciting new horses for the family.

Two of them Griff and Ozzmosis are now G1 winners and Star Patrol will bid to do likewise in the Champions Sprint next Saturday.

The $2million Group I VRC Victoria Derby (2500m) was won by Riff Rocket, a talented gelding that has only finished once worse than first or second in seven starts, read about him here.

Riff Rocket is the eighth G1 winner and first in Australia for Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (USA), whose US fee for 2024 is $US50,000. He is also the first stakes-winner and first G1 winner as a broodmare sire for Fastnet Rock’s more than useful son Smart Missile.

Advertisement

He has an interesting pedigree picture being from a very successful old Australian female family tracing back to 1945 Melbourne Cup winner Rainbird, who is his eighth dam. Subsequent generations were bred to speed sires like Todman, Crown Jester and Marauding with the stamina pretty much bred out of the family until the introduction of American Pharoah, a robust, tough dirt tracker that was a Champion 2YO, Champion 3YO Triple Crown winner and Breeders Cup Classic winner. He was always going to get a G1 winner here and it’s probably not surprising that it’s the winner of this race which demands toughness from it’s winners almost above all other attributes.

The $1million VRC Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) was won in spectacular front running fashion by Pride of Jenni, read about her here.

Pride of Jenni is the 20th SW for Pride of Dubai and is his third G1 winner joining the Irish bred Dubai Honour (IRE) and Bella Nipotina, who claimed some big scalps when winning the $3million Giga Kick Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday. She is also the 122nd SW and 25th G1 winner for champion NZ sire O’Reilly as a broodmare sire.

O’Reilly mares are gold, whatever way you look at them. He runs at 6.6% SW to runner as a broodmare sire which is better than a lot of our current so called leading sires produce with their actual progeny! The Street Cry x O’Reilly nick has had a good degree of success with 12 SW’s from 132 runners running at 9% SW to runner with Pride of Jenni the second G1 winner joining Belclare.

For the first time since it’s inception in 2019, the $10million ATC Golden Eagle (1500m) for four year-olds was won by a foreign trained horse with lightly raced Japanese bred stallion Obamburumai taking the prize, read about him here.

Obamburumai is by US bred Group I winning miler Discreet Cat, who competed for Godolphin and stood at their Kentucky base before being switched to Japan in 2017 where he stood until his death earlier this year at age 20. He has sired 38 stakes-winners worldwide at a strike rate of 3.8% SW to runner with five of them G1 winners. Only three of those stakes-winners have come from his latter years in Japan with Obamburumai the best of them.

It wouldn’t be a Japanese pedigree without the presence of Sunday Silence and he’s there prominently with Obamburumai being from a daughter of Deep Impact tracing back to the US family of Unbridled’s Song, a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner that shuttled to Australia for Arrowfield for three seasons (1997 – 1999) before his star rose dramatically in the US where he became a highly successful sire.

The Japanese have had tremendous success with the Storm Cat x Sunday Silence nick in varying forms, the nick producing 197 SW’s including 32 G1 winners highlighted by superstars Contrail, Almond Eye and Lives Only You.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Amelia’s Jewel Family Produces Wootton Bassett 2YO SW
Wootton Bassett (GB) added yet another new two year old stakes-winner to his tally overnight in Ireland with the Group III Silver Flash Stakes (7 ½ f) at Leopardstown going to a filly that is closely related to Aussie Group I winner Amelia’s Jewel.
Farnan Draws Level with Ole Kirk on 13 Winners
There’s a good battle going to decide the leading first season sire by Australian winners and with just seven days of the season to run Farnan is laying down the gauntlet to the long time division leader Ole Kirk.
Zoustar Filly Wander Dune Impresses On Debut In South Africa
Making her debut as favourite in the Race Coast Maiden Juvenile Plate (1200m) at Kenilworth, South Africa on Saturday, 2yo Australian-bred Zoustar filly Wander Dune impressed with an emphatic victory.
One to Watch - Belmont
Racing made a welcome return to Belmont Park yesterday and the first winner to salute on the freshly renovated track was a two year-old that started a red hot favourite and could not have been more impressive!
Season Finale Flourish for So You Think
Coolmore stalwart So You Think is powering to the end of the Australian racing season with a six winner flurry on Saturday highlighted by a winning treble at Randwick led by his progressive mare Oh Diamond Lil.
St Mark’s Basilica Filly Impressive at Ascot
Due back at Coolmore Australia this spring, St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) had an impressive new winner overnight at Ascot in the UK where Princess Petrol stormed to victory.
Two New SW's for Too Darn Hot
Too Darn Hot is set to be crowned Champion Australian Second Season Sire and is headed back to Darley Australia this spring at a fee of $275,000 and overnight he produced two new stakes-winners in the UK and Ireland.
One to Watch Wins Again in Saturday Class
The half-brother to Group II winner Stretan Angel, lightly raced three year-old Brutal gelding Glorious Moments was in a class of his own at Randwick on Saturday.
Another G1 Triumph for Aga Khan Stud Bred Gelding
Aga Khan Studs don’t race a lot of geldings, but one that they do is Calandagan, who made it back to back G1 wins overnight when beating a select field in a tactical battle to win the Group I King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1m4f) at Ascot.
Sires With Winners - Thursday July 24
Here is the full list of 49 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.