Pedigree Watch – Spring 3YO Potential

Tara Madgwick - Sunday August 18

Australian spring racing is a smorgasbord of interest for pedigree watchers and a trio of up and coming three year-olds from Saturday highlight the role of imported mares in Australia and exposed an emerging nick probably better known in North America.

Band of Brothers is a mix of US blood and an old and very successful Aussie female family - image Grant Courtney

The Group III MRC Vain Stakes (1100m) was won by Band of Brothers, who made it two wins from four starts when scoring his first Black Type win and you can read about him here.

A homebred for Contract Racing, Band of Brothers is the first Australian stakes-winner and seventh worldwide for the former Spendthrift Farm shuttler Omaha Beach (USA), a multiple Group I winning son of War Front who stood for $40,000 in the US this year.

What’s interesting about Band of Brothers is the use of US bloodlines to update what has been a very successful Australian female family for a long time as Band of Brothers is from a daughter of Medaglia D’Oro, which is where it gets really interesting.

Omaha Beach has had seven runners from mares by Medaglia D’Oro and four of them have won and three of those are stakes-winners – Band of Brothers and US bred Landed and Hot Beach- while a fourth is Pirate, who was third in the Group I Saratoga Hopeful Stakes.

Band of Brothers is the 114th stakes-winner as a broodmare sire for Medaglia D’Oro, who shuttled to Darley Australia for eight seasons.

The Listed ATC Rosebud Stakes (1100m) was won by highly rated colt Gatsby’s having his third race start, read about him here.

Gatsby’s is the 146th stakes-winner for champion sire Snitzel and like the above stakes-winner has plenty of US influence in his pedigree being from imported Miss Charming (USA), who has now had three foals by Snitzel that are all Black Type horses as he is a full brother to G2 winner Letzbeglam and stakes-placed Snazz ‘n’ Charm.

Advertisement

He is also the 75th stakes-winner for Forestry as a broodmare sire and adds to the significant success achieved by Snitzel and his sire sons with mares carrying Storm Cat blood with Group I winners Duais, In the Congo and Invincible Sage bred that way.

There was no Black Type on the Benchmark 72 event at Rosehill over 1300m, but the winner Autumn Glow topped Inglis Easter at $1.8million and gave every indication she may well have the motor to match the good looks, read about her here.

Autumn Glow is a three-quarter sister to In The Congo, who is by Snitzel, whereas she is by another Redoute’s Choice son in The Autumn Sun and as a result is a far leggier and scopier type of horse than the Golden Rose winner.

Again it’s a pedigree with plenty of imported content with her dam Via Africa (SAfr), a triple Group I winning Champion Sprinter in South Africa, whose 10 wins never extended beyond 1200m.

Her sire Var was bred in Kentucky and raced initially in the US before finding his calling as a turf sprinter in Europe where he won the Group I G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp before being retired to stud in South Africa. Her dam won three minor races in South Africa over 1000m and produced 11 winners with Via Africa the only stakes-winner.

It’s an obscure old South African female family with minimal Black Type on the page until Via Africa landed in the middle of it like a UFO on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, totally out of left field. What’s even weirder is that Via Africa is now in the position of having not only produced an Aussie G1 winner in In The Congo, who was the busiest first season sire in Australia last spring, but also an Inglis Easter sale-topper that may also end up a G1 winner… go figure!

Advertisment
More Reading...
FBAA Mentorship Program - Successful Applicants Announced
The FBAA is excited to announce the selection of two mentees to participate in the second annual FBAA Mentorship Program commencing 19th May 2025.
Inglis Australian Weanlings - Unraced Trial Report
With the Inglis Australian Weanling sale kicking off on Monday don’t forget to check the unraced trialler report for a bit more intel on what might be coming.
I Am Invincible Sprinter wins $1million Archer - Inglis Graduates Trifecta
A weekend that dreams are made of for Neil Jenkinson was today capped off with Easter yearling Lubrication (I Am Invincible) winning the $1m The Archer at Rockhampton.
Newgate to Offer Femminile at MM National
The month's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale at the Gold Coast received an incredible update when rising staying star Femminile won the Group One SA Derby (2500m) at Morphettville yesterday.
Twin Hills Weanling Draft Showcases Daumier and Peltzer
Olly and Amber Tait’s Twin Hills Stud at Cootamundra is home to a couple of young fledgling sires in G1 Blue Diamond winner Daumier and Peltzer, who recently had his first winner and their draft for the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale starting on Monday has a good representation for both young stallions.
2.3million Justify Colt Wins G1 Newmarket 2000 Guineas for Godolphin
The weekend started well for Godolphin when their unbeaten filly Good Cheer won the Group I Kentucky Oaks on Friday and it got even better on Saturday when record priced  €2.3million Justify colt Ruling Court landed the Group I Newmarket 2000 Guineas in the UK.
Kentucky Derby Triumph for Godolphin
Sheikh Mohammed’s revered Godolphin racing and breeding operation have won Derbies all over the world, but until today the Kentucky Derby had proven elusive, but a three year-old colt called Sovereignty changed all that at Churchill Downs before a crowd in excess of 150,000.
Raining Black Type at Geisel Park
Geisel Park and its Group 1 racehorse and sire Manhattan Rain are poised to launch another winning wave in Group company at home and on the road with their fillies and mares in May.
Sires With Winners - Sunday May 4
Here is the full list of 51 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
One to Watch – Sale
Reigning Australian Horse of the Year Pride of Jenni was not the only ‘Jenni’ making a trip to the winner’s circle this weekend.