Exciting spring racing continued at Caulfield on Saturday with three Group I races all won by first time G1 winners and there was a distinct Kiwi flavour in the air with all of them featuring the mighty Zabeel in their pedigree.
The $3million Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas (1600m) is historically a big one for a colt to win and this year’s victor Autumn Boy had the race programmed into in his DNA given it was won by his sire The Autumn Sun and grand-sire Redoute’s Choice, read about him here.
Autumn Boy is one of those horses that is pretty much as his pedigree says he should be, albeit those two wins last season as a juvenile have been a bonus and are probably more a reflection of his abundant natural talent rather than any real aptitude for sprinting.
Autumn Boy is the fifth Group I winner for his sire The Autumn Sun and all of them have been at distances of 1600m or further and he is the eighth G1 winner for Cox Plate winner Savabeel as a broodmare sire.
His female pedigree is a lesson in champion Kiwi sires with first three dams by Savabeel, O’Reilly and Grosvenor, who interestingly also won a Caulfield Guineas back in 1982.
His fourth dam Geraniums Red (GB) was imported to New Zealand with a view to breed stayers being an unraced daughter of champion racehorse Brigadier Gerard from Irish Oaks winner Celina and she duly did just that producing 1984 Caulfield Cup winner Affinity.
Another of her daughters, Rose World is the grand-dam of Group I VRC Newmarket Handicap winner Shamexpress, who is best known as the sire of the world's current best sprinter Ka Ying Rising.
Autumn Boy is bred to get a lot further than 1600m and it will be interesting to see if he ever gets the chance to show real stamina given his status as a G1 winning colt usually means owners shy away from too much classic action for fear of lessening their appeal as sire prospects.
That said, contesting two Derbies didn’t do Dundeel any harm. He was seventh in a VRC Derby and won the Australian Derby before adding two more G1 WFA wins to his resume at four and is now a leading sire for Arrowfield Stud, who also stand The Autumn Sun.
The $1million Group I MRC Toorak Handicap (1600m) delivered another G1 success for an Arrowfield sire with the late Snitzel producing progressive gelding Transatlantic to score a determined win, read about him here.
Transatlantic is the 25th G1 winner for Snitzel and is the third G1 winner as a broodmare sire for Danehill’s brilliant Kiwi bred sprinting son Darci Brahma and the other two are Pier, who is by Proisir and Ozzmosis, who is by Zoustar.
While the double Danehill is something frowned upon by plenty of breeders it appears quite close up 3 x 3 in Transatlantic and is also in Pier and Ozzmosis, albeit a bit further back, so to my way of thinking the top class female family Darci Brahma brings with him into any pedigree is probably a considerable positive.
Snitzel has had three G1 winners to carry a double cross of Danehill and the other two are Lady Shenandoah and Sword of State, who are both 3 x 4.
Transatlantic is the best of three winners from Kiwi bred Group I Australian Oaks winner Gust of Wind, who notably beat Winx to win her classic and was also fourth in a Caulfield Cup.
Gust of Wind beat her on the racetrack and has now beaten Winx at stud being the first to produce a G1 winner!
Like the previous winner Autumn Boy, this female pedigree has it’s origins in Europe and is packed with stamina influences with the family including Epsom Oaks winner Lady Carla.
On face value we might see Transatlantic as a speed horse, but there is in fact a lot more going on and his trainer Tony Gollan is working that out with great success.
The $1million Group I MRC Might and Power Stakes (2000m) attracted just four runners with the $2million ATC Hill Stakes over the same distance in Sydney no doubt having a detrimental effect on this field and the winner was a shock result with the Kiwi bred Gobe leading all the way to win, read about him here.
Globe is the second G1 winner for Invincible Spirit’s G1 winning son Charm Spirit (IRE), who was a regular shuttler to Windsor Park Stud in NZ and is the third G1 winner as a broodmare sire for blueblood Zabeel stallion Don Eduardo.
Charm Spirit is one of those stallions that had good credentials, but ultimately fell short of what is required for commercial success, but his stats are far from poor – 65%winners to runners and 3% SW to runner.
Globe’s unraced dam is a sister to two time G1 winner Booming, who won up to 2300m and his third and fourth dams Syrian Sea and Aegean Sea were both stakes-winning sprinter milers with this family producing a successful offshoot in Australia via dual G1 winning stayer Electronic, the grand-dam of G1 winning sprinter Sweet Idea.
