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Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Friday July 20

With a prize of $100,000, Saturday’s Listed Oakland Plate (1400m) at Morphettville Parks is worth no more than the two-year-old handicap at Randwick and $20,000 less than the two-year-old handicap over 1800 metres at Flemington on the same day.

But it does carry that all-important black-type and for race favourite Poised To Strike the honour of becoming the first stakes-winner for his sire Akeed Mofeed (IRE).

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Sure, we’ve made Poised To Strike a ‘Best On Breeding’ previously, and he did the right thing by us at Morphettville Parks on June 23, but it’s hard not to see him figuring in the finish on Saturday.


He has been made a short-priced favourite and despite drawing wide, Dominic Tourneur will hopefully find a spot in the running line to allow Poised To Strike every opportunity to get the 1400 metres.

Trained by David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig, Poised To Strike debuted at Morphettville on June 9 where he finished a hard-charging second behind Unfair Dismissal. He then relegated Tony McEvoy’s All Too Hard colt into third place at his most recent start and the pair meet again on Saturday at level weights after Unfair Dismissal was asked to concede Poised To Strike three and a half kilos at his previous start.

Poised To Strike is the second foal of the imported Encosta de Lago mare Pandoro De Lago (IRE) who was one of several mares purchased by Goldin Farm to support their Hong Kong Derby winner Akeed Mofeed (IRE).

A half-sister to Group III winner Marbush (Linamix) and dual Listed winner Sublimity (Selkirk), Pandoro De Lago (IRE) is out of Fig Tree Drive, a daughter of that wonderful sire of broodmares Miswaki. Fig Tree Drive was a Newbury winning daughter of the Nijinsky mare Rose O’Riley who is a sister to the top-class mare De La Rose.

Purchased out of the Glenlogan Park draft at the 2013 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $85,000, Pandoro De Lago (IRE) is the dam of the Sepoy gelding Sacred Rebel, a winner in New Zealand and Queensland.

Pandoro De Lago (IRE) has a yearling colt and weanling filly by Akeed Mofeed (IRE) and was covered by Arrowfield Stud's first season stallion Shalaa (IRE) last spring.

With the first crop of stallions on the track, it is probably just as enlightening to examine all his runners, not just the winners, and encouragingly Akeed Mofeed (IRE) has had very few starters that have displayed little ability.

So, we make no apologies for being admirers of this handsome son of Dubawi (IRE) who has made a very bright start to his stud career despite receiving moderate support from outside breeders.

His 60 live foals from his first crop are his highest to date and include the very impressive Morphettville winner Assertive Play, Caulfield winner Sunset Watch and Morphettville winner Heart Conquered.

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