Unpredictable and That’s The Way We Like It

Tara Madgwick - Sunday August 12
Racing is unpredictable by nature which is why the most expensive thoroughbred ever sold at auction in Victoria was beaten when making his debut on Sunday at Cranbourne by a horse whose dam cost $500.

$1.4 million colt Octane was a close second on debutThree year-old I Am Invincible colt Octane was the subject of keen interest in the 1000 metre maiden that opened the card at Cranbourne as he was purchased by his trainer Ciaron Maher for $1.4 million at the 2017 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale from the Gilgai Farm draft.

As a half-brother to Group I VRC Newmarket Handicap winner The Quarterback and Group II winner Phillippi, Octane is bred to be very good and he did run well, just not well enough to win!

With his head held high throughout the run, Octane will take improvement from the outing, but for the winner Simcha it was a well overdue victory.

A homebred for Victorian owner breeder Peter Brown, the Gary Mallinson trained Simcha had placed at four of his previous five starts, so his long head win over the blue-blooded colt would have been well celebrated by connections.

A five year-old gelding by Strategic, Simcha is the fourth winner and last foal for Happy Henrietta, who died in 2016.

She was the subject of a very popular Breednet foal story back in 2010 when she produced a colt by 1990 Melbourne Cup winner Kingston Rule (USA).

Story from Breednet 2010 - When 10 year-old mare Happy Henrietta made her way to the Newmarket saleyard last year (2009) for the Inglis Winter Thoroughbred it was very nearly a one way ticket to the knackery.

An unraced daughter of Mr Henrysee (USA), Henrietta had been anything but happy in her five seasons at Meringo Stud with two dead foals, a slipped and two unnamed surviving foals by underperforming shuttle sires in E Dubai (USA) and Tobougg (IRE).

Happy Henrietta with her Kingston Rule foal born in 2010Her pedigree page made uninspiring reading to the majority of onlookers, but Melbourne based teacher and bloodstock enthusiast Peter Brown decided to rescue the mare and outbid the 'doggers' to secure her for the princely sum of $500.

"I saw her pedigree in the catalogue and decided to go up to Sydney for the sale and try to buy her," explained Peter Brown.

"Many years ago back in the early seventies when I was working in America there was a mare called Typecast who was an absolute champion.

"She was like a Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Goldikova sort of horse... all rolled into one and I used to love watching her race.

"I've even got a video that I took of her at Santa Anita one day, so when I saw this mare Happy Henrietta in the sale, who is a grand-daughter of Typecast, I decided to try and buy her."

Mr Brown spoke to the farm manager from Meringo Stud, who detailed her sorry performance as a broodmare also revealing that the two live foals she did produce had bad legs.

"They'd basically given up on her, but I was still keen and thought I'd go to $3,000 or $4,000, but when she came in there was only one bid at $300, which I believe was the knackery and then I put my hand up at $500, so I'm pretty sure I saved her from a sad fate," Brown revealed.

Mr Brown sent Happy Henrietta back to Victoria and then pondered on what to do with his new acquisition.

"I went back through her produce record and thought well none of this has worked, I need to find something completely different with no Northern Dancer in it and then I had the thought that the next best horse in America to come along after Typecast was Secretariat," Brown said.

"I looked for a son of Secretariat in Australia and found Melbourne Cup winner Kingston Rule, but when I rang Tim Johnson at Ealing Park, he told me the horse was retired, although when I persisted, he said he was still fertile... so I said 'why not let an old bloke have a last moment of pleasure?'"

Happy Henrietta was subsequently covered by 23 year-old Kingston Rule (USA) and conceived on the first service delivering this chestnut colt at Ealing Park on August 20.

Long story short, the Kingston Rule foal in the story went on to become a two time winner called Dreidel and his full brother born a year later called Mishnah has also won three races and over $50,000 in prizemoney.

Simcha is the third foal bred from Happy Henrietta by Peter Brown and now he too is a winner, so that $500 spent at the Inglis Winter Thoroughbred Sale in 2009 has certainly proven a good investment!


Advertisment
More Reading...
Sires Pack Profitable Punch at Weanling Sale
There are many members of New Zealand’s stallion ranks whose progenies racetrack results far exceed their service fee.  Next month’s NZB National Weanling Sale at Karaka is an ideal opportunity for traders and end users to secure the progeny of these creditable sires.
Investing in Fillies Can Pay Big Dividends
We saw it earlier this month at Inglis Chairman’s Sale and we saw it again this week, purchasing yearling fillies that can perform to a high level has the potential to yield a big pay day in the sale ring, so let’s take a closer look.
Verry Exciting Weekend Looms
New Zealand horseman Nicholas Bishara will cross the Tasman this weekend to watch his filly Belle Detelle, a three-quarter sister to his ill-fated 11-time Group One Verry Elleegant, contest the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m).
King’s Legacy Filly Wins by Three
The Lindsay Park team produced an impressive juvenile winner at Pakenham on Thursday evening with King’s Legacy filly Bella Pietra winning as she pleased.
Juvenile Trial Watch - Rosehill
Trials this morning at Rosehill were run on a heavy 9 so horses were well held together and not asked for too much, but there were still a couple of intriguing unraced heat winners by Extreme Choice and Justify (USA), plus we got another look at the $1.4million Wootton Bassett (GB) colt from Sunlight.
Debut Winner for King’s Legacy
King’s Legacy posted a seventh first crop winner on Friday with a fast finishing debut victory at Goulburn for talented gelding Nothing But Net.
Sires With Winners - Thursday May 29
Here is the full list of 41 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Expensive Ghaiyyath Colt Wins Stakes
Darley shuttler Ghaiyyath (IRE) had his first Australian winner earlier this week and overnight produced a new stakes-winner in the UK where Godolphin owned colt Opera Ballo won the Listed Heron Stakes (1m)at Sandown.
Breeding To Win - 2025 G1 Queensland Derby
It’s been 15 years since Dariana thumped the colts to win the Queensland Derby (2400m) in 2010 and maybe it’s time for another filly to triumph!
Little Avondale’s Weanlings Follow Successful Footsteps
Graduates of Little Avondale Stud’s drafts at the NZB National Weanling Sale have a proud record of racetrack success, and stud principal Sam Williams believes his class of 2025 compares favourably with previous years.