Nicks That Click – When Two Plus Two Equals Four

Tara Madgwick - Monday December 3
The most impressive two year-old winner from last weekend is an interesting one from a pedigree perspective as she is physically exactly as you imagine she should be.

When Brooklyn Hustle (image below Grant Courtney) walked in the mounting yard at Moonee Valley on Saturday you could not help but be impressed and when she passed the winning post two lengths clear of her rivals despite missing the start we were even more impressed.



A homebred for Rosemont Stud, she is by Starspangledbanner (a powerhouse chestnut son of another powerhouse chestnut in Choisir) from Joint Aspiration (GB) , an imported stakes-winning daughter of Cheveley Park's hugely successful Nureyev line sire Pivotal.

Below are images of firstly Starspangledbanner and then Pivotal, so it's not hard to see why Brooklyn Hustle looks as she does.








Even more interesting is this perfect mix of chestnut power has worked like this before.

Respected pedigree guru Malcolm Campbell pointed out shortly after she won on Saturday that this particular nick had 100% success.

There have been six named foals bred this way and five have raced. All have won multiple races apart from debut winner Brooklyn Hustle and the best so far has been Spangle, winner of the Group III Doncaster Sceptre Stakes.

If we broaden the scope of the nick to look at Choisir and Pivotal we find 18 winners from 32 starters (56.3%) and another stakes-winner Sirici and stakes-placed horse in Ghazawaat.

An outstanding sire in his own right, Pivotal is still going at age 25 with his fee for 2019 listed as private. He has proven to be a remarkably good broodmare sire and has left the dams of 89 stakes-winners headed by 18 Group I winners including recent stars such as Cracksman, Hydrangea, Rhododendron, Fairyland, Magical, Advertise, One Master and Olmedo.

Australian breeders gearing up for the European Breeding Stock Sales would do well to look hard at mares and fillies by Pivotal, whose daughters have achieved great success with Sadler's Wells, Danehill and Green Desert line sires.



Advertisment
More Reading...
Melbourne Racing Club Unveils Major Spring Racing Enhancements
Racing Victoria has confirmed prize money allocations for the 2025-2026 season and Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) has announced some exciting race program changes and prizemoney increases that, together with other great initiatives at Flemington and Moonee Valley, reinforce the position of Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival at the forefront of international racing.
Bred to Be Better at Three
Andrew Campbell will unveil another exciting youngster at Hawera on Saturday when two-year-old gelding Valvano makes his debut in the Simon Bendall @ Metcalfe Real Estate (1200m).
Willydoit Data Surprise - Sprinter or Stayer?
Scientific tests have revealed surprising results on the distance aptitude of this season’s star New Zealand staying three-year-old Willydoit.
Justify Strikes at Newmarket with New G3 Winner
The Group III Bahrain Trophy Stakes ((1m5f) at Newmarket overnight produced a runaway winner in Scandinavia and while his sire Justify no longer shuttles to Australia, two of his sons will be on the roster at Coolmore this spring in City of Troy (IRE) and Storm Boy.
Sires With Winners - Friday July 11
Here is the full list of 45 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Wathnan Racing Swoop - Quai de Bethune Eclipses July Sale Record 775,000 Guineas
The Tattersalls July Sale concluded in spectacular fashion with QUAI DE BETHUNE selling for a record 775,000 guineas and the Busuttin Young stable also picked up lightly raced 3YO TIME ALLOWED for Australia.
Godolphin Draft Headlines Huge Inglis Digital July (Early)
A 26-strong Godolphin draft, a G1 placed 3YO with credentials for the $10m Golden Eagle and shares in multiple other G1 performers including dual G1 winner Overpass headline a huge catalogue for the Inglis Digital July (Early) Online Sale.
Bred to be Good - So You Think x More Joyous
It sounds like a match made in heaven, a colt by two time Cox Plate winning sire So You Think from eight time Group I winner More Joyous, and this 2YO is slated to make his debut in New Zealand this weekend,  
Debut 2YO Winner for Brutal
Fresh from siring a smart metro winner at Sandown on Wednesday in Brutalina, Brutal was in the frame at Scone on Friday where Brett Cavanough unleashed a promising two year-old debut winner in Bird Whistle.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Randwick
Spring racing is just around the corner and a busy set of trials at Randwick on Friday featured eight heats won by juveniles with winners including stakes horses The Playwright and Cobra Club as well as unraced youngsters by Justify (USA), I Am Invincible and Flying Artie.