Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Friday January 4

A year after he made a hasty exit from the Philippines to Hawaii on the same private jet as President Ferdinand Marcos, Eduardo Cojuangco received some much-needed good news from Australia.

His homebred filly, Sandy’s Pleasure had won the 1987 Victoria Oaks for trainer Grahame Begg and jockey Jim Cassidy.

After returning from exile in 1989, and restructuring his business interests, Cojuangco also set about restructuring his Mudgee showpiece, Gooree Stud,

Advertisement

By 1990, gone were the stallions Tolomeo (USA), Maizcay, Squill (USA) and Sandy’s Pleasure’s sire Dash O’Pleasure (USA).

The son of Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure was exported to the Philippines in 1991 and few missed his absence.


Sandy’s Pleasure was by some way his best runner. Besides her Oaks triumph, she won a pair of Listed Stakes races and was placed in the Group II Wakeful Stakes.

It would be wonderful to report that Sandy’s Pleasure proved to be a gem at stud but that’s far from the truth. Although seven of her 11 foals reached the track and six were winners, her best performer won just two races in Sydney.

It was left to her daughters to extend the line and three, Springtime Romance (Last Tycoon), Fervent Hope (Bluebird) and Stately Drawn (Dehere) have produced stakes-placed winners.

But the star of the team has been the unraced Quest For Fame (GB) mare Quest For Pleasure.

Flogged off for just $3,000 to Bowness Stud in 2004, Quest For Pleasure is the dam of Torio's Quest (Oratorio (IRE) who turned his $15,000 purchase price as a yearling into a $916,000 windfall for owner Bert Vieira and trainer Brett Partelle. His five wins from 17 starts included the Group II Queensland Guineas at Eagle Farm, however, his biggest payday came in the $820,000 Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1400m) on the Gold Coast in 2011.

Two years after Quest For Pleasure foaled Torio's Quest she produced Bippo No Bungus.

From the second of three Australian crops left by the superstar stallion in waiting, Dubawi, Bippo No Bungus was purchased by Western Australian trainer Neville Parnham for $70,000 at the 2011 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

She proved worth the money. After finishing runner-up in the Group II WA Guineas and Group III WA Champion Stakes at three, Bippo No Bungus opened her stakes account in the Listed Starstruck Classic at Ascot and placed in the Group II Sunline Stakes at Moonee Valley and the Group III Schweppervescence Trophy at Flemington at four.

By the time she was retired the daughter of Dubawi (GB) had compiled a record of 4 wins, 8 seconds and 5 thirds from 42 starts with earnings of $423,725

Yarraman Park Stud’s I Am Invincible was chosen as the first mate for Bippo No Bungus and she foaled a colt that was consigned by Yarraman Park to the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

He was knocked down to Harras Syndicate/Mulcaster Bloodstock for $500,000, which barely scraped him into the top ten priced lots by his sire at the sale.

His list of high-profile owners won’t be needing directions to the winner’s stall.

Named Lubuk (pictured as a yearling ) and sent to Chris Waller, the son of I Am Invincible made a pleasing racetrack debut when a fast-finishing fourth in the Listed Phelan Ready Stakes at Doomben on December 15.

Larry Cassidy takes the mount on Saturday when Lubuk gets his final chance to earn a place in the field for the $2 million Magic Millions 2yo Classic when he contests a highly competitive QTIS 2-Y-O Hcp (1100m) at the Gold Coast.

Advertisment
More Reading...
New Winner for Bivouac
Godolphin have been  enjoying a winning run with their late season juveniles and it continued at Geelong on Thursday where Bivouac gelding Loving opened his account.
Wootton Bassett 2YOs on the March
Wootton Bassett’s star Northern Hemisphere two year-old Albert Einstein has been ruled out of Royal Ascot with a sprained joint that will require a few weeks off, but the red hot sire added two more talented debut winning juvenile colts at The Curragh overnight.
Sires With Winners - Thursday June 5
Here is the full list of 36 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sires With Winners - Wednesday June 4
Here is the full list of 48 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Frosty Girl impressive on debut
The Chris Waller-trained Frosty Girl made the perfect start to her career when coming from last to land the Asahi Super Dry Plate (1300m) on debut at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
A Passion That Lasts a Lifetime
A passion for pedigrees and thoroughbreds is often one that lasts a lifetime and so it has been for one of the co-breeders of Bravery, who contacted me this week following our earlier and very well read story on current 2YO star Cool Archie.
First to 100
It’s probably no surprise to anyone that this stallion is the first to sire 100 Australian winners this season.
Blueblood Import - American-Bred Jillaroo Records First Win
Purchased at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Ciaron Maher, the now 4yo mare Jillaroo (USA) (Curlin) initially started her racing career in the United States but after an Australian debut second at Caulfield in early May, recorded her maiden victory at Doomben.
$1million I Am Invincible Colt from G1 Winner Amanpour
Rosemont Stud bought Group I winning Northern Meteor mare Amanpour for $1.5million at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and got a big return on investment when selling her I Am Invincible colt for $1million during the first session of Magic Millions on Wednesday.
Invincible Colt on Target for Blue Diamond
The open juvenile event at Randwick on Saturday always looked good on paper with some highly rated fillies and two expensive colts engaged and at the winning post it was I Am Invincible’s Rulership that claimed the victory and he did it in style!