Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday July 4

Despite having the advantage of standing at Coolmore, Danehill Dancer (IRE) had to make his own way in the world as the cheapest stallion on Coolmoore’s roster in Ireland while in Australia he was hawked around a bit before eventually earning his place among the leading stallions.

An Ir38,000gn Goff yearling, the son of Danehill won the Phoenix Stakes and National Stakes, and finished second to Alhaarth in the Dewhurst Stakes at two but failed to build on that record at three.

Advertisement

From his first European crop came the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Where Or When and when his second Australian crop included Choisir and Private Steer, Danehill Dancer (IRE) was on his way.


He was crowned the champion sire in Britain and Ireland in 2009, after Mastercraftsman won the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes and daughter Again captured the Irish 1,000 Guineas.

Pensioned from stud duty in 2013, Danehill Dancer (IRE) (image Mark Smith) is making a name as a broodmare sire.

His daughters have produced eight Group 1 winners to date and five of them are, not surprisingly, by Galileo. They include the recent Irish Derby winner Sovereign as well as 7-time Group 1 winner Minding, triple Group 1 winner Alice Springs, the recent St James's Palace Stakes winner Circus Maximus and the Sussex Stakes and Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero The Gurkha.

The lone Group 1 winner out of a Danehill Dancer mare in Australia is the Doomben Ten Thousand winner Music Magnate (Written Tycoon).

But he also has Star Thoroughbreds millionairess Fiesta (I Am Invincible) and the dual Group II winner La Passe.

The winner of six of her 17 starts, La Passe is an interesting one as she is a daughter of Street Sense (USA).

Both Street Sense (USA) and Danehill Dancer (IRE) trace back to the brilliant sprinter and miler Lianga.

Street Sense’s best son in Australia was the admirably brave and talented Hallowed Crown, a Gooree homebred who won the Group 1 ATC Golden Rose Stakes and Group 1 Randwick Guineas.

Gooree sent the Danehill Dancer mare Payoff Now to Hallowed Crown in his first season at Darley and the result is Rule The World who opened his winning account at his career debut at Canterbury on June 19.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained gelding will be favoured to make it two from two at Randwick on Saturday over 1300 metres.

A third generation Gooree-bred on his sire and dam side, Rule The World’s dam Pay Off Now is a half-sister to the classy Rock Of Gibraltar filly Gamble Me whose four stakes wins included the Group III STC Birthday Card Stakes.

Pay Off Now’s granddam Looking For Gold (USA) is a sister to the multiple Grade 1 winner and influential stallion Seeking The Gold and a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Fast Play.

One of the few stakes races in Australia on Saturday is the Listed VRC Taj Rossi Series Final at Flemington and we expect a Danehill Dancer mare to strike again with Prime Thoroughbreds $85,000 Classic Yearling Sale purchase Rubisaki (image Grant Courtney ).


The Patrick The Payne-trained filly will be vying to give her first season sire Rubick a second stakes-winner.

Beaten narrowly when luckless on debut at Warrnambool, Rubisaki made amends with dominant wins at Seymour and Flemington.

Bred by Edinburgh Park, Rubisaki is the fourth winner from as many foals to race from Senro Kisakim, a Sydney metropolitan winner by Danehill Dancer (IRE).

Rubisaki is a half-sister to the Adelaide Magic Millions winner Zizzis (Sizzling) who won at Sandown three days before Rubisaki’s Flemington triumph.

Advertisment
More Reading...
The Boss Lady Wins G3 Roma Cup and a Quokka Slot
Roma Cup Day at Ascot is a celebration of equine speed with the three feature races all run over 1100m and Street Boss (USA) provided the star of the show in The Boss Lady, who has been tonight announced to fill the $5million Quokka slot for Peters Investments.
Hong Kong Winners for Brave Smash and Hellbent
Brave Smash (Jpn) has a very nice horse in Hong Kong in the shape of four year-old gelding Divano, who scored his fifth win on Sunday when stepping up to Class 1 company for the first time.
Savabeel Stayer to Target Queensland
Multiple Group-winner Nereus is being set for a Queensland campaign after powering into second in Saturday’s Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) at Trentham.
First G1 Winner for Admire Mars
Arrowfield Stud’s handsome Japanese shuttle sire Admire Mars (Jpn) is on the board with his first Group I winner after classy three year-old filly Embroidery captured the Group I Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas( (160m) at Hanshin on Sunday.
Written By Filly Delivers Childhood Dream for Hawkins
International racing journalist Andrew Hawkins’ imagination was captured by two things as a child, thoroughbred racing and the Canberra Raiders, and on Saturday he was able to combine his two loves.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Randwick
Three heats for juveniles at the Randwick barrier trials on Monday produced a couple of interesting winners including an unraced I Am Invincible colt and the half-sister to Group I ATC Australian Oaks place-getter You Wahng.
Yulong Buy Vinrock
Yulong announced on Monday they have acquired unbeaten Group One winning two-year-old colt Vinrock, with the colt set to race on with trainer Matt Laurie.
Sires With Winners - Monday April 14
Here is the full list of 20 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sires With Winners - Sunday April 13
Here is the full list of 56 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Pedigree Watch – Euro France 3YO – Aga Khan Breds on Fire
French Classic trials at Longchamp overnight produced a couple of exciting prospects by Churchill and Siyouni that are both bred and raced by Aga Khan Studs.