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.

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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.

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