The first Saturday of a new season and a rare stakes-free weekend however there are several very interesting races for the newly turned three-year-olds.
There have been quite a few American-bred mares that have made a lasting impact on the breed in Australia and the Nijinsky mare Dancing Show (USA).
A granddaughter of the blue hen Best In Show, Dancing Show right off the bat showed she was going to be something special when the Miswaki foal she was carrying at the time of her importation ranked up with the best sprinters in the land.
His name was Umatilla who won the Group 1 WATC Karrakatta Plate and was runner-up to Canonise in the Blue Diamond Stakes at two.
Two year’s later Dancing Show’s son Hurricane Sky (Star Watch) atoned for his half-brothers defeat in the Blue Diamond Stakes and would later add the Group 1 AJC All-Aged Stakes.
Both Umatilla and Hurricane Sky became successful stallions while Dancing Show’s daughters have taken it to another level.
The star of the show has been Shantha’s Choice (Canny Lad) the dam of Redoute’s Choice, Manhattan Rain, Platinum Scissors, Sliding Cube and Echoes Of Heaven.
Show Dancing (Don’t Say Halo) is the dam of Al Maher and Salameh while the stakes-placed Makarova (Thunder Gulch) is the dam of Listed winner Ruling Dynasty and the winning Danehill mare Twyla is the dam of Group III winner Murjana as well as the dam s of Group 1 winner Gathering and Group III winner Florentina as well as the Group II winner Niagara.
Murjana (Giant’s Causeway) was purchased by Tim Staksmire, on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, for $300,000 at the 2006 Magic Millions.
In a troubled history at stud, Murjana has just four live foals in 11 seasons.
Her second foal Isstoora did not see the racetrack. The daughter of High Chaparral is the dam of the very talented Asateer (pictured as a yearling) who finished second on debut at Bendigo before two wins on the synthetic at Pakenham and Ballarat.
The son of I Am Invincible races in the colours of his breeder Sheik Khalifa after failing to make his $400,000 reserve when offered by Coolmore at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
The Lloyd Kennewell-trained colt shapes as the one to be in Saturday’s 3-Y-O C&G Hcp (1000m) at Moonee Valley, which is a race heavily influenced by the descendants of Dancing Show.
Her granddaughter Sliding Cube is the dam of the exciting stallion Rubick who has two leading chances in the race in the Michael Moroney-trained Alburq and the Richard Laming-trained Condo's Express.
