Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Friday September 20

Some families experience a period of fame then disappear just as quickly but one family that has stood the test of time is that of the Sir Dane mare Sasha whose only claim to fame could easily have been as the first metropolitan winner for Malcolm Johnston.

Purchased by trained Theo Green for 1,700 guineas on behalf of John Bradshaw and his brother Garry, Sasha was a fair enough racehorse winning seven and placing in seven of 37 starts.

In a long and fruitful career at stud, Sasha had 14 foals, the best of which was the champion two and three-year-old filly Shaybisc.

Advertisement

The daughter of Biscay made a spectacular start to her race career with a seven length win under apprentice David Green in the Widden Stakes. 


She smashed the highly-touted Fiancee by nearly five lengths in the Reisling Slipper, with John Duggan coming back to scale in tears as David Green, who would have ridden the diminutive filly, had died in a race fall at Rosehill a week earlier.

Shaybisc had no luck in the Golden Slipper but bounced back to win the Group 1 AJC Sire’s Produce Stakes with ease.

She became an influential broodmare for Woodlands Stud. Like her dam she had 14 foals the best of which were stakes winners Asarka, Bradshaw, the dual Group II winner Sashed (the dam of triple Group 1 winner Freemason and stakes-winner Santissima), and the dams of Group 1 winner Mental, multiple Group II winners Debrief and Tarzi.

Shaybisc’s unraced half-sister Neensie is the dam of Rosehill Guineas winner Solar Circle while Shaybisc’s three-quarter sister Influence (Bletchingly) is the dam of the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate and Group 1 Doomben 10000 winner Undue (Commands) and the Listed winner Absurd (Crown Jester).

Influence’s seven time city winning daughter Subtle (Night Shift) is the dam of the Group 1 Doomben 10000 winner Beaded (Lonhro) and the Group III winner and Group 1 runner-up Rarefied (Commands).

Placed in seven Group 1s before her breakthrough at Doomben, Beaded (image Mark Smith ) won 10 and placed in 13 of her 27 starts while banking $1.6 million for Godolphin.

The gorgeous daughter of Lonhro had just three foals before her tragic death.

Her first foal was the stakes-placed Street Cry gelding Bezel, followed by the stakes-placed Exceed And Excel mare Resin who has won five and placed in four of her 16 starts with earnings of over $277,000.

Resin came back from a spell to finish midfield in the Group II Bobbie Lewis Quality at Flemington last Saturday.

Resin’s three-year-old sister Lesage contests Saturday’s Super Vobis 3-Y-O Plate at Caulfield.

The daughter of Exceed And Excel was brave when winning on debut at Cranbourne on May 17 before being run down late when second to St Edward's Crown at Flemington on June 8.

Off the scene since then, Lesage faces a field of promising three-year-olds on Saturday including the Group III Blue Diamond Prelude winner I Am Immortal so it will be a good test to see what level she could reach this campaign.

Advertisment
More Reading...
So You Think He’s Tough- Punch Lane Wins G3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup
Backing up for a third Saturday in a row, super fit So You Think gelding Punch Lane booked his place in the $3million Big Dance later this year when leading all the way to win the $250,000 Group III Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) on Saturday.
$1.1million Fastnet Filly a New SW for Sheamus Mills Bloodstock
Tara Talks Racing podcast listeners would have taken notice of the Listed SAJC Adelaide Guineas (1600m) at Morphettville on Saturday featuring $1.1million Fastnet Rock filly On Display.
First Stakes Winner for Cool Aza Beel
Newhaven Park’s Cool Aza Beel produced his first stakes winner when two-year-old colt Cool Archie won the Listed Dalrello Stakes (1000m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
A New Benchmark for Edinburgh Stud
An emotional Ian Smith watched on as bidding reached $1 million for Edinburgh Stud’s stunning Exceed And Excel colt out of the Smoke Glacken mare Smokin’ Alice (USA) to set a new benchmark for the stud.
Deep Field's Depth Of Character Takes The Queensland Guineas
Deep Field three-year-old Depth Of Character has opened the path to a potential Group I Stradbroke Handicap tilt after winning the Queensland Guineas (1600m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Femminile gives Dundeel first female G1 winner with Derby victory
Supersire Dundeel has his second G1 South Australian Derby winner and his first female G1 winner after his courageous daughter Femminile was too good for the boys at Morphettville this afternoon in the time honoured 2500m Classic.
Sires With Winners - Saturday May 3
Here is the full list of 113 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Libertad Back To Winning Form in G2 Victory Stakes
It had been a while between drinks but Russian Revolution stallion Libertad found his way back to winning form in the Group II Victory Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
15th G1 Winner for Exceed and Excel
Turning 20 this year, Darley’s champion sire Exceed and Excel has just finished a super successful Magic Millions Sale that saw him with 24 yearlings average $398,542 to be the third leading sire by average and in South Africa on Saturday he posted a 15th Group I winner.
Exceed And Excel's Athelric Rewarded for Consistency
It was a 1-3 for Godolphin in Saturday’s Listed Queensland Day Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds at Eagle Farm.