Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday October 3

Epsom Handicap day at Randwick with the first look at the new-season two-year-olds, a full card of nine stakes races on Turnbull Stakes day at Flemington and one of the great days of world racing at Longchamp featuring the incomparable Enable in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, this is as close as it gets to racing nirvana.

Let’s not hang around and go straight to the opening race at Randwick, the Group III Keeneland Gimcrack Stakes.

Darby Racing’s strikingly marked Choisir filly Every Rose is a deserving favourite having won her heat in slick time and was doing her best work in the final 100 metres.

Advertisement

She is a half-sister to two talented runners in Smart Edge (Smart Missile) and Academy (Shamus Award).

Having said that we will be banking on another Randwick trial winner Fall On A Star (pictured as a yearling ) to go one better than her dam Igraine who was second in the Gimcrack back in 2014.


At the recent Goffs Orby Sale, Phoenix Thoroughbreds and Aquis Farms teamed up to buy a Galileo filly for €1.1 million but they had already formed a partnership back at the Magic Millions in January to secure Gilgai Stud’s Zoustar filly Fall On a Star who was sent to the stables of Kris Lees.

She comes from a family that has served Darley and Woodlands well over the years so it was somewhat of a surprise when Darley consigned Igraine, fresh off the track, to the 2016 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

Although an 8-start maiden, Igraine clearly had ability, placing in the Group III Widden Stakes in addition to her second in the Gimcrack Stakes but to be fair to Darley they do still have plenty of the family.

The daughter of Denman didn’t get under the guard of bloodstock agent Dermot Farrington at the who shelled out $370,000 on behalf of Gilgai Farm’s Rick Jamieson.

Igraine is a daughter of that marvellous producer Chaparra whose progeny now take up the complete pedigree page.

A half-sister to the Group II MRC Caulfield Autumn Classic and Group II MVRC Alister Clark Stakes winner Spinney, a son of Octagonal that boosted the Woodlands coffers by $846,210, Chaparra left seven winners from nine to race before she received an honourable pension in 2016.

The daughter of Canny Lad has two stakes-winners in the brothers El Cambio and Complicate. The sons of Commands earned a total of $1.1 million between them led by the dual Group II winner El Cambio.

Chaparra also left four stakes placegetters and her multiple stakes-placed daughter Cataclysm is taking the family to new heights.

She is the dam of the Group 1 MRC Blue Diamond Stakes winner Earthquake (Exceed And Excel) (image Mark Smith) who was runner-up in the Group 1 ATC Golden Slipper.


Cataclysm is also the dam of Listed VRC Desirable Stakes winner Palomores (Commands) and Godolphin’s highly regarded Sepoy colt Pandemic who was a fine third in last Saturday’s Heritage Stakes at Rosehill won by the undefeated Standout.

Cataclysm is still delivering for Godolphin. She has a yearling colt by Kermadec and was covered by Epaulette last year.

So Igraine is looking like $370,000 very well spent for Gilgai.

Following her $750,000 Zoustar filly Fall On A Star she has a yearling colt from the first crop of Aquis Farm’s Group 1 MRC Caulfield Guineas winner Divine Prophet (Choisir) and was covered by Written Tycoon last spring.

Fall On A Star was outpaced in the early part of her trial at Randwick but came home strongly when asked to lengthen out.

As befitting her purchase price she is a stunning individual and looks just the type to continue to improve further in to her preparation. 

FOOTNOTE _ Gilgai Stud reported that Igraine foaled a Written Tycoon filly at Cressfield Stud today and is booked to Exceed And Excel. Thank You

Advertisment
More Reading...
Tara Talks Racing – Stallion Parades, Old Legends and a Weekend Tip
We’re back in podcast land as the spring unfolds with plenty to talk about following our recent run of visits to the stallion parades, so what stallions did we like?
Zoustar Heads Roster at Tweenhills Stud
Exciting Australian sire Zoustar will head the roster at Tweenhills Stud in Gloucestershire next year when he makes his second shuttle trip from Widden Stud to the northern hemisphere.
Coolmore Secure $500,000 Zoustar Colt
Some people may have wondered at Coolmore’s Tom Magnier paying $500,000 for a Zoustar colt early in the sale at Magic Millions on Wednesday, but when you hear what his breeder John North of Bowness Stud has to say about him you can see why this colt is seen as having serious potential.
Wootton Bassett Colt Salutes at Sandown
Overdue for a win, talented Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Yamashita’s Gold shook off maiden status with a determined victory at Sandown on Wednesday for the Gavid Bedggood stable.
Zoustyle Does it Again!
"The guys that own him were really disappointed when he drew wide but I said to them when he came over here and worked on Tuesday, 'this is really his favourite track’, he gets himself into such a good rhythm here and it's the only race all Summer that I had an opportunity to bring him back here to Doomben," Gollan said.
Up and Coming Well Named - So Who Are These Guys?
The $250,000 Group III ATC Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday is a race well named with a field of eight colts and geldings set to line up and while none are stakes-winners yet, one of them will be after the weekend.
Melbourne Cup Dreaming for Kiwi Stayer
Peter and Shaun McKay are dreaming of a Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) tilt with their quality stayer Wolfgang, and he will start his journey towards the iconic feature at Wanganui on Saturday.
Black Type Potential for Zoustar Colt
Tony and Calvin McEvoy have  plans to tackle Black Type races with promising Zoustar colt Prestar, who scored his second win from just five starts at Randwick on Wednesday.
G3 Win for Sunlight Sister
Stakes-placed earlier this year in Adelaide, three year-old Zoustar filly Sisstar has taken a little longer to hit winning form than her famous older sister Sunlight, but she claimed a valuable Black Type success at Flemington on Oaks Day when leading all the way to win the Group III VRC Red Roses Stakes (1100m).
Sires With Winners - Wednesday August 27
Here is the full list of 42 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.