Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday October 10

Very sad to learn that Noor Elaine Farm lost their much loved 22-year-old stallion Oamaru Force last month.

While the handsome chestnut son of Geiger Counter struggled for recognition in his 16 years at stud, he left a great crowd-pleaser in the Peter Moody-trained Mid Summer Music.

For all who barrack for the underdog, Mid Summer Music would hold a special place in their hearts.

 

The battle began the day she was born as we reported over 11 years ago.

Her dam, the Warwick Farm winner Samsara Lass (Nassipour), died after foaling Mid Summer Music. Subsequently, hand raised she was not the easiest horse to educate, with co-breeder John Ivill having the difficult task of breaking her in.

"She’d try to kick and bite,” Ivill recalled. She was the boss of everyone in her paddock.”

If it was not for the belief of jockey Lind Meech, Mid Summer Music may have had a very abbreviated career on the track.

Her first appearance came as a 4yo on the 20th February 2010 when she was a 5-length winner of the Warracknabeal maiden.

Trainer Peter Moody admitted at the time "when she won a maiden at Warracknabeal I suggested to the owners that she might have had a birthday. Thankfully at the insistence of Linda Meech and John Ivall, who is a friend of all the owners, suggested to me there was much more in her than I saw.”

There certainly was. At the conclusion of her career on the track, Mid Summer Music had banked almost $1.4 million for connections with 11 wins highlighted by a thumping of Buffering in the 2012 Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm.

Advertisement

Sent to the 2013 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, Mid Summer Music was purchased by Tyreel Stud for $300,000.

Covered by All Too Hard, she was back in the ring a year later at the Inglis Easter Broodmare Sale where she was purchased by Bruce Perry Bloodstock, on behalf of Cressfield Stud, for $375,000.

Cressfield clawed back $225,000 of that when the All Too Hard colt was knocked down to Dermot Farrington at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Named See It Thru he has won twice to date. At the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Phill Cataldo Bloodstock outlaid $300,000 for Mid Summer Music’s Fastnet Rock filly named Fast Summer Rock who has made just one start in New Zealand.

Her third foal, Euphoric Summer (pictured as a yearling) , makes her debut in Saturday’s Listed Inglis Debutant Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield.

The daughter of Not A Single Doubt was consigned to the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where she was knocked down to Phoenix Thoroughbreds for $260,000.

Trained by Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr), Euphoric Summer runs for a ladies syndicate, however, Phoenix Thoroughbreds has another runner in the race in stablemate Rock Of Kryptonite a Fastnet Rock colt who was a $280,000 purchase out of the Baramul draft at the Gold Coast.

Much of the interest in the race comes from two runners by first-crop sire Pride Of Dubai who was quick off the mark when the Lisa Latta-trained filly Platinum Dubai saluted over 800 metres at Otaki. They are the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained colt Tanker a $170,000 Gold Coast purchase and the David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig-trained filly Bella Nipotina an $80,000 Inglis Premier buy. 

Check out Breednet’s sale mail here for the 10 stakes races on Caulfield’s day of days on Saturday.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Bivouac Filly Wins $500,000 Placid Ark Stakes - G1 Possible
Worth a whopping $500,000, the Listed WATC Placid Ark Stakes (1100m) for three year-olds was the richest race on the program at Ascot on Saturday and the short priced favourite Luana Miss scored an impressive win.
Almanzor Mare Back on Track
Classy mare Mary Shan has black-type targets on her agenda after bouncing back to winning form in Saturday’s Happy Hire Cup (1400m) at Tauranga.
2026 Inglis Classic Now Online
The catalogue for the 2026 Classic Yearling Sale – the fastest growing success story of the Southern Hemisphere’s early-season auctions – is now available online.
2026 Inglis Classic Sire Break Up and Vendor Representation
The 2026 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale is now online with 798 yearlings which is pretty much on on a par with last year’s 805 and if you believe variety is the spice of life this catalogue is going to make you happy.
More Stakes Success for Go Bloodstock’s Thalassophile
Sir Owen Glenn and his Go Bloodstock has had some great results this year with his fillies that include Golden Slipper winner Lady of Camelot, but it was the turn of one of the older girls on Saturday with five year-old Not a Single Doubt mare Thalassophile returning to top form with a classy win in the $160,000 Listed  Silk Stocking (1400m) at the Sunshine Coast.
Invincible Filly Wins $1million G3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes
I Am Invincible was expected to have the winner in the $1million Group III MRC Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday with race favourite My Gladiola coming out of a second placing in the Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes, but it was another daughter of the champion sire that got the cash.
Consecutive Stakes Victories For Cafe Millenium
While it may have taken until he turned 5yo to record his first stakes victory, it only took until his very next start to record his second as the Ben, Will and JD Hayes trained Cafe Millenium added Saturday’s Listed VRC Tontonan Stakes (1400m) to his last start Listed SAJC Leon Macdonald Stakes (1400m) win.
Not A Single Doubts Gotta Kiss Another Proven Winner
Aided by a rails hugging ride by Stephanie Thornton, Proven Thoroughbreds two-year-old filly Gotta Kiss fought off a stubborn Lady Banff in Saturday’s $125,000 Basil Nolan Junior Two-Year-Old (1000m) at Eagle Farm and booked her ticket to the Magic Millions 2yo Classic.
First Stakes Victory For Better Then Ready’s Epic Proportions
With victories in NSW, Victoria and Queensland since July, Ciaron Maher’s Better Than Ready gelding Epic Proportions has produced some strong efforts in his last four starts in the sunshine state, but none more so than his effort of Saturday to win the Listed BRC Keith Noud Stakes (1200m) when leading throughout. 
Star Sprinter Jokers Grin Plays Winning Hand
On a big, boisterous opening day of The Pinnacles carnival at a packed out Ascot racecourse, WA’s reigning Horse Of The Year Jokers Grin was definitely the headline act.