Saturday’s Thoroughbred Club Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m) at Sandown-Hillside is a smorgasbord for those on first-season sire watch with five of the 16 acceptors by stallions with their first crop of two-year-olds with four of those ready to make their career debuts.
If you lived through the sixties and seventies, you’d know the Merson Cooper had a roll call equal to that of the Golden Slipper.
In the sixties alone the winners were Impulsive (the dam of the outstanding stayer Reckless), Indian Summer (dam of Adelaide Cup winner Gnapur), Proud Miss, Pago Pago, Longwood, Star Affair, Storm Queen, Quezette, Biscay, Vain and in 1970 Dual Choice.
Arrowfield Stud’s Real Impact (JPN) has made a big impact with his first crop in Japan.
The Group 1 Yasuda Kinen and Group 1 George Ryder Stakes winning son of Deep Impact will have his first Australian runner in the Jason Warren-trained Real Feeling who is out of the winning Show a Heart mare Harmonized Feeling.
None of the new crop of stallions has made a better start to their stud career than Coolmore Stud’s Pride Of Dubai.
The dual Group 1 winning son of Street Cry (IRE) will be represented by the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained filly Dubai Star.
Purchased out of the Segenhoe Stud draft for $320,000 at the 2019 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Dubai Star is the first foal of the Melbourne winning Fastnet Rock mare Jezzabba a half-sister to Group II VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner and Golden Slipper, Caulfield Guineas and Australian Guineas placegtter Von Costa de Hero out of the Group 1 Manikato Stakes winner Piavonic (Scenic).
Pride Of Dubai’s Golden Slipper winning barnmate Vancouver has had just two runners in Australia to date, the Group III Arrowfield Breeders' Plate runner-up Postcode and the Group III Keeneland Gimcrack Stakes third Ticket To Ride and he will look to break the ice with the Michael Moroney-trained filly Thunder Peak.
Pin-hooked by Lauriston Thoroughbred Farm for $55,000 out of the Aquis Farm draft at the 2018 National Weanling Sale, Thunder Peak failed to make her $80,000 reserve at the 2019 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
The daughter of Vancouver is the first foal of the stakes-placed Postponed (USA) mare Serein.
Darley Stud’s Two Thousand Guineas and Newbury Lockinge Stakes winner Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) spent just one season in Australia and his 58 live foals include David Moodie’s homebred River Night makes her debut for Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra in the Merson Cooper.
River Night is a daughter of the Helmet mare River Pearl who is a three-quarter-sister the Contract Racing stalwart Kulgrinda (Exceed And Excel) whose dam is a half-sister to Group 1 Oakleigh Plate winner River Dove the dam of Exceed And Excel’s Group II Silver Slipper Stakes winner Headwater.
That’s a good Segway for another Merson Cooper aspirant in the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr-trained River Twain.
The 2yo son of Vinery Stud’s Headwater was pin-hooked out of the Bhima draft by 2018 Australian Weanling Sale and he made $140,000 when offered by Milburn Creek at the 2019 Classic Yearling Sale.
River Twain’s unraced dam Manju (Henny Hughes) is a half-sister to Group III ATC Sheraco Stakes winner Ravi (Redoute’s Choice) and the successful young Redoute’s Choice stallion Elzaam.
At his career debut, River Twain finished 8th behind Ideas Man (Brazen Beau) in the valuable Inglis Banner at Moonee Valley.
Of the runners that have already raced, Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young’s $300,000 Lord Kanaloa colt Tagaloa will be favoured following his debut third in the Group III Maribyrnong Plate while the Sebring filly Divine Caprice has made two starts, a debut second behind Mildred at Flemington and a fourth behind the same filly in the Maribyrnong Trial Stakes.
Godolphin’s Street Boss colt Hanseatic, who comes from the family of Black Caviar and All Too Hard, is being kept safe in the market at his career debut as is the Snitzel filly away game who at $425,000 was the most expensive yearling in the race and he does come off the hallowed grounds of Mill Park Stud.
