The great More Than Ready (USA) fired off two consecutive Gold Slipper winners in Sebring and Phelan Ready and after an eleven year wait is it time for a third?.
We will know more about that when the Group III ATC Breeders’ Plate winner Global Quest kicks off his Golden Slipper campaign in Saturday’s Group III Iron Jack Canonbury Stakes at Randwick.
The Chris Waller trained colt is one of two runners in the race to sport the silks of Aquis Farm.
The other is the $1,600,000 Snitzel colt Prague who made a big impression when winning on debut at Canterbury.
Consigned by Highgrove Stud to the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Global Quest was knocked down to Aquis Farms for $340,000, which makes him the pauper of the four starters in the Canonbury that were sold as yearlings.
Besides the Aquis pair, the Fastnet Rock colt Return To Honour was a $520,000 yearling and the Deep Field colt Nitrous a $450,000 yearling purchase. All four come out of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Global Quest traces back to a family championed by the late Les Young and Biddy Oquist and one which is also close to the heart to one of Breednet's most loyal supporters, Malcolm Campbell.
The son of More Than Ready (USA) is the first foal of the well-performed Fastnet Rock mare Global Dream who placed in the Group II BRC Champagne Classic and was fourth in the Magic Millions 2yo Classic won by Real Surreal.
Global Dream is a three-quarter-sister to Group II ATC Shannon Stakes winner Noire (Foxwedge) and a half-sister to the stakes-placegetters Maraatib (Redoute's Choice) and Valoura (Exceed And Excel).
Global Dream is a daughter of the Woodman mare Valadon who is a three-quarter sister to Timbourina who won the Group II Wakeful Stakes and placed in the Group 1 Canterbury Guineas and Group 1 VRC Oaks and is a half-sister to Media Grade II Magic Night Stakes and Grade III Sand Domenico Stakes and placed in the Group 1 Golden Slipper and Group 1 AJC The Galaxy.
Valadon’s dam Valourina was officially retired just a few weeks back. Besides Media and Timbourina she is the dam of the Group III SAJC Redelva Classic winner Cardinal Virtue
So, where does Les Young and Biddy Oquist come in?
That goes back to Valourina’s dam Bravery (Zephyr Zip) who won six races including the Group 1 Queensland Oaks and Group 1 Queensland Derby for trainer Brian Mayfield-Smith.
Valourina won a pair of Listed races in Melbourne but she is not the only line from Bravery that is flourishing.
Bob Peters’ wonder broodmare Star Encounter is a granddaughter of Valourina’s half-sister Springfire (Snippets).
But I can do no better than reprint this lovely story from Aushorse from just over a year ago.
Pedigree enthusiast, long-time industry administrator and Aushorse researcher, Biddy Oquist, has kept a keen eye on Bravery’s comings and goings over the years … with good reason.
“My husband and I had raced a tried horse in the mid 70s called Radical that won a couple of races, but then I got asked by a friend of mine, Les Young, if I’d like to join a breeding syndicate he was setting up,” Oquist recalls.
“He’d bought a mare called Front Stage from a dispersal on the Gold Coast in 1981 and I went into her with Les, Bob Lapointe, Bob Leffler and the pedigree buff, Mal Campbell.
“Front Stage’s first foal for us was unraced and then she missed and then slipped before producing her Zephyr Zip filly.
“Bravery started around 50/1 at her first start and her stablemate was a hot favourite, but it played up badly at the barriers and Bravery won.
“(Media icon) Mike Willessee bought into Bravery around the time she won the Oaks and we bred the first four foals from her which include Springfire, the great granddam of Star Exhibit.
“She was a wonderful mare and, for just a hobby breeder who had only raced the one horse before her, she did a lot to pay off the mortgage!”
