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Pretty Useful Challenger for Scone

7th May 2009

Brian Russell Media - Brian Russell - Thursday, 7 May 2009

PRETTY USEFUL , a Youthful Legs gelding who lived up to his name when he won the Starmaker, an annual feature event for juveniles, at the Muswellbrook Singleton Cup meeting in the Hunter Valley on Sunday, has good prospects of taking out the $100,000 Inglis Challenge at the big race day at neighbouring Scone on Friday week, May 15.

Although it is a race which is only open to graduates of the 2008 Inglis Hunter Valley Breeders’ Scone yearling sale, one which is to be held at the local sales centre this year on the Thursday, the day before the Scone program, it is one likely to attract a capacity field.

The fourth winner of the Muswellbrook Starmaker in the past five years for local trainer Mack Griffith, Pretty Useful was purchased at last year’s Scone sale, one which has been conducted by Inglis every year for over sixty years, for $16,000.

Bred in his backyard at his home at Aberdeen, between Muswellbrook and Scone by coalminer James Irvine using his only mare, the unraced Danzero product Pretty Mover, Pretty Useful was one of two Scone yearling sale graduates to score at Sunday’s Muswellbrook meeting. The other was the Street Cry gelding Windsong. The day before two Scone sale graduates, Letimgo (by Orpen) and Beautiful Romance (Beautiful Crown) were successful at Mudgee, Desert Patrol (Desert Sun) at Yepoon, Welkom Gold (Johannesburg) at Rosehill Gardens. In addition, Not In My Time ($5,500 Gilded Time gelding) and Season’s Best ($7,000 High Yield gelding) were Scone sale winners at Friday’’s Quirindi meeting.

The Sydney victory of the 4-year-old Welkom Gold (pictured), a $30,000 yearling who was having his fourth success in seven starts, meant that graduates from the Scone yearling sales had won on major tracks on successive Saturdays. Also sold for $30,000, the Show a Heart 3-year-old Red Amigo had won by 7.8 lengths at the Gold Coast on April 25.

Another recent good performer from the sale has been Hot Danish, now winner of 10 of 16 starts following wins at Randwick on February 14 (the Breeders Classic) and March 7 (Wiggle Quality). A money earner in three Group1s, this Nothin’ Leica Dane filly cost $32,000 at Scone in 2005.

Show a Heart (two lots), Beautiful Crown (six), Johannesburg (three) and Youthful Legs (one) all have yearlings among the 212 in the catalogue covering the 2009 Inglis Hunter Breeders’ Yearling sale.

The Youthful Legs, a September 2 foal, is one of ten lots being offered by Fred Peisah’s Lomar Park stud, Werombi near Sydney. It is from a Lomar Park family that has produced a long list of good tough winners including Group1 performers Razor Sharp, Steel Blade, Moment’s Pleasure, Super Elegant, Robian Steel, Regal Chamber, Regal Cheer and My Lady’s Chamber.

All were bred on Lomar Park and Regal Cheer and My Lady’s Chamber are by the stud’s current Danehill sire Arena, one represented by 11 lots, including seven from Lomar Park, in the Scone catalogue. One of them, an August 17 colt, is inbred 3x3 to the phenomenal speed influence Danzig and is from Lady of the Sea, producer of five winners and grandam of the Youthful Legs colt.

Other leading vendors for the 2009 sale are Southern Cross Breeders (15 lots),Yarraman Park (13), Widden Stud (9), Bellerive Stud (7), Riverdene Stud (7), Emirates Park (6), Murrulla Stud (6), Broad Crossing (5), Holbrook Thoroughbred (5), Middlebrook Valley Lodge (5) and Neila Thoroughbreds (5).

Sires who each have half a dozen or more lots are Untouchable (17) , Arena (11), Catbird (9), Foreplay (8), Snippetson (7), Beautiful Crown (6), Fusaichi Pegasus (6), Grandera (6) and Half Hennessy (6). Among others represented are Al Maher, Antonius Pius, Bel Esprit, Bite the Bullet, Canny Lad, Charge Forward, Choisir, Commands, Danasinga, Dane Shadow, Don Eduardo, Falvelon, Fantastic Light, Galileo, Lion Heart, Lucky Owners, Mossman, Not a Single Doubt, Octagonal, Quest for Fame, Refuse to Bend, Royal Academy, Seceret Savings, Shamardal, Singspiel, Spinning World, Starcraft, Stratum,Tale of the Cat,Testa Rossa,Viscount and Zeditave.

Once again only yearlings sold at Scone will be eligible for annual $100,000 Scone Challenge for 2-year olds.They can also qualify for the $2.5million Inglis race series open only to yearlings sold at all their sales.

The 2009 Inglis Challenge is to be one of three six figure races on the Scone program. Both stakes and worth $110,000 each, the others are the Emirates Scone Cup and the Dark Jewel Classic for females.

All told nearly $500,000 in prize money, bonuses and trophies are available at the Scone meeting, one which takes on a mini Melbourne Cup day flavour, including attracting some owners, trainers and jockeys who could be found at that great race day. Scone Cup day appears the richest one day country meeting in Australia and possibly the world for a centre of comparable size.