News

Cox Plate Quinella for the ‘Old Biddies’

26th Oct 2009

Breednet - Tara Madgwick - Monday, 26 October 2009

In recent weeks on Breednet we’ve highlighted some examples of the progeny of older mares excelling on the track, despite the sale ring stigma attached to them in this part of the world and the Cox Plate quinella of So You Think and Manhattan Rain has given further impetus to the cause along with a startling number of other results from Moonee Valley on Saturday.

Cox Plate hero So You Think was the seventh living foal of his Group Two winning dam Triassic, who was aged 16 when he was born.

So You Think also had the double whammy of being a late foal born on November 10, so it was no real surprise that he was snapped up by DGR Thoroughbreds for just $110,000 when consigned by Windsor Park Stud at the 2008 NZB Premier Yearling Sale.

The price was seen as disappointing by his co-breeder Michael Moran, who offered the following comments to Nathan Exelby of Racing and Sports in a post Cox Plate interview.

“He (So You Think) was a standout. There were a number of trainers that saw him and people would just come to the sales and say where's lot 424?,” Moran said.

“We honestly thought he would make double that, but he was late in the sale and people obviously had their orders, but he's gone to the right man (Cummings).”

He might have been late in the sale, but the pronounced bias against the progeny of older mares and to a lesser degree late foals, probably discouraged many potential buyers, with Cummings and his long time bloodstock adviser Duncan Ramage electing to take the punt and go with what they saw in the flesh rather than on the page.

Cox Plate runner-up Manhattan Rain is the ninth foal of his dam Shantha’s Choice, who was 14 when she had him and is her fourth stakes-winner and third Group One winner joining Redoute’s Choice and Platinum Scissors.

Whose to say she won’t do an Urban Sea (dam of Sea the Stars) and have her finest offspring still to come?

Also flying the flag for the ‘old biddies’ at Moonee Valley on Saturday were first time stakes-winner Sublimity, brilliant three year-old filly Avenue, Derby contender Hanks, charismatic sprinter Apache Cat and Kiwi bred stayer The Sportsman.

Three year-old Testa Rossa filly Sublimity is the 12th living foal of her dam Rather Droll, who was 19 when this filly, her second stakes-winner was born. She was catalogued for the 2008 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, but later withdrawn.

Avenue is the eighth foal of her dam Virage, who was 13 when she was born and is her second stakes-winner joining Group One star Virage de Fortune.

Hanks is only the fourth living foal of his imported dam Sister Fromseattle (USA), although she has been an inconsistent producer and was in fact 12 when she had him.

Apache Cat (pictured www.stevehart.com.au )was the seventh foal of his dam Tennessee Blaze who was 14 when the now seven year-old sprinter was born and she sadly passed away just a few weeks ago at the end of September after producing her 12th foal, a filly by Street Sense (USA).

The Sportsman is the 14th living foal of his dam Lady Joelyn, who takes top honours as our oldest matron in this sample being 22 when she delivered him.

Her first foal Aquidity was also a top class Kiwi bred stayer, who enjoyed considerable success in Australia in the latter part of his career when trained by the late TJ Smith in the early nineties.

If there is some sort of lesson to be taken from this into the sales of 2010 it is simply to judge each yearling on what the individual has to offer and not be blinded by a pre-conceived blanket judgement that may well stand between you and the next champion of the turf.

Footnote: Unbeaten Montjeu colt St Nicholas Abbey, who won the Group One Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster in the UK on the weekend and is now favourite for the English Derby next year, was purchased for 200,000 guineas at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and is from a mare who was 17 when he was foaled.