News

Sales Debut for Cinque Cavalli

15th Jan 2011

Breednet - Tara Madgwick - Tuesday, 11 January 2011

With more than 90 vendors consigning horses to the 2011 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale starting in Sydney next Sunday at Newmarket it’s easy for a brand new vendor to get lost in the crowd, but that won’t be happening to Mary Bray of Cinque Cavalli.

Situated in the rolling hills near Braidwood, a Southern Tablelands town located between the national capital of Canberra and the South Coast of New South Wales, Cinque Cavalli is in the middle of horse country made famous by leading sires Whiskey Road (USA) (Strathallan Stud) and Zephyr Zip (Charleston Stud) back in the seventies and eighties.

The farm is owned and operated by Mary Bray with expert assistance as required from farriers, vets, yearling preparation staff (from local horse courses where possible), bloodstock agents and of course, trainers.

Ms Bray has worked on thoroughbred studs from Orange to Gundaroo and Scone and was the gold medallist in the 1986 Horse Husbandry course at Roseworthy Agricultural College before leaving the industry to earn enough money to return on her own terms.

“The Inglis Classic seemed the logical place for us to start off as many years ago, back in the seventies, I used to bring horses to the Easter Sale for my uncle Norman Smith, who owned St Aubins Without Stud, so I’m familiar with Inglis and the way they do things,” Mary Bray explained.

“My uncle had a smaller select band of mares and did very well with horses like Prunella and Definate and even today you see winners still coming from the daughters of his good mare Prujoy.”

The debut draft for Cinque Cavalli features six yearlings, all owned by Ms Bray, five of them bred on the farm from mares acquired at sales in 2009 and the sixth, a colt by Shinzig from My Sweet Pamela purchased as a weanling for the purpose of pinhooking.

“I can’t afford the stakes-winning mares at this point in time, but I’ve tried to go for mares from good families that are outcrosses to the many sons of Danehill now standing at stud,” revealed Bray, whose strategy will give her many commercial options to pursue in the future.

To view the draft of Cinque Cavalli Click Here

Lot 12 Colt Stratum x Jargon, by Mossman

Full brother to smart winner More Than Words and is the second foal of Jargon, a daughter of Group II winner Orsay.

“He’s a full brother to More Than Words, who was one of the first winners for Stratum when she won in January last year and he has a great temperament,” Bray said.

Lot 104 Colt Shinzig x My Sweet Pamela, by Kenmare (Fr)

An eye-catching grey half-brother to three winners from stakes-placed My Sweet Pamela, he is from the family of champion filly Toltrice.

“He has plenty of length about him and is a fantastic walker,” Bray said.

Lot 235 Filly Dylan Thomas (IRE) x Shimmy, by Royal Academy (USA)

From the first crop of six-time Group I winner Dylan Thomas, dam is a grand-daughter of Italian stakes-winner Bay Shade from the family of South African Group I winner Bad Girl Runs.

“She’s quite a big filly with good bone and a lot of scope about her as you would expect from her sire,” Bray said.

Lot 421 Filly Oratorio (IRE) x Cashell, by Catrail (USA)

Half-sister to three winners from a half-sister to Italian stakes-winners Spend a Penny and Life on Light, from the family of Aussie Group II winner Barbaricus.

“She’s a nicely balanced filly and well put together, although it would be nice if her sire had done a bit more,” Bray said.

“He’s done quite a good job in Europe, but yet to fire here, although they can turn it around quite quickly, I remember people saying Lonhro wasn’t doing enough and now look at him.”

Lot 431 Colt Choisir x Chello Chello (USA), by Gone West

Third foal of Chello Chello, whose two year-old filly Rapid Attack ran second at Scone on debut after the catalogue went to print, the family featuring a string of international Group I winners including Commendable, Fappiano and Torrential.

“He’s Mr Personality, a fantastic colt and always has been from day one,” Bray enthused, noting that the three year-old filly from Chello Chello, Skukuza, also has her hoof on the til finishing second at Gosford on Thursday for Kim Waugh.

Lot 480 Filly Bianconi (USA) x Divine Destiny, by Second Empire (IRE)

Third foal of a half-sister to stakes-winner Grand Cavalier, from the family of US Group I winner Well Decorated.

“She’s a very strong filly with great legs and a mind of her own, not a bad thing in a filly,” Bray concluded.

For more information on Cinque Cavalli and their Classic draft call Mary Bray on 0418 461 393 or visit the Cinque Cavalli website.