News

Sea Galleon From a Fine Family

16th Dec 2011

Breednet - Brian Russell Media - Thursday, 15 December 2011

SEA GALLEON, the rising Australian stayer who was very impressive in taking out the Christmas Cup (2400m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, has as a mast in his very strong pedigree one of the best classic racemares produced in Queensland in the past thirty years.

The fourth dam of Sea Galleon, a 5-year-old gelded son of the former Coolmore shuttled Sadler's Wells English and Irish Derby winner Galileo, is his fourth dam Just Now, a winner of ten races, including the AJC Oaks, Princess Handicap and VRC Turnbull Stakes, and second Queensland Oaks.

Another tough, sound quality performer produced by the McAlpine's on their Eureka stud near Cambooya in the Toowoomba region, she is bred on a cross of two of their imported sires, being by Semipalatinsk (American bred son of the Noholme sire Nodouble) and from Tautina, a home bred daughter of Lumley Road (a Grey Sovereign sire).

Since the family was established in this part of the world with the importation from England to New Zealand early last century of Vanga, a mare by Cylgad, a mid road racehorse and sire, it has consistently produced good horses.Their major source has been the Foxbridge mare Honeywood, the third dam of Just Now.

Honeywood produced three Group1 performers, Foxzami (won Melbourne Cup, Hotham Handicap, STC Cup, placed AJC Derby, VRC Derby), Bali Ha'I (won Auckland GN St Leger, second GN Derby in New Zealand and successful Royal Ascot Queen Alexandra Stakes in England) and Kharass (won QTC Exhibition Handicap, third QTC Stradbroke).

Beehive, another foal from Honeywood, produced to Alcimedes the stakes winners Divide And Rule (seven wins included the AJC Derby, BATC Doomben Cup, QTC Stradbroke and a Group 2 in California) and Honeyland (won STC Canterbury Guineas).

The immediate maternal breeding of Sea Galleon, a winner in Melbourne on November 19 (Moonee Valley., 2040m, by 1.3 lengths) and November 26 (Sandown, 2400m, by 4.0 lengths) and then Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, shows him to be the first runner for San Michele, an unraced daughter of the Nureyev sire Stravinsky and Close Your Eyes, a Group 2 and Listed sprint winner in Adelaide. She is by the Mr. Prospector sire Geiger Counter and from Just a Flyer, a Bluebird mare out of Just Now.

Bernalla, a Eureka bred half-sister to Just Now by another of their imports, Midnight Cowboy, won eleven races, including the Gold Coast Prime Minister's Cup and Toowoomba Cup. She went on to produce the stakes winners Startell (12 wins) and Telltina (10 wins).

How About Now, a half-sister by another Eureka sire, Rascolnik, to Just Now and Bernalla, went to the Blushing Groom sire Nassipour in New Zealand and produced Shiva's Revenge, winner of the South Australian Derby and Victoria St Leger and second in the Melbourne Cup (to another Nassipour product, Let's Elope), VRC Australian Cup and Adelaide Cup.

Sea Galleon was bred by P. Cross, Victoria using Galileo and San Michelle, a resident at Coolmore, Hunter Valley, and sold to his trainers, the Cranbourne based Aldersons, through the Benalla district, Victoria located Ballymeath Farm, for $55,000 at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.