News

Second Stakes for Bargain Buy Midnight Mustang

9th Aug 2009

Breednet - Mark Smith - Saturday, 8 August 2009

Victorian invader Midnight Mustang gave the locals a galloping lesson when he powered home under Brad Rawiller to capture the Group 3 Spring Gully Stakes at Morphettville on Saturday.

The 6yo gelding earned his first stakes win in the Listed Straight Six At Flemington on May 16 when he out-dueled Gran Sasso but had that horse in front of him at his next two starts at Flemington.

Sent out the $2.80 punters elect, Midnight Mustang (Val Royal (FR) x Midnight Dance (Keltrice) ran out a convincing 2 ¼-length winner from Magic Pearl (Keltrice) with Cerberus Girl (General Nediym) ¾-length back in third.

The Tony Noonan-trained gelding moves his overall record to 8 wins, 2 seconds and 3 thirds from 20 starts for earnings of $227,225.

He is proving an excellent investment after being purchased as a tried horse for just $9,000 at the 2008 Inglis December Thoroughbred sale.

Initially purchased for $40,000 as a yearling, Midnight Mustang is the second foal of the Melbourne winning mare Midnight Dance (Keltrice) a half-sister to the stakes-placed Bubble Over (Luskin Star) and to the dam of Listed winner Mr Selby.

Midnight Dance has a 2yo colt by King Charlemagne and a yearling colt by Happy Giggle. She was not covered last year.

Midnight Mustang’s sire Val Royal (Fr) shuttled to Eliza Park Stud for three seasons. After covering 76 mares in his first season and 67 in his second, support fell away to the extent he served just 48 mares in 2004.

A son of international stud success Royal Academy (USA), Val Royal (pictured) now stands at The National Stud at Newmarket.

Bred by the late Jean-Luc Lagardere, Val Royal was a top-class performer winning 7 of his 12 starts and being placed on 4 occasions. In France he won the Gr.2-Prix Guillaume d'Ornano and the Gr.3-Prix de Guiche. Transferred to the US, he won the Gr.2-Del Mar Derby, Gr.2-Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile and the Gr.2-Frank Kilroe Mile before a career defining victory when emulating his own father in the Gr.1-Breeders' Cup Mile at Belmont.

His only other stakes-winner from his southern hemisphere sojourn is the dual Listed Tasmanian-trained filly Ehor.

Val Royal’s stud career got off to an exceptional start in Europe when his first crop son Cockney Rebel claimed both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas in 2007.