News

Sydney Sale of weanling fillies to enrich racing and breeding

30th Apr 2014

Brian Russell Bloodstock Media Service - Wednesday, 30 April 2014

THE huge books of mares that fashionable sires serve this century, astronomical in size compared to those looked after by champion sires of the past such as Star Kingdom, Better Boy, Wilkes and Showdown, means that their goodness can be enjoyed by far more in racing and breeding.

A lot of the overflow can be found at major weanling sales, including the prestige collection that Inglis Bloodstock gather each year at their Newmarket Stables Randwick for their annual Australian Broodmare & Weanling Sale, one which this year is to be conducted next Sunday, Monday and Tuesday May 4 (218 weanlings) 5 and 6 (553 broodmares, race fillies and mares).

Perusal of the section in the catalogue covering the weanlings suggests it is one of the strongest compiled for Sydney and that is very worthy of consideration for prospects for both racing and future breeding. About 120 are fillies, many of which, even if they don’t reach stakes level, should read well as producers in the future.

Two that appeal are offspring of Snitzel and Foxwedge in the nine lot weanling consignment prepared for them sale David and Verna Metcalfe at Middlebrook Valley Lodge, one of the major agistment farms in the Scone region.

An August 19 foal, the Snitzel filly, one inbred 3x3 to Danehill, is the first foal of Polar, an Elusive Quality mare from Dubai Ice, a Danehill Group 3 second out of champion race filly and broodmare Skating. Her ten winners include stakes winners Murtajill, Sunset Run and Bradbury’s Luck and stakes placed Thegreatandthegood, Dubai Ice, Tordean and Skates (dam of seven winners).

The other filly is in the first crop of Foxwedge, a Fastnet Rock Group1 Australian sprinter who is the foundation sire at the upmarket young Newgate Farm Stud in the Hunter Valley. Also a first foal, the filly’s dam, Japali Bike, is by Zabeel and from Storm At Midnight, a mare by Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch who won in Melbourne and who is one of seven winners from the champion Luskin Star 2-year-old Midnight Fever.

Foxwedge has five weanlings, three of them fillies, listed and Redoute’s Choice superstar sire Snitzel three. All fillies, the other two Snitzels are September foals from Zabeel mares in Marsawra (account Berkeley Park, Blandford) and Rosa Stellata (Rheinwood Pastoral, Mittagong). Marsawra is a half-sister to Al Strada, a New Zealand Group1 class 2-year-old related to New Zealand Filly of the Year Singalong, and Rosa Stellata is from Camino Rose, a winner and second placegetter in the Group1 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill Gardens.

A major benefactor as a sponsor of Australian racing, Coolmore has 17 weanlings booked into the sale including offspring of High Chaparral (2), So You Think (2), Fastnet Rock (3), Choisir (2) and Uncle Mo (4). An American champion 2-year-old whose first crop are weanlings (9 in the catalogue), Uncle Mo could revitalise the Grey Sovereign male line in Australia.

One of the great gems in the catalogue for those hunting future fashionable broodmares is Coolmore’s Choisir filly out of Little ‘n’ Cute, a mare by the Seeking the Gold England Group1 2-year-old winner Lujain. Dam of three runners, all winners, Little ‘n’ Cute is a half-sister to the dam of Starspangledbanner and from National Song, a half-sister to Circles of Gold, dam of Elvstroem and Haradasun (three weanlings).

Yet another Coolmore blueblood weanling is a High Chaparral filly which is the first foal of Miss Concorde (Ire), an Encosta de Lago half-sister to stakes winners Holy Roman Emperor, Milanova, Big Viking and Heart of Oak. The family also produced Encosta de Lago and Flying Spur.

Lago Delight, a son of Encosta de Lago, is the sire of Lady of Love, dam of recent ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Peggy Jean, her first foal to race. Peggy Jean is a half-sister by Myboycharlie (six weanlings) to a black Denman filly being offered at the weanling sale by Holbrook Thoroughbreds,Scone.

There are nearly a hundred sires represented by weanlings including progeny of other proved winner getters, three or more lots, in Ad Valorem (USA), Al Maher, Carnford Cliffs (Ire), Dane Shadow, Duporth, Haradasun, Husson (Arg), I Am Invincible, Magic Albert, Mutawaajid, Nicconi, Northern Meteor, Onemorenomore, Reaan, Snippetson, Star Witness and Zizou.

Sires represented whose first crops are weanlings are Carnford Cliffs (Ire), Canny Show, Dixie Prospect (USA), Dream Ahead (USA), Foxwedge, Gio Ponte (USA), Helmet, Love Conquers All, Master of Design, Pluck (USA), Poet’s Voice (GB), Sepoy, Smart Missile, So You Think, Ttusting, Uncle Mo (USA) and Zoffany (Ire).

Those providing second crop weanlings include Equiano (Fr), Hinchinbrook, Lope de Vega (Ire), Red Arrow, Reward For Effort, Rothesay, Star Witness, Stryker and Tickets.