Maraska winning at Ipswich – 13 from 14! 

The Week That Was

Maraska’s win at Ipswich was important for more than one reason.  She was one of 14 yearlings I syndicated in the crop of 2012 and the least expensive yearling I purchased at $23,000 from Edinglassie Stud.  She became the 13th individual winner from those 14 yearlings with the only one not to win being Tarting Me Up.  Unfortunately, he has been retired so our tally will stay at 13 or 92.8% winners from that crop.

Hijack Hussy ran a terrific race at Doomben in the Group 3 Fred Best Classic.  We are feeling the effects of Eagle Farm being closed for this year’s winter carnival with Hijack Hussy really being a horse that needs a bigger track.  I’m looking forward to Eagle Farm re-opening although there is still plenty of work to be done with the traffic tunnel still not commenced.  I’d be surprised if racing commences at the track much before Christmas.  Hijack Hussy now heads to the Queensland Guineas on 6 June at Doomben.

Australian Hall of Fame

Congratulations to all the inductees into the Australian Racing Hall Of Fame. It is important we acknowledge the achievements of a group of people and horses representing such a wide spectrum of our industry.

In particular I would like to pass on my congratulations to Jim Moloney and Robert Thompson.  Jim Moloney is the father of our Caulfield trainer John Moloney and had a wonderful career as a trainer.  His best horse was Vain.  The Moloney family are terrific people and a credit to themselves and a great asset to our industry.  Jim has been a very proud of the achievements of his family and rightly so and I’m certain the Moloney name will continue to in racing for many years to come.

Robert Thompson is a true gentleman of the turf and a superb horseman.  His feat in being the rider of the most winners in the history of Australian racing is one that may never be equalled.  Robert could have easily have been the stable rider for one of the bigger stables in Sydney but is happy with his lot in Cessnock and continues to ride winner after winner.  I’m certain at a time when we need mentors in all sectors of our community that Robert has been a great source of encouragement and a superb leader to the young jockeys who ride against and share the jockey’s room with him.  

The Week Ahead

Makeadane heads the charge at Canterbury tomorrow.  He was very good at Scone and provided the track isn’t too soft for him he should be very competitive again.

We certainly have a lot happening with Savoureux running on Saturday at Rosehill.  She should be just about right after two runs back and she ran very well at Scone but was in the wrong part of the track.

On Monday at Cessnock we see Unique line up in the Cessnock Cup with Sanousuke and Naranja also nominated.  On Wednesday Faith’n’Courage and Stimuli may run at Warwick Farm.  After her next run Faith’n’Courage heads back to Tony Gollan.

Brenton Avdulla looks like riding our horses at Cessnock.  If you haven’t been to the races at Cessnock and have nothing to do on Monday you should consider heading up there for the day.  It is an easy drive from Sydney and a really nice day out.

I’m heading to the Gold Coast for the National Sale and will be back in the office on 8 June 2015.

First Season Sire

The first season sires title could come down to the performance of one colt.  If Press Statement runs well this afternoon at Canterbury he may head to Brisbane for the JJ Atkins Stakes.  A win in this race would almost certainly see Hinchinbrook clinch the title.  The season concludes at the end of July.

Yearlings

This week I am featuring the Tough Speed colt out of Vickers.  He is a ripper and hopefully will be a nice middle distance horse for us.  He as impressive a type of colt as I have seen at the sales this year.  I was pleasantly surprised when Darren Weir approached me asking if he could train the horse.  This is the only time he has approached me about a yearling and he is a very good judge of a yearling.

This family had a good week with LuckyI’mbarefoot winning at Warrnambool and Bella Capri out of Vickers full-sister White Heart Lane running a terrific 4th at Flemington.

The old saying ‘winning families tend to keep on winning’.

Tough Speed colt out of Vickers 2013

10 shares @ $5,790 each (5% shares $2,895)

The Colt

When I attended the Tasmanian Magic Millions Sale this year I was taken by this colt.  I had inspected the high profile colts in the sale but was more impressed by this fellow than any of the other ones on offer.

He has a beautiful easy walk and gets around very well.  He is a beautifully relaxed horse and our vet Tim Roberts was also very impressed with him.  I don’t purchase too many colts but was determined to get this fellow.  To put it simply he oozed class and is out of a very good Flying Spur mare by a stallion that can get a very good horse.

I expect this colt to run at two and have paid him up for the Tasmanian Magic Millions but really expect him to excel as a three year old and beyond where his best distances should be at 1600m.

The colt will be a great addition to our team of horses trained by Charlie Goggin and Leuella Meaburn at Runnymede Stud in Tasmania.

Tough Speed

Tough Speed has stood at Armidale Stud in Tasmania for nine seasons serving relatively small books of mares.  In the main this was due to the Tasmanian economy and the uncertainty surrounding the state of the thoroughbred Industry.  It is interesting to note in the 2013 breeding season he served his biggest book of mares.

In any case his results have been very good with his best being the Stakes winners Black’n’Tough, Banca Mo, Lyell and Tough Chick as well as the stakes placed Settler’s Joy, Speedy Sky and Jay Bee’s Gee Gee.

When assessing a stallion I like to look at the number of stakes winners to winners a horse has.  Very few have a 10% or greater conversion rate.  Tough Speed has a 6% conversion rate which is very good considering the quality of mares he served.

Many of his progeny go on to win multiple races with 79% of his winners being metropolitan winners. 

Australia’s leading sire Fastnet Rock has 66% winners to runners compared with Tough Speed’s 56% which gives you an idea of his effectiveness.

In my opinion Vickers is one of the highest quality mares to go to Tough Speed.

Vickers

Vickers is by the Champion broodmare sire Flying Spur who is currently 4th on the Australian Broodmare List.  Vickers was a very good race mare winning metropolitan races at Flemington, Caulfield and Sandown.  She ran a terrific 5th in the Group 3 Tranquil Star Stakes.  Unfortunately she had a race fall and this ended her racing career.

Vickers comes from one of the best families in Tasmania being out of the stakes winning mare Eascapada.  The 3rd dam is Knightly Belle a high class Sydney two year old and dam of the stakes winners Poacher’s Star, The Old China and of course Escapada.

As a broodmare Vickers has done a very good job with four of her six foals winning on for mainland.  I purchased the first foal out of the mare for $70,000 but unfortunately she had to be put down after a paddock accident. 

It should be noted she missed getting into foal in the season before she had this colt.  The odds of a mare getting a stakes horse increase after missing a year and a good mare like Vickers is entitled to get a very good horse.  Hopefully it is this colt.