Tough Vic relished the return to Hobart and was far too good for his opposition winning his maiden in good style on Friday. He his main targets over the summer are the Hobart Guineas and Tasmanian Derby and the way he won on Friday suggests the further the better.

He was our 5th winner in 14 days with things starting to really pick up on the track. We only have the three horses remaining in Tasmania with Bella Venus due to run either on Sunday or Wednesday and Husson’s Kiss and Tough Vic to line up on 7 December in Launceston. The Tasmanian Summer Carnival looks well balanced with some nice black type races on offer. I’m hoping to get down for one or two of the big meetings although the yearling sales schedule makes it difficult to get away.

Unfortunately the track at Eagle Farm is still very shifty with a lot of sand being thrown back into the horse’s faces that race back in the field. Hopefully it will start to settle down as we move forward into the summer months.

Racing NSW is to be commended by deciding to wait until March to race on the new track in Newcastle. It looks great now but by the autumn it should be a terrific surface. New racetracks are a bit like racehorses, it pays not to rush them!!!

ON THE TRACK

We are a bit light on for runners over the next few days with Awasita likely to resume at either Muswellbrook or Rosehill. Stimuli heads to Muswellbrook on Friday and Bella Venus will run at either Hobart or Launceston. We really get busy in December with us likely to have metropolitan runners in the main three states on 3 December 2016.

CRICKET LOLLYGATE!!!

I must say I thought the ‘Lollygate affair’ involving the South African Cricket Team was quite funny. I have fond memories as a teenager growing up in Toowoomba spending hours practicing at the cricket nets in Hill Street. I had my sights on being the next Dennis Lillie and my mates and I would try to get the ball to swing late. To achieve this we used to rub boot polish, baby oil, brylcreem and a host of other concoctions onto one side of the ball to get it to swing. Without a doubt the best result was achieved using WD-40.

Over the years we have seen fast bowlers having excessive oil or brylcreem in their hair and work hard to keep the shine on one side. We have seen captains of some sides come out and scruff up the ball on the ground before throwing it their spin bowlers. The funniest was seeing the bowlers with a sweat rag which resembled in oil rag used in a mechanics work shop.

The way the Australians have been batting the South African’s were probably better off just bowling straight at the stumps. Let’s hope things improve today in Adelaide but ‘Lollygate’ certainly put a bit of interest into what has been a dismal few months for Australian Cricket.

SALES CATALOGUES

The catalogue is out for the Magic Millions January Sale which is set to start on 11 January and run to 15 January. A total of 1030 yearlings have been catalogued. The Inglis Classic Catalogue is on line with the books expected to be out shortly. If you require a catalogue please contact Magic Millions or Inglis and they will forward them out.

TWO YEAR OLD SYNDICATION

Earlier in the year we offered a Hinchinbrook filly out of Kiss ‘N Chase for syndication. Unfortunately she sustained an injury which required surgery to remove a chip of bone from a hind fetlock. At the time I took her off the market and had the chip removed. She has fully recovered and is a cracking filly. I’ll forward out a video of her which was shot last week at Yarraman Park.

I have decided to keep the syndication at the same cost as the initial offering which is $7,900 for a 10% share. Hinchinbrook is a wonderful sire and was Champion First and Second Season Sire in Australia. He is represented by the outstanding fillies Flippant, Whispering Brook, Manaya, Samara Dancer and of course our Group 3 winner Flying Jess.

It is fair to write it is going to be very difficult to purchase fillies by Hinchinbrook at next year’s sales for under $100,000. This filly is going to John Thompson to train and was reared at Yarraman Park which is a farm we have had so much success buying from. Our recent winners Stimuli, Isthmian and Strike For Victory were all reared at Yarraman Park.

The filly

This filly is a strong nicely balanced athlete that gets around well and has a real presence about her. She is very strong behind and through the hocks which is a characteristic of the progeny of Hinchinbrook. I had her on the market but she kicked out and damaged a rear fetlock which required a small bone chip to be removed. This was a minor operation but I felt it best to take her off the market until I was confident she was 100%. She has since vetted out without any issues. The filly has been broken in and is currently spelling. She is due back into work in mid- December.

Hinchinbrook

After I inspected the yearlings by the first season sires in 2013 I made the prediction that Hinchinbrook would be Australia’s leading first season sire. He didn’t let me down winning the title in a field of over 50 contenders for the title. This was a wonderful effort considering the horse didn’t serve a big book of mares and stood at a modest fee. He has continued on and has blitzed his opposition and was the Champion 2nd Season Sire as well.

A lot of the credit for his success goes to the team at Yarraman Park. The farm consistently punches above its weight with the yearlings coming off the farm setting the benchmark across our industry. It should be remembered Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible won the title in the previous season. In winning the title Hinchinbrook not only got early runners but high class juveniles including the Group 1 winner Press Statement and multiple stakes winner Flippant and stakes winners Samara Dancer and the unbeaten filly Whispering Brook. The success he enjoyed in his 1 st season has continued on with him winning the 2nd Season Sire’s Title with his progeny earning almost double that of his nearest rival.

Hinchinbrook was a top class juvenile winning the Group III AJC Skyline Stakes and Listed Canonbury Stakes before being the first colt home when fourth to Crystal Lily in the Group I STC Golden Slipper and was then third in the Group I AJC Sires Produce Stakes. He then trained on at three for Group I placings in the AJC All Aged Stakes, MRC Oakleigh Plate and MVRC William Reid Stakes, before being injured in the UK while preparing for Royal Ascot and retiring with earnings in excess of $590,000.

He is a three-quarter brother to leading young sire Snitzel and Group III winner Viennese by champion sire Fastnet Rock from stakes-winning sprinter Snippets’ Lass. Snippet’s Lass was the best mare trained by Bill Mitchell while I was with him and had one of the very best pedigrees in Australia. While she was only small in stature she was big on quality and had a heart as big as herself.

I have been very big supporter of Hinchinbrook and have had good success with his progeny including Flying Jess which won the Group 3 SAJC Sires Produce Stakes. Shining Brooke also displayed good ability winning three races.

Hinchinbrook’s progeny continue to really impress me and after each of my visits to the Hunter over the past few months I have left feeling confident he will go on with the job. I can’t get enough of them!!!

Kiss ‘n Chase

Kiss ‘n Chase is by Red Ransom whose daughters when crossed with Danehill line sires being very good. Some of the horses with this cross include Roll Out The Carpet, Red Ruler, Vavasour, Vilanova, Ovidio, Chance By, Secret Agenda, Reparations and Cape Kidnappers.

Kiss ‘n Chase was a good race mare winning four races and running 4th in the Listed AJC HB Carr Stakes. She is a full sister to Kick ‘n Chase a winner of 4 races with $252,540 in stakes earnings. Kiss ‘n Chase’s first foal is by Northern Meteor and trained by John Size in Hong Kong.

The information we are getting is that he has good ability. The 2nd also by Northern Meteor is trained by Laurie Mayfield Smith and he reports he is very happy with her. The first four dams on this page have had 22 foals race for 19 winners. I am really looking forward to this filly racing and feel I purchased her well under the odds.

ENQUIRE HERE if you wish to purchase a 5% share in the filly.