Hussy’s Glow breaking her maiden at Werribee Off to Tasmanian Magic Millions Three Year Old Classic

I was thrilled to see Hussy’s Glow break her maiden at Werribee on Friday. She has been a consistent horse and has already has a ‘Black Type’ placing to her credit. I purchased her for only $17,000 at the 2014 Adelaide Magic Millions Sale. She has continued the remarkable job Patrick Payne has done for us with the four of the first five yearlings I purchased him now winners. These four were Husson Eagle, Atalanta Miss, Invincible Al and Hussy’s Glow. The fifth Honolulu Lass is set to have her first start in the near future.

It seems a long time ago since I arrived back from the Gold Coast but it is only just over two weeks since I flew back. January this year as is the case normally with this month has been a blur. I have started to prepare for the Inglis Classic Sale which has been so good to us in the past with horses of the calibre of Savoureux, Under Command and Maha Chakri being purchased at Newmarket. Over the years we haven’t purchased that many horses from the Classic but this year the reports on the yearlings are good. I start inspections next Thursday.

I will be attending the Tasmanian Magic Millions sale on 16 February and the Perth Magic Millions on 20-21 February. Both these sales appear to have stronger catalogues than last year.

The Australian Open will be remembered for a long time as possibly the greatest ever tennis tournament held in Australia. The four players who made it to the finals are great ambassadors for their sport and the types of role models our young people need to look up to.

ON THE TRACK

Today we see Husson Boots and Montana Pines heading to Doomben. Both look to have bright prospects. We have a busy few days in Hobart with Tough Vic lining up in the Tasmanian Derby on Friday and Husson’s Kiss the Listed Strutt Stakes on Sunday. Bella Venus also runs on Friday.

We only have three horses in Tasmania at present and it is great to see them running during the Hobart Carnival in important races. As previously advised Hussy’s Glow will head to Launceston for the Tasmanian Magic Millions Three Year Old Classic on 15 February for Patrick Payne and Husson’s Kiss will head to the Oaks.

Our other runners over the next few days are Lomazzo in Newcastle and Naranja at Eagle Farm. As has been the case for some time now we have quite a few horses getting ready to race and should have a steady flow of runners heading towards autumn.

Savoureux is set to resume on Saturday week with Flying Jess and Husson Eagle on their way back from Washpool Lodge where they have had an easy couple of weeks after the Magic Millions.

OUR YEARLINGS

Our yearling purchases from Magic Millions have been very well received with the All To Hard and I Am Invincible fillies fully subscribed. Over 50% of the remaining three fillies have been taken up which isn’t surprising as they were five outstanding fillies.

Sebring / Queen Hazel filly – Kris Lees 10% shares $31,500 5% shares $15,750 25% remaining

This filly rated very highly as a type and this is backed up with a terrific pedigree. She is closely related to Criterion and comes from a great two year old family. I couldn’t have been happier when I secured her. She has a wonderful hindquarter, deep girth and is a lovely walker. She is an attractive looking filly which is positive.

The progeny of Sebring can be a bit common looking but that isn’t the case with this filly. I love buying out of families where Oaks fillies appear on the page and in this case we have a Canadian Oaks winner and Champion Three Year Old in Canada as the third dam.

Queen Hazel (USA) was a two year old winner in the USA and also Group 3 placed. She has had one foal to race with it winning twice I 2016 and being metropolitan placed. Queen Hazel is a ½ sister to the stakes performer Flying Jazz the winner of six races. The dam line here is good with the first three dams having 19 to race for 16 individual winners with a number of black type performers on the page. She has been well bred with an unraced two year old filly by Smart Missile and a foal by Sebring following this filly.

In 2016 on the strength of this foal she went back to Sebring and is believed to be in foal. This reads very well. There are not too many better sires in Australia than Sebring. He is very versatile and gets high class two year olds as well as very good staying horses. This season he is sitting 8th on the National Sire’s List, 4th on the Two Year Old List and 6th on the Three Year Old List.

 I’m really looking forward to this filly getting to the races. She is nominated for the rich Magic Millions race series and will be paid up for the lucrative BOBS Scheme. Kris Lees who is sitting 6th on the National Trainer’s Title is the right man to train the filly. It certainly would be nice to have her at the Gold Coast in January 2018 but given the strength of her pedigree and type of filly she is I wouldn’t be surprised to see her really step up as the three year old.

Sizzling /Senro Kisaki filly - Patrick Payne 10% shares $17,500 5% shares $8,750 25% remaining

I really liked what I saw in a number of the progeny of Sizzling at this sale. To me it is a no brainer that he will be a success at stud. He was a terrific racehorse and precocious two year old from the most dominant sire line in Australia for the past 20 years out of a ‘black type’ mare by one of the greatest sprinters of the modern generation in General Nediym.

Sizzling’s pedigree page is very strong with a host of very good horses down the page. In fact it couldn’t be any stronger with both the 2nd and 3rd dams being superior producers. I love the General Nediym (1st dam), Alzao stakes winner (2nd Dam) and Without Fear stakes producer (3rd dam) down the page. Eastate Label, the 3rd dam was a very high class producer also throwing the outstanding two year old filly Loving Cup.

I must say I had a bit to do with both sides of this pedigree with Sizzling’s sire Snitzel being out of Snippet’s Lass. Both General Nediym and Snippet’s Lass were trained by Bill Mitchell when I was his Racing Manager. They were both high class racehorses with Snippet’s Lass being one of the toughest mares I have had anything to do with. As for Senro Kisaki our promising filly and last start winner Husson’s Kiss is out of Senro Kisaki which is also the dam of the highly progressive Hong Kong galloper Victory Marvel, a two time winner in Hong Kong this season.

Husson’s Kiss now heads to the 1000 Guineas in Launceston and then onto the Listed Strutt Stakes on Hobart Cup Day and Tasmanian Oaks. This is only Senro Kisaki’s 4th foal. This filly is much stronger than Husson’s Kiss was at the same age (pictured below). Senro Kisaki is out of a Danehill Dancer mare. Danehill Dancer has gradually moved up the broodmare sire’s list and is now 14th on the list which is a very good effort considering he was 39th four years ago. As a type this filly is faultless and I really like the mating of Sizzling over Senro Kisaki. This filly was bred by Ian Smith who bred the Champion sprinter Silent Witness as well as many other fine gallopers.

This was a really tough sale with many of the yearlings struggling with the oppressive conditions. This filly didn’t miss a beat and handled everything with ease. She has been paid up for the rich Magic Million Series and is strong enough to perhaps get to the Gold Coast in 2018 but should train on to be at her best at three and older. I love this filly.

Smart Missile / Devoirs filly – Darren Weir 10% shares $14,900 5% shares $7,450 50% remaining

If there was one yearling I was always going to purchase at this sale it was this one. I know the family very well and have two fillies closely related to this impressive Smart Missile filly.

The first is Strike For Victory who like this filly is by Smart Missile Australia’s Champion First Season Sire of 2015/16 season. Strike For Victory is probably the fastest two year old I have ever had. She has amazing talent but her attitude has let her down although this is improving.

The second filly I have from the family is Honolulu Lass out of Devoirs dam Velasco. Patrick Payne trains her and has a big opinion of her. She should race in the next six weeks. A Smart Missile colt out of Velasco named Debellatio was an impressive Trial winner at Lark Hill in WA recently and makes his debut at Ascot on Saturday and looks to have plenty of talent.

Devoirs was a good racehorse and Stakes winner. I was offered her first foal Edge Away as a weanling but felt she was too small. She is a Sydney Metropolitan winner. This filly was reared at Yarraman Park whose reputation for rearing tough horses with good bone and a strong constitution has soared in recent years. I’ve written many times that it is more important where a foal is raised than who its parents are. This is certainly the case with Yarraman Park. Progeny reared at Yarraman Park did a remarkable job during the recent Magic Millions Gold Coast Carnival where the highlight was the win by the Yarraman reared Houtzen. Other horses from the farm to perform well on the day were I Am Zelady which was 2nd in the $1 million Mares Race and Madeenaty 3rd in the Two Year Old race as well.

I have been a strong supporter of Smart Missile since I first inspected his yearlings and have three very nice three year old fillies by him that have raced with The Wasp and Strike For Victory being very impressive winners and Chastity Strikes being placed before needing a spell after contracting a virus. He was Champion first Season Sire in his year in Australia and s leading Second Season Sire as I write this. I am thrilled to have this filly in our team and should thrive under Darren Weir’s training. The filly will be paid up for the rich Magic Millions Series and looks a real runner to me.