Munjai delivered the 20th win for our three year old team – Louise Day 3 year olds have won 20 races and $1,776,240 in stakes money Collectively purchased for $1,308,000 When Munjai finished over the top of her rivals at Newcastle on Saturday she delivered the 20th win for our three year old team of horses. This group is coming along nicely with 12 of the 19 to have raced having won. There were 20 weanlings/yearlings in this crop.

Unfortunately, one won’t get to the races. I am expecting 17 of the 19 to finish up winners with Not Surprising, Hononlulu Lass, Quirion and Chastity Strikes currently in work. Montana Pines is spelling at present but is ready to head into work. In many ways Munjai was a special win for us. She is out of Maha Chakri which I syndicated and raced under the Prime banner winning the Tasmanian Oaks. She has been a very good mare at stud producing the high class sprinter Whittington. Munjai is by Trusting and came from his first crop of yearlings. Trusting stood at Patinack Farm and wasn’t that well supported with only 26 runners coming from his first crop of yearlings with 11 of these now winning. It would be fair to write that Maha Chakri was the best mare to go to Trusting.

Munjai was a standout as a yearling and I snapped her up for $105,000. If she had been by a more high profile sire I hate to think what she would have fetched. She was a beautiful yearling and a lot like her mother. An Exceed And Excel filly out of Maha Chakri fetched $330,000 at this year’s Magic Millions. Munjai has now won two of her three starts.

Not to be outdone Patrick Payne presented Hussy’s Glow in superb order at Wangaratta and she ran accordingly. Rather than barrier trial her again Patrick decided to run her in a 0-58 and she will now head to town for a three year old fillies race. She is by Hussonet and is a valuable filly and already stakes placed as a two year old.

On Sunday Casa De Lago put in one of the best performances by one of our horses in recent times running home strongly to be beaten less than a length after missing the start by three to four lengths at Racing.com Park at Pakenham. For an inexperienced two years old to come from a clear last on the turn and make up 10 to 12 lengths in the straight was an exceptional effort. Casa De Lago is also by a first season sire in Newhaven Park’s Delago Deluxe.

I really liked the progeny of Delago Deluxe at the sales and was very pleased when I purchased this filly. She looks to have a very bright future and I’m certain she will get over more ground in time. It is a must that we try and sort out the first season sires with about 30% of any foal crop being by them and many of the very best mares going to them.

We have had very good success over the years with us investing in the progeny of the past three Champion First Season Sires in I Am Invincible, Hinchinbrook and Smart Missile in their first season. Generally the Champion First Season Sire goes on with the job. These are the Champion First Season Sires from the year 2016 back to 2000 Smart Missile, Hinchinbrook, I Am Invincible, Northern Meteor, Casino Prince, Written Tycoon, Stratum, Charge Forward, Exceed And Excel, Choisir, Show A Heart, More Than Ready, Redoute’s Choice, General Nediym, Lion Hunter and Strategic. I’m sure you will agree there are some great horses named here.

At Prime Thoroughbreds we carefully select one or two first season sires to support from a field of about 50 in each year. From this group of 50 horses only about five will go on to have successful, commercial stud careers. From the list above we purchased yearlings in their first season by Smart Missile, Hinchinbrook, I Am Invincible, Casino Prince, Stratum, Exceed And Excel, More Than Ready, General Nediym and Strategic. So we got it right in nine of the 16 years. This year I have purchased two yearlings by first season sire Sizzling who I regard as a great chance of making it at stud.

Overall we had a good week with Husson Eagle returning to somewhere near his best finishing quickly for 3rd at Flemington. His previous run in Adelaide was a lot better than it looked and he should be placed to advantage in the coming weeks. He is closing in on $1million in stakes earnings.

I was thrilled with Zelzignoret’s debut where she finished the race off nicely for 3rd. She is a lovely filly by Snitzel and I would expect she will have gained a lot of benefit from the run. She will now head to a 1200m race where you would expect her to be very competitive.

Savoureux had nothing go right in the run and never got out of first gear and nowhere to go being bottled up on the fence. Hers was a complete forgive run. I was pleased with Black And Tan who was out of play after being slowly away. Her final 200m was very good.

ON THE TRACK

Kissing Game is set to make her debut at Canterbury tomorrow. She is another of our Hinchinbrook fillies and a ripping type of horse. It has been quite a journey for her. I purchased her as a weanling from Yarraman Park and put her on the market. Unfortunately she sustained a serious injury that required surgery to remove a bone chip to a rear fetlock and to be fair to the clients who were interested in her we took her off the market. I must say I wasn’t confident at that time that she would be right to race. Fortunately her injury healed and we got the all clear from the vets and put her back on the market. During her time off she grew and strengthened and it will be great to see her at the races on Wednesday.

Our other runners are likely to be Hononlulu Lass on Thursday at Swan Hill, Husson Boots at Ballina, Raido and The Wasp at Scone on Saturday and Invincible Al at Morphettville also on Saturday where he will be ridden by Mark Zahra. There is a chance Savoureux may run in the Doomben 10000 on Saturday provided she has come through her run in the Silk Stocking where she wasn’t tested.

INFORMATION SENT THROUGH MISTABLE

Mistable has been a wonderful addition to our business and allows us to forward out a lot of information quickly. To give you some idea in the week from 16 to 23 April a total of 2639 notifications were sent out on our horses to our owners. That’s right 2639. These were made up of general mail, race information (nominations, weights, acceptances, scratchings and results) as well as text, audio and video reports. It is virtually impossible to individually speak to each owner on race day and the style of reports Mistable provides are very good and to be honest have made my life a lot easier.

PRIME TRAINERS DOING THE JOB

It is great to see the Prime Thoroughbreds trainers doing such a good job, not only with our horses but across the board. What more can I write about Darren Weir. He is in a class of his own at present with his results at Warrnambool being the things legends are made of.

Kris Lees is in a tight battle with team Snowden on the Australian Trainers Premiership with Kris holding down 6th place at present. He is right on the Waterhouse/Bott combination’s tail and could well finish in 5th place by the end of the season.

Tony Gollan is leading the way in Queensland with Dan Morton, Tony McEvoy, Patrick Payne, John Thompson, Stuart Gandy and John Moloney all having good seasons. Keep up the good work.

SOME NICE YEARLINGS TO CONSIDER

I am pleased to say this crop of yearlings are the nicest I have ever purchased and I can’t wait to get them to the races. Our horses are running very well and as Kris Lees said to a media personality a few years ago ‘Joe doesn’t need to pay for advertising on television, his horses do it for him’. Have a look at this group of youngsters HERE