December 2003

Fasliyev equals first crop juvenile winners record

FASLIYEV (Nureyev-Mr P’s Princess by Mr. Prospector), unbeaten and a dual Gr.1 winner at two when he was acknowledged as the Champion Juvenile of Europe, this young Coolmore-based sire has equalled the record for first crop juvenile winners, with 33 of his northern-bred youngsters successful to mid-November. UNBEATEN Champion Juvenile Fasliyev (USA)has equalled End Sweep’s world record of 33 individual first crop juvenile winners in the northern hemisphere.   The Coolmore-based shuttle sire, whose oldest Australian runners are racing this season, equalled the record set by now-deceased shuttle sire End Sweep (USA) in 1998 when his son Ouimonamour won over 1200m at Maisons-Laffitte on Melbourne Cup Day.   Fasliyev’s first Australian winner came when Resilience won at Bendigo a few days previously.   While the record is a significant achievement for the young sire, even more important is the fact that he has seven first crop stakes winners, led by the Gr.1 winner Carry on Katie...the complete story appears in the magazine.

November 2003

Mummify gives Freedman a fourth Caulfield Cup

MUMMIFY (Jeune (GB)-Cleopatra’s Girl by At Talaq) provided trainer Lee Freedman with his fourth Caulfield Cup winner when the four year-old gelding led all the way to land the 2003 running of the event, worth $2.1m. MUMMIFY capped a perfect week for trainer Lee Freedman when he led virtually all the way to win the Caulfield Cup-Gr.1 on October 18.   Just four days previously the Freedman-trained three-year-old filly Special Harmony had won the Vinery-sponsored 1000 Guineas-Gr.1 (1600m) at the same track.   The wins were part of a remarkable resurgence that Freedman has experienced since concentrating his training enterprise at Markdel, the family property at Rye on the Mornington peninsular.   Remarkably successful earlier in his career when based at Flemington with brothers Richard, Michael and Anthony, the FBI had a much leaner time when the stable moved to Caulfield in the late 1990s...the complete story appears in the magazine.

October 2003

New track record for Exceed and Excel

Exceed and Excel (Danehill (USA)-Patrona (USA) by Lomond) gave trainer Tim Martin his first Gr.1 winner by breaking the track record to win the Dubai Racing Club Cup (1400m) at Caulfield. AFTER inspecting more than 500 yearlings at the 2002 Easter yearling sales, Rosehill trainer Tim Martin’s mind was in a spin, but the image of one special horse kept coming back to him.   “I just couldn’t stop thinking about him,” he said of Lot 342, a strong bay son of Danehill and the American-bred Lomond mare Patrona.   Determined to get hold of him, and thinking he was a chance - thanks to the young horse’s less than perfect front legs - Martin approached successful owner Nick Moraitis.   $375,000 later and the horse was a member of the Martin stable. In the tradition of giving his horses powerful and memorable names, Moraitis christened the colt Exceed And Excel.   This is just what he has done, as a two year-old winning two of his first three starts including the Todman Slipper Trial Stakes-Gr.2. Unplaced but not disgraced in the Golden Slipper Stakes-Gr.1, Exceed And Excel returned bigger and stronger at three...the complete story appears in the magazine

September 2003

Vale Jack Ingham, friend to racing and breeding

JACK AND BOB INGHAM with the Big O (Octagonal) - a trio of folk heroes who contributed much to Australian racing. The brothers, who shared everything 50-50, enjoyed some of their finest moments and the adulation of Sydney racegoers during Occy’s marvellous Sydney Autumn 3YO campaign. THE thoroughbred industry lost a great friend and benefactor when 75 year-old Jack Ingham died after a long battle with leukaemia in Sydney on August 5.   With younger brother Bob, he was the joint shareholder and joint managing director of Inghams Enterprises and of the giant Woodlands racing and breeding empire. Jack lived by his father Walter’s creed of “doing the right things, and doing things right”.   Left a legacy of a chicken farm at Casula in 1953, after the death of their father Walter who started the operation on 42 acres (16.5ha) with six hens and a rooster in 1918, the brothers turned Inghams Chickens into a billion dollar business, today processing more than three million chickens each week and employing more than 6200 people around the nation...the complete story appears in the magazine

August 2003

Australian breeders rush Choisir at Coolmore

CHOISIR (Danehill Dancer (IRE)-Great Selection by Lunchtime (GB)), sold to Coolmore after his record-breaking feats in England which included a win in the Golden Jubilee Stakes-Gr.1 at Royal Ascot. He’s already in great demand with breeders who snapped up 100 nominations to the horse in the first few days after his sale. AUSTRALIAN breeders have rushed to secure the services of Choisir who was sold to Coolmore after his record-breaking English campaign and will stand his first season at Jerrys Plains in 2003 at a fee of $30,250.   “The response to the horse has been fantastic,” Coolmore’s Colm Santry said.“No horse in the history of Coolmore has filled up so quickly or generated so much interest. We had 100 mares confirmed to him in just a few working days after his sale.   “It’s easy to understand why breeders are so keen on him, there’s so much to like. He was precocious, winning the Breeders’ Plate on debut...the complete story appears in the magazine

July 2003

Choisir’s historic Royal Ascot sprint double

CHOISIR (Danehill Dancer (IRE)-Great Selection by Lunchtime (GB)) winner of the King’s Stand Stakes-Gr.2 at Royal Ascot on June 17, becoming the first Australian-bred and trained horse to win in Britain. Four days later he completed an historic double by winning the Golden Jubilee Stakes-Gr.1 in track record time. Paul Perry-trained Choisir collected the King’s Stand Stakes-Golden Jubilee Stakes double at Royal Ascot in June.   Choisir became the first Australian-bred and trained horse to win in Britain when he raced away with the 20 runner King’s Stand Stakes-Gr.2 (5f in 59.68) on June 17 beating Acclamation by a length and with Oasis Dream 1.5 lengths behind in third place. Ignored by punters, he was allowed to start at 25/1 with the bookmakers and even longer on the tote...the complete story appears in the magazine.

June 2003

Breeding world mourns the loss of mighty Danehill

DANEHILL (USA) (Danzig-Razyana by His Majesty), the international champion sire who died recently in Ireland leaving the world a legacy of Gr.1-winning sons at stud in both hemispheres. THE death of Danehill (USA) in a paddock accident in Ireland on May 13 has left breeders around the world mourning for Coolmore’s champion sire.   Winner of the Ladbroke Sprint Cup-Gr.1 (6f) and the sire of 50 Gr.1 winners worldwide, Danehill (Danzig-Razyana by His Majesty) is well on his way this season to becoming Australia’s Champion Sire for the seventh time. He hit the lead on the sires’ table with $6.31m earned by 99 winners of 164 races from long-time leader Serheed (27, 52, $6.29m) about a week after his death...the complete story appears in the magazine.

May 2003

More Sunday Joy comes to Arrowfield Stud as colt makes a record $1.7 million

LOT 268 a brown colt by (SUNDAY SILENCE (USA)-PHANTOM CREEK (USA) by MR. PROSPECTOR) topped the 2003 William Inglis and Son annual Australian Easter Yearling Sale to a $1.7m bid from Japanese owner Shigeyuki Okada of the Big Red Farm. SUNDAY SILENCE has the top priced colt ($1.7m) and filly ($.13m) at the 2003 Australian Easter Yearling Sale (April 22-24) and they looked astute buys just a few days later when Sunday Joy won the AJC Oaks-Gr.1 and juvenile colt Keep the Faith won on debut in Adelaide.   Sunday Joy (ex Joie Denise by Danehill), a $1m sale purchase raced by John Singleton, is a three year-old from the Sunday Silence “experiment” of Arrowfield’s John Messara, while Keep the Faith (ex Duelling Girl (USA) by Dayjur) is a $1.2m year-younger son of the now-deceased Kentucky Derby winner and Champion Sire in Japan (84 SW and $318m) and is raced by Darley Australia...the complete story appears in the magazine.

April 2003

Darley moves its stallion roster out to ten at new Aberdeen farm

ELUSIVE QUALITY (USA) (Gone West-Touch of Greatness by Hero’s Honor) had 23 winners,six of them stakes winners, from 39 runners. This winner of nine races (6f-8f) is one of 10 stallions on the roster at Darley, Aberdeen in 2003. DARLEY’S multi-million dollar showplace Aberdeen Stud will play host to 10 outstanding sires in its first year of operation.   The 2003 stallion roster at the former Kelvinside includes Arc winner Carnegie, 2001 Horse of the Year (International Classifications) Fantastic Light, the runaway English 2000 Guineas-Gr.1 winner King’s Best, Middle Park Stakes-Gr.1 winner Lujain and Champion Juvenile Xaar, who have all shuttled previously.   Then there will be five “new boys” offering world class pedigrees and race perfomance and headed by last year’s USA first crop sire sensation Elusive Quality (by Gone West) who had 23 juvenile winners in 2002 led by Prix Morny-Gr.1 winner Elusive City...the complete story appears in the magazine

March 2003

Hurricane Sky’s Gr.1 stars land major sprints

RIVER DOVE (Hurricane Sky-Ride the Rapids by River Rough (NZ)) provided Hurricane Sky with his third Gr.1 winner (after Desert Sky and Desert Eagle) in landing the Oakleigh Plate on February 22. Desert Eagle, now sold to Hong Kong and racing as Grand Delight, won the Bauhinia Sprint Trophy-HKGr.1 at Sha Tin earlier in the month. ARROWFIELD-based sire Hurricane Sky is flying the flag for the Star Kingdom sireline with a son and daughter scoring big race wins in Hong Kong and Australia during February.   Australian Gr.1 winner Desert Eagle (now racing in Hong Kong as Grand Delight) landed the $HK4.5m Bauhinia Sprint Trophy-HKGr.1 (1000m) by a length from Firebolt (by another Arrowfield sire in Flying Spur) with All Thrills Too, winner of the Hong Kong International Sprint-Gr.1, a further quarter length behind in third position. Grand Delight covered the 1000m at Sha Tin in 56.30 in winning the first leg of the Champions Sprint Series on February 3...the complete story appears in the magazine.

February 2003

Gal’s fairytale is looking for a happy ending

REGIMENTAL GAL (General Nediym-Hallaya by Yallah Prince), produced by a $500 mare and the result of a free service and sold for just $16,500. The 2003 Magic Millions Two Year Old Classic winner has three wins in four starts and prizemoney of $691,000. WHEN people describe Regimental Gal’s win in the Magic Millions Two Year Old Classic as a fairytale, the one person who really wants a happy ending is the filly’s breeder Stacey Griffiths.   Stacey, 34, and the mother of two small children, purchased Regimental Gal’s dam Hallaya from Glengarry Stud for just $500 in 1999.   “I worked as a secretary at the stud and the owner Ron Asdown was having a reduction sale of his mares at the time,” she said.   “When he mentioned Hallaya, I said I would buy her. She was a nice big mare, her first foal (a colt by Tong Po) was OK and she was young. I thought she deserved a chance ... the complete story appears in the magazine

January 2003

Desert King colt brings record $HK4.8m at sale

THE AUSTRALIAN-bred Desert King (IRE)-Very Droll by Crown Jester colt who topped the Hong Kong International Sale on December 13 with a bid of $HK4.8m ($A1,088,682). The colt is a three-quarter brother to multiple Gr.1 winner Ha Ha. AN Australian-bred bay two year-old colt by Desert King made a record $HK4.8m ($A1,089,207) on December 13 at the 2002 Hong Kong International Sale.   Trainer John Moore landed the winning bid on Lot 23 for a partnership comprising George Chang, a Hong Kong shipping magnate, and Dr Andrew Wong, a prominent Hong Kong neurosurgeon. The colt had been catalogued for the 2002 Australian Easter Sale and was one of several withdrawn by Coolmore (as agent) and sold privately before the sale to the Hong Kong Jockey Club...the complete story appears in the magazine.