Stallion Profile February 2003

General Nediym

Brilliant sprinter adds new chapter to family history

General Nediym was rejected as a yearling but went on to become Australia’s Champion Sprinter at three. A winner of more than $2m, he’s become one of Australia’s most outstanding sire prospects with his first crop racing this season and, as DAVID BAY reports in this profile, looks set for even more glory before the year is out.

WITH a brilliant colt in the shape of Ra Sun and Magic Millions winning filly Regimental Gal already flying the flag in his first crop, General Nediym has made a perfect start to his stud career.

  The dual Gr.1 winner retired to stud in Queensland in 1999 and then moved to Victoria for three seasons. In 2003 he’s again on the move, this time to Ballymore Thoroughbreds at Blandford in the Hunter Valley where he will stand alongside his sire Nediym (IRE).

  Ballymore is owned by Cate and Sean Darcy and 2003 will be the first year the couple have had stallions at their property which is about four kilometres from Emirates Park, Murrurundi.

  It was inevitable really that General Nediym should stand at Ballymore as Cate is the daughter of Ron and Helen Ashdown, who bred the handsome chestnut, offered him for sale as a yearling, and then raced him with great success - 13 wins and $2.12m.

  General Nediym’s story is one that gives hope to breeders everywhere and proves that you don’t need a huge budget to produce a champion.

  Nonetheless the story is not without its ups and downs. General Nediym was sent to the 1996 Magic Millions Sale and while at the Gold Coast became cast in his box, taking some skin off a foreleg.

  The x-ray of the joint showed the injury was minor but to be fair, Ron Ashdown decided to sell the colt without reserve and give the buyer 90 days to be satisfield that the horse was sound. The colt made $20,000 and even though subsequent x-rays showed the damage to his leg was only superficial, the buyer finally declined to settle.

  It was a lucky day for the Ashdowns, although it mightn’t have seemed so at the time. They kept the son of Nediym and the Without Fear (FR) mare Military Belle, perhaps thinking that on pedigree they could have a Derby colt in the making.

  He went to the stables of Bill Mitchell in Queensland, and stable foreman Peter Moodie quickly recognised that the two year-old was pretty special, setting him for a first-up win over 1000m at Eagle Farm and giving his owners, the Glengarry Racing Club Syndicate (manager Ron Ashdown), Ron and Helen Ashdown, T.K. and Mrs A. Mok, D.G. and Mrs L. Jackson and Dr F. and Mrs J. Schubert the chance to secure luxury odds of 12/1.

  He would win his next four starts including the Magic Millions Two Year Old Classic-RL and Todman Slipper Trial-Gr.2 (1200m) before finishing fourth to Guineas (as favourite) in the 1997 Golden Slipper-Gr.1.

  His three year-old campaign started in brilliant fashion on August 9, 1997 with a two and a quarter-length win over Sports in the San Domenico Stakes-Gr.2 (1000m, Randwick 57.7, track dead), then on August 23 he collected the Up and Coming Stakes-Gr.2 (1200m, Warwick Farm, 1:09.06, good), giving Encounter a three-length drubbing in the process. The Listed Heritage Stakes came next on September 13 and regular rider Brian York had no trouble guiding the colt to a three and a half-length victory over Guineas (1300m, Rosehill 1:15.41, good).

  Stepped up in distance, and like his previous two runs the odds-on favourite, General Nediym continued his winning way on September 27 beating Pleasure Giver and Trader Vic in the Stan Fox Stakes-Gr.2 (1400m, Randwick, 1:23.52, dead).

  Tested at 1600m against his own age next start in the Caulfield Guineas-Gr.1 on October 11 the winning streak came to an end when he was beaten a half-length and neck into third place behind Encounter and Schubert.

  He was given just over four months off and resumed on a dead track down the Flemington straight on February 8, collecting his first Gr.1 in the Lightning Stakes (1000m in 57.93), beating the runner-up Notoire by two and a half-lengths. Given a big weight of 58kg in the Oakleigh Plate-Gr.1 on February 21, the General ran the only bad race of his career to finish 14th of 15 behind Singing the Blues.

  The run was just too bad to be true and connections pressed on to the Newmarket Handicap-Gr.1 on March 7 where the three year-old carried 55kg, again started favourite and led from start to finish, beating Toledo and Scandinavia a head and short half-head (1200m, Flemington 1:09.23, good) and running the final 600m in 33.25. Seven weeks later he won the Carlton Cup-Gr.2 (1200m Doomben 1:10.96, slow) before the season ended with a half-neck and three-quarter length third to Chief de Beers and Staging in the Doomben 10,000-Gr.1. A tendon problem meant that he missed the Stradbroke Handicap.

  He was crowned Champion Australian Sprinter at the end of the season.

  His four year-old season began badly in late October when he was last of six behind Show No Emotion in the Schweppes Cup-Gr.2 at Moonee Valley and hardly improved when fourth of five in the Emirates Classic-Gr.2 second up. Given two months off, he returned to the winner’s circle on January 9, 1999, taking the 1400m Magic Millions Cup in record time at the Gold Coast and beating Spend and Pleasure Giver with Chief de Beers fifth.

  Seconds in the Expressway Stakes-Gr.2 and Apollo Stakes (both times behind Kidman’s Cove and with Tie the Knot third) in February signalled an end to his career and he retired to his birthplace, Glengarry Stud, covering 96 mares in his first season.

  Glengarry, near Ipswich, was founded by the Ashdowns and General Nediym’s sire Nediym (Shareef Dancer-Nilmeen by Right Royal) entered stud there in 1992 after racing in Europe and America where he won six races and ran 15 placings in a 41-start career from age two to seven. His best win was in the Rolling Green Handicap-Gr.3 (8.5f) at Golden Gate Fields where he also won the Point Reyes Invitational-LR (8f) and he was also successful in the Prix du Ranalagh-LR (2000m) at Longchamp.

  However he showed real quality when runner-up in the Sword Dancer Handicap-Gr.1 (12f) at Belmont, when fourth in the Man o’War Stakes-Gr.1 (11f) on turf at that track and fourth in the Eddie Read Handicap-Gr.1 (8.5fT) at Del Mar. He also ran third in the Bay Meadows Handicap-Gr.2 (9fT) in a career that saw him win or place in 17 black type events.

  Nediym was bred to be a classic winner and has high class performer on both sides of his pedigree. His sire Shareef Dancer (Northern Dancer-Sweet Alliance by Sir Ivor) won the Irish Derby-Gr.1 and King Edward VII Stakes-Gr.2 and was rated European Champion Three Year Old.

  Sweet Alliance was a Kentucky Oaks winner and that made the son of Northern Dancer a very special yearling when he entered the Keeneland sale pavillion in July 1981. This was the height of the bidding duels between the Maktoum family and the Sangster-O’Brien syndicate and the latter paid a world record $US3.5m for a Northern Dancer colt (later named Ballydoyle) just minutes before Shareef Dancer entered the ring. He was sold to Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum for $US3.3m but raced in the colours of his elder brother Sheikh Maktoum and proved an inspired buy.

  He won on debut at two and was put away for the season after finishing fourth next start.

  Unplaced first up at three when he was found to have a throat infection, he then won the Royal Ascot King Edward VII Stakes-Gr.2 before lining up for the Irish Derby just nine days later and taking on the English Derby winner Teenoso and French Derby winner Caerleon. He beat Caerleon by a widening three lengths with Teenoso two lengths further afield and retired to Dalham Hall Stud without another run and at a fee of £100,000 (this had dropped to £20,000 by his fifth season in 1990). Nediym is from his first crop.

  Shareef Dancer’s best runners include dual Oaks heroine Possessive Dancer, Grand Criterium-Gr.1 winner Glory of Dancer, Rock Hopper and Colorado Dancer (a Gr.2-winning daughter of Fall Aspen and dam of Dubai Cup winner Dubai Millennium, World Horse of the Year in 2000).

  Nediym’s dam is the royally-bred Nilmeen, a winner of two races in France and dam of seven winners, three of them stakes winners. She is a daughter of the star French two and three year-old Right Royal (French Derby, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes), a grandson of Hyperion. General Nediym is inbred 3fx4m to Right Royal (Owen Tudor-Bastia by Victrix) via Nilmeen and In the Purple (FR) (sire of his second dam Reticella).

  Incidentally Right Royal sired just 241 foals (24SW) from 1962 to his death in 1973. He was Leading Sire in Italy in 1962 and second on the English list in 1969. In the Purple was an outstanding sire in NZ with his best ruunners including Melbounre Cup winner Gold and Black and Caulfield Cup winner How Now.

  Nilmeen’s dam Nasreen, by the English Derby winner Charlottsville, produced six winners including Naasiri (Prix Greffulhe-Gr.2) and Sharmeen (dam of dual Derby winner Shergar). She is a daughter of the French 1000 Guineas winner Ginetta (Tulyar-Diablaretta by Dante). His fifth dam Dodoma (Dastur-Mumtaz Begum by Blenheim) is known in this part of the world via sons Jambo and Nilo, both successful sires, and is a half-sister to Nasrullah.

  Nediym has sired 122 winners (55%) of $8.7m, including seven stakes winners - General Nediym, Alpine Express (eight wins and $433,000 including two at Gr.3), Prophet’s Kiss (six wins and $354,000 including AJC Australia day Cup-LR), Cool Trent (Peters Drumstick Stakes-LR), Dever’s Gold (Gold Coast Silk Stocking-LR), General Minolta (Australia Post Stakes-LR) and Wait and Hope (Meyninck Stakes-LR). His other runners include Novanediym, I Realise, Super Voltop, Neartist, Mister I Am, Wanchai Lady and Ned’s Revenge (seven wins, $213,000).

  General Nediym’s unraced dam Military Belle is a daughter of Without Fear (FR) (Baldric-Never Too Late by Never Say Die) whose 51 stakes winners include Unaware and Desirable. Her runners include Chindancer, a year-older brother to General Nediym, and winner of seven races (23 placings) and $95,560. Her dam Reticella (by In the Purple) was unplaced and none of her three foals raced, but she hails from a wonderful NZ family.

  Her dam Frill (by Agricola (GB)) was a sister to SAJC St Leger winner Swift General and SAJC International Stakes winner Agrifo and produced the Canterbury Guineas-Gr.1 winner and sire Interstellar and Malt, the unraced dam of champion Horlicks (17 wins including the Japan Cup-Gr.1, L.K.S. Mackinnon Stakes-Gr.1 and dam of Melbourne Cup-Gr.1 winner Brew). This is also the family of Military Plume, Laelia and Frivolous Lass.

  Military Belle’s third dam Froth (Faux Tirage (GB)-Home Brew by Robin Goodfellow (GB)) won the GN Oaks, NZ Oaks, Auckland Cup and other good races in NZ and traces to the Gossip branch of the family established by Rosedale (Tynedale-Thrify by Stockwell), a chestnut mare bred in England in 1873 and half-sister to high class performers Tristan and Pursebearer.

  Her descendants include Windbag, Feminist, Te Parae, Prunda, Evening Peal, Silver Sharp, Sobar, Wiggle and Waltzing Lady and her grandam Braxy (10d) is a half-sister to Derby and Oaks winner Blink Bonny (dam of Derby winner and sire Blair Athol).

  General Nediym is setting out to create his own chapter in this family’s illustrious history and got off to a great start when his son Ra Sun won the Maribyrnong Plate-Gr.2 (1000m) this season.

  The story got even better when Regimental Gal won the Magic Millions Two Year Old in January - a race also won by her sire.

  Regimental Gal’s MM win saw her sire take a commanding lead in the juvenile premiership. Foaled and weaned on Glengarry, she went into that prestigious event with two wins at Eagle Farm from her first two outings and then a fifth in the Listed Tommy Smith Slipper at Doomben.

  The first of the two wins was by two and a quarter-lengths and in a 1000m time of 57.90 and saw another General Nediym youngster, Gold Stars, a promising third on debut. The second success was in the historic McDougall Stakes (1200m; fillies). In the latter event she set a new race record time of 1:09.50, half a second faster than that taken for the race for juvenile males, the Listed J.F. Meynink Stakes, on the same program.

  In the third place in the MacDougall Stakes won by Regimental Gal was Kas Nediym, a filly by Nediym. Also Ashdown bred, she had raced away to score by two lengths at Eagle Farm on debut, taking 58.10 for the 1000m journey.

  Now looked on as a major contender for the Blue Diamond Stakes and Golden Slipper, Ra Sun atoned for being what appeared to be a certainty beaten on debut in the Listed MVRC SuperVOBIS Plate by recording a dominating win in the Marbyrnong Plate the second time out. Won in the past by the likes of Testa Rossa, Canny Lad, Rancher, Baguette, Vain and Biscay, the Maribyrnong has long been a stepping stone to greatness.

  General Nediym covered 160 mares in Victoria in 2002 at a fee of $9500 (including GST) and the season completed the three year contract for the use of the young sire at Eliza Park.

  Although the immediate success of his stock stimulated enquiries from major Hunter Valley studs, it was decided to stand him at the new 240ha (600-acre) Ballymore Stud, which is also home now for the Ashdown mares. He has been put on a fee of $20,000 for his first season at Ballymore, one in which his maximum book has been placed at 130, and such is his popularity there are very few vacancies.