DAVID HEARS VOICES

With 12 stallions on the roster and over 1000 mares landing on your doorstep, Eliza Park’s stallion manager, David Grant (left), doesn’t usually have time to scratch.

However, he’d well and truly parked himself a spot in front of the telly around 7pm last night to watch his filly, Voices of Spring, go around in the Burgess Queen Stakes-LR at Ascot in WA.

Voices of Spring was tackling black type company for the first time after run a neck second over 1200m at Belmont on debut on 5 October and backing up 10 days later with an eighth over 1400m at Ascot after finding plenty of traffic in the run home.

The 3YO was tackling the same trip as her previous outing and despite the step up in class, David was confident his Danerich filly would put in an impressive performance.

Right you are DG because after racing up closer to the lead, Voices of Spring flew over the concluding stages to finish right on the flanks of Red Hot Sax and Dark Miss … beaten a half length into third and snaring her first bit of black type.

And David is fairly confident that it won’t be the last time, suggesting the extra 200m of the WA Champion Fillies Stakes-G3 will be ideal for Voices of Spring.

David races the filly 50-50 with his father, Ian, and she is trained by Mike Storer.

Voices of Spring is by Danehill stallion Danerich, who was bred by Eliza Park and was a multiple stakes winner before retiring to Rangal Park Stud in conjunction with Eliza Park.

Voices of Spring hails from the first crop of Danerich (below) and is out of the Carnegie mare La Carnessa who, sadly, died some eight months after Voices of Spring foaled.

Consequently, David decided to retain the filly – the voice of reason, perhaps? – and the rest, as they say in the Classics (Oaks?) is history.

DOUBLE FOR GOD

Handy two state double for God’s Own on Saturday with God’s Cobba getting the money on the Gold Coast just prior to Black Jack Boy scoring convincingly at Traralgon.

Only lightly raced, God’s Cobba had his first run in March (running third) before winning next time out. This was only his second run since resuming and the Peter Tennant trained 4YO didn’t look to be in danger of losing the faith of backers who sent him out a $3.20 chance.

Bred in Queensland by Mary Lee Trivett, God’s Cobba was sold to Peter Tennant at the 2009 Gold Coast Magic Millions and is out of the Zabeel mare, Zacobba, a multiple winning granddaughter of the Champion mare Analie.

Meanwhile, keep your eye out for the Dean Binaisse trained Black Jack Boy who has now won his past two in succession.

Bred by Yallambee Stud, Black Jack Boy is out of their Spartacus mare, Varinia, in turn a daughter of dual Melbourne stakes winner Gold Design.

TOTAL CONNECTION

Fair bit of ‘synergy’ with the win of Total Liberty at the Bendigo Cup meeting last Wednesday (26 October).

First of all, Total Liberty – as the name might suggest – is by Eliza Park’s tremendous sprinting source, Statue of Liberty.

Secondly, the race she won – her fifth – was the Eliza Park Handicap.

Finally, she is handled by up and coming Victorian trainer, Jason Warren, who also puts the polish on exciting Bel Esprit youngster, Bel Sprinter. Before hanging out his training shingle, Jason worked in the pre-training and breaking in division at Eliza Park.

Out of the Centaine mare, Ton of Class, Total Liberty is related to 3-time stakes winner Music Man (14 wins overall) and the 3-times stakes placed Port Side.

Daily Treble 

It was something of a red letter day – world-wide – for Statue of Liberty with winners in Belgium and Japan to follow up Total Liberty’s victory at Bendigo.

As if to emphasise Statue of Liberty’s three year break from the Australian breeding scene, the Irish bred Empress Sissi – a winner by 4 lengths in Belgium – is a 3YO filly, while the Japanese winner, Matsuno Revival, who scored by a 3 lengths at Kanazawa, is a 2YO colt.

‘Revival’ might be the operative word here with Statue of Liberty covering some 280 mares in the past two seasons at Eliza Park (with another sizeable book this season) to ensure that he has plenty of runners waiting in the wings (indeed, his yearlings will be making an appearance at 2012 Australian sales).

PERSONALITY PROFILE

Cameron Croucher
Eliza Park CEO

Australasia’s premier thoroughbred breeding publication, Bluebloods, recently ran a profile on Eliza Park CEO, Cameron Croucher, penned by award winning industry journalist, Graeme Kelly.

Cameron Croucher’s destiny seemed set by a job choice as a teenager and even in his wildest dreams he could not have imagined that one day he would be in charge of the running of a major thoroughbred breeding operation. Yet these days he’s relishing his role as CEO of Eliza Park Stud and the joys of producing more horses like Black Caviar from the stud’s high-class roster of stallions.

Cameron’s Croucher’s direction in life was defined on a warm summer’s day in January 1987 at Cambridge Gardens, near Penrith in Sydney’s outer west. After successfully sitting for his High School Certificate he had a choice between two career options, one was with the Fleming family’s Jewel Food Stores, where he had been working as a casual shop assistant, and the other was with the Commonwealth Bank.

He elected to accept a position in Jewel’s head office at Lidcombe, which 17 years on morphed into his current role as chief executive officer of Lee Fleming’s Eliza Park Stud at Kerrie on the outskirts of Melbourne. “I could have started at the Commonwealth Bank after sitting the entry test and been in a totally different place to where I am now,” Cameron said. “If you count the time I worked as a casual I’ve been associated with the Fleming family for nearly 28 years and it has been a wonderful journey.”

Read more »

5 FOR BEL

The eyes of the world were on Black Caviar when she donkey-licked rivals in the Schweppes Stakes-G2 at Moonee Valley on 22 October – the unbeaten mare’s 15^th straight victory – but it’s also worth noting she wasn’t the only Bel Esprit to fly the flag that day.

In fact, Black Caviar was one of five winners by Victoria’s Champion Sire with Bel Sir scoring an impressive victory at Tatura, while Royal Express, Stacey Lee and Venus di Milo notched up a treble at Albury.

And yes, Black Caviar was clearly the stand out with her six length romp but Bel Sir scored by four and Stacey Lee won with three to spare: all up, the combined winning margins from the five winners was 18 lengths.

Royal Express is a 6YO, while Black Caviar and Venus di Milo are 5YO mares, Bel Sir is a 4YO and Stacey Lee a 3YO filly.

Royal Express was recording win No. 5, Stacey Lee her second from four starts and Bel Sir was an interesting result for Neil Dyer, who not only trains the horse but is also part owner and breeder.

Neil trained Bel Sir’s mum, Mrs Bently, to 13 wins including stakes placings at Caulfield and Moonee Valley and she is half sister to stakes winner Gently Bently.

They are also closely related to Manikato Stakes-G2 winner Touch of Genius and multiple Melbourne Group winner Moudre.

Venus di Milo - the other one!

SHINZIG’S MAGIC SALE

Group One winning sprinter, Shinzig, is yet to represented by a runner, but based on the interest shown in his 2YOs at the Gold Coast yesterday, their appearance won’t be too far away!

The Shinzig colt from Time Is Hope – who breezed up in a scorching 10.63 seconds – got the ball rolling when he was knocked down to leading Singapore trainer Steve Burridge for $90,000.

Then the immaculately conformed and bred colt from Group One winner Chlorophyll ended the day in sensational fashion when sold to At The Wire Thoroughbreds for $120,000.

“It didn’t come as a great surprise to see the Shinzig colt from Chlorophyll sell so well,” Eliza Park’s Mark Lindsay pointed out. “He’s been very popular since he arrived on the Coast and plenty of people have pulled him out of the box.

“The pedigree clearly plays a part, but this bloke is very athletic – a big, flashy type – and he looks to be a ready made runner.

“And after looking at Robyn Wise’s Shinzig colt (from Time Is Hope) we were confident he’d make good money too. He’s typical of the breed and ran a very good time in the breeze up.

“They’re fairly forward and I’d imagine you’ll be seeing a number of Shinzig’s race before Christmas.”

Winner of the CF Orr Stakes (1400m), Shinzig is by legendary sire Danehill from Group One winner and track record holder Shindig.

Interestingly, of the seven Group One winning sons of Danehill (up to 1600m) standing in Australia, six have produced Group One winners in their own right.

If the Shinzig colts sold on the Gold Coast yesterday are anything to go by, we might not have to wait long for the seventh!

The Shinzig x Chlorophyll colt as a yearling

HOWMUCHDOYOULOVEME … LOTS & LOTS

Shinzig wasn’t the only one to star on the Coast with Written Tycoon’s colt from Always Vain being knocked down for $80,000.

Undoubtedly, some added inspiration was derived from the outstanding victory of Howmuchdoyouloveme at Kensington in the Northbridge Handicap over 1100m.

Accordingly, Howmuchdoyouloveme – who was making his debut – was sent out a hot favourite after scoring by five lengths in a trial at Rosehill last week.

Racing near the lead throughout, Howmuchdoyouloveme was always in command and the Con Karakatsanis 3YO appears to have a very promising future.

Champion Australian First Season Sire in 2010/11, Written Tycoon is not resting on his laurels with the multiple Group placed pair of Masthead and Prestigious Miss, Trump, Alezan Thunder and international winner Power Tycoon all flying the flag in recent weeks.