GUTSY WIN BY SHINZIG 2YO

We’re not so sure about the name, but it’s pretty clear that Shinzig youngster, Beer Belly, has more than his share of ability.

Stepping out in the Devenportracingclub.com 2YO Plate over 1150m at Devenport yesterday, Beer Belly showed plenty of class to score comfortably for trainer Adam Trinder.

This was only the second start for the Shinzig bay who had no luck when fourth on debut on a heavy surface in Hobart on 8 July.

Bred by Gavan Burns and sold by Eliza Park at last year’s Tasmanian Yearling Sale, Beer Belly (pictured below as a yearling) is out of the Xaar mare, Myxaar, a half sister to AJC Doncaster Handicap-G1 winner Triple Honour.

This is Shinzig’s second city winner, following on from the unbeaten Adelaide flyer, Psychic Mick.

ELIZA PARK OPEN DAY

One of the most popular events on Victoria’s breeding calendar is Eliza Park’s annual Open Day, with some 400 folk visiting the stud’s Kerrie property.

This year the event will be staged from 12pm to 4pm on Friday 31 August and will include a stallion parade (commencing 1pm), Industry Expo, gourmet BBQ (along with Hanging Rock Wines) and a couple of Living Legends in Apache Cat and Rogan Josh.

Joining the parade in 2012 is Black Caviar’s brother, Moshe, a multiple city winner who nearly broke a decade plus track record when taking out his debut by six lengths, and who has – not surprisingly – been the subject of a flood of enquiries since his retirement to Eliza Park.

Others parading on the day include Moshe and Black Caviar’s sire, Bel Esprit, Statue of Liberty (sire of Hay List, et al), Victoria’s Champion First Season Sire, Magnus, boom sire, Wanted, yearling sale magnets, Astronomer Royal and Sharkbite, Champion 2YO of England and France, Bushranger, Leading Third Season Sire, God’s Own, and promising first season sire Shinzig (sire of unbeaten 2YO Psychic Mick).

The Industry Expo was a massive drawcard in 2011 with a wide range of service suppliers – from pedigree analysis to taxation, from nutrition to transport – set up in marquees, as with staff from every division of Eliza Park, available to answer any questions.

Attendees will also have the chance to get up close and personal with two turf greats in Apache Cat (8 Group Ones) and 1999 Melbourne Cup winner Rogan Josh who, when not preening their stuff at open days, grace the paddocks at Living Legends.

Make sure you head along – it’s a great day, great food (and wine!) and great company. For further information, email Tracey Doolan: tdoolan@elizapark.com.au or phone 03 5428 5168.

MAG WHEELS IN MEMORABLE VICTORY

Very impressive performance at Belmont today by Magnus 2YO, Magnifisio, scoring by three lengths in the Westspeed Nursery 2YO Handicap over 1200m.

Stepping out for only the second time, after coming home solidly for fourth over 1000m at Belmont a fortnight ago, Magnifisio is Magnus’ first runner out west and one that they’ll definitely remember!

Trained by Jim Taylor, who originally put the polish on Hay List before he was sent east, Magnifisio is clearly going places and should easily make her way up through the grades.

Magnifisio is Magnus’ sixth individual winner (joining the likes of stakes winner Platinum Kingdom and stakes placed trio – Magnus Reign, Imprimis and How Swede It Is) and is out of the stakes winning Key Business mare Ifestio.

Bred in WA by Rangeview Stud, Magnifisio was sold at last year’s Perth Magic Millions for $80,000 and is closely related to a number of stakes winners.

SUPER DEBUT

Very impressive debut effort in Singapore yesterday with a demolition performance by Super Kenny (Host – Mysterious Ransom) in the $65,000 Restricted Maiden over 1200m – winning by nine and a quarter lengths!

He’s now likely to line up in the S$200,000 Magic Millions Juvenile Championship at Kranji next Sunday.

Bred by Jim & June Anderson, Super Kenny was sold on their behalf by Eliza Park at the 2011 Gold Coast Magic Millions.

Hailing from a solid black type family, Super Kenny’s dam – Mysterious Ransom – is in foal to Shinzig.

Check out the video of Super Kenny’s win by clicking here.

$15K – NO MORE TO PAY

Written Tycoon’s re-location to Eliza Park Queensland for the 2012 breeding season has left a large number of Victorian broodmare owners pining for the 2010/11 Australian Champion First Season Sire.

However, help is at hand. Despite Written Tycoon’s fee having been set at $15,400 inc. GST, Eliza Park is offering a special “$15k no more to pay” package for those ‘southern state’ broodmare owners wishing to patronise the stallion this spring.

So, for $15,000 inc. GST*, broodmare owners will be allocated a 2012 service nomination, return transport from Eliza Park Victoria to Eliza Park Queensland, a veterinary contract, agistment and foaling down for wet mares.

Written Tycoon has never been in greater demand … and little wonder.

With Howmuchdoyouloveme’s emphatic victory in the recent Listed Ramornie Handicap (below), Written Tycoon now has nine black type performers from just two crops of racing age.

That’s 14% stakes horses to runners!

* Conditions apply.

ELIZA PARK QUEENSLAND APPOINTS ROBYN WISE

Eliza Park has announced that highly respected industry professional, Robyn Wise, will join its nominations team as Queensland representative.

A born and bred Queenslander, Robyn is the daughter of Murray and Betty-Ann Wise, who established Bahram Stud, one of the most respected farms in the state.

Growing up around horses and having gained extensive experience in Europe and North America, Robyn was yearling manager at Emirates Park in NSW for five seasons before joining Eliza Park in Victoria in its formative years.

Returning to Queensland, Robyn acquired her own property and is now one of the nation’s most successful vendors, having prepared – on behalf of clients – a wave of top class performers including Viva Pronto, Hollowlea, Honest Truth, Al Dhafra and Hidden Kisses.

“We’re delighted to have someone with Robyn’s experience and reputation to take up the reins for us in Queensland,” Eliza Park’s Nominations Manager, Mark Lindsay, points out. “We have secured one of the state’s finest farms, we have a tremendous roster with newcomers, Love Conquers All and Pressday, along with Champion Sire, Written Tycoon and Group One producing sire, Monashee Mountain, and now we have a ‘go-to’ person in Queensland that understands the local industry and the requirements of broodmare owners.”

Robyn Wise is taking up her new role immediately and can be contacted on 0419 174 632.

For a full profile on Robyn Wise – which appeared in the July 2011 issue of Bluebloods – click here.

WRITTEN TYCOON HEIGHTS

Nifty double by Written Tycoon (below) at Geelong on Friday with debut victories to both Tycoon Heights and Vibrant Rouge.

The Champion Sire might have been recently re-located to Eliza Park Queensland, but his impact in the southern states should be felt for quite some time if Tycoon Heights and Vibrant Rouge are anything to go by.

Trained by Glenn Thornton, Vibrant Rouge (ex. Mirage Rouge by West Point) was stepping out for the first time over 1000m at Geelong and flew home for a commanding win.

Fellow first starter, Tycoon Heights (ex. Global Heights by El Moxie), was even more impressive, leading throughout to score by over three lengths on the wire.

Bred and raced by Campolina Pty Ltd, Tycoon Heights is trained by Andrew Dillon and appears to have a very bright future.

SHOWCASE EVENT

BLACK CAVIAR FINALLY BEATS FRANKEL

Brad Walters from Racenet reports …

Champion Australian sprinter Black Caviar has finally had a win over UK superstar Frankel.

Frankel’s deeds in Europe have consigned Black Caviar to second place in the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities rankings for the past 12 months but the Hong Kong public voted the mare as its Most Admired Overseas Horse.

Black Caviar earned 53 percent of the vote to easily account for Frankel, who polled 16.5 percent. The English and Irish Derby winner Camelot finished third with five percent of the 165,884 votes registered.

Group I King’s Stand Stakes winner Little Bridge was voted Hong Kong’s most popular horse ahead of Ambitious Dragon and Lucky Nine.

Douglas Whyte was crowned as the Hong Kong’s most popular jockey ahead of Australian rider Brett Prebble.

ISRAEL’S SECRET CAVIAR

The Israeli thoroughbred industry isn’t very big – not by a long shot.

You’d be hard pressed finding out what won the last at Nazareth on Saturday arvo and it appears that the first Israeli bred horse to race in England – Vanilla Bally – finished with the cap catchers in three outings at Wolverhampton, Chepstow and Yarmouth back in 2009.

But as Gilad Ram from the Israeli Jockey Club points out, the country did proudly stand a relation to international star, Black Caviar.

Trainer and founder of the Geva Stables, Gilad was closely associated with Nijinsky’s Secret, a smart 2YO who would later produce a host of winners before passing from this mortal coil five years ago.

Turns out that Nijinsky’s Secret (above) is out of the Blakeney mare Secret Journey, the year older half sister to the Danish bred, Love Song.

Now, while both Secret Journey and Love Song were both placed in Britain, the latter would be imported to Australia by David Hains in the early 80s.

Love Song would produce Song of Norway who, in turn, would produce the blue hen, Scandinavia.

Among Scandinavia’s progeny is the Group One winner and leading Victorian first season sire, Magnus, and a mare by the name of Helsinge … the dam of Black Caviar.

On the other hand, Secret Journey’s ‘journey’ is not quite a well documented – we do know that she produced a colt by a stallion called Dronacharya in 1990 … Nijinsky’s Secret.

Now, before you start thinking we’re drawing too long a long bow, Dronacharya is by Nijinsky, just as Black Caviar’s sire – Bel Esprit – is a grandson of Nijinsky.

“Racing in Israel is only amateur … number are relatively small,” Gilad revealed. “Dronacharya stood in Israel and produced some very nice fillies and mares but Nijinsky’s Secret was his best colt. Nijinsky’s Secret won three from four as a 2YO, winning the Israeli version of the Grand Criterium (over seven furlongs on dirt) and was named Champion 2YO.

“Nijinsky’s Secret had 33% stakes winners to runners, but had to do it the hard way. Broodmare owners over here prefer to breed from imported stallions.”

A driving force behind his country’s thoroughbred industry, Gilad has been closely involved in negotiations at governmental level to win support for the creation of professional horse racing in Israel.

Studying abroad at the racing stables of John Oxx in Ireland and Karl Burke in England, Gilad also runs certificated courses teaching future trainers, jockeys and breeders.

Interestingly, the stud groom for Nijinsky’s Secret was Israeli born, Talia Maor, who moved to Australia and became a jockey, riding a number of winners for Fred Kersley in Perth before marrying Melbourne Racing Club’s Racing & Media Executive Josh Rodder and shifting east.

Talia (pictured below with Nijinsky’s Secret) has ridden 30 winners this season.

 

MOORE BLACK TYPE FOR ASTRONOMER

Astronomer Royal standout, Sir Patrick Moore (above), might not have played the starring role in his tilt at stakes level, but the nifty 2YO did finish a classy second in the Listed Prix Roland de Chambure over 1400m at Longchamp on Saturday.

Trained by Harry Dunlop, the aptly monikered, Sir Patrick Moore (named after Britain’s most famous astronomer), won his first two outings comfortably before stepping out at Longchamp.

Race reports are a little sketchy (my schoolboy French has let me down again), but it was evidently a tip top performance from Astronomer Royal’s first runner.

With only three runners at this stage, Astronomer Royal has also produced the multiple winner Madiba and the Chantilly placed Abbreviator.

GOD’S OWN OUT OF AFRICA

God’s Own continues to make an impact on the Australian Third Season Sires’ chart with a Sunday double – albeit one of his winners shining at Sha Tin.

Beedeekay got the ball rolling with a thrilling win over 1206m at Bairnsdale, coming from ninth on the turn to record his first win after three previous placings.

Bred by Yallambee Stud, Beedeekay is trained by Michael Templeton and is out of the King Marauding mare, Tycoon Princess.

Meanwhile, another God’s Own 3YO in Africa Light (from the Baryshnikov mare Russian Ballet) absolutely stunned a crowd of 74,000 in the last meeting of the Hong Kong Racing Season with a blinding turn of foot to win the Being Famous Handicap over 1400m.

Ridden by Zac Purton, the God’s Own youngster (pictured above) recorded his second win on the trot after coming from the clouds over the final stages of the race.

Hong Kong racing fans will have a lot to remember as they wait to see the flashy bay next season. In the meantime, click here for look at Africa Light’s impressive performance.

HOWMUCHDOYOULOVEME ‘WRITE’ UP

The following articles by Shayne O’Cass appeared in this morning’s Australian.

Just how does a member of Australia’s breeding royalty and the bloke who came to paint his house end up sharing the dam of last week’s tearaway Ramornie Handicap winner, Howmuchdoyouloveme?

Victorian breeder Bill Cockram, grandson of the exalted W W (Wally) Cockram and son of Edward (Ted), the breeder of the state’s champion sire Century, inherited Howmuchdoyouloveme’s dam, Betula Belle, from his father in 2003.

Ted Cockram picked up Betula Belle’s dam, Excited Regent, from the famed US racing and breeding figure Nelson Bunker Hunt at a sale in the US, son Bill explained. “Unfortunately, Betula Belle was injured as a foal and could never race. She had a degenerative knee after being kicked by another horse.

“So when dad sold the farm she was one of the mares he gave me to breed from. But in the sale ring, in terms of selling her progeny, we just weren’t winning any trophies so I basically put her into semi-retirement.”

As a result, Howmuchdoyouloveme (winning the Ramornie above) was the last foal that Cockram thought he would source from Betula Belle.

A huge horse from the start – 79kgs at birth – Howmuchdoyouloveme was sold for just $3000 as a weanling at the Great Southern Sale at Oaklands in Victoria. “Even though he was a really lovely horse no one wanted him because he was too big and it was frustrating because (buyers) don’t want them if they are too small, they don’t want them if they are too big,” Cockram said. The horse was then on-sold to his current owners for $5000 at the Sydney Inglis Classic sale.

With Betula Belle hardly the goldmine producer, Cockram chose not to breed from the mare again until her previous foals, four in all, showed something worthwhile on the track.

Enter professional painter Glen Towers. Towers was at Cockram’s farm, brush in hand, and the pair’s conversations soon turned from paint to ponies.

Cockram sensed Towers was keen to try his hand at breeding and came up with a way of getting him started -- and saving some cash in the process. “I thought we might do a contra so instead of paying for the painting, I gave him Betula Belle,” Cockram said.

About a year after she left Cockram’s farm, Betula Belle was back on agistment but when the bills mounted, Towers handed the mare back to Cockram.

And that’s when things started to turn for the mare.

“I saw that Howmuchdoyoulove was starting to perform well so I rang Glen and said ‘look this horse is starting to look like it might be pretty smart, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I thought I have taken a good mare back off you, so why don’t we just go halves from now on’ and so I offered him back a share when this horse came good.”

Howmuchdoyouloveme is a son of Eliza Park stallion Written Tycoon who was crowned leading first season sire in 2010-11 with progeny earnings of $644,700.

Racing’s latest Ramornie winner, Howmuchdoyouloveme, has a long way to go to emulate the 2004 hero, Takeover Target, but the pair is closely aligned in terms of pedigree.

Takeover Target (above) is a son of Celtic Swing out of a mare by a son of Vice Regent, Archregent.

Howmuchdoyouloveme’s dam, Betula Belle, is bred along similar lines to Joe Janiak’s globetrotting great, being by Celtic Swing out of a daughter of Vice Regent.

Celtic Swing, a son of Damister, was European champion two-year-old colt of his year thanks in part to his stunning 12-length win in the Group I Doncaster Racing Post Trophy.

Connections bypassed the Epsom Derby with Celtic Swing because of concerns about the firm ground, setting him instead for the French Derby, which he won. Celtic Swing briefly stood in Australia at Collingrove Stud in Victoria, from 1997 until 1999.

He sired 23 stakes winners from 11 crops, none better than seven-time Group I winner Takeover Target.

Celtic Swing died in Italy in September 2010 following a short colic-related illness.

Howmuchdoyouloveme’s grand-dam, Excited Regent, produced eight named foals, seven of which raced. Six won, led by Kenmare colt Kendel Star, which won nine races between 1000m and 1700m and was runner-up in the 1993 Group II MVRC Bill Stutt Stakes.

Kendel Star has been at stud in Western Australia since 1995 and has sired 60 winners from 108 runners.

The Con Karakastanis-trained Howmuchdoyouloveme won the Ramornie at his fifth start. Takeover Target did so at his sixth.

GUN CAMERAMAN PASSES AWAY

Tony Leonard (right), a legendary equine photographer who chronicled the golden age of Thoroughbred racing, died July 14 at Homestead Nursing Home in Lexington. He was 89.

Born Leonard Anthony Bergantino on Aug. 8, 1922 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Leonard served in the Army during World War II and became a professional entertainer after the war, performing first in nightclubs across the country and eventually on Broadway. He took up the stage name of Tony Leonard at the suggestion of Bob Hope’s manager and came to Kentucky in 1961 with his wife Adelle.

Deciding to settle down in the bluegrass, Leonard began taking pictures of horses in the area as a hobby that soon turned into a full-time profession. He first made his name in racing when he went to Darby Dan Farm in Lexington and photographed the great Ribot in his paddock. Several of the photos appeared as part of a feature in the Morning Telegraph and Leonard was on his way to a career as a Thoroughbred photographer.

Leonard spent 50 years taking pictures of racing’s greatest stars and developed an outstanding reputation. His photos graced many magazine covers; his style one that many protégés sought to master.

“Tony set the standard that all equine photographers strive to achieve,” photographer Matt Goins remarked. “Knowing and working around him was one of the great pleasures of my life.”

Leonard was also known for developing the conformation shot, now widely used within the industry.

“My goal in taking a conformation pose is to present each stallion exactly alike,” he said of his groundbreaking concept. “That way, breeders could see exactly what they were looking for physically-strong shoulder, correct legs, hind quarters, pastern length, a compact or lengthy body-qualities that would match well with their mare.”

Among the many prominent farm owners he met early on were Brownell Combs of Spendthrift Farm and Preston and Anita Madden of Hamburg Place.

“He was a perfectionist,” Anita Madden remarked. “He worked so hard to make sure your horse was shown off to its very best. There is an art to that and an artist’s eye involved.”

Leonard will always be remembered for his many images of the great Secretariat; he followed the Meadow Stable star through the Triple Crown and continued to capture the champion romping in his paddock, or duly posed for more formal shots, when “Big Red” was retired to Claiborne Farm. He shot the last formal portrait of Secretariat not long before the runner’s death in October of 1989.

Leonard also chronicled the accomplishments of the only other Triple Crown winners since Secretariat—Seattle Slew and Affirmed—as well as such greats as Spectacular Bid, Cigar, Personal Ensign, and John Henry. He came to be considered “The Ansel Adams of Equine Photography” and was awarded the International Photographic Council Lifetime Achievement Award by the United Nations in 2004. In 1994, his photograph of the field rounding the turn at Keeneland during a spring snowstorm earned him a coveted Eclipse Award. He served as the personal photographer to Queen Elizabeth II during both of her visits to the Blue Grass region.

Secretariat

ELIZA'S FOUR ACES

Nice wrap from Joel Marshall in this week’s Winning Post.

What he didn’t have on hand at the time of going to print, was Howmuchdoyouloveme’s demolition of the Listed Ramornie Handicap at Grafton yesterday.

That now makes it nine stakes performers from two crops of racing age for Written Tycoon … that’s over 14% stakes horses to runners!

The Queensland breeding industry received a significant boost early this year when leading Victorian stud farm Eliza Park announced it would be establishing a division in the sunshine state.

When Eliza Park acquired the renowned and successful Racetree Stud property and made the decision to send champion first-season sire Written Tycoon north to lead the charge on a fee of $15,400, it knew the move would be well received.

Eliza Park nominations manager Mark Lindsay said the decision to send Written Tycoon, sire of eight stakes performers from his first two crops, to the Queensland farm “serves to show the industry our commitment to Queensland”.

“Written Tycoon has been one of our most popular stallions since arriving at Eliza Park, covering large books of mares each season. “His capture of the national first-season sires’ premiership (2010/11) really broke the glass ceiling for non NSW-based stallions and he’s proving it’s no fluke with his current high standing on the second-season chart (second to Artie Schiller).

“It makes sense to send him north. He’s worked successfully with a wide range of broodmare sires in Victoria and he’ll have an even wider cross section of mares at his new home.

“He’s a tremendously versatile stallion with a clear ability to upgrade his mares.

“Besides, he’s by the ill-fated but highly successful Queensland sire Iglesia, he was bred in the state and one of his best performers to date is Trump, winner of the Group 3 Gunsynd Classic in Brisbane.”

Joining Written Tycoon on the Eliza Park Queensland roster are a pair of young stallions gearing up for their stud debut. The introduction of Love Conquers All (fee $13,750) and Pressday ($9900) gives Queensland broodmare two very attractive freshman options. The most expensive yearling by Mossman ever sold, Love Conquers All is a cracking type.

Aptly, he will fill the same box as his sire did when the Eliza Park Queensland property was known as Noble Park.

Trained by Team Hawkes, Love Conquers All (below) would string together five stakes wins, defeating along the way the Group 1 winners Hay List, More Joyous, Hot Danish, Rangirangdoo, King Mufhasa, Metal Bender, Sniper’s Bullet and Black Piranha.

Second in two time-honoured Group 1 races – the Doncaster and the Doomben 10,000 – Love Conquers All would also run a nose second in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes.

A half-brother to stakes-winning juvenile She’s Meaner, Love Conquers All is out of the Group 1-winning mare She’s a Meanie.

His barnmate Pressday was cut from similar cloth – a superb athlete with a lightning turn of foot and ability to carry that speed to a mile. Trained by Chris Waller, Pressday was sent to Brisbane as a winter two-year-old in 2010 and swept all before him, taking out the Group 2 Champagne Classic before capturing the Group 2 Sires’ Produce Stakes.

In his final juvenile assignment, Pressday would take the Group 1 T.J. Smith to sweep Brisbane’s two-year-old triple crown, becoming the first horse since Lovely Jubly in 2002 to achieve the feat and only the second horse ever (this year, Sizzling became the third.)

Franking the form as a spring three-year-old, Pressday would take out the Group 2 Sandown Guineas, prompting trainer Waller to state: “On pure ability, there is a not a horse in the stable that can match Pressday.”

That’s a considerable wrap from a trainer who has saddled up 13 Group 1 winners since 2010.

Pressday is a first-crop son of group-winning two-year-old Domesday, in turn a son of the highly influential Red Ransom.

Pressday, both in physique and bearing, closely resembles his grandsire, who has worked extremely well on both sides of the equator with more than 100 stakes winners to his credit. Most prominent among them are Australian horse of the year Typhoon Tracy, Dubai World Cup winner Electrocutionist, Charge Forward, Duporth and, importantly, the Eliza Park-bred Group 1 winner Red Dazzler, the reigning champion Queensland fi rst-season sire.

Adding to his credentials, Pressday hails from a Group 1-winning family.

The fourth stallion on Eliza Park Queensland’s debut roster, unlike his barnmates, is not new to his surroundings.

Something of a stalwart in the sunshine state, Monashee Mountain (fee $8800) requires little introduction to Queensland breeders.

Since heading to stud back in 2001 with group victories at two and three to his credit, this bred-in-the-purple entire has carved a niche for himself in the northern state with a host of stakes winners including Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap hero La Montagna.

This season, Monashee Mountain has produced another good set of numbers with more than 60 winners, including the two-year-old stakes performer Holey Gadoley. Typical of his sire’s tough, honest progeny, Holey Gadoley has had 14 starts and finished in the quinella in half of them.

Few stallions can lay claim to as impressive a pedigree as Monashee Mountain: he is by the immortal Danzig out of a Mr Prospector mare and is a half-brother to four stakes winners including US horse of the year Mineshaft.

With 430 winners including 15 stakes winners worldwide, Monashee Mountain has clearly lived up to expectations.

This year’s tick of approval from Eliza Park can be expected to open even more doors for the stallion.

WE LOVE YOU LOTS!

Howmuchdoyouloveme became the second stakes winner for Eliza Park Stud based Written Tycoon when the promising three year-old trounced the field in the Ramornie Handicap on Wednesday.

"Today I wanted to show people how good he is and I tell you what, there’s only improvement in him. I switched him off at the 100 metres.”

Trainer Con Karakatsanis will now head Howmuchdoyouloveme towards the Melbourne spring saying; "We don’t know how good this horse is. He’s an absolute superstar at this stage. He just runs on raw ability."

Howmuchdoyouloveme is out of the unraced Celtic Swing mare Betula Belle, a half-sister to stakesplaced Kendel Star.

The family goes back to include champion stallion Lyphard and VRC Oaks winner Magical Miss.

Last year's Champion First season Sire, Written Tycoon has had a strong second season, having also had the stakeswinning Trump and currently sits second behind Artie Schiller on the Second Season table.

He has been relocated to Eliza Park's new Queensland operation for the 2012 season where he will stand for $15,400.

MOUNTAIN REVELS IN STAKES WIN

Breeding & Racing has reported that Queensland stalwart, Monashee Mountain (below), can add another stakes win to the scrapbook with the comprehensive victory of Revelstoke last week. Monashee Mountain, who now has over 400 winners to his credit, is also the sire of 17 stakes winners and 14 stakes placegetters worldwide.

In the US, Eliza Park’s Queensland-based Gr3-winning stallion Monashee Mountain (Danzig-Prospectors Delite, by Mr Prospector) added a black-type success when 4YO mare Revelstoke (ex. Libeccio, by Danzatore) scored a 4.75-lengths victory in the US$75,000 Listed Firecracker Handicap (8 furlongs on turf) for fillies & mares at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia, to improve upon her runner-up effort in this same race last year. Revelstoke took her record to 4 wins & 9 placings (including 2011’s Listed West Virginia Senate President's Stakes over 8 furlongs at Mountaineer Park and Listed Firecracker Handicap over 8 furlongs at Mountaineer Park) from 20 starts for US$165,277 earnings.

NOMS EXTENDED

Racing Victoria (RV) has announced it has extended the VOBIS Gold nomination deadline for the inaugural crop of yearlings to this Friday, 13 July due to an overwhelming response from owners.

“We knew VOBIS Gold was a fantastic incentive scheme for owners, but the nominations have truly exceeded our expectations with the entries topping 1400 horses which is 40% above our year one target,” RV Chief Operating Officer, Bernard Saundry, said.

“Due to the volume of entries received in the days following the 30 June entry deadline, the Board has decided to allow these horses into the scheme given the best intentions of their owners to compete.

“Taking this into consideration and giving account to the scheme’s infancy, we have decided to extend the deadline out to 13 July to allow those owners that didn’t realise there were no late entry options for the scheme to enter their yearlings too.”

Thanks to the support of the Victorian Coalition Government, the one-off yearling nomination fee for VOBIS Gold is only $1100. This fee will remain unchanged for the period of extension.

VOBIS Gold nominated horses will race for $20,000 bonuses right throughout their career and will be eligible for an exclusive premier race series at two and three years of age.

For further information on VOBIS Gold and instructions on how to easily nominate visit www.vobisgold.com.au or phone RV on (03) 9258 4694.