CAVIAR COVER STORY

Here’s an interesting tidbit. The first mare covered by Bel Esprit in the spring of 2005 was the Desert Sun mare, Helsinge ... 6am on Thursday 1 September.

The result? One Black Caviar!

(Coincidentally, 1 September 2005 was the final day of Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans … clearly replacing one force of nature with another!).

Seven years later – at 6am on 1 September 2012 – Bel Esprit covered the mare Solarco, owned by Kyneton trainer Tricia Cox.

Solarco is also out of a Desert Sun mare …

LADY OF THE MOUNTAIN

One stallion whose credit isn’t commensurate with his stud record is Monashee Mountain (below).

Well known in Queensland as the sire of Group One Stradbroke winner La Montagna, he was at it again today when his lightly raced mare, Lady Montel, got up in a thriller over 1040m at Doomben – her fifth win and second placing from just 14 outings.

But the amount of winners this bloke produces (all over the globe) is pretty remarkable. With well over 450 winners to his credit, in the first five days of this month alone he has produced Queensland double and a winner in North America on the 1^st, a winner in the States from his only runner on the 3^rd (the stakes winner Revelstoke), a winner in NSW yesterday and the city win today.

ACE PERFORMANCE

Commanding win today by the Justin Warwick trained, Battle Ace in the Membership Packages Handicap over 1700m at Belmont.

The Bel Esprit gelding was second up from a spell and stepping up in distance, but finished all over the top of rivals to score by two lengths on the wire.

It was Battle Ace’s second win in town and he is out of the Encosta de Lago mare, Costa Reiko, a very close relation to Group One winner and sire, Delago Brom.

ELIZA PARK OPEN DAY

The 2012 Eliza Park Open Day last Friday was a winner … in every sense of the word.

The stallions looked superb, media celebrity Simon O’Donnell was a terrific MC, a record crowd flocked to Kerrie (over 500), the Living Legends Online Auction again raised much needed funds, the Industry Expo proved to be very popular AND the weather was – ‘miraculous’.

Amazingly, rain was threatening all morning and if you’ll excuse pun, was odds on to put a real dampener on the whole day. However, sunshine arrived with the first trickle of the faithful and held all afternoon.

It certainly portrayed the stars of the show (i.e. the stallions) in the best light and it was difficult to determine (post parade) which of the 10 stallions – Astronomer Royal, Bel Esprit, Bushranger, God’s Own, Magnus, Sharkbite, Shinzig, Statue of Liberty, Wanted and the new boy Moshe – had garnered the best reviews.

Meanwhile, the Industry Expo – featuring ‘marquee displays’ from pretty much every facet of the industry (taxation to nutrition, veterinary to syndication, et al) – was again an added highlight with all 15 ‘outside’ exhibitors ecstatic with the level of interest.

(Every division of the Eliza Park operation – encompassing the four Victorian farms – was also on ‘show’).

The Online Auction – which was enhanced by ‘live’ bids from attendees – ended up being busier than Collins Street at peak hour, but was a lot of fun and raised over $60,000 for Living Legends, the International Home of Rest for Champion Horses. Speaking of which, two of the champs – Rogan Josh and Apache Cat – were front and centre in marquee city and drew a lot of admirers (you’d like one of those in your backyard!).

To top it all off, the entertainment (song and dance man, Alex Kyle) was first class and so were the refreshments … those sausage sandwiches were to die for (and certainly a step up in class from the measly snag outside Bunnings on Father’s Day).

See you next year!

BANK ON BUSHRANGER

Champion 2YO, Bushranger, was all the rage at last week’s Doncaster Yearling Sale in England with two of his first crop youngsters selling up to 90,000 pounds ($A138,000) and averaging over $A50,000 for 20 yearlings sold.

Taking out the juvenile title on both sides of the Channel with record breaking Group One performances, the writing was on the wall for Bushranger when his weanlings sold up to $112,000 in England and Ireland, garnering favourable reviews from agent and trainer alike.

However, the reception was nothing like last week with leading industry figures really opening up – both verbally and fiscally – for the Bushranger yearlings.

Here’s just some of the comments from the Doncaster devotees …

“He was a very attractive colt with a good walk” – Charlie Hills, who purchased a Bushranger colt for £90,000 on behalf of Shadwell Stud, which also drew the following remark from Shadwell’s Angus Gold (top right): “He just looked uncomplicated. He looks like – and his pedigree also suggests – that he should be a 2YO and he’s by a sire who is really stamping his stock.”

(The colt’s dam was purchased two years ago for just 15,000 guineas, prompting vendor Paul McCartan to comment: “We sent her to Bushranger because he was all speed”).

Shadwell also outbid BBA Ireland to secure another £90,000 Bushranger colt with trainer William Haggis doing the legwork: “I thought he looked very racy, as do all the Bushrangers – let’s hope he’s fast. He looks as though he’ll be fast though and hopefully he’ll be an early type”.

Melbourne Cup winning trainer Dermot Weld will also put the polish on another colt which was snapped up by agent Bobby O’Ryan for £65,000: “He looks a 2YO and I’m a BIG fan of Bushranger”.

Leading agent, Peter Doyle, has been watching the Bushranger progeny very closely and said after the Tattersalls December Sale that: “Bushranger is the only one that’s got my attention so far. The ones I’ve seen have been strong, good-walking sorts”.

He clearly wasn’t whistling Dixie when he stepped up and paid £77,000 for a Bushranger colt at Doncaster, while Charlie Hills finished up with another Bushranger, paying £50,000 for a colt on behalf of BBA Ireland.

Not bad for a stallion that stands for just 6,500 euro at Tally-Ho Stud in Ireland and is on offer for $8,800 at Eliza Park this spring!

Speaking of which, Aussie ‘punters’ got a good look at him last Friday at Eliza Park’s Open Day, generating a lot of positive feedback from the large crowd. One pundit, after watching Bushranger parade and hearing of the results from Doncaster, said: “there hasn’t been this much talk about a Bushranger since Ned Kelly stopped at Glenrowan for a drink”.

ANGELIC WIN

Which way did she go? Huge win by God’s Own mare, Angelic Lass, at Wangaratta yesterday, scoring by nine lengths over 1400m for trainer Philip Evans.

Owned by the Evans family, this gal has now put together three wins and two placings from just 11 starts – and this was her second win on the trot after scoring at Swan Hill in mid August.

Angelic Lass is out of the Dehere mare, Carnival Lass and was bred by Matt Brown’s Monterey Stud.

God’s Own has produced a number of winners in the past week including the Brisbane victor, San Jose, last Wednesday and the nifty Manor Lady at Mornington last Thursday.

THEATRICAL STEPS OFF THE STAGE

The highly influential Nureyev horse, Theatrical (sire of Melbourne Cup winner, Media Puzzle) was put down last week due to the infirmities of old age. He was 30 and has been retired from stud duties since 2009.

Rated Champion US Turf Male of 1987 after six Group One victories (including the Breeders Cup Turf), Theatrical was crowned Champion Sire (AEI) in GB/Ireland in 1996 and was the sire of 80 stakes winners around the world including 20 at Group One level, among them Media Puzzle (below) and VRC Derby winner Portland Player. Raced by his breeders Bert and Diana Firestone, he was purchased by Allen Paulson for stud duties and stood at his Brookside Farm in Kentucky until Paulson's death in 2000. Theatrical then moved to Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms where he spent the remainder of his life: “We were honored to stand Theatrical and have him at Hill ‘n’ Dale for the past 11 years,” said Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms president John Sikura. “He was not only a great stallion, but had become like a member of our family. Our staff has done a fantastic job with the horse and cared for him so personally in his retirement, hand grazing him and tending to his every need.”