A full sister to Our Joan of Arc, an impressive winner of the Group Three Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) at Flemington on Derby day is heading to January's Magic Millions Yearling Sale at the Gold Coast.

Already a stakes winner of the Gimcrack Stakes in Sydney on debut, Our Joan of Arc bounced back from a luckless run at Moonee Valley a week earlier to claim an authoritative win.

The Beautiful Crown filly sat on the speed set by Happy Knockout before striding to the front and then clearing away for an easy victory.  Trainer Clarry Conners said the filly would be sent straight to the paddock with the Golden Slipper as her main target.

"She'll spell now straight away," Conners commented. "And be set for the Slipper."

The Maribyrnong Plate wasn't originally on the agenda for Our Joan of Arc, but after her unlucky effort at the Valley when fourth, Conners backed her up.

"We weren't going to run in this, but because she didn't have a hard run last week so I decided to keep her going - thank god I did."

Connections have always had a good opinion of Our Joan of Arc - a filly who has about 20 owners - many of them first time racehorse owners.

The full sister to Our Joan of Arc will be heading to the Gold Coast yearling sale next year and will be offered as part of the draft from Mick Nolan's Noralla Stud. Magic Millions bloodstock manager Paul Knight said the filly was an attractive youngster who would attract plenty of interest at the sale.

"She's a lovely bodied filly," Knight said. "A strong, racy, athletic type - a real Magic Millions style yearling."

"She's a ripping filly," he added.

Our Joan of Arc, is one of two stakes performers and seven winners from Bright Heroine. A stakes performed daughter of Bluebird, Bright Heroine is also the dam of the five time winner and Perth stakes placegetter Dominic.

Bright Heroine is a full sister to Love at Large, the stakes performed dam of former Conners star Inspire - a winner of over $715,000 including the rich Magic Millions Cup.

The finishing touches are currently being put to the catalogue for January's pin-up sale with the sister to Our Joan of Arc just one of the quality lots confirmed for the auction.

October 5th, 2008

Clarry Conners could be on the way to his best success yet with the Beautiful Crown progeny, taking out the first Australian metropolitan race of the new year for juveniles, the Listed $100,000 Gimcrack Stakes for fillies which opened the big Randwick program on Saturday, October 4th, with the exciting filly Our Joan of Arc, an October 7 foal. 

It was a remarkable effort as she had the outside gate and despite a soft track, covered the 1000m in new race record time of 0:58.03. Real Saga, the Tale of the Cat winner of the next race, the Breeders’ Plate for the juvenile males, was timed at 0:58.29.

Our Joan of Arc is only the second horse syndicated by Scott and Renee Darby through their Darby Racing, one which is located at Narellan in the Camden district, a cradle of Australian breeding, and reflects an ability to assess physical quality at the sale ring and to read pedigrees. She cost $15,000 at the Sydney Classic yearling sale and was by far the cheapest of any of the 24 youngsters who lined up at Randwick.

The price was remarkable value as she is now not only the 269th winner by Beautiful Crown, but she is the seventh winner for her dam Bright Heroine, a two times stakes placed sister by the influential sire Bluebird to Adelaide winner and Melbourne Listed third Love at Large. She is the dam of Inspire, a Rory’s Jester winner of nine races headed by the Group 3 VRC Carbine Club Stakes.

Tom Coureuse, Crown Princess, In Top Swing, Western Beau and Our Joan of Arc were all bred and marketed by Andrew and Lasca Bowcock using their own or clients mares. A third generation of the Bowcock family to operate out of the historic Segenhoe Valley near Scone, the Bowcock’s head the syndicate that bought Beautiful Crown in America and stood him as the foundation sire at the Alanbridge Stud they founded at the intersection of the Pages and Hunter rivers.

Early this year, the Bowcock’s sold Alanbridge to coal mining enriched Nathan Tinkler, investor in the past 12 months of over $100million in bloodstock, breeding farms and training complexes. He has renamed Alanbridge and an adjacent stud that he has acquired Patinack Farm and is standing four sires in the current season. 

One of these sires is Beautiful Crown and he is at the stud by arrangement with his Bowcock headed syndicate. He is on a fee of $16,500 and is again looking at a book well in excess of 100. He has had 100 or more mares in each of seven seasons, including 159 in 2003 and has registered fertility in excess of 90% on six occasions.

August 18th, 2008

One of the bigger fields on the Premiere Stakes card at Rosehill was the Fairfield RSL Handicap which was won by the reliable Beautiful Crown mare, Star of Crown.

Star Of Crown has a great strike rate at Rosehill with four wins from six starts at the venue. She has been racing in solid fashion and the victory gave her owners an additional bonus as one of her connections is a member of the Australian three-day equestrian team who won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Ridden by comeback jockey, Craig Agnew, Star Of Crown (ex Gaby's Paddock by Luskin Star) scored by three-quarters of a length over Silver Raven (Jan Murray - Joyseeker by At Talaq) with Hairy (Fuji Kiseki - Fianl Waltz by Danehill) a nose away in third.

Star Of Crown is by Beautiful Crown who stands at Patinack Farm in New South Wales at a fee of $16,500 (inc gst).

March 30th, 2008

  Having just her third start, Tenant's Tiara raced on the pace, in a muddling run event and had too much of a 'kick' to out gun her opponents in scoring her most important career victory.  In doing so she gave her sire, Beautiful Crown his eighth black type winner.

  A member of the Kevin Moses stable, Tenant's Tiara continued her rapid rise through the classes when she defeated Espurante (Flying Spur - La Rose Noir by Centaine) by a half-length with the race favourite Murtajill (Rock of Gibraltar - Skating by At Talaq) another length away third.

  Tenant's Tiara was a $20,000 buy from the 2006 Magic Millions yearling sale by Dean Watt's Dynamic Syndication and she has since returned more than $150,000 to her syndicate of owners.  A healthy return on their investment!

 There was a bonus in the win for the owners when they were offered a free service to Strada at Widden Stud when she finishes her racing career.  And, not surprisingly, the syndicate said they would gladly take up the offer.   

  Strada had also won this race during his career in 2006 when it was known as the Eskimo Prince Stakes.

  Trainer Kevin Moses told TVN after the event that he will consider running her in the PJ Bell Handicap-LR over the same distance and track on April 26th as her next assignment.

  "Dean did a good job picking her out at the sales," Moses added.

  Tenant's Tiara is the only runner to date for the three time winning Hennessy mare Maintenant, a daughter of Soudain (by Marauding) who in turn is out of Sudden (by Boucher) the dam of the Group I Golden Slipper Slipper, AJC Champagne and Sires' Produce Stakes, winner Burst (by Marauding).

  Her sire Beautiful Crown had a good sale during the premier session of the Magic Millions yearling sale on the Gold Coast where his yearlings averaged a tick under $100,000.  He stands at Patinack Farm (formerly known as Alanbridge Stud) where his service fee last spring was $16,500 (inc gst).

February 22nd, 2007

  David Hayes had the numbers but rival trainer Phillip Stokes had the right horse in yesterday’s Magic Millions Adelaide 2YO Classic at Morphettville.
As he does in Saturday’s Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield, Hayes had five runners in the Millions.
But it was the Stokes-trained Truly Beautiful (Beautiful Crown - Zabstar by Zabeel) who ran away with the prize. 
  A $65,000 purchase at the Magic Millions sale a year ago, Truly Beautiful cruised behind the leaders until the final furlong when jockey Luke Nolen brought her through the pack with a defiant run.
  Truly Beautiful went on to score by two lengths from the Hayes-trained Swirly Dream (Alannan - Jon's Pleasure by Jon George) whose stablemate Canitellya (Hussonet - Draw Card by Arch Sculptor) finished third.

Beautiful Crown has 4 yearlings catalogued for sale at the Magic Millions Premier Yearling Sale (March 25-26).

January 15th, 2007

The five-year-old son of Beautiful Crown, Flaming (ex Mahlin by Mister C) carried top weight to take out the Star City Handicap (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trained by Gai Waterhouse and ridden by her apprentice Josh Parr, Flaming led all the way to defeat Turaga (Danehill Dancer - Main Event by Karioi Star) by 3-3/4 lengths.  With A Chance (Commands - Career Collection by Snippets) was a long head away in third.

Parr told TVN that he loved being in the spotlight and that he was pleased he was making the most of his opportunities with Waterhouse. 

"I love it when they go away and I wish they were away all the time," Parr said. 

January 1st 2006

Andrew Bowcock, a third generation of a family which has been breeding good horses in the Segenhoe Valley for sixty years, had a beautiful Christmas as far as racing results are concerned. Two gifts were impressive winners in Sydney on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day by progeny of Beautiful Crown, former dashing American sprinter who stands at his Alanbridge Stud, one which lies along the Hunter River close to the giant Darley operation. 

Both bred on Alanbridge, the winners were Crown Town, a four-year-old gelding in the Joseph Pride stables who was successful at Warwick Farm on Saturday, and then Assertive, conquerer of the glamour Show a Heart youngster Pulsator in Monday's juvenile event at Randwick. Appreciating the longer distance of the race, 1200 metres, the Bart Cummings trained Assertive came with a very strong finish to score convincingly and suggest that he is a good prospect to be another major winner for Beautiful Crown starting with the million dollar Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast on January 14.

Raced by a partnership comprising Andrew Bowcock, his wife and Mr and Mrs Wilf Mula, Assertive had run only once before, coming from the rear of the field to be fourth of 11 in a race over 1100 metres at Rosehill Gardens on December 10.

Also represented on metropolitan tracks in December by the three-year-olds Becks Crown, successful at Doomben on December 14, and Chaud Roche, two seconds during the month at Randwick, the Bowcock headed syndicate importation Beautiful Crown has been a good sire ever since his first crop raced in 2001-02. To date he has had 144 winners of over 360 races and $7.5million. 

His progeny have won up to Group 1 level and have been successful in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Avondale (NZ) and also on most provincial and country tracks.

This representative of the Danzig male line, the source also of Danehill, could have some more good performers among the18 lots he has in the catalogue for the Conrad Jupiters Magic Millions yearling sale at the Gold Coast commencing January 12.Seven of these yearlings are from Alanbridge with the first of them into the ring, Lot 8, being a brother to Bella Corona, a winner in both Sydney (a Listed stakes) and Melbourne, runner up in two Group 2 events, the MVRC Champagne Stakes and STC Magic Night Stakes, and third in the Group 3 STC Sweet Embrace Stakes.

The Alanbridge consignment for the Gold Coast also includes offspring of Falvelon, Choisir, Carnegie, Galileo and Success Express. The latter yearling is a half-sister to Assertive and also to another Beautiful Crown stakes winner in Western Beau, all products of Western Show. She is a Best Western mare related to Golden Slipper winner and VRC Newmarket Handicap winner Toy Show. and also to Bazelle, winner on Boxing Day in New Zealand of the Group1 Zabeel Classic and earlier successful in the Auckland Cup and runner up in the Moonee Valley Cup. 

By Brian Russell

November 14th, 2005

Trainer Barbara Joseph ushered in a promising duo of fillies with Ballybelle and A Country Girl when they ran the quinella in the AHA Blacktown Hcp (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

The Beautiful Crown three-year-old Ballybelle (ex Ballybla by Runyon) had the last shot at her stable mate A Country Girl (Sinspiel - Verdict Declared by Mr Henrysee) in the shadow of the post to score by a neck.  KaKaKaKatie (Zeditave - St Kate by Danehill) was third a length-and-a-quarter away.

Joseph said after the race that she believes she has found two fillies with enough talent and scope to spearhead her autumn carnival team.

"It's been a quiet time since Ain't Seen Nothin' went and it's nice to have two nice fillies in the stable," Joseph said.

"Ballybelle will probably have one more run and go out and the same for A Country Girl and then they can come back for the autumn.

"It's very exciting. It's only the off season but I think they've shown enough."

September 26th, 2005

At Randwick on Saturday, Flaming made it three wins from as many runs this campaign when taking the out the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) on Saturday.

A powerful chestnut by the ultra consistent sire Beautiful Crown, Flaming has proven to be a great buy for Denise Martin’s Star Thoroughbreds, who paid $25,000 for him from the 2003 Sires' Produce Yearling sale, winning six out of eight all up with prize money of $169,400.

Prepared by Gai Waterhouse, Flaming has chalked up six wins from seven starts with four of them in class record time and on Saturday he broke a 12 year old race record in winning the Bill Ritchie. 

Flaming was offered for sale by Kooringal Stud as agent and is the first foal of the Mister C (USA) mare Mahlin, who traces back to outstanding broodmare Prujoy, a sister to Group One winners Tolerance and Pterylaw. 

Waterhouse Racing Manager, Richard Haynes, said that Flaming will now join his stablemate Mr Celebrity in the Group One Epsom Handicap this Saturday at Royal Randwick, a race that is shaping as an exciting showcase for the up and coming brigade.

September 11th, 2005

At Rosehill on Saturday, one of that state's promising gallopers Flaming further enhanced his reputation with an authoritative win in the Schweppervescence 3YO+ C6 Handicap (1300m).

Ridden by Hugh Bowman, who gave the four-year-old chestnut son of Beautiful Crown a lovely run on the fence behind the leader Mr Aristos (Danewin) and as the field entered the straight Bowman angled him away from the fence.  For a few strides it appeared that he bumped Regal Gaze however it wasn't enough to stop his momentum to push away from the pocket and when he did he let down quickly spacing his rivals to score by 1-1/4 lengths from Shilo (Octagonal - Quilt by Danehill) with Croatian Prince ( Flying Spur - Tennesse Morn by Bletchingly) another 2-1/4 lengths away in third. 

In scoring his fifth win from seven starts, Flaming (ex Mahlin by Mister C) recorded 1:16.84 for the journey covering his final section, 600m, in a slick 35.20 seconds.

June 12th, 2005

For Valour gave Mitchell Hudson the biggest thrill of his training career with a sensational last-to-first performance to take out the Listed June Stakes (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday.

It was the first stakes victory in Hudson's 15 years of training and something that had been months in the planning.

I've had him set for this race for four months. He's a good horse and people have underestimated him for so long.

When the rain came, Hudson was feeling even better saying, "I was just hoping to get a bit of this rain, God bless it, and Mathew Cahill rode him beautifully, he rode the race to instructions."

For Valour started at the healthy odds of $79 and after settling worse than midfield off a hectic speed he unleashed a slashing sprint home to score by 2-1/4 lengths like a 6-4 favourite!  

For Valour was second-up having finished midfield behind Mantario at Rosehill last time out and the win, his fifth, boosted his prizemoney tally to more than $150,000.

Hudson said he would consider targeting the Ramornie Handicap at Grafton in July but feels For Valour is at his best over slightly further.

The victory was made more special for Hudson by the fact he bought For Valour's dam, Quick Glance (by Palace Music), at a broodmare sale and bred the gelding himself.

Runner-up Eastwest Success (Kenvain - Chain of Ponds by Red Tony) chased hard but was no match for the winner with Turaga (Danehill Dancer - Main Event by Karioi Star) coming from near last for third another head away.

March 6th, 2005

Beautiful Crown, the very popular former dazzling American sprinter by the Danzig sire Chief's Crown located at the Bowcock's Alanbridge Stud in the Segenhoe Valley near Scone, was represented by his second Guineas winner when his third crop three-year-old Western Beau took out the $71,000 Canberra Guineas on Saturday, February 26th.

Beautiful Crown had been represented earlier in his second crop by another Alanbridge product in the lightly raced In Top Swing, the winner of the 2003 Group1 Caulfield Guineas convincingly from a field that included Kempinsky (third), Elvstroem, Exceed and Excel and Hasna.

Now one of over 100 individual winners got by Beautiful Crown in his first three crops, the Marc Conners, Warwick Farm trained Western Beau has run ten times for four wins and two seconds. Four of the outings were at two and resulted in two wins, one of them at Randwick, and two seconds, while his earlier efforts at three have included a win in the Listed Heritage Stakes at Rosehill Gardens and a fifth in the Group 2 Stan Fox Stakes at Warwick Farm,

A brother to a colt which cost Bart Cummings $125,000 at the Magic Millions sale at the Gold Coast in January, he is from Western Show, a mare Best Western, a Bletchingly sire who stood all his stud career in Gerry Harvey's ownership and who supplied 250 winners of over 800 races and $7million.

 Best Western is now a prominent broodmare sire including his daughters being represented by 59 winners of $1,664,780 in the 2003-04 racing year.

None of Western Beau's first three dams raced but his mother is a half-sister to Newcastle Spring Stakes winner Bright Kite and from Toy Mistress, a Showdown mare who is a sister to Toy Show, the winner in 1975 of the Golden Slipper, VRC Newmarket Handicap and AJC Sires' Produce Stakes. Another of their siblings, two-year-old stakes placed Badine, is the dam of Joindre, winner of the two Derby's in Perth and later sire of some good winners.

Five-year-old For Valour claimed the Bride To Be Handicap (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday for his young trainer Mitchell Hudson.

Ridden by talented heavyweight jockey, Justin Sheehan, For Valour was sent forward to sit outside the leader, Desert Dane, when the race was unfolding at a moderate tempo.

Sheehan, sent For Valour home in to claim a three-quarters-of-a-length victory over Set Free (Red Ransom - Kincay by Marscay) with Red Hot Pepper (Grand Lodge - Bridget's Daughter by Best Western) getting home late neck away in third. 

In chalking up his fourth win from 20-starts For Valour ran the journey out in 1:17.87 covering the last 600m 34.35.

Hudson said, “For the moment he can go through his grades but down the track we might look at a race like the Wagga Town Plate.”

Crown Princess appeared well placed in the Flower Power Hcp (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday and didn't let her supporters down with a determined win.

Crown Princess was coming off a quick back up at the Kensington track on October 16 when she failed to handle the step up in distance. Back to a suitable race she powered home to score by 2-1/4 lengths over Golden Weekend (Nine Carat - Opera Weekend by Paris Opera) with Zanzara Bank (Al Jassi - Lady Jan by Jan Murray) a length away third.

October 10th, 2004

Crown Princess made a timely return to form in the Ingham's Love 'Em Handicap (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday. 

With a year between victories her trainer Marc Conners, said "I hope it doesn't take me another year to win her next one!".

Crown Princess (ex Antolomeo by Tolomeo) only just got home with a slender half-head margin over Golden Weekend (Nine Carat - Opera Weekend by Paris Opera) with Before Too Long (Belong to Me - Asian Reef by Manila) 2-1/4 lengths away in third. 

Crown Princess has always shown above average ability with a good win in the Group 3 MRC Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m) last year at Caulfield.

Conners said, "We were going to take her to Melbourne but I'll just wait and see. She'll probably have one more run here and if we take her south we'll look for one of the nice mares races for her". 

In Sydney on Saturday at Rosehill, spring was in the air with a strong card and Beautiful Crown's consistent galloper Western Beau left his mark on the card taking out the Heritage Stakes (1200m). 

The good looking chestnut showed his class in a a race that didn't appear to suited as his young trainer Mark Conners thought he may need further.  Only having his sixth start Western Beau has now recorded three wins and two seconds for his connections.

Ridden by Craig Agnew, who settled Western Beau settled off the speed he showed a very good turn of foot in beating the well fancied Bolshy (Fasliyev - Laundrette by Taufan) by a long-neck with Star Cat (Catbird - Magdalena by Snaadee) 1-1/2 lengths away in third.

Western Beau now heads towards the AJC Stan Fox Stakes (1400m) and then to Melbourne for the group one Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 9.

Earlier in the day at Kembla Grange, Beautiful Crown had sired the impressive four length Maiden winner Cavmac (ex On Tanya's Terms by Maizcay) at his second start. 

At Morphettville on Saturday, Uxorial made it two wins in a row when she took out the Haigh's Chocolate Handicap (1540m).

The Beautiful Crown three-year-old showed a good turn of foot to defeat Vintner (Hennessy - Dane Vintage by Danzero) with Sunmaya (Monolith - Starmaya by Dalmacia) a short neck away in third.

In winning her second race from only six starts Uxorial (ex My Wife's Advice by Danger) looks very promising as she was up sharply in grade on Saturday.

In his first five runs back this preparation, Beautiful Crown's gelding son, Tom Coureuse had been a model of consistency without winning finishing no further back then fifth and on Saturday Tom Coureuse broke through to chalk up his third career victory in the Woolworths Handicap (1350m) at NCF Doomben on Saturday.