September 14th, 2008

Oaks bound filly Fly Higher is likely to return to Moonee Valley for the Group Two Bill Stutt Stakes following her eye catching win in the Veolia Enrivonmental Services Handicap (1509m) at that track this afternoon.

The Lee Freedman trained filly, who cost $380,000 at the 2007 Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast, is a stakes winner in the making according to connections.

"She's very progressive," Freedman said of Fly Higher. "She beat the colts and gave them a start. It was a good win."

"I like it when the three-year-old fillies can beat the colts. It's usually a pretty good sign of what's coming."

"Everything is pointed toward the (Victoria) Oaks," the Hall of Fame horseman added. "I might even run her in the Stutt Stakes here in two weeks."

"She's handled the track pretty well and she's coming along the right way."

Right from the time she first raced as a two-year-old, Fly Higher showed ability. On debut she beat all but stablemate and subsequent stakes winner Viennese at Sandown.

"We've always had a pretty good opinion of her," Freedman said. "We gave her two runs as a two-year-old and they were pretty good runs in unsuitable races."

"She won her maiden well and probably should have beaten the fillies the other day (when third at Caulfield)."

"She is by Lonhro (pictured) and from a nice family. She's been a lovely relaxed filly he whole way through."

Freedman was confident the promising young filly was amongst the horses to beat in today's race for three-year-olds.

"I thought she was a pretty good thing with a nice draw, but then she had the awkward draw. But as it turned out she was still a good thing."

"It needed a good ride," Freedman stated. "And it was a good ride."

Fly Higher ($3.20-$4.40) finished strongly over the top of her rivals to beat Memorise ($3.50-$3.60-$3.30 fav) by a long neck.

Third home was Dual Hemisphere ($16-$17) a further length and a quarter back.

Winning rider Dwayne Dunn was impressed with how the filly

"We had a bit of a game plan. We wanted to go back - they were spruiking Lloyd's horse (Memorise) and I was happy to follow it."

"We hit a bit of a traffic jam at the 600, so I had to get out and get wound up."

"She dug deep at the finish, it was a good effort," Dunn summed up.

A half brother to Fly Higher by leading shuttle sire Anabaa will be a highlight of the Newhaven Park draft at January's Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast.

"He'll be an admired yearling at the sale in January," Magic Millions' NSW representative Tony Williams said. "A quality individual indeed."

He is the latest yearling from the top producing Don't Say Halo mare Betrille.

A winner of four races, all at metropolitan level, Betrille was second in the listed Douglas Wadley Stakes at Eagle Farm and third in a listed Widden Stakes at Randwick. Fly Higher is one of two runners to race to date for Betrille. The other is the Doomben stakes winner Turban.

August 24th, 2008

Moonee Valley attracted a fabulous card with three black type races on offer on Saturday along with the conclusion of the Australia V Ireland jumping riders series so the racing fans travelled to the inner Melbourne city track.

The first stakes race up for grabs was the Listed Mitchell McKenzie Stakes (Essendon Nissan) and the strength of the field was a sign that although officially we are still in winter, spring was in the air and the result was fabulous for one of Australia's biggest studs, Darley.

Last season's narrow Golden Slipper runner-up and Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner, Von Costa de Hero (Encosta de Lago - Piavonic by Scenic), headed the field for the 1200m contest and went to the post as favourite along with Caulfield metropolitan winner Fury next in betting.

It was the Bendigo maiden winner that jumped best, Papercut, with Dean Yendall hunting the brown son of Johannesburg forward to set a very strong gallop while Craig Newitt hunted Fury along, with Acoustic Sound going up on the outside of them. 

Acoustic Sound took over as they rounded the turn and got a break. Once balanced up, Minnesota Shark finished off strongly to grab Acoustic Sound in the last bound to win his maiden in the Listed event giving his sire Lonhro his second stakes winner.

Acoustic Sound (Commands - Oscar's Pride by Zabeel), showed he has class picking up a black type cheque at only his third career start, while Captain Fantastic (Fantastic Light - Regal Ash by Green Desert), a group two winner in New Zealand, battled on well for third, giving Darley stallions the trifecta.

All three colts now look set for a rewarding spring, with Minnesota Shark appearing a particularly exciting prospect. A son of the Flying Spur mare Ponton Flyer, Minnesota Shark showed promise in all his four juvenile starts, including running third in the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude at Caulfield behind Exceed And Excel’s sons Wilander and Exceedingly Good, and fourth to Von Costa De Hero and Carnegie’s son Carnero in the G2 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Flemington. His relaxed style of racing, allied to the way he finished the race off so strongly, suggests that he will improve further over more ground, and his trainer Tommy Hughes agrees, saying after this first-up victory, “What he did last time was terrific and it was really a bonus for us to be stakes placed in his two-year-old season. He’s improved enormously this time in and the race will be a stepping stone to races like the Caulfield Guineas and (Victoria) Derby”.

Lonhro's fee this spring at Darley is $55,000 (inc gst).

July 27th, 2008

First season sire, Lonhro produced his sixth individual winner yesterday when Skytrain made a winning debut at Canterbury in the Stargazer Handicap.

Trained by Peter Snowden for Sheikh Mohammed, Skytrain, settled in third position and despite showing some signs of greenness, ran on impressively to win the 1200m contest by two-and-a-quarter lengths.

A Woodlands homebred, Skytrain is the fifth winner from the Luskin Star mare Que Sera Sera, who has also produced Group 2 winner Manana (by Crown Jester) and the Listed-winning duo Accept (by Military Plume) and Omens (by Octagonal).

Lonhro, stands alongside his sire Octagonal at Darley Denman at a fee of $55,000, is also sire of stakes winning Black Minx; and black type placers Segolene, Minnesota Shark and Shadrach.

June 8th, 2008

Star Lonhro filly Black Minx will be sent for a break and set for feature races during the early spring carnival in Sydney after yet another strong win in the listed Sir Douglas Wadley Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The filly, although small in stature, has a big motor and plenty of ticker, made to two wins from two starts this preparation that included a last start win in the $100,000 Magic Millions Rockhampton 2YO Trophy (1000m).

Trained at Toowoomba by Mark Webb, who told Larry Olsen from Sky Channel after the win; "She's just a really wonderful filly."

"A real pleasure to train. She's wonderful in the stable, has a great temperament and a bright future."

"We'll give her a little break now and hopefully set her for Sydney."

Part owner Bill Murray said the San Domenico Stakes on August 9 would be her first up run.

"That will be the first run at this stage. But we'll just take one race at a time," Webb added.

Webb said connections highlighted the Douglas Wadley as the race they would target this carnival after a campaign which was to have included the Group One Golden Slipper.

"If we didn't try and head to the Slipper we would have set her for the Sires' and races up here," Webb noted.

"Thankfully the (Magic Millions) race at Rockhampton worked in nicely for this race," he added.

The filly, purchased by leading New Zealand based bloodstock agent Paul Willetts for $260,000 from the draft of Willow Park Stud at the 2007 Magic Millions Yearling Sale, has won five of her six starts.

With her only defeat coming in the rich $1.5million Conrad Jupiters Magic Millions 2YO classic in March when she finished fourth, less than four lenghts from Augusta Proud.

"She's the best (two-year-old) filly I've had," Webb said.

"Clearly."

"She's only a tiny little thing and she's quickly building a big fan base. I think she'd only be 15 hands tops."

Saturday's win was the second at black type level for the filly who's other part owner is Oaklands Stud boss Neville Stewart.

Three runs back she scored a crushing win in the McDougall Stakes - this time on top of the ground.

Bred by Sydney bloodstock investor Jason Abrahams, Black Minx is the first named foal to date for the Group winning Danehill mare Faith Hill.  A winner of the Group Two Emancipation Stakes and listed Reginald Allen Handicap, Faith Hill all up won six races and earned her connections over $320,000. Faith Hill descends from a family that produced Pure of Heart (by Godswalk), winner of the Group I George Ryder Stakes and the dam of one of Queensland very best sires, Lion Hunter (by Danehill).

March 2nd, 2008

Black Minx is something special to her sire Lonhro not only was she his first winner - now she is his first stakes winner and she did it in a manner that suggests she has plenty of class - something Lonhro had plenty of.  

Black Minx unleashed an amazing sprint in the Listed McDougall Stakes (1000m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday after starting from the extreme outside barrier 14 and being trapped five and six horses deep through out.

Trained by Mark Webb at Toowoomba the unbeaten daughter of Lonhro made it three wins from as many starts when she carried topweight of 57kilos and cruised to a two-length win over Saratoga (Show a Heat - Peppen Bay by Mister Kwila).  Lucky Kentucky (Lucky Owners - Hanging Garden by Woodman) did best of the rest for third.

To underline the performance of Black Minx she set a new race record of 57.82 seconds, however for Webb, the experience must have been bitter sweet as his other runner Celerity (Iglesia - Luskadell by Yeats) in the race earlier the J. F. Meynink Stakes (1000m) for colts and geldings had to be put down after he shattered his sesamoid in the Listed event.  

The daughter of the Danehill Group 2 Emancipation Stakes winner, Faith Hill cost her owners Triton Bloodstock Syndicate $280,000 at last year's Magic Millions yearling sales at the Gold Coast.  The win also gives Lonhro another important feature a 'nick' for owners of Danehill mares to consider using his services. 

Black Minx is Faith Hill's first stakes winner and hailing from a family that's produced the top class stallion Lion Hunter whose dam is the Group I George Ryder Stakes winner, Pure of Heart (by Godswalk) it gives the filly even more value for her other career when that time arrives.  

Lonhro has two yearlings for sale at the William Inglis Premier sale that begins at Oaklands Junction on Sunday, March 2nd until March 6th.

December 3rd, 2007

HORSE of the Year Lonhro sired his first winner on Saturday when Queensland filly Black Minx scored on debut at Doomben. The Mark Webb-trained two-year-old positioned herself in the box-seat before issuing the challenge to the odds-on favourite in the straight. The pair quickly drew away from the others as the Toowoomba filly quickly gained the ascendancy edging clear to record a memorable win. Connections of Black Minx are now aiming her towards the $1,000,000 Magic Millions.

"I reckon that she can be very competitive in the Millions (in March next year),'" Webb said.

"There is a lot of improvement in her."

Black Minx is out of the Danehill mare, Faith Hill, and cost $260,000 at the Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale.  Lonhro's first runner earned black-type when Woodlands filly Segelone placed in the Listed Debutant Stakes at Caulfield on MRC 1000 Guineas day.

March 11th, 2007

STALLIONS continues its series of profiles of horses whose progeny are for sale for the first time at public auction this year.

Among them is Lonhro.

When the first progeny by Octagonal’s son Lonhro hit the track next season (2007-08) they will create history in that it will be the first time that a father and son who have been each officially recognised as Australian Horse Of The Year have supplied runners.

Other father and sons duos have made their marks as stallions of course, including three who would have been right in the running for Horse of the Year honours if the title was awarded when they were racing. Yattendon and his son Chester, Carbine and his son Wallace, and Heroic and son Ajax would all have qualified.

Lonhro is from the first crop of his sire Octagonal and he was as popular with the crowd as his father had been. Revered as the ‘Black Flash’ because he was nearly that colour although officially, like his sire, a brown, this son of the very smart juvenile Shadea, a daughter of the good Mr. Prospector sire Straight Strike, was up there with the greats winning 26 races including 11 at the elite level and ten at Group 2 level in 35 starts.

A handy two year-old Lonhro won twice as a juvenile including the Group 3 MRC Blue Diamond Prelude.

In his classic year he was unbeaten in seven starts and he made it eight straight when successful first up at four, a year in which he later had a sequence of five victories.

As a three year-old, Lonhro, although unbeaten, was not as good as his sire but he was an exciting prospect, especially in the spring when he claimed the Group 2 AJC Warwick Stakes (1300m), in race record time; Group 3 AJC Ming Dynasty Stakes (1400m); STC Listed Heritage Stakes (1200m); AJC Stan Fox Stakes (1400m); and the Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas (1600m). He had been favourite each time.

Lonhro’s best campaigns were during his four and five year-old seasons in which he stirred racegoers with 17 wins that featured 10 at Group I level in 23 starts.

His success at four were the Group 3 STC Missile Stakes (1100m); Group 2 NSW Tattersall’s Chelmsford Stakes (1600m); Group I MRC Yalumba Stakes (2000m); VRC Mackinnon Stakes (2000m); Group 2 AJC Expressway Stakes (1200m); Apollo Stakes (1400m); Group I Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m); STC George Ryder Stakes (1500m) and the Group I AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).

As a five year-old Lonhro finished his career with wins in the Group 2 AJC Warwick Stakes (1400m); Group I Sydney Tattersall’s Chelmsford Stakes (1600m); George Main Stakes (1600m); MRC Yalumba Stakes (2000m); C F Orr Stakes (1400m); Group 2 St George Stakes (1800m); Group I VRC Australian Cup (2000m); and STC George Ryder Stakes (1500m) in race record time.

At the conclusion of the season Lonhro polled 153 of the 162 votes, when he was named Horse of the Year. He was also voted Middle Distance Champion.

At the end of Lonhro’s career the astute veteran racing journalist, Bill Whittaker, showed his admiration for Lonhro in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald:

“The difference between a good horse and a great one can be summed up in one word, acceleration, and Lonhro has it Ferrari style.

“He is the supreme weight-for-age horse, able to carry a heft weight, travel at slow speed without pulling then sprint very fast without being whipped.

“He is an honest, generous, no nonsense, thoroughly sound racehorse maintaining top form for four seasons,” Whittaker wrote.

Lonhro moved in beside Octagonal at Woodlands stud in 2004 where he has attracted high quality books of mares - 129 in his first season, 138 in 2005 and 153 last spring.

Octagonal also attracted plenty of praise as he was undoubtedly one of the best horses in the world as a three year-old in 1995-96 a season that saw him successful in five Group I events the MVRC W. S. Cox Plate, STC Canterbury Guineas, Rosehill Guineas, The BMW Stakes and the AJC Australian Derby – in new race record time. He was placed in two other Group I events the VRC Victoria Derby and third in the MRC Caulfield Guineas.

Michael Hedge, writing in the Class Racehorses annual summed Octagonal up at the end of his classic year:

“Just occasionally a horse comes along who causes you to wonder at the power and courage and glory of the thoroughbred. Each time Octagonal appeared in the past season, he seemed more courageous and more glorious”.

Lonhro had 25 yearlings on offer at the Magic Millions Sale on the Gold Coast in January. His son from Mrs Squillionaire (by Last Tycoon) topped his draft selling for $450,000. In New Zealand, he was represented in the premier session with four yearlings and his son from Palme d’Or (by Royal Academy) topped the draft at more than NZ$1million.

Lonhro will be represented at the forthcoming Inglis Australian Easter Yearling sale (April 10 – 12) where he has 23 yearlings catalogued for sale.

Woodlands Stud’s Trevor Lobb said: "The yearlings by Lonhro have sold extremely well and it is with great pleasure that supporters of Woodlands are benefiting in the sale ring. He has thrown terrific types, wonderfully well-balanced horses a majority of them have been carbon copies of himself.

“Breeders have commented that the Lonhro's that they have bred have been the best produced off individual farms around Australia in years. We look forward with enthusiasm to seeing the first of the Lonhro two year-olds compete in the spring.

“We were extremely happy with the strong support Lonhro received with his progeny at the Magic Millions and New Zealand yearling sales."

January 31st, 2007

Woodlands Stud have being looking forward to the first crop of Lonhro yearlings going out to the market place as the stud Manager Peter Flynn said, " They certainly are a very good bunch."

"Overall, they mirror their sire.

"When Lonhro was foaled he was a very late foal but he was an outstanding type.  His progeny are showing more strength."

That's all the more encouraging given how Flynn describes Lonhro's yearlings and it appears the market place has agreed with him.  

In New Zealand on the second day of the 81st National Yearling Sales Series during the Premier session a colt by Lonhro from Palme D'Or (by Royal Academy), a half-sister to Golden Slipper heroine Belle Du Jour, was knocked down for a NZ$1million ($1,050,000).  The brown colt was knocked down to Graeme Stubb (on behalf of trainer John O'Shea's clients). 

Bruce and Maureen Harvey (Ascot Farm) purchased the colt at the June weanling sale at the Magic Millions for $260,000 from Kevin Dixon's Racetree Farm. Dixon selected Lonhro as a perfect match for his mare Palme D'or after purchasing the mare from Brian Agnew (Wakefield Stud) at the Magic Millions Broodmare sale in 2004 for $230,000.

Yearlings by Lonhro averaged NZ$410,000 at the Karaka sale with only 3 sold. 

Lonhro's stock was also well received at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale (January 11th - 19th) with his yearlings selling up to $450,000.