A big day for the New Zealand based stallion, Don Eduardo at Rosehill on Saturday when his daughter Divine Rebel claimed his first Australian stakes success in the Listed Epona Stakes for a large syndicate of owners.

Divine Rebel’s win was no fluke as she had shown her class in winning two events around the tough Moonee Valley circuit.  Prepared by Flemington trainer, Mike Moroney with his Melbourne Cup winning rider Kerrin McEvoy in the saddle Divine Rebel scored her fifth and most important win in thrilling fashion.

McEvoy produced a grand ride, pushing Divine Rebel forward to a prominent position from her wide alley in the 1900-metre race, settling outside of the leader Karim to the turn before taking over on straightening.

Risayla (Polish Precedent - Riyafa by Kahyasi) burst through the pack and put her nose in front at the 250 metres, then Prima Nova (Danehill Dancer - Bonanova by Star Way), came with a big run and took over 50 metres from home and looked the winner but McEvoy didn’t let up on Divine Rebel and she fought back and had her nose out when it mattered most to win by a half-head from Prima Nova with Risayla the same margin away third.

McEvoy burst on the scene as a young man when he won the 2000 Melbourne Cup on Brew for Mike Moroney.

McEvoy spoke to Richard Haynes from TVN after the win and said, “Mike warned me that she can switch off down the straight but with that pack chasing her she didn’t have a chance to,”

“I had to push her forward, it was her only chance and things worked out well for us.”

Divine Rebel is out of the Group I Otaki Maori Stakes winning mare, It’s My Sin (by Success Express), and was bought by Moroney’s brother Paul at the 2006 New Zealand Premier yearling sale for $80,000.

Divine Rebel is Don Eduardo’s second stakes winner joining the Group 3 Taranaki Cup winner Vickezzchardonnay.

Don Eduardo’s other smart group are the Group I Railway Stakes runner-up, Dashing Donna and Il Divo, runner up of both the Gr.2 Great Northern Guineas (2100m) and the Gr.3 Waikato Guineas (2000m).  Along with the Listed St Leger placegetter, Booming and Lara’s Glitter, runner up in the Hobart Guineas (2100m).

Don Eduardo fetched a record price as a yearling at the 2000 Premier Yearling Sale, selling to Mr Eduardo Cojuangco’s Gooree Stud for NZ$3.6 million.  Boasting the impressive bloodlines of Zabeel and Diamond Lover (Sticks and Stones) - a half sister to Octagonal, Kaapstad and Marquise, Don Eduardo franked his pedigree on the track with a win in the Gr.1 AJC Derby (2400m).

Since commencing stud duties in 2003, Don Eduardo has produced 35 winners from 79 runners from his Hanunui Farm base.

Metal Bender is on track for the three-year-old triple crown in New South Wales after he scored his second Group One win in two weeks with a determined performance in the Rosehill Guineas on Saturday.

The Danasinga gelding was coming off an unexpected win in the Group I Randwick Guineas (1600m) at his last start and comfortably handled the step up to 2000m at Rosehill, aided by a perfect ride from Dan Nikolic.

Nikolic settled him closer to the leader The Zeebac who took the field at a nice gallop with Shiekh Mohammed’s Champion Stakes winning colt Sousa sitting on his tail. Keeping Metal Bender in touch with the leaders Nikolic kept him near the inside rail. Cornering well and just as it appeared Sousa was about to claim his second feature win Rock Kingdom issued his challenge under strong riding from Nash Rawiller.

Metal Bender railed up alongside Sousa and Rock Kingdom and they went toe to toe over the last furlong. However, it was Metal Bender who stood up to be counted at the post with a narrow but convincing win over Sousa (ex Liberty Song by Last Tycoon) and Rock Kingdom (Rock of Gibraltar - Happy Empress by St. Covet).

Nikolic spoke to TVN after the win and said, “It was a great win,”

“He’s just a winner this horse.

“He knows when to stick his head out.

“I think he’ll run the Derby distance, he’s just a no-frills horse.”

Trained at Rosehill by Jack Denham, Metal Bender will line up a super fit horse in the $1.6 million Group I AJC Australian Derby (2400m) at Royal Randwick on April 11.

Metal Bender has given his owners a massive return on investment with five wins and a second for prizemoney in excess of $740,000 from his seven starts.

Another example of quality stock that can be selected at the William Inglis Easter yearling sale, Denham found him in 2007 and paid $160,000. Metal Bender was the only son of his sire, Danasinga in the catalogue.

Metal Bender is out of the Bluebird mare, Jacqwin, previously dam of the black-type placed Zabeel filly, Southern Venture.

Jacqwin’s dam, Nuwirah, is an imported daughter of Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner, Pleasant Colony. Nuwirah enjoyed frequent trysts with Danasinga’s sire, Danehill, and these yielded the Goodwood Handicap (G1) victor Keeper; the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (G1) third Downing Street; graded placed Little Chloe; and Saint Thomas, a smart performer in Hong Kong, and now serving as a sire.

Nuwirah was out of Secretarial Queen, a daughter of the mighty Secretariat. Secretarial Queen earned black-type with a win in the Ruth Lilly Stakes at Hollywood Park, and also ran second in the Hollywood Oaks (G1). At stud, she produced the minor stakes winner At Full Feather, and she is also grandam of Castledale, a Peintre Celebre son who won the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on the dirt, and the Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1) on the turf.

Metal Bender is the third group one winner for his sire Danasinga and 27th stakes winner overall. A solid racehorse, Danasinga showed brilliance and soundness, winning stakes races from 1000m to 1600m, and these traits are well replicated in his progeny. Last season he covered 52 mares off a $16,500 (inc gst) service fee at his Baerami Thoroughbreds base in New South Wales.

The Heckler franked his Karaka Million form in when he ran his rivals ragged in the Group 1 Ford Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes in New Zealand on Saturday.

The brilliant bay son of Hong Kong Mile winner Lucky Owners (Danehill), The Heckler (ex Comedy Café, by Rory’s Jester) led his rivals a merry chase over the 1400m journey of the Awapuni track.

Jumping well, The Heckler was sent to the lead early to avoid the trouble he had encountered at his last start fourth in the Group 1 Diamond Stakes (1200m). The Murray and Bjorn Baker trained galloper set a solid tempo in front, before kicking in the straight and holding out 2008 Karaka Ready to Run graduate St Fevre (Dehere - Miss Candy by Canny Lad) by a short head in a time of 1.22.53.

His pilot on this occasion was Michael Coleman who took over the reins of New Zealand’s star two-year-old from Michael Rodd after the gelding’s one and a half length victory in the Karaka Million on January 25.
Owned by Sir Patrick Hogan, Peter Walker, Tony Timpson, and Alistair Sutherland, The Heckler is the third Group 1 winning two-year-old to graduate from the first two runnings of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale incentive race.

These include last year’s Group 1 Ford Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes winner Il Quello Veloce (Captain Rio - Nishaani by Gold Brose), who finished an unlucky sixth in the 2008 Karaka Million, and 2009 Group 1 Diamond Stakes winner Kaaptan (Kaapstad - Fanny Black, by Chem), who finished last in the 2009 Karaka Million after interference.  The Heckler, has now earned more than $690,000, after being purchased by Peter Walker from Alan and Gaylene Tait’s Woodridge Farm at the 2008 Karaka Select Sale.

The two-year-old may now be tested over 1600m in the Listed Champagne Stakes at Ellerslie on April 11 with a view to the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas (1600m) in his classic season.

Lucky Owners covered 50 mares at Widden Stud last spring off a fee of $13,200 (inc gst).

It appears Terry Henderson and Simon O’Donnell have a pretty nifty filly in the shape of Clangalang 3YO, Reverberates.

Having only her second outing, at Ballarat on Christmas Eve, the filly raced away over the 1200m course to score in resounding fashion.

Bred by Terry and Simon’s OTI Racing, Reverberates is cleverly named, being out of the Kaapstad mare, Startling Belle. How much the filly Reverberates from here is anyone’s guess, but Seymour trainer David ‘Butch’ Bourne appears to have a horse capable of going through her classes.

Racing for the first time on 2 December (at Kyneton), Reverberates was beaten a head so she’s two for two in the cheque department.

Hailing from the immediate family of Group One winners St Jude and Out of Danger, Reverberates is the third winner for Clangalang who, despite limited representation, now has 11 money earners from 14 runners.

Last May, the famous all-cerise of the Ingham brothers Woodlands Stud gave way to the maroon and white of the world’s biggest racing empire. The change in colours – and ownership – of Australia’s most prolific racing stud Woodlands became part of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Darley operation in Australia.

At the time of the purchase, Sheikh Mohammed said in a statement that he was delighted to be sharing his passion for thoroughbreds with Australia.

“I am delighted to be making this commitment to Australian racing,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
“I welcome the team from Woodlands and look forward to developing the champions of the future.”

On Saturday at Rosehill, that organization that operates thoroughbred studs at Aberdeen in New South Wales and Seymour in Victoria, had a pay-day when the Commands filly Purple landed the Group 1 Storm Queen Stakes, and forty minutes later Neroli (Viscount - Dalquarren by Canny Lad), showed a ton of courage to run down the red hot favourite in the Group I Queen Of The Turf Stakes. A little over an hour later Darley’s Carnegie son Vision And Power beat eight group one winners to become his sires fifth Group 1 winner in the prestigious George Ryder Stakes.

For the stud the icing continued to be heaped on the cake when Exceed And Excel’s son Excelltastic took out the Listed Port Adelaide Guineas giving the son of Danehill his 14th stakes winner. And just for good measure the Darley operation took out the last race on the Caulfield card the Fillies And Mares Hcp with an all the way effort by Disciplined.

Although the sky was grey, the meeting at Rosehill was super, and it proved just that for Darley when Purple and Neroli gave them a Group One race-to-race double, then Vision And Power scored at the highest level.

A gelded son of Carnegie’s, Vision And Power got up in the last stride to land the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m wfa).

Trained by Joe Pride at Warwick Farm and owned by the very popular Nick Moraitis, Vision And Power has come of age this season, landing the Listed Parramatta Cup before finishing a close second in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes behind Carnegie’s Group I winning daughter, Tuesday Joy.

Bred by Gary Chittick, Vision And Power is a half-brother to the Group 1 winning sprinter, Glamour Puss (by Tale of the Cat).

Phelan Ready confirmed his place as Australia’s leading juvenile and Magic Millions as Australia’s premier supplier of Golden Slipper winners when he won the 2009 edition in breathtaking fashion at Rosehill on Saturday.

A $150,000 purchase by trainer Bruce McLachlan at last year’s sale, Phelan Ready flew home coming from last on the corner and race away for the easiest of victories. Despite hitting the front earlier than wanted by his rider, Brad Rawiller was able to keep Phelan Ready interested and was able to cruise home and win by two-and-a-quarter lengths.

Headway (Charge Forward – Chatelaine by Flying Spur) was runner-up, a breath in front of Manhattan Rain (Encosta de Lago – Shantha’s Choice by Canny Lad). Real Saga (Tale of the Cat – Windy Kate by Air Express), the race favourite, was fourth.

Bruce McLachlan, trains the gelded son of More Than Ready in partnership with his son Jason, was naturally thrilled with the effort of Phelan Ready - who in the space of less than three months has won Australia’s two richest and most important juvenile contests. The $150,000 they paid for him has now turned a profit of $3.2million from just five runs with the promise of more to come.

“This is a wonderful thing for Jason at this time of his career,” McLachlan senior said. “He’s working really well with me and it’s just a terrific thing.” “This horse has really bloomed in Sydney,” he added.

“I bought this bloke as a yearling and it’s funny because I paid up for just one of my 20 yearlings for the Magic Millions and it was his him.”

“I just had this feeling about him.”
“He got into the Magic Millions (2YO Classic) by the skin of his teeth and then won it and got into the Slipper by the skin of his teeth and won it!” McLachlan said the gelding, who is from the stakes winning Blevic mare Nancy Eleanor, would continue to improve and he matures into a three-year-old.

“He’s going to be a nice three-year-old,” McLachlan said.

“But this is a great start!”
Brad Rawiller, who rode Phelan Ready to his runaway win, paid tribute to his former regular rider Jason Holder, who was badly injured in a fall in the week after the pair teamed up to win the Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

“I send my best regards to Jason,” Rawiller said.

“He’s a great bloke and he rode the horse tremendous in the Magic Millions and it’s unfortunate how I’ve picked up the ride this way.”
Rawiller said he was shocked the gelding was not among the favourites for the big race after a near perfect lead up. His preparation was timed to perfection.

“It’s unbelievable really. His Magic Millions wins was awesome.”

“Where he was on the corner was where Real Saga was in the Blue Diamond and yet he (Phelan Ready) got up and won.”

“He went great in the trial behind More Joyous and his run the other day he ran second in a race that he needed for this race in mind.”

More Than Ready is enjoying another great season with his juveniles being the sire of More Joyous (ex Sunday Joy by Sunday Silence) winner of the Group 2 STC Reisling Slipper Trial; Colour (ex Regrowth by Unbridled’s Song) the winner of the Group 3 Breeders’ Stakes in South Australia, the Listed VRC Flemington Festival of Racing Stakes winner, Common Interest (ex Common Smytzer by Snippets) and now the Group I Golden Slipper and Magic Millions winner Phelan Ready (ex Nancy Eleanor by Blevic).

More than Ready was one of the big movers on the stallion’s lists last year, improving from his 21st place finish the year before to second spot behind Encosta de Lago and easily taking out the Champion Juvenile Sire title.
During that season he sired both the Golden Slipper winner and the Magic Millions winner, a great year, this season has just got greater as he’s been able to achieve the same result. Heady stuff for the son of Southern Halo.

Nathan Tinkler’s Patinack Farm operation enjoyed its first stakes winner from last year’s yearling purchases when Onemorenomore took out the Listed TL Baillieu Handicap at Randwick on the Kensington circuit.

The win by Onemorenomore was a big result on two counts for Patinack Farm.  Not only do they race the colt, but it adds further black type to the family of the stud’s flagship stallion Casino Prince, the Group 1 winning son of Flying Spur.

Onemorenomore’s Group 3 winning dam Palia is a sister to Casino Prince’s stakes placed dam Lady Capel.

Onemorenomore is now likely to head to the second and third legs of the 2YO Triple Crown - the G1 AJC Sires Produce and Champagne Stakes.

Onemorenomore was the most expensive yearling by Red Ransom sold in Australia last year and the Vinery based stallion, who last month added a new Group 1 winner in the shape of Typhoon Tracy.

Just as was the case in the AJC Derby at Randwick, the West Australia Derby (2400m) at Ascot also came under siege from the New Zealand-bred galloper on Saturday.

Successfully represented by Markus Maximus (Pentire) and Berlioz (Zabeel), the result followed hot on the heels of Roman Emperor and Harris Tweed’s, both sons of Montjeu, dominant Sydney Gr.1 exploit and reiterated New Zealand’s outstanding staying power in Australia.

Trained by Peter Moody, Markus Maximus was ridden handy to the pace in the WA feature, and after a driving ride to the line by Luke Nolen, was able to narrowly shade out the determined challenge of Berlioz by a head.

Beyond cementing a New Zealand Group 1 Derby double in Australia on the day, the outcome contributed a fourth Gr.1 Derby representative for the superlative sire Pentire (including Xcellent, Zarita, Pantani), and in so doing also added a ninth individual Gr.1 winner for the Rich Hill Stud stallion.

In the same vein, the result also brought up Gr.1 winner number six for the season for Markus Maximus’ breeders, Waikato Stud.

Purchased for $60,000 at the 2007 Premier Yearling Sale, the lightly tried galloper has rewarded his owners CL & LC Marks, WG Moore, JP & JW Henderson and AJ Tuohey with three wins and three placings from his six career outings – a record enumerated by $352,575 in earnings.

Markus Maximus’ now deceased dam Shafty Lady (Last Tycoon) is a proven commodity in New Zealand, thanks largely to her Gr.3 winning son Nanjara (Kilimanjaro).

Successful with four winner from four to race, Shafty Lady’s last foal was an unnamed colt by Savabeel, born 2006.

Like the AJC Derby winner Roman Emperor, Markus Maximus is out of a Last Tycoon mare.

Magic Millions managing director David Chester says he has been on an “adrenalin pumping high” since (more…)

Saturday proved a memorable day for Coolmore’s champion sire Encosta de Lagowith four Group winners – Manhattan Rain, Newport, Fifth Avenue Lady, Largo Lad- the highlight a very special two year-old colt that is Golden Slipper bound.

A half-brother to champion sire Redoute’s Choice and Group One winner Platinum Scissors, the Gai Waterhouse trained Manhattan Rain is bred to be good and has had a heavy weight of media expectation upon him since coming into work at Tulloch Lodge for owner/breeder Mr Yasseen.

A lovely athletic individual combining the best physical traits of his illustrious parents,Manhattain Rain looked superb in the mounting yard on Saturday before the Group Three AJC Skyline Stakes and ran right up to that, bouncing quickly from the gates and leading throughout to win the 1200 metre Slipper lead up by the best part of two lengths running almost a second quicker than the fillies division won by Headway (by Charge Forward).

He was absolutely dominant in cruising clear of The Mikado (Danehill Dancer ex Lirico by Rigoletto) and Romanus (Encosta de Lago ex Bulla Borghese by Belong to Me) to give Coolmore sires a trifecta in the prestigious juvenile event.

“He’s an outstanding colt,” said winning trainer Gai Waterhouse.

“He has come right at the right time and did it against some of the best of the boys we’ve got.”

Winning rider Nash Rawiller was also full of praise for the exciting colt, whose record now reads a win and two seconds from three starts with prizemoney of $107,300.

“He’ll run well in the Slipper,” Rawiller said.

“I also think he’d go better with the blinkers because he can wander and get lost but that is something we have up our sleeve.”

Bred and retained to race by Mr Yasseen, Manhattan Rain is the ninth foal of the Canny Lad mare Shantha’s Choice and is her fourth stakes-winner joining Redoute’s Choice, Platinum Scissors and Sliding Cube, the latter three horses also trained by Waterhouse, who has much experience with the family.

16 year-old Shantha’s Choice has a yearling colt by Encosta de Lago that was withdrawn from the 2009 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and has been named Echoes of Heaven and a weanling full sister to Sliding Cube by Rock of Gibraltar.

Making it a Randwick double for Encosta de Lago and highlighting his versatility as a sire was tough stayer Newport (ex Sibelienne by Nishapour), who smashed the million dollar mark in prizemoney with a barnstorming win in the Group Three AJC Randwick City Stakes over 2000 metres.

The Paul Perry trained grey flew home from back in the field to score by a length and a half, taking his record to nine wins and seven placings from 40 starts with prizemoney of $1,013, 400.

A Group One winner of the AJC The Metropolitan back in the spring, Newport has been a fabulous investment for his connections having been purchased for just $150,000 by Paul Perry from the Erinvale Thoroughbreds draft at the 2004 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Newport is a half-brother to stakes-placed Fresh Boy being from the Nishapour mare Sibelienne, a half-sister to stakes-winner Samarid from the family of Group One winner Sumayr. He is the last foal of his dam, who died in 2005.

While in Victoria, Encosta’s giant son, Largo Lad earned a trip to Sydney for a crack at the $2 million Doncaster when he landed the Group Two Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington. 

Given a grand ride by Chris Symons and a track with a bit of juice in it, helped the bay son of Encosta de Lago, to a length win over Playwright (Fantastic Light - Amonistar by Theatical) with Just Look (Fraar - Brocco Dancer by Brocco) a length away third in the 1600m feature. 

Largo Lad is trained at the course by David Hayes for stable clients Peter Devitt, Les Gordon and Scott Perrin, who paid a seven-figure sum for him a year ago.

Hayes told TVN that he’s still immature and the best is still ahead of the leggyEncosta de Lago gelding. 

“He’s like a six foot seven 15-year-old and when he grows into himself he’ll be pretty good,” Hayes said. 

Largo Lad has only to carry 51kg in the Doncaster (1600m) at Randwick on April 18. 

With three new stakes-winners to his credit on Saturday in Manhattan Rain, Fifth Avenue Lady and Largo Lad, Encosta de Lago now has the overall tally of 58stakes-winners worldwide.