As a dominant son of legendary sire of sires Danehill, Redoute’s Choice is expected to create a sire dynasty (more…)

“A dream come true” is how Warrnambool local Symon Wilde described the outstanding Listed Warrnambool Cup victory by up-and-coming stayer Hissing Sid on Thursday. (more…)

    In England overnight at Lingfield the Epsom Derby and Oaks trials were run and on the undercard was a good three-year-old handicap with Exceed And Excel’s son Seek N’ Destroy - destroying his rivals. (more…)

    Magic Albert’s son, Za Magic scored a decisive win in the Group 3 Mitty’s Doomben Classic in Queensland on Saturday and in doing so booked himself a berth in the Group I Derby at Eagle Farm in a months time. (more…)

     Group One MRC Thousand Guineas winner Serious Speed recaptured her best form when taking out the Group Three SAJC RA Lee Stakes at Morphettville on Saturday. (more…)

Group racing returned to Queensland on Saturday with the running of the Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Group I BTC Cup over 1200m - run under weight for age conditions. This in turn, attracted top class sprinters to the sunshine state including Apache Cat and home hero the Oakleigh Plate winner Swiss Ace and the group one placed Absolut Glam.

However, it was the young gun of the field Duporth who stole the lime light as he took the event out in thrilling fashion.

Swiss Ace and Bank Robber set a solid tempo while the three-year-old son of Red Ransom settled back in the field. Turning for home Bank Robber kicked strongly and appeared to have a winning break then Apache Cat issued his challenge. Although, Apache Cat didn’t get much room in the straight he couldn’t quicken up as he did last season - while Luke Nolen on Duporth played all the right cards. Coming out wide with plenty of room he gave the three-year-old with Hollywood looks room and the young gun gathered momentum to nail Bank Robber on the line to grab his third and most important win by the barest margin over the brown son of Dash For Cash. With Apache Cat doing his best work in the final few strides a neck away in third.

Bank Robber was having his first run this year and will improve one hundred and twenty percent as he heads towards his principal winter target the Group I Stradbroke Handicap (1400m), as will Apache Cat. Apache Cat will step up in distance in two weeks time in the Doomben 10,000 (1350m). While the stewards’ report on Sunday morning notes that Apache Cat appeared sore after the event and will need a clearance before his next run.

Duporth will again be well placed again under the weight-for-age conditions of the Group I 10,000 and he’s ideally placed in the handicap for a tilt at the Stradbroke, a race that is building a sensational field.

Duporth is by Roberto’s son Red Ransom and the win by him gave the Vinery based sire his third winner at the elite level this season following on from Typhoon Tracy (STC Coolmore Classic - ex Tracy’s Element by Last Tycoon) and Onemorenomore (AJC Champagne Stakes - ex Palia by Last Tycoon).

Red Ransom is having a great season turning out seven stakes winners so far including his daughters Portillo (ex Snowdrift by Polish Precedent), Romneya (ex Mannington by Danehill) and Yesterday (ex Donna Cara by Sir Tristram) along with another son Red Element (ex Tracy’s Element by Last Tycoon) with more than 70 winners and $6.3million in earnings this season Red Ransom has given breeders something more to ponder as they prepare matings for their mares.

Red Ransom has retired from shuttling duties giving breeders in the southern hemisphere exclusive access to him at his base Vinery Stud in New South Wales where his fee remains at $66,000 (inc gst).

Duporth is owned by Peter Moran and his wife Wendy. He is out of Moran’s Group 2 winning Success Express mare, Staging (10 wins and Doomben 10,000 runner-up) and is Stagings’ second winner at the elite level as she is also the dam of the AJC Sires’ Produce winner and young stallion, Excites (by Danewin - also at Vinery). Staging is also the dam of the Redoute’s Choice juvenile Tickets, winner of the Group 2 STC Pago Pago Stakes at Rosehill this autumn.

Staging in turn is out of the Best Western mare Cinerama (a winner of two races at 900m!) and a half-sister to the Tasmanian Listed winner, River Don (by Nisku). Although a little further back in her female family the Group I Caulfield Cup winner Mannerism (by Amyntor) appears.

The sky may have been grey and the rain heavy but one would doubt that Tony Vasil and Frank Tagg felt any of this as Carrara took out the Listed Doomben Slipper (1350m) in Queensland on Saturday.

Having just his third race start and starting from barrier 18 on a heavy rated track, Carrara, under Nash Rawiller - Elvstroem’s jockey also, went forward in driving rain to assume control early. Keeping away from the rail when straightening Carrara showed plenty of the ‘right stuff’ to hold off known mudlark Choistar (Choisir - Sveldte by Star Watch) to score by a half-a-length.

Taffy (Ihtiram - Heaven’s Reply by Staroka) was another two lengths away in third.

So, it was fitting that the team behind Elvstroem during his racing days should prepare the son of Danehill’s first stakes winner.

Vasil spoke to Matt Browning from Sky Channel after the win; “I am very tempted to head to the Sires at Eagle Farm with him on the proviso that he does well during the week and gets over the run.”

“I strongly believe in giving two-year-olds plenty of time to mature. Although the TJ Smith is a Group One race I’d be more inclined to put this horse away and concentrate on the spring in Melbourne with him.”

Carrara thoroughly impressed his sire’s former regular rider, Nash Rawiller. “That was my first ride on him but he’s a push-button horse,” he said. “He began really well and landed in a good spot and he just kept giving every time I asked him for an effort.”

A winner at Seymour when gaining a protest, Carrara was far from disgraced when a well-beaten third to Black Caviar at Caulfield at his most recent start the Listed Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m)

Carrara (pictured above), a $200,000 purchase at the 2008 Inglis Premier yearling sale, was one of the expensive yearlings by Elvstroem sold at that sale when the Arch Of Gold Syndicate purchased him. The same syndicate also paid $300,000 for another colt by Elvis named Dorsoduro (ex Drinkcard Princess by Al Hareb), who recently made an impressive winning debut at Bendigo.

Carrara is the first foal of the Melbourne winning Hurricane Sky mare Crystal Sprite, a three-quarter sister-in-blood to Listed winner Crystal Finale (by Hurricane Sky) and a half-sister to SAJC Dequetteville stakes-winner Crystal Wit (by Distorted Humour), who in turn is the dam of the promising juvenile filly Fast Talker (by Fastnet Rock), runner-up in the SAJC Listed Pewsey Vale Stakes and third placegetter in the SAJC Listed Queen Adelaide Stakes.

The son of Danehill and Circles of Gold stands at Blue Gum Farm where his 2009 service fee has been set at $27,500 (inc gst).

In New Zealand over the weekend, Arrowfield stallion Flying Spur produced another stakes winner when the Mark Walker-trained juvenile colt Flying Fulton claimed the Listed Great Northern Foal Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie on Saturday.

Ridden by Vinny Colgan, the tall son of Flying Spur didn’t appear too happy on the soft track, but showed his class in responding gamely to his riders urgings to win by a neck from Bally Duff (O’Reilly).

The black type win by Flying Fulton gave Flying Spur his 69th stakes winner and ensured the colt broke his maiden status in the best possible manner. Aware that the best is yet to come from the colt, Walker, will give him a break and nominate him for the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas, AJC Champion Stakes (2000m) and the VRC Derby (2500m) in the spring.

A $210,000 purchase by David Ellis at the 2008 New Zealand Ready to Run Sale from the draft of Mana Park, Ellis, has since syndicated Flying Fulton to the Te Akau Stallion Syndicate.

Bred by Anthony and Joseph Bongiorno, and the son of Flying Spur has a pedigree that suggests he will offer plenty to breeders being out of Fulton (by Zabeel) a three-quarter sister-in-blood to Zapurple (by Zabeel), winner of the Group 3 SAJC Fillies Classic, and a half-sister to the Listed winner Purple Groove (by Rhythm). A little further down his female line is the Group One winners Innocent King (by Tolomeo) and Ideal Planet (by Planet Kingdom).

Flying Spur’s fee this spring at Arrowfield is $82,500.00 (inc gst).

     In Australia at Caulfield, Shocking show cased Darley’s high profile sire Street Cry when he took out the (more…)

     A day after Mastercraftsman landed the Group 1 Irish 2,000 Guineas, the brilliant Danehill Dancer filly Again made it a Guineas double on Sunday when she took out the Group 1 Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh. (more…)

The annual Magic Millions National Sale at the Gold Coast is fast approaching.  Beginning on Sunday, May (more…)