BREEDING buffs are going to have great fun with Ascot Vale Stakes-Gr.1 winner Northern Meteor when he begins stud duties at Widden this year as the brilliant son of Encosta de Lago is the latest star in a family whose luminaries include Nureyev and Sadler’s Wells. Those family members also include Fairy King (USA), who just happens to be the sire of Encosta de Lago and this provides Northern Meteor with a 6fx6f cross of the family matriarch Rough Shod via her daughters Thong and Moccasin (both sisters Nantallah). Another interesting aspect of this pedigree is the double cross of noted speed influence Mr. Prospector (4fx3m) via his daughter Rolls (USA) and son Fappiano (the sire of Northern Meteor’s stakes-placed dam Explosive (USA)).
second dam, the Listed winner Scuff (Forli-Moccasin), could play a pivotal role in any pedigree experiments as she is a sister-in-blood to Special (Forli-Thong), dam of Nureyev and grandam of Fairy King, Sadler’s Wells, Perugino and Tate Gallery. She is also a sister-in-blood to leading international sire Thatch (whose male line is represented in Australia thanks to a great-grandson Sequalo (via Thatch, his son Thatching, who is also inbred to this family, and Rustic Amber (IRE)). This is also the family of Yeats (USA), Apalachee, Lt Stevens and Ridan and one that responds to inbreeding - Northern Meteor being a prime example.
    Northern Meteor’s dam Explosive is by Fappiano (Mr. Prospector-Killaloe by Dr Fager), winner of four of his seven starts including the Metropolitan Handicap-Gr.1 (8f) and sire of 13 Gr.1 winners among 46 stakes winners (19.7% to starters) including Cryptoclearance, Unbridled and Quiet American. His daughters have produced six Gr.1 winners among 92 stakes winners (9.8%), two of them in Australia, the other being QTC Sires’ Produce Stakes heroine Aragen (by Rory’s Jester). Fappiano’s son Defensive Play (USA), who stood in NZ, is a noted broodmare sire, his daughters producing five Gr.1 winners including Zarita, Efficient and Sirmione (also by Encosta de Lago).
   However, there is more to Northern Meteor than names on a page. He has the physique, race record and the speed to more than match his pedigree. Importantly too, he has courage as thousands of race fans witnessed when the three year-old matched strides with champion and $6m earner Takeover Target down the long Randwick straight in the T.J. Smith-Gr.1 (1200m). It was his final appearance on the track and the Gooree Stud homebred was a gallant runner-up.
    “The colt’s owner Mr Cojuangco has taken the decision to retire Northern Meteor immediately with the likelihood of a wet track this coming Saturday providing little opportunity for the star colt to show his best if he were to start in the All Aged Stakes,” said Widden’s Antony Thompson when announcing the colt’s retirement.

   Northern Meteor’s

   “We saw in the spring what an outstanding sprinter this horse is and we saw it again at Randwick last Saturday when he beat all but a legend in Takeover Target, in what was arguably the strongest sprint line-up assembled this season.”
  On a track rated dead, Takeover Target clocked a race record 1:09.09 to defeat Northern Meteor by 2-3/4 lengths and with a further three lengths (and more) back to Gr.1 winners Apache Cat (third), Nicconi, Racing to Win and Bel Mer. The fastest son of champion sire Encosta de Lago, the Gai Waterhouse-trained Northern Meteor retires to stud with a record of three wins and two placings from nine starts with earnings of $532,480 and a place in the history books as the 1200m track record holder at Randwick.
  On that occasion last spring, Northern Meteor set a new record at 1:08.32 when he captured the Listed AJC Sir Brian Crowley Stakes by five lengths on a good surface. Sent straight to Melbourne, Northern Meteor added the VRC Coolmore Ascot Vale Stakes-Gr.1 at Flemington to his resume stamping himself as the best three year-old sprinting colt of his generation. He was was also a close fourth (of 22) in the VRC Newmarket-Gr.1 (behind Scenic Blast, Swiss Ace and Aichi, just 1-1/2 lengths from the winner).
    “It’s the speed of how quickly he accelerates that is the exciting thing about him. With his pedigree and looks, he is the complete package, a truly amazing colt,” Gai Waterhouse said.
   Northern Meteor’s fee is $33,000 and that looks great value when you consider Encosta de Lago (Fairy King (USA)-Shoal Creek by Star Way (GB)) is on $220,000 at Coolmore in 2009 (the most expensive fee in Australia). The Leading Sire in 2007-08 and on track to win the title again in 2008-09 with 145 winners of $9.8million, Encosta de Lago is the sire of 550 winners (66% of runners) of $78m, 59 stakes winners, 15 at Gr.1 level including Racing to Win (dam by Kenny’s Best Pal), Alinghi (Monde Bleu (GB)), Princess Coup (Sovereign Red (NZ)), Lashed (Salieri (USA)), Sacred Kingdom (Zeditave), Mnemosyne (Canny Lad), Sirmione (Defensive Play (USA)) and this season’s AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Manhattan Rain (Canny Lad).
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Permalink| Jul 29, 2009

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