Date posted May 29, 2010 | Posted by Brian Russell | Filed under
Arena,
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Valixir LADYS ANGEL, the 3-year-old filly in the Joe Pride stables at Warwick Farm who has won her first two outings, appearances at Canterbury on May 11 and then by 2-1/4 lengths on the same track last Wednesday, has a female line that has a Magic Millions Gold Coast sales history flavour.
Raced by her Sydney breeders, S. Graziani and A. Ruggerino, with Mrs C.D. Manuel, she is by Lomar Park stud’s good Danehill sire Arena and from Lady Sublime, a Hurricane Sky filly they bought as yearling in Sydney for only $6,000 and which finished in the first three in nine of 15 outings. She closed out her racing on a high note at Warwick Farm with two wins and a second from her last three outings.
Lady Sublime was one of six winners who were all the named foals from the smart Red Anchor Sydney winner Mamma Rossa. She was one of the nine winners from Mother Duck, a graduate of the inaugural Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale in1986 and the first filly to shine in their exciting sale’s innovation, the Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
Third to Snippets and Prince Anton in the first Magic Millions and winner through her career of nine sprint races, including the AJC Gimcrack Stakes, June Stakes,The Shorts an STC Birthday Quality, Mother Duck is another good advertisement for Golden Slipper winning sires, being by Luskin Star and from a Vain Sydney 2-year-old winner.
Slipper speed has also been a good asset in producing a number of good winners by Arena. For instance, it played a significant role in the production of Ladys Angel as her maternal grandsire Hurricane Sky followed up a win in track record time in the Blue Diamond with a Slipper fifth. In addition he was by the Bletchingly1988 Slipper winner Star Watch.
Using mares by 1987 Slipper winner Marauding, Arena has also sired the good performers My Lady’s Chamber (won the Canberra National Sprint, STC 2YO Handicap, second AJC Flight Stakes, Furious Stakes, Doomben Roses), Whitefriars (Sydney winner, second AJC Stan Fox Stakes, San Domenico Stakes) and Allaboutus (five Sydney wins, third STC Birthday Card Stakes).
Two other Arena winners with a Slipper stars close up have been Public Opinion, a winner at Flemington and Doomben, and Top Spin, a winner of 14 races up to Group1 level in Singapore. Public Opinion is from a daughter of a Last Tycoon and a Vain mare and Top Spin’s mother is a daughter of Strategic, a fleetfooted performer who was fifth when favourite in the Slipper. Strategic’s dam Sudden Impulse has three Slipper winners in her immediate pedigree, her sire Luskin Star, dam Sweet Embrace and her sire Todman.
Arena has also been a Danehill sire who has benefited from being put over mares by other speed influences, including the Lomar Park used sires Archregent and Mister C.Those from the Archregent mares have included Regal Cheer (six wins, $885,955, STC Coolmore Classic, AJC Surround Stakes, second STC Queen of the Turf Stakes, Concorde Stakes, AJC Light Fingers Stakes, Liverpool City Cup) and Vegas Star (three wins Singapore, including the Juvenile Championship).
Two of the best Arena performers have been from the more stouter influence Rivotious. Sisters, they are Rena’s Lady (won both the AJC Australian Oaks and Adrian Knox Stakes) and Raise (the Adrian Knox).
The value of Arena, a sire to date of over 150 individual winners, is that he is a Danehill who not only had good speed but who was one the best middle distance performers of his time. After being third twice at 1200m in Group events, fourth in the AJC Champagne Stakes and fifth in the AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes at two, he went on challenge as the best 3-year-old of his generation.
Among six wins at three were appearances in the Victoria Derby (2500m, by 2-1/2 lengths), STC Hill Stakes (1900m), Gloaming Stakes (1900m) and Canterbury Guineas (1800m). He finished second to Sky Heights in the AJC Derby (2400m) and third in three other Group1s, the AJC Champion Stakes (2000m), STC Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and The BMW (2400m) when it was the Mercedes Classic.
Arena wound up his racing the following year at four with three successive Group1 seconds, appearances in the VRC Australian Guineas (2000m), STC Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and, again, the Mercedes.
A good type measuring 16.1 hands, Arena resulted from the mating of Danehill with the very fine racemare Lee’s Bid, a winner of the South Australian Oaks and Adrian Knox Stakes and runner up in the Queensland Derby and Oaks and AJC Oaks. She is by the Bushing Groom sire Tawfig and from a mare by the very good New Zealand importation.
Weighing up his racing class, breeding and proven siring ability, the 14-years-old Arena appears one of Australia’s best value sires at his 2010 fee of $8,800 (including GST). He stands at Fred Peisah’s highly regarded, long established Lomar Park Stud in the foothills of the Blue Mountains near Sydney with the imported world class European performer Valixir (fee $13,200).The latter sire’s first progeny will be 2-year-olds on August 1.
