Category Archives: Encosta de Lago

Sunline relation begins Eurell double at Sandown

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Cranbourne trainer Greg Eurell prepared a Sandown Hillside double with a member of champion mare Sunline’s (Desert Sun – Songline, by Western Symphony) family and another daughter of Reset (Zabeel –Assertive Lass, by Zeditave).

Handy prospect Zombie Dancer (Encosta De Lago – Sun Song, by Desert Sun) is out of a three-quarter sister-in-blood to Sunline. The three-year-old filly showed she has her share of talent with a dominant three-length win in the Schweppes Handicap (1600m).

Zombie Dancer, a daughter of top Coolmore Stud stallion Encosta De Lago (Fairy King – Shoal Creek, by Star Way), fetched $220,000 at the 2011 Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Eurell purchased the filly for Ultra Thoroughbreds founder Sean Buckley in what looks to be a smart piece of buying.

Eurell won the 2011 Group 1 Cox Plate with a daughter of Reset when Pinker Pinker (Reset – Miss Marion, by Success Express) took out the weight-for-age championship but the trainer thinks Champagne Ruby (Reset – Isle Royale, by Scenic) could be a stakes performer in her own right with her easy win in the D’Urban Handicap (1600m).

Champagne Ruby’s emphatic win was her fourth from nine starts but convinced Eurell tougher races could be within her reach early in 2013.

“The owners have been terrific,” Eurell said. “They have allowed me to place her in the right races and hopefully get the right result.  We’ll have a good look at what is coming up next year in the autumn and just try and find the right races and progress.

“I think she can run 2000 metres and if she can do that, then that will open up a few more options for her.”

Champagne Ruby was a $50,000 buy out of the Rubiton Bloodstock draft at the 2010 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. Isle Royale (Scenic – Great Manners, by Rubiton) is a half-sister to the Group 2 winner Great Glen (Regal Classic – Great Manners, by Rubiton).

Five Derby chances for Encosta De Lago

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Top Coolmore Stud stallion Encosta De Lago (Fairy King – Shoal Creek, by Star Way) has five chances to record his first Group 1 Victoria Derby winner (2500m) as a stallion after nominations for November’s Flemington test were taken on Tuesday.

The Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained Costa Nova (Encosta De Lago – Astrodame, by Flying Spur) finished a solid second to Hvasstan (Fastnet Rock – Snow Hero, by True Hero) in over 1700 metres at Caulfield last Saturday to shape as one of the stallion’s better Derby chances.

Gai Waterhouse is the trainer of another of the sire’s main hopes King Of Olympia (Encosta De Lago – Pinezero, by Danzero), which finished fourth to the likely Victoria Derby favourite It’s A Dundeel (High Chaparral – Stareel, by Zabeel) in the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes at Randwick last Saturday.

It’s A Dundeel’s sire High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells – Kasora, by Darshaan) sired the 2009 Victoria Derby winner Monaco Consul (High Chaparral – Argante, by Star Way). The undefeated Murray Baker-trained colt is the only Derby nominee sired by High Chaparral.

Waikato Stud stallion Savabeel (Zabeel – Savannah Success, by Success Express) sired last year’s Derby winner Sangster (Savabeel – Quinta Special, by Spectrum) but has only one representative in the 2012 nominations, the Dean Binaisse-trained Equal Billing (Savabeel – Lap Dancer, by Danasinga).

Click here for all of the Victoria Derby nominations.

 

 

Two-state double for Coolmore men

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We’re Gonna Rock’s (Fastnet Rock – Harrow, by Dehere) win in the Group 3 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) at Flemington formed the first leg of a two-state double for Coolmore Stud sires.

We’re Gonna Rock provided last season’s Australian Champion Stallion Fastnet Rock (Danehill – Piccadilly Circus, by Royal Academy) with his third Stakes winner of the season with his solid effort in the $150,000 event.

The six-year-old settled midfield with cover before proving too strong for the honest Queenslander Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo – Temple Spirit, by Special Dane). We’re Gonna Rock’s trainer Mark Kavanagh said gelding the talented sprinter made a big difference to his performance.

“He was just a massive horse and he was just too big for his knees and joints and he wasn’t thinking. Now he’s thinking and now he’s not too big for his knees and joints so he’s on his way,” Kavanagh said.

Patinack Farm gelding Tagus (Encosta De Lago – Lady Capel, by Last Tycoon) completed the Coolmore sires’ Stakes double when the son of Encosta De Lago (Fairy King – Shoal Creek, by Star Way) scored a surprise win in the Group 3 Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Warwick Farm.

Tagus’s win gave Encosta De Lago his first Stakes success of the 2012/13 term.

 

 

Another city performer for Encosta De Lago mare

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Encosta De Lago (Fairy King – Shoal Creek, by Star Way) mare Mystic Elle (Encosta De Lago – Richelle, by Century) continued to prove a wonderful money spinner for her owners when Elite Elle (Shamardal – Mystic Elle, by Encosta De Lago) became her third city-winning offspring at Monday’s Mornington meeting.

Caulfield trainer Tony Vasil bought Mystic Elle for $42,000 in 2000. The mare won twice in Melbourne herself before embarking on her breeding career.

True Tales (Tale Of The Cat – Mystic Elle, by Encosta De Lago) and Classic Elle (Reset – Mystic Elle, by Encosta De Lago) both earned city wins with the latter earning a Stakes placing in her three-year-old season. Vasil said Elite Elle was clearly the best of the three as shown by her dominant win in the Melbourne Racing Club event, the A Positive Move Plate (1013m) at Mornington.

Elite Elle scored a strong 1-3/4 length win over Harpers (Exceed And Excel – Media, by Gilded Time), who completed a quinella for Darley sires.

I bought her mother as a yearling,” Vasil said. “She was from the first crop of Encosta De Lago.

Mystic Elle was a city winner but she produced True Tales and Classic Elle, who is a very useful horse. She is a Stakes horse.

But I said to (breeder) Carol Watson about six months ago, that this one was the best the mare has produced for sure. Back then you could tell, she’s a really nice filly.”

Vasil said Elite Elle would have one more run at most before he spells the rising three-year-old with to targeting races during the spring.

Sebring colt tops opening day of MM National Yearling Sale

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A New Zealand buyer paid $230,000 for a colt by Golden Slipper winner Sebring (More Than Ready – Purespeed, by Flying Spur) to top Tuesday’s first session of the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast.

Top Kiwi bloodstock agent David Ellis purchased the chestnut, who is a son of the Group 1 winner Bramble Rose (Shinko King – Images, by Gleam Machine). Bramble Rose won the New Zealand Oaks as a three-year-old in 2003 before she was placed in the Arrowfield Stud Stakes as well as the AJC Australian Oaks in the same year.

Interestingly, the colt failed to reach a $150,000 reserve when he passed through the sales ring at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale earlier this year.

Tyreel Stud offered the yearling, who is a half-brother to the Patinack Farm-owned Stakes winner Maules Creek (Redoute’s Choice – Bramble Rose, by Shinko King), who fetched $400,000 as a yearling himself in 2009.

Hong Kong-based Magus Equine went to $190,000 to secure a son of Encosta De Lago (Fairy King – Shoal Creek, by Star Way) out of Slip Sliding (Thunder Gulch – Sister Dot, by Secretariat). Magic Millions managing director Vin Cox said the purchases were an indication of the strength of the overseas buying bench, which contributed to a gross of more than $3.9 million, an average of $33,647 and a 70 percent clearance rate.

“It was a good even sale today,” Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox said.

“We’re very happy with the attendance from around Australia and all corners of the globe – they are here to buy.”

“The internationals were very strong today – purchasing no fewer than 34 lots.”

Click here for the full first day’s results of the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.

Ambition wins HK Chairman’s Trophy

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Australian-bred Admiration¬†(4 h Encosta de Lago – Provence, by Redoute’s Choice)¬†defeated a top class field in the Hong Kong Gr 2 Chairman‚Äôs Trophy (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Trained by John Moore and ridden by Brett Prebble, it was the  first Group race win for Admiration, who edged out favourite Glorious Days (Hussonet) and his stablemate Able One (Cape Cross). This was also Admiration’s first 1600m win, after having come third three times over this distance in the past.

Sunday’s victory took Admiration’s earnings past HK$7million with his seventh win. The impressive entire has also been placed a further six times in his 19 career starts.

Admiration

Admiration

George Moore paid $625,000 for Admiration as a yearling at the 2009 Easter Yearling sale and Widden Stud have a More Than Ready  half-brother to sell in Sydney at the sale that commences on April 10.

The New Zealand-bred Little Bridge (5 g Faltaat РGolden Rose, by Gold Brose) defeated  Captain Sweet (Fastnet Rock) by two and a quarter lengths to win the HK Gr 3 Buahinia Sprint Trophy (1000m) later in the day.  New Vision (Hussonet) finished close up in third place.

Eravana impressive

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Eravana (4 g Encosta de Lago РVirage, by Kenmare) has had his share of problems but the four-year-old clearly has a lot of ability as he showed with a record-breaking win at Newcastle on Wednesday.

The $600,000 2009 Easter Yearling from the Yarraman Park Stud consignment was making his first race start since September 2010, and was always in control of the $16,000 Westrac Maiden (1400m) and with Nash Rawiller enjoying an armchair ride the half-brother to Gr 1 winner Virage de Fortune coasted home to score by four and a quarter lengths in 1:10.22 – a new class record.

Trainer John O’Shea’s racing manager Bryce Heys said leg problems had been an issue with Eravana¬†”He was bought as a sire but he is such a big, strong horse he had to be gelded.” Heys said.

“He lost his two and three-year-old career so now it is a matter of hoping he can make a nice racehorse.

“John kept bringing him in, giving him short preparations and then sending him back out again to let him grow and develop into himself.¬†It’s been a good training effort to bring him up and ready for a first-up win like that.”

Premier Sale closes up on last year

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The premium first three sessions of the 2012 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale concluded at Oaklands on Wednesday with increases in the sale average and gross on last year. 80% of the yearlings offered over the past three days were sold at an average of $73,616 and median of $60,000, taking the gross past $31 million.

The highest-priced lot on Wednesday was $345,000 paid by Victorian trainer Dean Binaisse for¬†Kornong Stud Farm’s ¬†chestnut colt by Encosta de Lago out of Courtroom Sweetie, making him a full-brother to the Hong Kong Champion Sprinter Sacred Kingdom.

Encosta de Lago - Courtroom Sweetie

Encosta de Lago - Courtroom Sweetie

“It has been very pleasing to see our bloodstock team working well to get private sales done on horses that passed-in over the past three days,‚Äù said Inglis Director Peter Heagney.

Private sales have taken the clearance rates for the first two days of the sale to 81% and 84% respectively.

“Tomorrow we move into Session Two of the sale which has proven a very happy hunting ground for both trainers, pinhookers and agents in the past,‚Äù Heagney said.

“75% of the 154 yearlings left for us to offer tomorrow are Super VOBIS and VOBIS Gold eligible and with the addition of increased prizemoney here in Victoria we look forward to welcoming everyone out to Oaklands for the final day of the Premier Sale for 2012.‚Äù

Welcome home Luck San

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Luck San returned to Australia in winning style at Sportingbet Park on Wednesday with a strong win in the $30,000 Sportingbet Handicp (78) over 1200m.

Luck San (4 g Encosta de Lago – Enrika’s Gift, by Orpen) began his career as ‘Happy Patrick’ in Australia, finishing second to Sincero in the Gosford Guineas (Listed) ¬†before transferring to Hong Kong.

Yesterday was his first start back in Australia and he proved too good for Smokin Joey (Encosta de Lago) in a quinella for the Coolmore stallion.

“He played up a bit in the barriers and took a while to get running, but he really kicked in the straight and put them away very easily,‚Äù said winning jockey Dwayne Dunn.

“We’ve always had a big opinion of him right back to when he won at Moonee Valley, so it’s good to see him come back and win again.‚Äù

Coolmore men perform in Hong Kong

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Coolmore sires continued their strong form in Hong Kong after the worldwide breeding operation’s past and present residents produced the winners of half of the 10-race card at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Tale Of The Cat (Storm Cat – Yarn, by Mr Prospector) sired the first winner of the meeting when Honour List (Tale Of The Cat – A Real Dool, Proper Reality) claimed Tak Ku Ling Handicap (1200m). Ultimate Winners made it two from two for Coolmore sires when the four-year-old claimed the Nam Kok Handicap (1000m).

Former Coolmore Stud stallion Hawk Wing (Woodman – La Lorgnette, by Val de l’Orne) sired the winner of the South Wall Handicap (1600m) when Cai Bao In (Hawk Wing – Dazzling Park) posted a 1-3/4 length before Antonius Pius (Danzig – Catchascatchcan, by Pursuit Of Love) gelding All Victory (Antonius Pius – River Princess, by Victory Prince) easily won the Carpenter Handicap (1200m).

Way May Star (Fusaichi Pegasus – Skates) made it four winners for Coolmore-sired gallopers when the three-year-old won the Hau Wong Handicap (1400m).

Coolmore mainstays Danehill Dancer (Danehill – Mira Andonde, by Sharpen Up) and Encosta De Lago (Fairy King – Shoal Creek, by Fairy King) are prominent in the Hong Kong sires’ standings. Danehill Dancer is third on the General Sires’ list while Encosta De Lago sits a place lower.