Category Archives: Hard Spun

Fourth stakes winner for Ellerton mainstay at Flemington

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Crystal Web’s (Hard Spun – Crystal Snip, by  Snippets) win in the Listed MSS Security Stakes (1100m) at Flemington was the latest success in a remarkable combination of trainer and broodmare stretching back 15 years.

Contract Racing and Breeding founder David Moodie bred Crystal Snip (Snippets – Crystal Century, by Century), who is a half-sister to Listed performers Crystal Hawk (Amyntor – Crystal Century, by Century) and Crystal Finale (Hurricane Sky – Crystal Century, by Century), before the mare began serving his operation in terrific fashion from the time she hit the racetrack.

Mathew Ellerton took over the training of Crystal Snip in 1998, preparing the daughter of Snippets (Lunchtime – Easy Date, by Grand Chaudiere) for a win at Seymour, which gave little indication of the effect her progeny would have on the stable.

Crystal Snip has provided Ellerton, and his subsequent training partner Simon Zahra with 10 stable residents, including the filly that took the duo to the top of the racing world soon after forming their alliance in 2009 with her win in the 2010 Golden Slipper just months later.

Crystal Lily died prematurely in 2011 but her half-brother Amaethon (Al Maher – Crystal Snip, by Snippets) provided an emotional stakes win 24 hours after his sister’s passing to be the third of the mare’s stock to secure a black type win after Crystal Wit (Distorted Humor – Crystal Snip, by Snippets) won the Listed Dequettville Stakes (1000m) in 2004.

Hard Spun (Danzig – Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman) became the fourth sire to produce a stakes winner in partnership with Crystal Snip when Crystal Web stormed down the centre of the Flemington track to beat another Moodie-bred runner, the Peter Moody-trained Flamberge (Exceed And Excel – Razor Blade, by Blazing Sword).

Hard Spun was luckless at Caulfield last time out but things went his way under jockey Craig Williams to score his maiden stakes success at his eighth start.

“He has always had his share of ability but last time in we stepped him out to 1400 and a mile when we weren’t sure what he is,” Zahra said.

“We brought him back to sprinting here but his last 100 metres was his best.”

The latest product of Crystal Snip, a sister to Crystal Lily, was scheduled to race at Sandown midweek but a change of plans has caused the two-year-old filly to return to the spelling paddock.

New Approach (Galileo – Park Esteem, by Ahonoora) served Crystal Snip in the 2012 breeding season.

First southern stakes winner for Hard Spun

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Royal Haunt (Hard Spun – Royal Glow, by King’s Best) became the first southern hemisphere stakes winner for Darley sire Hard Spun (Danzig – Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman) when he crushed a smart field in Saturday’s Listed Manfred Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.

The jump from a provincial class to Listed company failed to halt Royal Haunt’s winning run as the gelding dominated the Manfred Stakes from the front to take his record to three wins from as many starts.

Commands (Danehill – Cotehele House, by My Swanee) colt Force Command (Commands – Selwan, by Mt Livermore) completed a quinella for Darley with his strong effort.

Royal Haunt’s trainer Peter Moody said the Contract Racing homebred has improved rapidly since the stable added blinkers to his gear after a narrow debut win at Echuca.

“I said to David (Moodie) and the team a while back, ‘he’s only just making into a horse’ but he has just continued to develop,” Moody said.

“He uses up a little bit of nervous energy but he just continues to improve. How long is a piece of string? We don’t know where he is going to improve to.”

Royal Haunt is the first stakes performer out of Royal Haunt (King’s Best – Palace Glow, by Palace Music), who is an unraced half-sister to Group 3 winners Red Colossus (Testa Rossa – Palace Glow, by Palace Music) and Nediym’s Glow (General Nediym – Palace Glow, by Palace Music).

Royal Haunt was the 17th stakes winner overall for Hard Spun.

 

 

 

 

Four from four for Darley sires at 2YO trials

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The progeny of Darley stallions looks to be set to take a big hand in the early Victorian two-year-old races after the roster dominated Monday’s juvenile trials at Cranbourne.

Darley stallions provided the winners of all four heats. The Peter Snowden-trained Kuroshio (Exceed And Excel – Arctic Drift, by Gone West) recorded the fastest time of the quartet of two-year-old trials in the process of recording a narrow win in the fourth heat of the morning.

The colt is a brother to the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude winner Believe’n’Succeed (Exceed And Excel – Arctic Drift, by Gone West) out of the broodmare Arctic Drift (Gone West – November Snow, by Storm Cat).

First season stallion New Approach (Galileo – Park Express, by Ahonoora) has made a cracking start to his career in the northern hemisphere with the likes of star colt Dawn Approach (New Approach – Hymn Of The Dawn, by Phone Trick) leading the charge.

His son Mattan (New Approach – Future Choice, by Redoute’s Choice) gave a good account of himself with his win in the fifth heat of the day. McDonald Racing paid $90,000 for the colt at the 2012 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

Champion trainer Peter Moody produced the other two two-year-old heat winners at Cranbourne. Hard Spun (Danzig – Turkish Tryst, by Coronado’s Quest) filly Quest For Peace (Hard Spun – Classic Quest, by Coronado’s Quest) produced a smart debut effort to stroll to a two-length win in her trial.

Arsenal Power (Lonhro – Miz Nicholls, by Danehill) won the final two-year-old trial of the morning by 1-3/4 lengths.

 

14 for Hard Spun in Smarty Jones Stakes

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Smart three-year-old Easter Gift (Hard Spun – Angel Gift, by Allen’s Prospect) became the 14th Stakes winner for the Darley stallion Hard Spun (Danzig – Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman) with his victory in the Grade 3 Smarty Jones Stakes (1m70y) at Parx in Philadelphia.

The Nick Zito-trained colt won his first two starts before turning in solid performances when second in the Group 3 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park and fourth in the Curlin Stakes before his latest success.

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche positioned Easter Gift three-wide, just off the leaders, before the colt powered away in the sloppy conditions to record a comfortable 4-1/2 length win.

Easter Gift’s dam Angel Gift (Allen’s Prospect – Whiskey’s Gift, by Whiskey Road) was a Stakes winner herself at Listed level, as were her half brothers Jarf (Mt Livermore – Whiskey’s Gift, by Whiskey Road) and Easy Million (Jade Hunter – Whiskey’s Gift, by Whiskey Road0.

Easter Gift’s grand-dam Giftisa (Rich Gift – Wahkeena, by Red Jester) is a sister to the Australian champion Strawberry Road (Whiskey Road – Giftisa, by Rich Gift).

Strawberry Road won Group I races in Australia, France and Germany as well as a Group 2 level in the US. Easter’s Gift also hails from the same family as the Group 2 Bill Stutt Stakes (1600m) winner Mr Martini (Bianconi – Posy, by Marauding).

Hard Spun will stand at Darley’s Northwood Park property in Victoria for $16,500 this season.

 

12th Stakes winner for Hard Spun

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Hard Spun (Danzig – Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman) produced his second Stakes winner in a week at the Saratoga racecourse when Artest (Hard Spun – Desire To Excel, by Mt Livermore) strode to victory in the Listed Quick Call Stakes (5-1/2f).

Questing (Hard Spun – Chercheuse, by Seeking The Gold) and Zo Impressive (Hard Spun – Zoftig, by Cozzene) quinellaed the Grade 1 American Oaks last weekend.

Artest settled midfield under jockey John Velazquez before improving quickly rounding the tight home turn. The colt quickened impressively to become Hard Spun’s 12th individual Stakes winner in decisive fashion.

“Johnny [Velazquez] always seems to come through for us, and we have great communication as a partnership,” winning trainer Michelle Nihei told TDN.

“I always thought this horse wanted two turns. [Owner] Dennis [Narlinger] was the one who said, ‘Let’s go back [to sprints]’.

“He needs speed, something to run at. He’s the kind of horse that never runs out of air. He trains six, seven, eight furlongs.”

Vegas No Show (Hard Spun – The Hess Express, by Lord Carson) completed a double for Hard Spun when the two-year-old scored his first win at his second start at Delaware.

Hard Spun quinella in US Grade 1

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Godolphin homebred Questing (Hard Spun – Chercheuse, by Seeking The Gold) cruised to victory in the Grade 1 American Oaks (1m1f) while Zo Impressive (Hard Spun – Zoftig, by Cozzene) completed a quinella for young Darley sire Hard Spun (Danzig – Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman).

Questing faced five rivals in the American Oaks. Her teenage jockey Irad Ortiz Jr was content to sit second before he took Questing forward to share the lead with a half-mile to run.

Questing took over the running at the three-furlong pole before widening her margin in the straight to win by 4-1/2 lengths from Zo Impressive, which settled at the back of the field before running on gamely.

Questing was Hard Spun’s second Grade 1 winner in the US.

The sire has produced has produced six individual winners from his first crop to race in Australia this season. Hard Spun will stand at Darley’s Northwood Park property for $16,500 in the 2012 southern hemisphere breeding season.

Double for Darley sires in Singapore

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Darley stallions performed strongly at Sunday’s Kranji meeting in Singapore where Hard Spun (Danzig – Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman) and Ad Valorem (Danzig – Classy Women, by Relaunch) both sired winners on the 12-race card.

Harden Up became the 65th individual winner for Hard Spun when the two-year-old led from start to finish to claim the Restricted Maiden (1200m), a race worth $S65,000. The $62,000 Adelaide Magic Millions purchase showed terrific speed before scoring by almost four lengths.

Hard Spun produced a winner in Singapore on Sunday when Harden Up scored in fine style

Don Baertschiger purchased Harden Up while his son Shane prepares the youngster, who made the most of carrying just 50.5kg to score on debut.

Baertschiger said he would aim Harden Up at the Magic Millions Juvenile Championship at Kranji on July 29.

Meanwhile, Ad Valorem’s son Lucky Xuan (Ad Valorem – Zedabelle, by Marauding) scored his second Singapore success in the 1200-metre Class 4 that carried $S55,000 in prizemoney.

. Lucky Xuan cost $55,000 out of the Murrulla Stud draft at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale in 2010.

First SH winner for Hard Spun

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Darley homebred Textiles (Hard Spun – Alberghetti, by Carnegie) has opened Hard Spun’s (Danzig – Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman) southern hemisphere account with his win at Sandown on Wednesday.

Hard Spun produced a Stakes placegetter, the Peter Snowden-trained Coins (Hard Spun – Monetary, by Diesis), before Textiles’s debut success in the Event Landscaping Solutions Handicap (1000m).

The Mick Price-trained Vicario (Hard Spun – Sheedy’s Sheila, by Keltrice) boosted Hard Spun’s success by completing a quinella for the first-season sire in the $30,000 event.

Textiles is one of seven runners by the sire to hit the racetrack this season. The gelding is out of Alberghetti (Carnegie – Wusool, by Gulch), who was Stakes-placed in the Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) during her three-year-old season.

Alberghetti is out of a half-sister to the South African Group 2 winner Jallad (Blushing Groom – Petrava, by Imposing) as well as the South African champion Hoeberg (Maroof – Petrava, by Imposing).

Hoeberg won three Group 1 races and was crowned as the Champion Classic 3YO Filly in South Africa in 2000-01.

Hard Spun has sired seven Stakes winners in the northern hemisphere.

US Stakes double for Hard Spun

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Gr1-winning Darley Victoria shuttler Hard Spun (Danzig-Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman) added two  black-type successes in USA in the past four days courtesy of Hard Mystery and Midnight Transfer.

Midnight Transfer (3 c Hard Spun – French Satin, by Turkoman), who blew away maiden rivals on opening day at Santa Anita, impressed in a different way in his stakes debut in Sunday’s $82,500 San Pedro Stakes. After the promising three-year-old drew the rail, trainer Carla Gaines was concerned that her colt might not get enough of an education, if he simply gunned it in the 6 1/2-furlong dash. As it turned out, Midnight Transfer got a lesson in waiting his turn from a patient Joel Rosario, and rallied in time to collar Got Even at the post.

Midnight Transfer

Midnight Transfer

“I was thinking the other horse’s head (Got Even) was longer than mine,” Gaines quipped when asked about the photo finish. “We’re hoping to stretch him out. We’ll look at the San Felipe (a Grade 2 over 1 1/16 miles on March 10).”

Hard Mystery (3 f Hard Spun РSummer Rainbow, by Summer Squall) scored a 2.75-lengths victory in the US$75,000 Listed Biogio’s Rose Starter Stakes (8.5 furlongs) for 3YO fillies at Aqueduct in New York on Thursday.

A $22,000 yearling at the 2010 Keeneland September Sale, Hard Mystery took her record to two wins and two second places from five starts for US$77,830 earnings. George Weaver) defeated Bourbonstreetgirl (Langfuhr-Amaretta, by Woodman) and the front-running Love Contract (Consolidator-Option Contract, by Forty Niner).

First SW for Hard Spun

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Darley shuttle-sire Hard Spun (Danzig) was represented by his first stakeswinner on Saturday when Red Duke (2 c Saudia, by Gone West) won the Superlative Stakes (Gr 2) over seven furlongs at Newmarket.

“We knew we had a good horse. He’s well bred and wants at least this far. We won’t rush back with him and he can run seven furlongs, if not a mile, now. I hope he’s a Guineas horse.” trainer John Quinn told the Racing Post.

Hard Spun has five winners from 12 runners in the Northern Hemisphere to date. The Grade 1 winner is advertised at Northwood Park in Victoria at a fee of $16,500 in 2011.