PRIME DISPATCH Edition 157 – 16/05/2017
Compiled by Joe o’Neill
Hijack Hussy sells on 30 May 2017 at
Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale
I must say I felt a bit nostalgic when I stayed at Yarraman Park for the Scone Cup weekend. 20 years
ago in 1997 on the Friday morning of the Scone Cup Bill Mitchell and I drove around the farm and
also visited Arrowfield Stud and Wakefield Stud and discussed setting up a syndication company. By
the end of that morning we shook hands and Prime Thoroughbreds was launched. I stayed in the
‘Major’s Cottage’ on the farm that weekend and enjoyed the company of Bill’s father Major James
Mitchell. I have spent many nights in this comfortable cottage since. Sadly Bill’s father James is no
longer with us but has left a great legacy for our industry.
The transition to working in the thoroughbred industry after 20 years in the Army wasn’t easy but Bill
Mitchell and his brothers made me feel welcome and their incredible knowledge of the industry
combined with my determination to succeed made for a good recipe. On the Sunday of that weekend
Bill purchased our first horse a Celestial Dancer colt for $15,000. He went on to be our first Sydney
winner. His name was Let’s Jive. Since then we have syndicated in excess of 250 yearlings and won
over 700 races. When I get a spare day I intend to go through and update our statistics from day one.
They are impressive.
Interestingly the yearlings I purchased in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 have won 125 races and we
should pass the $6,000,000 in stakes earnings in the next week. These 61 horses cost $3,515,625
(Average $57,633.19) and have won 125 races. The combined earnings on the track total $5,977,967
to date with 25 of these horses still in our racing team including some very valuable horses.
In total 57 of these raced with 48 having won as I write this. I am expecting to get 53 winners from
these four crops of yearlings which is exceptional and I believe unmatched by any of our competition.
GREAT NEWS OUT OF VICTORIA
It was great to hear the announcement of the increases in stakes money in Victoria from 1 August
2017. This will be the second major increase in the state this year and takes the total on offer to
$214,000,000 a $40,000,000 increase since 2015. This sees both NSW and Victoria offering terrific
incentives for participants to race horses in their states. Not to be out done we have seen a lot of work
being done in the other states to increase the returns to participants in the sport.
As for the other states I am expecting some exciting news out of Tasmania in the next few weeks. SA
has a very lucrative carnival running, WA offers great incentives for their locally bred horses and
there is plenty happening behind the scenes in Queensland. This is all positive stuff.
From our perspective the big increases in Saturday stakes money for three year old racing in Victoria
where the minimum on offer from 1 August 2017 will be $120,000 is good news. Our team of horses
are mainly educated as two year olds with us aiming to have them really ready to go as three and four
year olds. We want our owners to have more than a couple of days at the races and for them to enjoy
racing their horses for two or more seasons if they have the ability.
The Integrity Department at RVL deserve a special mention. We all want to see our horses competing
on a level playing field. You may remember a couple of years ago the stewards were overt raiding
stables and being quite positive in trying to stamp out illegal practices being used by a small group of
trainers. This approach drew some criticism at the time but if you look at racing in Victoria today we
hardly see any trainers charged with improper conduct relating to the administration of illegal
substances. The aggressive approach taken at that time worked and the cheats were put on notice that
their wayward practices wouldn’t be tolerated. This is the way it should be.
It may surprise you but the best group of form analysts in Victoria work for the Integrity Department
and they are constantly on the lookout for trends that may suggest all isn’t right and that a stable
might be going off the rails.
THE BREEDING SCENE
I have been in the Hunter Valley speaking with many of the people whose opinion I value and also
making my own mind up on which sires to send the mares I manage to this year.
It’s a tough year and a bit confusing with so many first season sires on the market. I have made my
choices with the mares going to Casino Prince, Husson, I Am Invincible, Rubick and Sizzling. I
loved the progeny of Sizzling I inspected this year and purchased two of them. They are cracking
types of horses. I can’t wait for one horse in particular to go to stud next year. He is a cracker. You
will know who he is after I have booked some of the mares I manage to him.
Only time and race performances will prove if I have made the right decisions for these mares but I’m
confident the sires they have gone to should suit the mares and produce nice types of horses and after
all we are trying to breed athletes that make pedigree pages.
MAGIC MILLIONS NATIONAL SALE
I’m looking forward to the Magic Millions National Sale on the Gold Coast which commences on 25
May and goes through to 9 June. This is a massive sale. I will be attending the broodmare sale where
Awasita, Hijack Hussy and Strike For Victory are catalogued to be sold. These horses will be sold
on 30 May and the sale is expected to be very strong.
Hijack Hussy in particular has been very popular and it will be very interesting to see what she
fetches through the ring. She is a stakes winning mare by super broodmare sire Hussonet out of a
very well related Redoute’s Choice mare. Awasita had a good racing career winning five races and
$276,710 in stakes money. She is by Commands out of a ½ sister to Magic Albert which makes her
an attractive breeding proposition. Strike For Victory isn’t as well performed on the track but was a
fast filly and is now a ¾ sister to the WA Sires Produce winner Debellatio.
It is a good time to sell mares with so many first season sires on the scene and shareholders needing
good mares to give their new boys the best possible opportunity at stud.
If any of our readers wish to discuss purchasing one of these mares feel free to call me on
0433762700.
A SOLID WEEK ON THE TRACK
The good performances continued with our two year olds with Kissing Game running a terrific race
on debut at Canterbury. She is a very progressive filly and by Yarraman Park’s Champion young sire
in Hinchinbrook. Honolulu Lass also by Hinchinbrook ran home strongly for third at only her 2nd
start and is ready to step out to 1400m which should be ideal. She had almost 12 months off with a
hoof injury and has been taken along quietly.
On Saturday we finished up having just the two runners with both putting in nice performances. The
Wasp was terrific in the Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes where she copped interference as she was
accelerating about 125m from the post. It cost her a stake placing. She is a very progressive horse.
Raido had no luck and couldn’t get cover in the run but was brave and should be placed to advantage
in the coming weeks. He is only a couple of thousand dollars short of earning $200,000 which is a
good effort.
ON THE TRACK – THE WEEK AHEAD
We have a very busy week in front of us. Reneged resumes tomorrow at Warwick Farm and will be
improved by the outing. Tye Angland takes the ride. He was gelded after his last run and has had a
couple of nice trials heading into his race at Warwick Farm tomorrow. Go Arrivederci resumes at
Balaklava. We have used the Balaklava Racetrack quite a bit in the past with good success. It is a big
spacious track with a nice run home. Let’s hope it continues.
Savoureux is nominated for the Listed Bright Shadow Stakes at Doomben. I’d love to win this race.
I remember Bright Shadow well. She was by Smokey Eyes who was a great sire in Queensland and
later a wonderful broodmare sire and Bright Shadow was a great race mare. As a child growing up
racing and rugby league were the main points of discussion whenever our family and friends got
together.
Hussy’s Glow is nominated at Flemington on Saturday and there are other options for her. One
Invincible Cat is nominated to have her first start at Newcastle. She is another of our two year old
team which is coming together nicely. Invincible Al and Honolulu Lass are nominated at Bendigo
with Honolulu Lass also at Mildura.
Husson Boots is set to run at either Ipswich or the Sunshine Coast. A lot will depend on the weather
in South East Queensland. Unfortunately more rain is predicted.
We are likely to have two of our juveniles run on 23 May with Kissing Game set to go to Kembla
Grange where she will love the big track and Zelsignoret is scheduled to have her second start at
Seymour. Both these fillies put in excellent efforts at their debuts and will only be having their
second start. Two of our other youngsters scheduled to run include Black And Tan at Cranbourne on
26 May and Casa De Lago on 31 May at Racing.com Park.
We had a couple of nice horse’s trial at Newcastle last week including Not Surprising and
Chalmers. Chalmers will need another trial with Not Surprising probably not far off heading back to
the races.
SOME NICE YEARLINGS TO CONSIDER
I am pleased to write this crop of yearlings are the nicest I have ever purchased and I can’t wait to get
them to the races. Our horses are running very well and as Kris Lees said to a media personality a
few years ago ‘Joe doesn’t need to pay for advertising on television, his horses do it for him’.
The last of our yearlings is being broken in and the reports coming from the breakers have been
terrific. This is easily the most expensive group of youngsters I have purchased. It is very exciting.
I didn’t buy any yearlings at the Scone Sale, nothing really grabbed my attention. Once again as has
been the trend this year the sale set new records. The strength of our industry has been extaordinary
and to be honest I can’t see it coming back in the near future. Stakes money is up in almost all the
states and territories and the demand for tried horses particularly in provincial and country NSW is the
strongest I’ve witnessed in my 20 years in the industry.
AL MAHER MISS CUTIE FILLY
Al Maher filly out of Miss Cutie 2015
$8,500 per 10% share (5% shares $4250) - John Thompson to train at Royal Randwick
For a few years I have been on the lookout for a nice Al Maher filly and at last I found the one I was
after. This filly is a beautiful walking filly and in many ways reminds me of the better Street Cry
fillies I have inspected. She has good size and is well proportioned. She has an attractive head and is
strong through the shoulder and hindquarter.
The one characteristic I really liked about this filly was her attitude. While she had a strong
personality she was easy to handle and I observed her being inspected on several occasions to make
sure she had a good attitude. In my experience the progeny of Al Maher can be a bit ‘hot’.
I was keen on the progeny of Al Maher from day one and purchased two fillies out of his first crop.
One of these was Unchain My Heart. She was a wonderful staying mare and won the Andrew
Ramsden Stakes twice and also the Bagot Handicap.
Like this filly, Unchain My Heart came from a stout female line and wasn’t unlike this filly as a type.
Al Maher has been a really good sire with his progeny producing better than 10% stakes winners to
winners. Only the best sires achieve this figure.
His 32 stakes winners include some outstanding females including Delicacy, Majestic Music, Speedy
Natalie and of course Unchain My Heart.
Miss Cutie is by the Champion sire Street Cry and was a metropolitan winner and placed in Sydney as
a two year old. This is only her second foal with the first being placed recently at Sandown.
Miss Cutie comes from a very good female line that includes the high class Group 1 performers
Defier and Traveston Girl. I also like the line of dams with Street Cry, Grand Lodge, Marscay and
Salieri the dam sires of the first four dams.
The 2nd
dam is a half-sister to Defier who was a wonderful galloper winning three times at Group 1
level and in excess of $2.9 million.
All in all Miss Cutie presents as quite a complete package.
Unchain My Heart Cost $45,000 Earnings $595,580
Sold for $160,000 Gold Coast National Sale
SIZZLING DEDICATION COLT
Sizzling colt out of Dedication 2015
$8,500 per 10% share (5% shares $4250) - Tony Gollan to train at Eagle Farm
This is a cracking colt and he certainly attracted my attention at the sales where he was one of only
two colts I had vetted. He is well grown and a very athletic individual. He has a wonderful attitude
and is nice walking horse.
I love his pedigree and more than that I was instantly attracted to him when I inspected him. If you
don’t like a horse when you first inspect it you should never buy it.
In my opinion this colt was as good an individual as I inspected in the sale.
I really liked what I saw in a number of the progeny of Sizzling at this year’s sales. To me it is a no
brainer that he will be a success at stud. He was a terrific racehorse and precocious two year old from
the most dominant sire line in Australia for the past 20 years out of a ‘black type’ mare by one of the
greatest sprinters of the modern generation in General Nediym.
Sizzling’s pedigree page is very strong with a host of very good horses down the page. In fact it
couldn’t be any stronger with both the 2nd
and 3rd
dams being superior producers.
I love the General Nediym (1st dam), Alzao stakes winner (2
nd Dam) and Without Fear stakes
producer (3rd
dam) down the page. Estate Label, the 3rd
dam was a very high class producer also
throwing the outstanding two year old filly Loving Cup.
I must say I had a bit to do with both sides of this pedigree with Sizzling’s sire Snitzel being out of
Snippet’s Lass. Both General Nediym and Snippet’s Lass were trained by Bill Mitchell when I was
his Racing Manager. They were both high class racehorses with Snippet’s Lass being one of the
toughest mares I have had anything to do with.
Dedication is a young well related mare by a sire that has had a great impact in Australia through his
daughters at stud and provides a perfect outcross to the many Danehill line sires we have standing in
Australia. A close look at this female line displays plenty to be enthusiastic about.
Firstly, Singspiel has crossed beautifully with the sons of Danehill with the high class Australian
Group 1 winners Helmet and Epaulette being amongst the thirty two Group winners his daughters
have thrown.
Secondly, there are several examples of Danehill working in this pedigree headed by Alverta, the
Group 1 winning daughter of Flying Spur, Group 3 winner Aerobics and stakes performers Violet
Lane and star Mystic.
UPDATE
30/04/17 - I inspected this colt at Fulmen Park last week and he heads to the breakers tomorrow. He is a cracking horse that has gone forward since I purchased him at the
Adelaide Magic Millions. He will be a very good addition to our Brisbane stable.
14/05/17 – The breaker is very pleased with the colt. He has a great attitude and is coping well with the breaking in. The breaker said he is a lovely horse to work with.
16/05/17 – I booked two of our mares to Sizzling. I am impressed with his progeny.
SIZZLING SENRO KISAKI FILLY
Sizzling /Senro Kisaki filly - Patrick Payne
10% shares $17,500 5% shares $8,750
I really liked what I saw in a number of the progeny of Sizzling at this sale. To me it is a no brainer
that he will be a success at stud. He was a terrific racehorse and precocious two year old from the
most dominant sire line in Australia for the past 20 years out of a ‘black type’ mare by one of the
greatest sprinters of the modern generation in General Nediym.
Sizzling’s pedigree page is very strong with a host of very good horses down the page. In fact it
couldn’t be any stronger with both the 2nd
and 3rd
dams being superior producers.
I love the General Nediym (1st dam), Alzao stakes winner (2
nd Dam) and Without Fear stakes
producer (3rd
dam) down the page, on both sides of the dam’s pedigree. Eastate Label, the 3rd
dam
was a very high class producer also throwing the outstanding two year old filly Loving Cup.
I must say I had a bit to do with both sides of this pedigree with Sizzling’s sire Snitzel being out of
Snippet’s Lass. Both General Nediym and Snippet’s Lass were trained by Bill Mitchell when I was
his Racing Manager. They were both high class racehorses with Snippet’s Lass being one of the
toughest mares I have had anything to do with.
Senro Kisaki is the dam of our promising filly and recent winner Husson’s Kiss, also 3rd
in the
Tasmanian 1000 Guineas. Senro Kisaki is also the dam of the highly progressive Hong Kong galloper
Victory Marvel, a five time winner in Hong Kong this season. This is only Senro Kisaki’s 4th foal.
This filly is much stronger than Husson’s Kiss was at the same age. Senro Kisaki is out of a Danehill
Dancer mare. Danehill Dancer has gradually moved up the broodmare sire’s list and is now 14th on
the list which is a very good effort considering he was 39th four years ago.
As a type this filly is faultless and I really like the mating of Sizzling over Senro Kisaki. This filly
was bred by Ian Smith who bred the Champion sprinter Silent Witness as well as many other fine
gallopers.
This was a really tough sale with many of the yearlings struggling with the oppressive conditions.
This filly didn’t miss a beat and handled everything with ease. She has been paid up for the rich
Magic Million Series and is strong enough to perhaps get to the Gold Coast in 2018 but should train
on to be a wonderful three year old. I love this filly.
UPDATE
11/05/17 - I inspected this filly at Ascot Farm. She broke in enormous and has really developed as well as I could have hoped for. Her ½ brother Victory Marvel is one of the
most progressive horses in Hong Kong where he has won 5 races in Hong Kong this season.