FOLLOWING Winx’s amazing winning run (see The Land’s web story), now it’s onto the Melbourne Cup.
Winx’s trainer Chris Waller is striving to prepare his first Melbourne Cup winner.
While the 24 runner field is yet to be finalised at time of writing I noted the run of improving galloper Youngstar who is bred to run the two miles in distance.
The four-year-old mare was a fast finishing seventh (to Irish bred and English trained Best Solution) in the 2400 metres $5 million Caulfield Cup-G1.
She won her maiden race at Hawkesbury last year before underlining her class in the Queensland Oaks and Derby as a stayer.
The mare finished second to the mighty Winx in the Turnbull Stakes-G1 (2000 metres) last month, and she will be ridden by well-known Melbourne feature winning hoop Craig Williams.
Youngstar holds her head high as an Australian-bred runner if she makes the field next Tuesday.
She is by deceased Coolmore Stud shuttler High Chaparral, sire of dual W S Cox Plate winner So You Think.
However, watch for the internationals which are always hard to access.
Youngstar holds her head high as an Australian-bred runner if she makes the field next Tuesday...
Melbourne Cup is also recalled as the “one that got away” when Nothin’ Lecia Dane finished a close second in 1995 to Doriemus, for the then rising star Sydney conditioner Gai Waterhouse.
Last week the bay stallion died at 26 years-old at his long-time home of Byerley Stud, Sandy Hollow.
Belonging to the second crop of Danehill, Nothin’ Leica Dane was among “the big four” when racing.
He along with Octagonal, Saintly and Filante, thrilled Sydney racegoers when competing in several races together particularly in stirring finishes which included the Australian Derby-G1 and Rosehill Guineas-G1.
At stud Nothin’ Leica Dane sired 257 winners including eight stakes winners his best the popular $2.3m earning mare Hot Danish.
Two other prominent stallions pass
TWO Australian bred successful stallions who both paraded in fine fettle before numerous breeding enthusiasts at their respective open day sire parades in recent weeks – Encosta de Lago and Zariz, have died.
Passing away last week at his home of Kooringal Stud near Wagga Wagga, Zariz was a reliable winner-getting sire, and proved a “big-hit” with country owners and breeders.
Not only did Zariz regularly have a 65 per cent winners to runners ratio, but a breeder had a chance of gaining a stakes winner.
The stallion’s most recent prominent galloper being Shiraz, a Group 1 placed stakes winner who earned over $840,000.
The 21-year-old brown horse sired over 300 winners of more than 1000 wins and over $18.2 million.
Winner of the coveted sprint AJC San Domenico Stakes-G2, Zariz belonged to the Northern Dancer sireline being by former Widden Stud shuttler Mukaddamah.
By Northern Dancer’s Fairy King, Encosta de Lago sired 26 Group 1 winners for over $180m.
These include champion Group 1 sprinters and recent retirees – gelding Chautauqua and mare English, the latter visiting I Am Invincible for her first stud season.
A multiple champion Australian sire, Encosta de Lago’s legacy continues via his sire sons.
This includes this season’s exciting juvenile sire Rubick, and the short-lived sire Northern Meteor - now sire of last season’s champion Australian first crop sire Zoustar.
Another reported stallion death is Roman Emperor.
He was only recently transferred from Princes Farm at Castlereagh to Mount Brown International in Victoria.
A Group 1 winning son of Sadler’s Wells’ Montjeu, Roman Emperor was trained by the late Bart Cummings to win the AJC Australian Derby.
Unexpectedly dying at age 13, Roman Emperor is best represented via his Sydney stakes winning son Emperor’s Way.
