WHEN you're looking to find new owners for a youngster on your books, then that horse's full-sibling comes out with a gutsy Rosehill win, that's only good news.
That's what happened when the Sydney-headquartered Laurel Oak Bloodstock was calling to complete a partnership to race a colt by Pierro, from Commands mare Absolutely Flying.
A few days later, Laurel Oak and its band of followers cheered home (albeit from the couch) the colt's four-year-old full-sister Perfect Pitch, as she forged her way to the front to win the TAB Highway Handicap last Saturday week.
Her second win (as well as 13 other placings), Perfect Pitch is one of several horses performing with distinction over recent weeks for the Jill and Louis Mihalyka operated company.
Perfect Pitch is prepared by long-time Canberra conditioner Keith Dryden, who also prepares Laurel Oak's 2019 $1.3 million ATC The Kosciuszko winner Handle The Truth (who ran fourth in the Ortensia Stakes-LR on the same Rosehill program), and four-year-old mare Rockarosa.
Another by Coolmore Stud's Pierro, Rockarosa won the southern districts feature Queen Of The South, on Wagga Wagga Gold Cup day earlier this month.
While finishing fourth in Scone's Dark Jewel Classic-G3 at Rosehill, the Chris Waller trained Sweet Scandal took out the Hawkesbury Crown-G3 also at Rosehill, adding to Laurel Oak's stakes account.
Then there is Express Courier (by Foxwedge) and Wichita Warrior who won for the team (and others in the Keith Dryden stables), as well as Lot's Wife (I Am Invincible) winning at the Gold Coast.
A three-year-old gelding by Vinery Stud's high-profile sire All Too Hard, Wichita Warrior won again at Goulburn last Sunday, making for more happy days.
Vale Chris Biggins
REMEMBER the mighty Super Impose? I recently learned that one of his part-owners, Chris Biggins, passed away when living in Victoria following a brief illness at age 84 last month.
His part-ownership with such a great galloper took Chris (and family) to a "Winx-like" atmosphere at times when racing.
A chestnut gelding who belonged to the Star Kingdom sireline, Super Impose was wildly cheered home by about 30,000 trackside patrons (including myself) when he won his second Epsom Handicap in October 1991, after successfully completing his second successive AJC Doncaster/Epsom Handicaps, Sydney's prestigious "mile" double.
Super Impose was purchased at New Zealand's Trentham Yearling Sale at Wellington (a sale since moved to Karaka, near Auckland) by his trainer Lee Freedman, who prepared the tough galloper to race 74 times for $5.6m in earnings a then Australasian record.
His wins included eight Groups, his eighth being his last race - Australia's weight-for-age championship MVRC W S Cox Plate as an eight-year-old.
Inducted into the Australian Hall Of Fame, Super Impose was the best horse sired by Australian bred sire Imposing, a son of Star Kingdom's champion Todman, who incidentally won of the inaugural Golden Slipper Stakes race in 1957.
An iconic race-crowd thriller, Super Impose was well cared for after racing. "He retired to a good paddock (in Victoria), but Chris also organised him (Super Impose) to go to Queensland for the winter where he was used as a nanny horse at Glenlogan Park (at Beaudesert, Queensland) for a time," said Craig McKenzie - owner/operator of MLT Equine Transport Company.
Maurice tops
IT was interesting to see that Arrowfield Stud, Scone, offered 25 yearlings for unreserved sale via the online auction platform bloodstockauction.com mid-May.
While no fancy high prices were achieved, it will be a likely bet that some talented horses will emerge from them. The horses attracted a host of bids with prices ranging from $3850 to a top of $55,000 for a first crop colt by their handsome bay Japanese bred shuttler Maurice, a Japanese Horse Of The Year, and three times Group 1 winner in Hong Kong. Maurice belongs to the Roberto sireline sire of Red Ransom) through Roberto's Silver Hawk, then Grass Wonder (a long-ago Victorian shuttle sire), and Japanese bred champion Screen Hero. Arrowfield offered 30 weanlings, including four by its high profile Dundeel, on bloodstockauction.com. this week.