Not too hard knowing where recent high class horses come from

Trained by David Vandyke at the Sunshine Coast, the $1.7 million earning gelding is by Vinery Stud's All Too Hard, a half-brother to global champion Black Caviar.

Recently Behemoth became the second Group 1 winner for All Too Hard when he defeated a host of spring hopefuls when winning the celebrated MRC Memsie Stakes, traditionally Melbourne's initial weight-for-age event which opens Victoria's rich spring racing.

Trained by David Jolly at Goolwa South Australia, Behemoth was bred by Linda and Lawrence Monds at Tyreel Stud, Agnes Banks, before being sold for $120,000 at Inglis' Great Southern Weanling Sale at Oaklands Junction, Melbourne.

About one year later, Behemoth graduated via the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale and became a $6000 bargain buy, and has since returned his owners over $1.3 million.

Another Vinery Stud stallion and All Too Hard's sire, Flying Spur stallion Casino Prince, is another "firing" with recent winners.

Casino Prince featured with a pair of Eagle Farm winners - sprint victor The Candy Man, and five-year-old mare Joymaker (over 2200 metres), followed by She's Crowned successful at Toowoomba. The next day Casino Prince had a successful double at Mudgee with Fiveash and Rogue Runner, the latter finishing third in the $50,000 NSW Racing Showcase Picnic Championship Final at Dubbo.

Winner of 11 races and over $500,000, The Candy Man will now target the $1m Epsom Handicap at Randwick on October 3. Casino Prince also had a stakes winner last month when Sweet Deal (earner of $760,000) took the ATC Toy Show Stakes-LR. Then there's Vinery's veteran and retired Mossman, which was represented with Diamond Effort, a first-up winner of the MRC The Heath Stakes-G3 at Caulfield. Now a Group 1 start beckons for Diamond Effort which has strung together five successive wins and almost $500,000 in earnings.

FOLLOWING the win of Condobolin conditioner Mark Ward with Gadfly 12 months ago, Military Bay showed a clean pair of heels when taking this year's edition of the $50,000 Racing NSW Showcase Picnic Championship Final at Dubbo last Sunday.

The only horse at the meet for Scone trainer Mark Schmetzer, Military Bay is another reminder of the tragic early loss of his sire Hinchinbrook, a Fastnet Rock half-brother to Snitzel.

Another Scone trainer, William Freedman, prepared Zaunkonig to win the $100,000 Dubbo City Toyota Cup when the Northern Meteor eight-year-old scored at big odds.

TRAVELLING around to races and yearling sales you meet and talk to numerous industry participants the likable Rick Worthington was among them. Sadly, I learnt of his recent passing, at 60, following a long battle with cancer.

I first met Rick when he was breaking-in and educating young stock, an operation performed from his Southern Highlands property, Danric Lodge, Sutton Forest, which was adjacent to the Hume Highway. This led to pre-training horses, and ultimately to training, gaining stables at Warwick Farm.

Among his talented gallopers he prepared included dual Group 2 winner Whitefriars (won $620,000), and stakes winners Sainthood (Wagga Wagga Gold Cup-LR), and Honesty Prevails (ATC Widden Stakes-G3). In earlier times Rick trained Danzero stakes winning colt Marechal (won STC Heritage Stakes-LR), and maintained his support of the bay stallion in its stud career, and in latter times at Louise Ellis' Argyle Thoroughbreds, Panuara, near Orange. Rick also lent his time as an administrator being president of the Warwick Farm Trainers' Association and was a NSW Trainers' Association board member.

WHILE a Group 1 winner may still beckon in Australia, Godolphin's Epaulette has sired a winner at the highest level in America, following success of Red Lark which won the Del Mar Oaks-G1 in California. An Irish-bred daughter of Epaulette, Red Lark becomes the Command stallion's 14th stakes winner and his second Group 1 winner after South African galloper Soqrat, who won three top level races.