NATIONAL campaigning dual million-dollar earner, Stratum Star, posted his first winner when his first crop juvenile filly Avalicious won at Dubbo recently.
Trained locally by Clint Lundholm, Avalicious was produced from two-year-old debut winner Evert, a daughter of USA bred Belong To Me which shuttled for seven stud seasons to Widden Stud, also home of Stratum Star.
Covering 362 mares in his first four seasons, Stratum Star was a versatile coast to coast competitor winning the MRC Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes-G1 in Melbourne, and the WATC Kingston Town Stakes-G1 in Perth, in total winning eight races from 1400 to 2200 metres. Always facing the best company, the tough chestnut was also four times Group 1 placed, as well as fourth in the VRC Australian Cup-G1.
Well-bred Lionhearted, Darley's Irish bred shuttler Territories, and New Zealand bred Tarzino have also come up with their first Australian two-year-old winners last month.
Lionhearted gelding, Coeur De Lyon won at Devonport, and which fetched $14,000 at last year's Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale, when selling from Grenville Stud. The Whitemore located property is also home to the winner's sire, as well as proven German bred stallion Marwingo, winner of the Doomben Cup-G1.
Tragically dying after only one stud season, the Group placed Fastnet Rock horse Lionhearted was a three-quarter-brother to leading Victorian sire Magnus, and a half-brother to Helsinge - dam of world champion racemare Black Caviar, and another prominent sire All Too Hard.
To stand his fifth southern hemisphere stud season at Godolphin's Aberdeen base, Territories' winning representative was Finsceal when winning at the Sunshine Coast.
Already sire of stakes winners in Europe, Territories was a Group 1 winner in France, and is by Danzig grandson Invincible Spirit, also sire of I Am Invincible - a stallion which now commands Australia's highest service fee at $220,000.
The debut win of New Zealand bred two-year-old Jungle Magnate at Sandown, marked the first winner sired by Sadler's Wells linesire Tarzino, winner of the ATC Rosehill Guineas-G1 at Sydney and VRC Derby-G1 at Flemington.
Trained in Melbourne, Jungle Magnate was a $NZ75,000 graduate of the New Zealand Karaka Yearling Sale, while her sire stands in New Zealand at Westbury Stud at Karaka, just outside Auckland.
Vale Jim Bartholomew
JIM Bartholomew - founder of Barador Stud at Martindale in the Upper Hunter Valley in 1974, passed away in Sydney at age 87 last month.
He loved the Thoroughbred industry and was a member, committee member, and served as president of the NSW Bloodhorse Breeders' Association - an organisation now known as Thoroughbred Breeders NSW, and which honoured him with its Life Membership.
Born in Adelaide, Mr Bartholomew also served on the Aushorse board, was vice president of Thoroughbred Breeders' Australia, and president of the Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders' Association for a time.
While spending time in South Africa where he was also involved with Thoroughbreds, Mr Bartholomew returned to build up his Australian boutique breeding property in 1979 where he bred many talented racehorses.
These included two-time Group 1 winner Daybreak Lover (won two QTC Stradbroke Handicaps with a season at stud in-between), the AJC Epsom Handicap-G1 winner Navy Seal, So Gorgeous (won five stakes), and triple stakes winner Rising Fear, which also was placed in the Melbourne and Brisbane Cups.
Other stakes winners Barador Stud bred included Wild Queen, Hairy, and Cumbria.
Highway to Bathurst
THE Bathurst trained Zoo Station could be a serious 2022 Country Championships contender judging by his impressive win in the $75,000 ATC TAB Highway Handicap for country trained gallopers at Rosehill last Saturday.
It's never been better to be involved in racing with Racing NSW adding a further $9 million to race prizemoney with an extra $2000 per race to Sky Channel1 TAB country races (to total of $24,000), while the Sydney Saturday TAB Highway Handicaps will be worth $100,000 each from July 1.
