Turf Monthly July 2023

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TURF

June 2023

THIS MONTH

FIRST SEASON SIRES 2023 ANAMOE DALASAN DAUMIER

Editor’s Letter It is with great sadness that we see the pending demise of Singapore racing. I used to send some horses up there years ago into a buoyant and growing market. It has continued to improve, and some really good Australian racing people have had great success there and the racing is of good quality. I have no inside knowledge as to the reasons for the decision although I have read that the growth of casinos has been a major factor in the demise. The struggle for the gambling dollar seems to have put racing on the outer. While this is not the experience in most parts of the world where racing and casinos exist hand in hand, there is no doubt that Singapore is a unique model. A warning though needs to be taken from Singapore racing. We must take every challenge to the wagering market seriously. The growth of Sports betting must be a concern to the industry. We need to ensure that we have a product that is attractive to the betting public. This may be one of the biggest lessons from Singapore in that their racing, as an outsider, did not offer much that was out of the ordinary. Their product in Australia on Saturdays was relegated to SKY 2 which was never a position that was going to advance their industry. There is however a silver lining to the failure of Singapore racing. Ironically the casinos will take vision from Australian racing and wagering on our races will be even more attractive to a racing public that will be unable to support a local industry. It is a great opportunity for the Australian industry to offer more than just vision to our neighbours.

CONTENTS

5

Anamoe

14

Dalasan

22

Daumier

30

Jim Pike on Fujisan

Cover Photo

Daumier

Until next month

Ross Prowd

Turf Monthly ABN 64 892 144 940 Phone 0412 712 181

Email editor@turfmonthly.com.au 2 Swan Street Parkside Qld 4825

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ANAMOE DALASAN DAUMIER

ANAMOE A STAR RETIRES

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namoe goes to stud this season as the most expensive first season stallion we have ever seen. At a fee of $121,000, there are only a handful of stallions in Australia commanding a higher fee. There is no doubt that Anamoe, who we wrote about last month, was a star on the track, but if we compare him to the likes of the recently retired Lonhro, it is fair to suggest that he was certainly not superior to that champion. Lonhro went on to be a champion stallion and yet never commanded a fee of the level of Anamoe. In fact, it was only in 2012 that he had a fee of over $100,000. Obviously Darley are in a position to be able to send Anamoe any number of quality mares so do not need to rely on outside owners. The fee will be a selling point for these outside mares with top-end yearlings at sale, and one would imagine that correct types by Anamoe will bring premium prices. After all, his racetrack performance ticks all of the boxes for a successful stallion. He was a Group 1 winning 2yo, and took that form into his three and four year old seasons. In all, the stallion won fourteen stakes races from 1000m to 2040m. If we want to be critical of his performances under local conditions, Anamoe did not win a Group 1 race under 1400m. Racetrack performance is only part of the puzzle, and it is his pedigree that interests us more in terms of his overall success. More likely that not Anamoe will produce his share of quality runners simply on the basis of the quality of the mares he will cover. Unfortunately stallion success has become something of a numbers game in recent times and on this basis alone, Anamoe is a strong chance of success but at his fee level, he would need to win a number of champion sires’ titles to be considered even a break even prospect in my view. Whether this will happen is what we will try to understand.

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ne of the first aspects to look at is the sire line of Anamoe. He is a son of Street Boss, a stallion who stands at Darley now for $77,000. He raced thirteen times in the US for seven wins, although did not commence his career until a 3yo. At that age he had only four race starts, winning only once in a Spcial Maiden over 1200m at Del Mar. Street Boss was a star as a 4yo winning six of his nine starts including the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Handicap over 1200m and Triple Bend Invitational over 1400m. He was also to set a new track record over 1200m in winning the Grade 3 Los Angeles Handicap over 1200m at Hollywood Park. The stallion was also second in the Ancient Title Stakes and Breeder’s Cup Sprint over 1200m at Santa Anita. If we were to compare his performances with that of Anamoe, we clearly see that he was far more brilliant over the short courses than his son which is a huge plus for the yearling market in Australia. Street Boss arrived in Australia in 2009 where he covered only 72 mares at $16,500. Darley chose not to bring the stallion back the following year, but he returned in 2011 at a reduced fee of $13750. That year he covered 97 mares, and the following year at a further reduced fee of $11,000, Street Boss attracted 115 mares. His first stakes winner was Thiamandi, born in 2010 who won the 2014 Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes on 26 July, less than a week before his fourth official birthday. The same crop was to produce one of his best runners in The Quarterback who was to become the stallion’s first Group 1 winner in Australia when he won the 2016 VRC Newmarket Handicap. On the strength of the performance or The Quarteback, the stallion’s fee rose from $11,000 in 2015 to $27,500 in 2016. Street Boss’ second Group 1 winner locally was Elite Street who won the 2020 Winterbottom Stakes in Perth in 2020 at his seventh start as a Spring 4yo. Anamoe is only the third Group 1 winner in Australia for Street Boss, and he is largely responsible for the change in fortunes of the stallion. The arrival of Anamoe saw that fee increase to $55,000 in 2021 and $77,000 in 2022.

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xtending the sire line of Anamoe, we see that his grandsire is another Darley star galloper in Street Cry. He won the 2002 Dubai World Cup over 2000m as well as the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap over 1800m. Street Cry came to Australia in 2003 covering only 72 mares at a fee of $38500. The following three years he covered over 100 mares at a reduced fee of $16,500 before the Equine Influenza outbreak saw him not return for 2007 and 2008. By 2009 Street Cry had produced Street Boss, Street Sense and his champion US mare, Zenyatta as well as his first Australian Group 1 winner in the outstanding Whobegotyou. The year

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2009 also saw his son Shocking win the Melbourne Cup and the stallion’s fee was set at $110,00. It was to be a few years but 2015 saw his best local champion in Winx win her first Group 1 race. An interesting observation with Street Cry is that he is a grandson of Mr Prospector. As such, one would have imagined that much of his success would have been via the daughters of Danehill who had started to dominate Australian and international breeding by the time he went to stud. Interestingly none of his stars mentioned above saw Danehill, or even his sire, Danzig in their pedigrees. We should remember this point when we look at possible matings for Anamoe a little later.

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he dam of Street Boss is Blushing Ogygian, a daughter of Ogygian who in turn is a son of Damascus. Ogygian was a star 3yo in the US, winning seven from ten starts all over shorter trips including the Grade 1 Dwyer Stakes and Jerome Handicap.

A chronic leg injury saw him retire to stud where his moderate success in Kentucky saw him relocate to Japan. Damascus on the other hand was a champion on the track, earning the title of US Horse of the Year in 1967 following wins in the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Woodward Stakes, and Dwyer Stakes. He had earlier run third in the Kentucky Derby. Incidentally he was also a son of another US Horse of the Year in Sword Dancer who had won the title in 1959. Sword Dancer had also retired due to a fetlock injury similar to the one that saw Ogygian forced into retirement. Street Boss trails to the original Bruce Lowe number one family that continues to be numerous in the modern era. While many from this particular line have had success internationally, we did see it come to the fore in Australia through lines that produced the 2005 Canterbury Guineas winner, Jymcarew and 1981 Rosehill Guineas winning filly, Deck The Halls.

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hen we come to Anamoe, his dam is Anamato by Redoute’s Choice who won four stakes races including the Group 1 SAJC Schweppes Oaks. More importantly for the future of Anamoe, she was a quality 2yo running second in the Group 3 TBV Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at her second start in March of her 2yo season. She then went to Sydney to run second in the Listed Fernhill Stakes before winning the SAJC Sires’ Produce at Morphettville over a mile. She was later to win the Schweppes Oaks and connections took her to the US where she was to have one start, running third in the Grade 1 Oaks Invitational at Hollywood Park over 2000m. Upon return to Australia, she was to run third in the Group 1 Yalumba Stakes over 2000m behind Maldivian and Miss Finland. As mentioned last month, her female family has become known as the “Belle” family from NZ and traces to the great Manto, the first thoroughbred mare imported into Australia. Anamato was out of a mare by Whiskey Road by Nijinksy II, a son of Northern Dancer called

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Voltage. His third dam is Electric Belle by Sovereign Edition. If we were to look at the pedigree of the great Winx by Street Cry, we see that her third dam is a daughter of Sovereign Edition, so perhaps this is a factor that we can consider when looking at the potential progeny of Anamoe.

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he first thing to notice about the pedigree of Anamoe is that there are no duplications within five generations. The closest we see are four lines of Natalma in the sixth generation. For all of the line breeding aficionados this is quite unusual in the modern era. If we look historically, it is also something of a rarity in top line stallions. Simply put, the larger the genetic pool in a stallion, the more likely it is for a wider range of influences to appear in their progeny. Consistency in type is a key factor in most stallions and in the case of Anamoe, breeders should question as to what type to expect. Clearly, we have seen that his sire line has not been one of early 2yo’s yet in most cases the direct sire line is often the strongest clue we have as to type. Anamato was perhaps the source of the stallion’s precocity, and this likely came through the damsire, Redoute’s Choice who sired his share of early 2yo’s. The question must be asked though in these days of Danehill domination, “If you are looking for the genes of Redoute’s Choice, are you most likely to find these in Anamoe or one of a multitude of proven sons and grandsons of that great stallion?” It is here that it is good to remember the pedigree similarities of Anamoe and Winx through Street Cry and Sovereign Edition. Perhaps this blend of genes is what resulted in superior racehorses, and perhaps it is this blend that is likely to be the legacy of Anamoe. No matter how we answer this question, we are left with the puzzle of how to bring out the best of his genetic make-up in his progeny.

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iven that Anamoe’s pedigree includes Danehill, multiple lines of Northern Dancer and Mr Prospector, there are few mares that are likely to represent outcrosses. Old lines that we rarely see anymore, like Canny Lad, Rory’s Jester and Marscay could be interesting presences in pedigrees although we often see these mixed with lines of Danehill. Similarly, we see a stallion like Written Tycoon who only has one line of Northern Dancer in his pedigree as a broodmare sire that would be worth pursuing. A similar stallion in some ways is Lonhro who we have mentioned, and his pedigree sees only one line of Mr Prospector. Again, much will depend on what female lines his daughters carry. High Chaparral’s daughters are getting older, but again there are likely to be some of these that could suit Anamoe. These three stallions all have sons at stud, and these may also represent an opportunity for owners of their daughters. A stallion like So You Think is proving a top-quality broodmare sire and if his daughters do not have close lines of Danehill for example, could well prove successful.

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his brings us to the elephant in the room with matings of course in Danehill, and more particularly Redoute’s Choice. While we see Redoute’s Choice present through a daughter in the pedigree of Anamoe and there will be plenty of sons and grandsons that may be seen as an opportunity of taking advantage of that sex balanced cross. I would certainly steer clear of sons of Redoute’s Choice, but it is not out of the question that granddaughters like those by Snitzel and Not A Single Doubt will be worth pursuing from time to time. We are seeing sons of Snitzel like Shamus Award at stud, and these will be targeted no doubt as matings for Anamoe.

Sheer quality of some of these mares may be enough to carry some of this style of mating, but these really need careful management. No doubt Darley will tread warily but considering that we will be talking the very top end of Australia’s thoroughbred population, the risk will come with a hefty price.

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erhaps the biggest advantage that Darley has is access to international bloodlines.

Having stood some wonderful stallions across the world, there are a number of options available to them, and it is likely that they will import some of their best mares in order to support their favourite local son. One that immediately springs to mind is Shamardal who has sons and even grandsons now at stud, all with daughters who may suit Anamoe. Anamoe of course is a grandson of Street Cry, whose sister, Helinski was the dam of the stallion. This close relationship will appeal to some, but again it is a strategy that will require careful planning. Another of Darley’s international stars was Teofilo and his sons are having some success at stud.

Again his daughters and granddaughters will be among those mares in the mix for Anamoe, but his pedigree sees a female line of Danehill which may or may not be beneficial to his chances of success in the long term. As a breeder, one must always ask themselves what the strength of a stallion’s pedigree was. In the case of Anamoe, with his largely outcross pedigree this becomes more difficult, but I question if the answer will be Danehill.

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e have spoken of some of the wonderful names in Anamoe’s pedigree and the likes of Damascus, Street Cry, Troy and Redoute’s Choice are clearly influences that could have been critical to his success. Perhaps though we have yet to spend enough time on his wonderful female line that we know so well especially in NZ. As mentioned last month, it is commonly referred to as the “Belle” family and includes horses like Belle Du Jour, Delightful Belle, Kazakh Belle, Star Belle, and others like Aerosmith, Drum, Grand Armee and Dance Hero that do not share the Belle name. Perhaps importantly to note is that this is not a family of stallions. The males have regularly been gelded and stars like Grand Armee did not get a chance to pass on their genetics. One of the more recent stallions from the family was Pauillac who was a solid winner producer from the 90’s. That has not always been the case

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with this great Manto family and different lines have had success through stallions.

The champion sire Written Tycoon and the boom Queensland sire, Better Than Ready are both sires who hail from the same female line, as is another Darley based stallion in Microphone. Heading back in history we see the wonderful speedster and sire in Rancher coming from another line of this family. Even further back we see a sire called Nightmarch who won 18 stakes races including the 1929 Cox Plate/ Melbourne Cup double before going to stud in NZ with limited success.

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erhaps most significantly we see the great Strawberry Road who had a good career in the US also is from the same female line. What makes him more notable is that he is by Whiskey Road, a stallion we see as the grand damsire of Anamoe. Potentially all of these may give clues to the future success of Anamoe, but at his fee level, few breeders are likely to look at what is best for their mares, rather looking at the commercial aspect of the matings. Given the opportunity that awaits Anamoe, it is near impossible to think that he will not have success. The only question is to how much success he will have.

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DALASAN

SUCCESS IN A DIFFERENT MARKET

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t the other end of the scale with our Freshman Sires for 2023 is Dalasan. He will stand his first season at Riverbank Farm for the modest fee of $5500. In many ways Dalasan is a throwback to earlier times. He had 41 starts in a career that earned him eight wins and over $3.5 million in prizemoney. Dalasan won from 1000m to 2000m but was probably more highly regarded as a stayer even though he had only two starts beyond a mile and a half. Perception means a lot, and Dalasan will likely be stamped as a stallion with plenty going against him before he even covers his first mare. Compared to Anamoe who is guaranteed a full book of mares, Dalasan will struggle with mare numbers most likely which again puts him behind the eight ball.

Still, racing is a funny game, and hopefully he can outperform his opportunity as we have an idea that he has plenty to offer local breeders.

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alasan began his racetrack career on 2 February 2019 winning a 2yo Handicap at Morphettville Parks. He proved that was no fluke winning again two weeks later over 1100m at Morphettville. His connections then took him to Flemington where he ran second to La Tene over 1400m in the VRC Sires’ Produce. A spell followed and Dalasan returned to win the G3 Spring Stakes at Morphettville over 1200m. A month later he was back at Flemington to win the G2 Danehill Stakes over the same journey beating Dubious. Next up was a good run when finishing

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second to the boom horse, Alligator Blood in the G3 Guineas Prelude at Caulfield.

He was fifth in the G1 Caulfield Guineas behind Super Seth and Alligator Blood and finished his Spring with a win in the G3 Carbine Club over a mile at Flemington.

The 3yo Autumn for Dalasan was a case of being close, but he just missed out on a season that would have cemented him at the top level. He started by running third behind Super Seth and Free Of Debt in the G2 Manfred at Caulfield. He then ran fifth at his next three starts behind Alligator Blood in both the CS Hayes and Australian Guineas, and Regal Power in the All-Star Mile when he came from tenth at the 400m to only be beaten by 1.5 lengths. Back in class to the Listed Port Adelaide Guineas, he beat Perfect Route and Themoonlightgambler, and then won the G3 Chairman’s Stakes. He was well fancied in the SA Derby but was beaten by the outstanding Russian Camelot with Warning in third.

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ack as a Spring 4yo, Dalasan had minor placings at Morphettville in the Spring Stakes behind Behemoth and Sky Punch in the MacDonald Stakes. In Melbourne, it was fifth in the G1 Makybe Diva behind Fierce Impact and Russian Camelot, again beaten less that 2 lengths. He then finished only 0.3 lengths behind Verry Elleegant and Toffee Tongue in the G1 Turnbull Stakes before finishing unplaced in the Caulfield Cup and Mackinnon Stakes. The following Autumn saw him return with unplaced runs in the G1 Newmarket before heading to Sydney where he was unplaced in the George Ryder again at G1 level. Dalasan then finished third in the Doncaster behind Cascadian beaten only a length, and then third in the Queen Elizabeth beaten only 0.7 lengths behind Addeybb and Verry Elleegant in that epic race. As a five-year-old in the Autumn, unplaced runs in the Chautauqua and the Rupert Clarke were followed by a third in the G1 Epsom behind Private Eye and TURF MONTHLY 15

Aramayo this time beaten only 0.18 lengths. He then finished sixth in the Cox Plate behind State Of Rest and Anamoe before again failing in the Mackinnon Stakes and heading for the paddock. Dalasan spent most of the Autumn in Sydney finishing sixth in both the Canterbury Stakes and George Ryder and fifth in the Doncaster all at G1 level. He then finished fourth behind Think It Over and Zaaki in the Queen Elizabeth before returning to Adelaide to again finish unplaced, this time in the G3 RA Lee Stakes.

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ow a six-year-old, Dalasan started his campaign in the Spring by winning the Listed MacDonald Stakes at Morphettville over 1400m. He then again headed to Caulfield where he ran sixth behind Callsign Mav in the G1 Rupert Clarke beaten less than 2 lengths. Next, he was beaten just over four lengths behind Tuvalu in the G1 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield before he met up with old rival, Alligator Blood finishing ninth to that horse in the Cantala at Flemington. Dalasan was to have only two starts in the Autumn, finishing unplaced in the Elms Handicap at Flemington and CS Hayes at Morphettville. Many will argue that the stallion lacked a Group 1 victory on his resume. In all Dalasan started in 22 Group 1 races which in itself is a remarkable effort. He placed at that level on four occasions, but he finished within two lengths of the winner seven times. Many of these were in handicap races where the stallion was not always well treated and we can also see from the list of horses that beat him, he certainly faced strong competition with the likes of Verry Elleegant, Russian Camelot and Alligator Blood numbering against his conquerors.

You would certainly be a very hard taskmaster if you questioned Dalasan’s racing ability. He proved his class over a long career, unlike many of his younger rivals who retire with a questionable Group 1 victory.

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alasan is a son of the imported Dalakhani who came to Australia for only three seasons. The stallion is clearly the best of his Australian progeny, although internationally Dalakhani produced the likes of British St Leger and dual Breeders’ Cup Turf winner, Conduit, Coronation Cup and Hardwicke Stakes winner, Defoe, and French Derby winner, Reliable Man who came to Australia to win the 2013 Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Reliable Man retired to stud in New Zealand where he has sired twelve stakes winners including VRC Oaks winner, Miami Bound and Frank Packer Plate winner, Kinane. Dalasan would be considered a success if he could match the performance of Reliable Man, and the pair share an interesting pedigree connection. Reliable Man is out of a mare by Sadler’s Wells while Dalasan sees his damsire as Kitten’s Joy, who is a son of El Prado by Sadler’s Wells. Arguably by pushing the favourable Sadler’s Wells further back in the pedigree, this could have reduced the noted stamina influence of that stallion. The dam of Dalasan is the stakes placed Khandallah who has also produced the promising filly, Party Princess

by So You Think who recently won the Listed Port Adelaide Guineas, a race that her older half-brother also won. It is interesting, and perhaps significant, that both of these stakes-winners are by stallions with significant stamina influences in their pedigrees. Khandallah won at both Moonee Valley and Cranbourne and was placed in the TRC Stutt Stakes and Tasmanian Oaks. Her dam was La Rochelle by Honour And Glory who was a half-sister to Galic Boy by Irish River who won 19 races from 1200m to 2200m including twice winning the John Henry Stakes. He was later to stand at stud in Puerto Rica. The female line of Dalasan traces to Bruce Lowe’s original number one family which still accounts for many stakes-winners in the modern era. This particular line only came to Australia in 2008 when La Rochelle was imported in foal to Kitten’s Joy. Some interesting members of this immediate family in recent times include Dubious, Shamardal, Street Cry, Paximadia, Territories and a stallion called Sun Prince from the 1970’s who was the sire of Outpace (VRC Bloodhorse Breeder’s Plate), Sportscast (VRC Lighting and Brian Courtney Stakes) and Sungazer (STC Christmas Cup).

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ften when we look at stallions, we start by warning against certain lines that represent close inbreeding that would require careful planning. In the case of Dalasan, we see few lines that represent close inbreeding, which will perhaps disappoint breeders with a penchant for riskier breeding strategies. A stallion like Reliable Man who is also a son of Dalakhani is one of the few that we would caution against. Most broodmare owners will find something to interest them in the pedigree of Dalasan. If there are some lines that we would urge caution with it would be those that carry multiple male lines of Mr Prospector, and mares with close male lines of Sadler’s Wells. Darshaan and Miswaki are perhaps other lines that fit into this, but are hardly ancestors that we see in large numbers’

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hen looking at stallions whose daughters might get the best out of the stallion, we surely must look at the likes of Street Cry and Shamardal who we mentioned as hailing from the same family. The concern raised with these lines is the close male line of Mr Prospector. Shamardal is much less a risk as we push that influence a little further back, but it nonetheless is a factor that should be carefully considered. We mentioned Sun Prince as another stallion from this family. He can be found in the line that gave us this year’s Magic Millions winner, Skirt The Law and of course her granddam, She’s Got Gears. Sun Pince’s daughter Outpace had success at stud with the son, Speeding Fine doing a good job as a regular source of winners. The line of Outpace also gave us Marmottan by Redoute’s Choice who himself went to stud with limited success.

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learly one of the attractions will be that Dalasan represents an outcross by and large for the multiple Danehill lines that we see in Australian mares. Considering that we saw Marmossan and Dubious who are sons and grandsons of Redoute’s Choice, we might suspect that Redoute’s Choice is a stallion whose daughters and granddaughters may have success with Dalasan. If we also factor in that we are likely to be looking at mares who will carry speed lines and again Redoute’s Choice mares often have plenty of speed lines. This is also true with many Danehill line mares. The problem faced by Dalasan is not compatibility, but merely opportunity.

If Dalasan was to cover the same book of mares as Anamoe, then he may well prove an outstanding stallion. Sadly, this will not happen, and he will struggle not only for numbers, but also for quality of mares. As a result, his future will depend on him being able to sire a few outstanding early runners which will almost certainly hail from Danehill line mares. With the majority of these style of mares residing in the Hunter Valley in NSW, we cannot underestimate the challenge faced by Dalasan.

However, as he proved on the track, he has never been one to shirk a challenge and we hope that he gets the opportunity to prove that he can mix it with the best in the breeding barn.

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DAUMIER

2YO PERFORMANCE

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aumier is an interesting stallion heading to stud this season. He won his first start which happened to be in the Blue Diamond Prelude on 22 January 2022. Over the 1000m at Caulfield it was an impressive debut and he went on to run a narrow third in the Prelude two weeks later. As a result, his price for the Blue Diamond drifted and he was to start at $20 when the field lined up for the Group 1 event over 1200m at the same track. Daumier settled behind the leaders and hit the front in the final hundred metres to narrowly win from Revolutionary Miss and an unlucky Jacquinot. It is quite an effort though to have won the Group 1 Blue Diamond at his third start. Daumier then went to Sydney where he struck heavy tracks in running fourth in both the Golden Slipper and Sires Produce behind Fireburn. Like many

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Parables

boom 2yo’s, Daumier failed to come back as a 3yo, finishing unplaced in three starts before retiring. In his brief career of only eight starts, Daumier earned over $1.3 million and earned that important Group 1 victory.

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he colt raced in the Darley colours, but the stud decided that he would be better suited outside of their system, leading to an opportunity for the Tait family at Twin Hills Stud at Cootamundra. Daumier is a son of Epaulette who raced in the same colours winning the Group 1 Golden Rose and Doomben 10,000 among his stakes successes. He stood at Darley until being sold to Turkey in 2021. In all he has sired twelve stakes-winners with Daumier his only Group 1 winner to date. The dam of Daumier is Illustrate, an unraced daughter of champion stallion, Street Cry. She was a half-sister to the stakes-placed Marble by Exceed And Excel. Their dam was the very good mare, Parables by Lonhro, another that raced in the royal blue colours of Darley. She won three races from 1200-1400m including the Group 2 Surround Stakes and Group 3 Silver Shadow Stakes. Parables also ran third in the Group 1 Flight Stakes behind Secret Admirer and More Strawberries. In turn, she was out of the Night Shift mare, Fairytales who won six races including the Listed Toy Show Quality at Warwick Farm. She was bred at the Woodlands Stud of the Ingham brothers before they sold the property and much of their bloodstock empire to Darley. The family of Daumier traces to the Bruce Lowe number five family, and

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Epaulette

in particular a mare called Missy Baba. We have written about this family at length in the past and we see ancestors like past stars Amounis, Piastre and Wenona Girl.

More recently we had the good runner and sire in Kinjite and we also see the young stallion, D’Argento as others from the family.

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he pedigree of Daumier is extremely interesting, and for me one of the most significant comes back to his grandsire Commands. He was something of an underrated racehorse although he won the STC Missile Stakes and VRC Concept Sports Stakes. He was also the horse that ran third behind Redoute’s Choice and

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Testa Rossa in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas, and later ran second to Black Bean in the Group 1 Galaxy in a photo finish. At stud he was to produce 74 stakes-winners that included not only Epaulette who won the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 and ATC Golden Rose, but other Group 1 winners in Appearance (VRC Myer Classic, ATC Coolmore Classic, Queen Of The Turf and Canterbury Stakes), Bella Vella (SAJC Robert Sangster Stakes), Commanding Jewel (MRC One Thousand Guineas), Erewhon (AJC Spring Champion Stakes), Holler (ATC Canterbury Stakes), Manuel (MRC CF Orr Stakes), Melody Belle (Winner of 13 G1 races in NZ and the VRC Empire Rose Stakes), Paratroopers (AJC All-Aged Stakes), Purple (Qld Oaks and STC Arrowfield Stud Stakes), Russeting (Tatts Qld Winter Stakes), Skilled (AJC Champagne Stakes) and Undue (BATC Doomben 10,000 and MRC Oakleigh Plate). Commands was notable at stud being a son of Danehill and a full sibling to Danewin. They were both out of the mare Cotehele House who was a half-sister to Octagonal. The pedigree of Daumier sees a duplication of Eight Carat through those

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two siblings. On top of that we also see duplications of Northern Dancer, Natalma, Petition, Halo and Never Bend making it a relatively heavily inbred pedigree at 9.77% for six generations. This will raise questions about where broodmare owners should head when considering Daumier as a potential sire.

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or many, the Danehill factor will be important, and while we will look at this momentarily, the biggest issue to me is the presence of Lonhro in a mare’s pedigree. We see Lonhro appear in the female line of Daumier and if we introduce that stallion into a mare’s pedigree, we are going to see a close duplication. Without negating the impact of Lonhro, I would question as to whether this is likely to be a successful strategy. As we often see in breeding, close duplications of stallions are often unsuccessful. Many will ultimately prove to be viable options when we push the duplication further back into pedigrees, and this may well be the case with close crosses of Lonhro, no matter how good a racehorse he was. Another reason for

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suggesting that this is a high-risk strategy is that we also see another line of Eight Carat being introduced. While a duplication of Eight Carat was successful in the pedigree of Daumier and has also been successful in the likes of Cosmic Force and Jonker, it has likely underperformed considerably against opportunity to this point in history.

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nother key ancestor is Daumier’s grand damsire in Street Cry. Again, we know how important this influence is and that there is a temptation to combine it with his close relation, Shamardal. In the case of Daumier, this strategy faces challenges not only due to the close inbreeding, but also through the introduction of another line of Halo through a daughter. We already see two Halo daughters in the pedigree of Daumier, and with Shamardal’s sire Giant’s Causeway, we also see a duplication of Glorious Song, one of the Halo daughters mentioned. With this in mind, I would suggest that we are looking for largely outcross matings with Daumier. That is with one exception, and it is a big one in Danehill.

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G

iven that Danehill only appears in the sire line of Daumier in the third generation, I suspect that it will be an influence that can be used freely. I suggest that broodmare owners look at mares who have Danehill at least this far back in the pedigree, and ideally it could be that he is also found in the sire line of a mare. Given the prevalence of this type of mare in the population especially in the Hunter Valley, this will leave a lot of mares that might suit. However given that Daumier failed to train on as a 3yo, there is likely to be a preference to mares that feature some classic or stamina lines in their pedigrees. The most obvious would be Sadler’s Wells who has had such success with Danehill. It must also be made clear that while Danehill line mares are likely to work with the stallion, these are not the only mares that we should look at. We can certainly consider those Sadler’s Wells line mares especially through the likes of Galileo, High Chaparral and their sons like Churchill and So You Think. Other lines like More Than Ready together with many of the older Australian lines also look good opportunities for the stallion, again with a preference for mares carrying some stamina lines.

D

aumier appears to offer a lot of options for a large section of the broodmare market, and given his precocious nature, there is little doubt that buyers will be looking closely at his first few crops of yearlings at least. He appears an interesting addition to the stallion ranks and offers largely an outcross opportunity for the market that has moved perhaps become too dominated by inbred stock.

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JIM PIKE

MORE OF HIS WORDS

Fujisan winning the Railway Handicap

Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW: 1931 - 1954), Tuesday 31 March 1936, page 23 Things I Never Told — Pike 's Life Story Fuji San, The Horse Of Betting Coups 'TODAY JIM PIKE TELLS THE STORY OF A CAREFULLY PLANNED PLUNGE THAT WAS MADE ON FUJI SAN IN THE ALL-AGED STAKES OF 1927.

The germ of the idea was Pike's opinion of Fuji San's effort in the Doncaster run in the mud. Pike and Mick Poison persuaded the owner, A. J. Matthews, that the opportunity offered for a great win. And they were right. Jim Pike's life story is exclusive to the Daily Telegraph. Another instalment will be published tomorrow.

By JIM PIKE, Australia's greatest jockey.

THE Doncaster that year was won by Don Moon. It rained heaven's hard for days, and the track was underwater. But Fuji San, great horse that he was, and fit as a fiddle, ran a remarkable race. He was among the leaders at the Leger. Then two or three horses ran past him in the race for the post, and Pike eased him under his 9.12 on a soddened track. He finished not far behind the placed horses, and Pike knew that he could have done better without being quite able to win. But the racecrowd and the bookmakers didn't know that. The track was so cut up that day. that the colors of horses were spattered with mud. Furthermore, the race was run in a blinding shower of rain, and you couldn't see far ahead, and in the ruck hardly knew whether you were second or away back at the tail of the field, the conditions were so confusing. They asked me how Fuji San ran when I came in, and I replied TURF MONTHLY 30

that he was fourth or fifth at the end, and as he could have done a good deal better, it was a good performance in the circumstances. Mick Polson was surprised, for the track that day was really terrible for a horse who had 9.12. You will remember they had to postpone the meeting; it became so heavy. The next thing to decide was what race to go for through the remaining days of the meeting. Joe Matthews, the owner of Fuji San, favored the Shorts, the 6 furlong race on Sydney Cup Day. He believed then that Fuji San was merely a sprinter and was at his best at 6 or 7 furlongs. Mick Poison and I had chosen, the mile All-Aged Stakes, however, as the suitable race which Fuji San might win after his fine display in the Doncaster. This we had submitted to Mr. Matthews, and at first he was wary about tackling such champions as Valicare, Top Gallant, and Amounis. However, we threw our weight into the argument, and when I pointed out that I confidently believed Fuji San would have won the Doncaster with his 9.12 on a dry track, he began to sit up and take notice. I said that on the form he has shown under such unfavorable conditions in the Doncaster with 9.12 he simply couldn't lose the All-Aged, with the drop to 8.12, and it was a great chance for a rare tilt at the ring. Mick added that Valicare had started to go down the hill since her Doncaster win of the year before. Amounis then wasn't quite at his best, and Top Gallant, was a doubtful miler, because of his wind infirmity. Finally Joe was prepared to admit that, summed up, it looked the good proposition we thought. So he agreed to miss the six-furlongs Shorts on the second day to await the All-Aged on the third day. The track was drying up by then, and conditions were practically normal.

BLOW FOR BOOKS 0F course I don't know the betting details of the coup. I wasn't near the ring. But people told me afterwards that the stable commissioners had started backing Fuji San at 10 to 1 and didn't knock off until he was 7 to 2. And for actual weight of money, he was best favorite, and in another minute or two, if the public had had more time to follow the stable lead, would have started actual favorite. All I know is that I won the race. I sat in behind Top 'Gallant, who led Valicare, and went on at the top of the straight to easily pass Valicare. Top Gallant wasn't so easy. He was a good, fast horse just then. He hadn't long before won the Futurity Stakes by eight lengths. But Fuji San was improving with racing just at this period of his career and worrying Top Gallant out of it after a hard tussle, he went on to win really easily, by two lengths. Amounis was not himself just then, and the track didn't suit him, and he trailed in the rear all the way, and gave me no alarm at any stage of the race. The stable must have won a rare lot of money that day. Everybody was talking about it, and one of the books, who suffered a stinging blow over the race declared that the winnings were in the neighborhood of £10,000. I don't know whether this was right or wrong butI know that the take-out must have been substantial — more substantial than usual — because my corner was easily the biggest I ever got for a weight-for-age race. Joe Matthews was always a big bettor who wouldn't hesitate to put £2000, even £3000, on a horse of his own that he fancied well. And the ring in those boom times was just about at its strongest, so, with many of his rival ringmen laying the odds to £1000 often in a single bet, he would have no difficulty in getting set.

IT has always puzzled me how Mr. Matthews got hold of such a rare money-spinner as Fuji San. He had won good races as a two-year-old, and the Doncaster as a threeyear-old, was a great type of horse, and a gelding who looked like racing on endlessly.

TURF MONTHLY 31

Yet Mr. J. P. Arthur, a rich owner, got rid of him at a bargain price as a three-yearold! A sum of 1500 gns. was all Mr. Matthews gave for him, and in a number of good betting races his new owner was able to land huge betting coups on. Fuji. But the first of his big plunges in the Epsom of 1926 was not one of the lucky mediums. In this Fuji San was unfortunate in striking such a champion as Amounis, possessing a huge pull in the weights. Fuji San's form prior to the race was excellent. But so was Amounis', and he had 8.11 against Fuji San's 9.9. However, Joe Matthews had backed him well. He had coupled him, too, with Star Stranger for the Metropolitan to win him in all about £60,000.

Won It Well Then Amounis cast his shadow over Fuji's prospects, and things didn't look so bright. However, Amounis missed the Tramway Handicap, the last big handicap engagement of those days prior to the Epsom, and that provided the connections of Fuji San with the opportunity of covering their outlay on the Epsom. Fuji San had 9.13 in that event; but he won it by two and a half lengths, the 5 to 1 bet by the books offering an amazingly good price about a good horse known by the stable to be at his top. That was great form, for he was never thoroughly extended, yet he was opposed by a smart field. It shows what a grand horse he must have been. But that year there was a better one, and Amounis proved his master in the Epsom Handicap, TURF MONTHLY 32

and that proved a blow to his backers. It was worse when Star Stranger landed the Metropolitan, for if the double had been Fuji San-Star Stranger, Mr. Matthews would have cleaned up the best part of £100,000. Fuji San was a miraculous weight carrier. I rode him when he won the Railway Highweight Handicap on Melbourne Cup Day, 1926, with 11.9. He ran the six furlongs in 1.13.75. The next year he was raised to 12.1; but landed the race again, and, just to show how he had improved as a weight-carrier, he cut a second off his time of the previous year and ran the six furlongs in 1.12.3. The lowest weight in these welters was 8st, but in a race at Randwick in October, 1927, where the limit was 6.7 at City Tattersall's Randwick meeting, Fuji San carried 10.9. He beat White Fang, who had 8.6, three-quarters of a length, and no less a subsequent champion than Greenline was third with only 7.11 on his back. Not long after that Greenline won a Newmarket with 10.2.

Good And Game Fuji San was certainly up against something difficult that day, but It was, nevertheless, one of the races where the stable was unusually confident. Books on the contrary believed that Fuji couldn't win it; and bet 4 and 5 to 1 against him. That suited the stable commissioners admirably, and though this meeting isn't visually a strong betting medium, a very big betting coup was achieved.

HOW a good, game sprinter can develop stamina was demonstrated when Fuji San was taken to Queensland for the Queensland Cup meeting, in June 1926. On the first day he won the mile and a quarter King's Plate, weight-for-age. The second day. he was engaged in the New Handicap of 7 furlongs with 10.4 on his back. He won easily by three lengths, beating The Black Joke, an imported horse, sire of Black Laughter, who won races in Sydney in the Spring. On the last day he was in the 9 furlong Royal Stakes weight-for-age. Fuji San cleared right away from the opposition from the start to win the race by ten lengths. And, what was better, he ran the 9 furlongs with 8.11 on his back in 1.49.3, which established a new Australasian record for the distance. The record still stands. On that day it would have taken a great champion over middle-distances to beat Fun San, he was so fit and well, and so brilliant with it all. I am enthusiastic about Fuji San, his looks and his deeds. He was a beautiful horse to look at, and instead of a gelding looked like a robust entire. It was really a pity he hadn't been left entire for he would have been an acquisition at the stud.

He was good tempered, fast from the barrier, and consistent and courageous. It was a treat to ride him, and I always had a soft spot in my affections for that fellow.

The remarkable thing about him, though, was his capacity for carrying weight. He seemed to be able to go almost as fast under those big weights as with the lower scale. His stout frame and strong constitution, no doubt, were the factors in the unusual capacity for welter weights, which made him like a one-ton truck, but he was such a smooth, effortless galloper, that that, too, played its part. He was a great horse who was unlucky that he didn't win more of the notable handicaps of his day, but he was unfortunate in striking Amounis in that Epsom, and his best form didn't blossom at the right time for other big handicaps. However, he won a Doncaster as a three-year-old, and that and his 9-furlong record will keep his memory green.

TURF MONTHLY 33

FUJI SAN'S WINS AT TWO YEARS V.R.C. Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (colts and geldings' division), 4.5 f., 8.0. Rider, P. Dempsey.

V.R.C. Flemington Stakes, 6I..9.12. Rider, P. Dempsey.

AT THREE YEARS A.J.C. Doncaster Handicap, 1m., 8.1. Rider, G. Harrison.

AT FOUR YEARS V.R.C. October stakes, 1m., 8.11. Rider, N. Devereux.

Williamstown Marine Handicap, 6f., 9.9. Rider, J, Toohey.

V.R.C. Leonard Stakes, 6f., 9.11. Rider. G. Young.

Q.T.C. King's Plate, 1 ¼ m., 8.11. Rider, J. Pike.

Q.T.C. New Handicap, 7f., 10.4. Rider, J. Pike.

Q.T.C. Royal Stakes, 9f„ 8.11. Rider. J. Pike.

AT FIVE YEARS Sydney Tattersall's Tramway Handicap, 7f„ 9.13. Rider, J. Pike V-R.C. Railway Highweight Handicap, 6f„ 11.9. Rider. J. Pike.

Rosehill Railway Handicap (Second Division), 7f.. 10.4. Rider, J.. Pike A.J.C. All-Aged Stakes, 1m., 8.12. Rider, J. Pike; AT SIX YEARS City Tattersall's Flying Handicap, 6f., 10.9. Rider, J. Pike.

V.R.C. Railway Highweight, 6f., 13.1. Rider, J. Pike.

AT EIGHT YEARS Rosehill Highweight. 6f. 11.6. Rider, J. Pike.

A.J.C. Flying Handicap, 6f., 9.9, Rider, J. Pike.

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