Turf Monthly March 2022

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TURF

March 2022

THIS MONTH

ROGILLA 2022 MAGIC MILLIONS A LOOK AT SOME OF THE NEW STALLIONS ANOTHER GREAT RACE IN HISTORY

Editor’s Letter

With the Yearling Sale season well and truly upon us, it is good to look forward to the performance of the youngsters from the new stallions. By now, the stallions have slipped a little into the background as studs promote their latest offerings. It really is such a critical time in a stallion’s career; that time between the first yearlings selling and them actually racing is one of limbo. Their commercial success is pretty much pre-determined. It is in the lap of the gods as to how the babies will perform. If they do not succeed on the track within the first couple of seasons, then there is probably little that can be done to resurrect a career.

Studs of course still have to attract breeders to the stallion as a small crop over the next couple of years can see them drop off the radar in the future if the successes do not keep coming. The smaller the numbers the lower the chance in what is a cut-throat cycle.

It is also a few years since the stallions have raced. They have covered three crops of mares and will cover their fourth before more than a handful of their progeny will have appeared in public. We can easily forget the performances of these magnificent stallions, and the pedigrees and their own careers often tell us a different picture than the sales hype that they are now subject to. First yearlings have to be syndicated so the promotion often switches from the studs to the syndicators and trainers who need to recoup some hefty sales bills. It is pretty hard not to hear stories of how well the youngsters are going and these often start even before they reach the breakers, let alone see a racetrack.

The 2022 Sales have showcased the early progeny of some incredible stallions that we will look at over the next few months. The first yearlings of the undefeated US Triple Crown winner, Justify, made their appearance as did those of the exciting local prospect The Autumn Sun. Some others though will not get anywhere near the publicity or opportunities of these potential stars, and I do not apologise for giving some of these a much closer examination than their profile would suggest. It is all about the thoroughbred and while stallions come and go, the breed must always go on. The studs are searching for a son of Snitzel to carry on his legacy and we will see some more of these over the next few years. With Exceed And Excel and Fastnet Rock nearing the end of their careers, we are still to establish a champion sire son of either of these. The continuing legacy of Danehill makes it even more important to look at those stallions that come from other lines, especially the imported ones and we are seeing some incredibly performed young stallions coming to our shores.

CONTENTS March 2022 4

Magic Millions 2022

6

Coolangatta

11

Russian Conquest

14

New Stallions

at the

16

Harry Angel

22

Trapeze Artist

29

Written By

34

Spearmint Sons

Sales

35

Brakespeare

46

Great Races - All Shot

and

Rogilla

Cover Image - HARRY ANGEL courtesy of DARLEY

Until next moth

Ross Prowd

Turf Monthly ABN 64 892 144 940 Phone 0412 712 181

Email editor@turfmonthly.com.au Unit 4/125 West St Menzies Qld 4825

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MAGIC MILLIONS 2022 THE CARNIVAL CONTINUES

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agic Millions 2022 was hit by COVID but it did not seem to impact the race meeting or the sales to any significant amount. The 2yo Classic again delivered and the early 2yo races in the season always feature plenty of youngsters heading for that landmark event. This year was no different and the boom 2yo Coolangatta impressed by winning the Gimcrack Stakes at Randwick at the start of October. She sat three wide but careered away in the straight to cement herself as a short-priced favourite for the race. The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace trained filly was given a let up before returning to the track in Brisbane to win the Bruce McLachlan at Doomben on Boxing Day over 1200m. She won by over two lengths and the win saw her already short price for the feature tighten even further.

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he major challenger to Coolangatta in the race was Russian Conquest trained

by Peter and Paul Snowden also in Sydney. She had her first start in the Max Lees Stakes at Newcastle at their feature race meeting on 13 November. Russian Conquest also sat three wide and fought hard in the straight to win eventually by a half-length. Again, she was given a let-up and returned on Boxing Day at Randwick over 1100m. She settled in the first five off a good pace and when taken to the outside in the straight, cruised to the lead to win by an impressive 3 lengths beating the Snitzel filly, Snitcat. Snitcat had her first start in the Gimcrack running eighth behind Coolangatta earning $3500 in the process. She finished third at Randwick at her second start in the Kirkham earning $12,000 and fifth in the Million Dollar Golden Gift that earned her $22,000 which together with her $24,000 for her Boxing Day second saw her earn her place in the big race.

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nevitably Magic Millions day saw perfect weather on the Gold Coast and Coolangatta and Russian Conquest dominated the market. Coolangatta was to start at the odds-on quote of $1.95, while her only major challenger in the betting was Russian Conquest at $6. The race itself played out as many expected. Sneaky Starter and Miss Hellfire jumped well and pushed on to lead with the fancied pair settling in third and fourth. Coming to the turn, James McDonald took Coolangatta up to the leaders three wide and booted her clear. Kerrin McEvoy had been more patient on Russian Conquest and he came out from behind the leaders to chase Coolangatta. The post came too soon for her as Coolangatta won by 0.2 length from her gallant challenger to the delight of the big crowd. Snitcat ran on well from sixth to finish third while both Perfect Mission and the 100/1 shot Mishani Warfare finished well to run fourth and fifth respectively.

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condition of the race is that runners must be sold through a Magic Millions sale. The most expensive of the 2yo’s was Bright Blue Sky by Fastnet Rock who made $600,000. Russian Conquest at $425,000 and Coolangatta at $280,000 were also among the most expensive. Considering that twelve yearlings at the 2021 Magic Millions January sale made $1 million or more, it seems that the trend of the winners of not being the highest priced yearlings is in no danger of ending any time soon.

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he cheapest yearling in the race was Mishani Warfare who was a $2000 purchase.

He topped off a remarkable result for trainer Les Ross who had three runners in the race. Mishani Warfare earned $50,000 for his fifth placing. The Mishani name is linked with popular owner Mike Crooks who owns the Veresdale Hotel, north of Beaudesert. Sired by first season stallion, The Mission, Mishani Warfare was eligible for a $1 million bonus from AQUIS Farm who stand the stallion. Mishani Enterprises almost had four runners with Spanish Angels missing a start as the second emergency. The other Mishani representatives were Mishani Spartan and Mishani Persuasion who finished thirteenth and fourteenth respectively. They are a great advertisement for the QTIS scheme, especially as the Mishani name is mostly heard throughout Queensland in search of these added bonuses. Mishani results from joining the first two letters of Michael with Shani, Mike’s daughter’s name.

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COOLANGATTA

BORDERING ON GREATNESS

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oolangatta is a daughter of champion stallion Written Tycoon out of the More Than Ready mare, Piping Hot. Written Tycoon is a son of Iglesia out of the Kenmare mare, Party Miss. Iglesia stood at Oaklands Stud in Queensland, and Written Tycoon actually went through the sales ring at the 2004 Magic Millions sale. He was offered by Daandine Stud and was knocked down to Grahame Begg for $50,000. Written Tycoon did not start his racing career though until 29 January 2005 when he won a 2yo race at Randwick over 1200m. Two weeks later he finished second to Fashions Afield before winning his most important race, the G2 Todman.

He drew wide in the Golden Slipper, but despite settling third in the run, tired a little to finish eleventh, beaten 5.4 lengths by Stratum and Fashions Afield. An eighth in the Champagne over 1600m saw him sent to the paddock in preparation for a 3yo campaign. He resumed with a second behind Media in the San Domenico in a race that interestingly saw another future star of the breeding barn in Snitzel finish third. Taken to Melbourne he disappointed in running ninth in the Ascot Vale behind Ferocity. A change in trainer to John O’Shea coincided with a long spell and he returned with a second behind Crimson Reign in the Canterbury Classic in February. He was then off the scene again until October when he finished fifth behind Bentley Biscuit in The Shorts. A seventh in the Lightning at Randwick saw him back in the paddock. Written Tycoon was to have only one more start on 10 March 2007 finishing a well-beaten eighth of nine runners behind Spark Of Life in the Challenge Stakes. He was then offered for sale at the Great Southern Bloodstock Sale where he was sold for $625,000 and headed to stud. Quite incredibly, Written

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Tycoon had stints at Eliza Park Stud in Victoria and Queensland before settling at Woodside Park back in Victoria from 2013-2019, a period that saw him become the first Victorian based stallion since Century in 1978/79. Encosta De Lago had also stood in Victoria but was based at Coolmore in NSW when he won the title. In 2020, Written Tycoon moved to Arrowfield Stud, but in 2021 returned to Victoria where he now stands at Yulong Stud. His fee started at a modest $8250 and was reduced to a low of $6600 after two seasons. From there his fee has increased to the current level of $176,000 on the back of wonderful runners like Capitalist, Ole Kirk and Written By.

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iping Hot showed plenty of talent on the track winning two of her four starts.

She had two unplaced starts in the February of her 2yo season and was then sent for a spell. She returned for a win in June in a 1200m 2yo maiden at Canterbury but then was off the scene for twelve months. Piping Hot had only one more start for a win in a 1250m Class 1 on the Beaumont grass at Newcastle.

At stud, Coolangatta is her second foal. Her first, Snitzonfire by Snitzel, has won three from seven and finished fifteenth of eighteen in the 3yo Guineas on Magic Millions Day. Piping Hot is a half-sister to Reann by Hussonet, a colt who won the Blue Diamond Prelude and Blue Diamond in 2008. He went to stud where he produced one stakes winner in Karlovasi who won the SAJC Manihi Classic but was exported to China in 2016.

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he female family of Coolangatta is quite a remarkable one. It actually traces to one of the original foundation mares of the Australian thoroughbred. According to historian, Douglas Barrie whose 1956 tome, The Australian Bloodhorse remains the premier source of history of the Australian thoroughbred, the family descends from one of several shipments of horses that came from the Cape Of Good Hope in the 1790’s at the birth of the first British colonies. The Stud Book recognises that the family traces to a mare called Moth who was born in 1847 who was by Boyd’s Camel from Miss Foote by Herald. In turn, Miss Foote was out of Yellow Jenny who was by the Arabian stallion, Model out of a Cape mare by Hector. Hector was a major influence in early Australian bloodstock. He was an Arabian stallion bred in Persia around 1792 who was taken to India from where he was imported to Sydney by Scottish-born merchant Robert Campbell in 1806. Barrie suggests that Hector was purchased by Colonel Arthur Wellesley (First Duke of Wellington) while he was stationed in India, who was described as "a fine figure, a bright bay and above 15 hands high." Hector was sent to the Calcutta stud of Wellesley's brother, Marquis Wellesley, Governor-General of India, which is where Campbell purchased the horse. Hector served as a stallion in Sydney until he was sold in 1812 to D'Arcy Wentworth, and he stood both in Sydney and at Wentworth's Homebush farm.

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he Cape mare by Hector was mated to Model who was an Arabian stallion imported from Bengal around 1818 to stand at the Abbotsbury stud farm of the merchant, Mr Browne. The result was Yellow Jenny who was then bred to

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Coolangatta has a pedigree with 5.08% of inbreeding with six generations. In terms of the modern pedigree, this is relatively low, and we do not see the first duplication until the fifth generation. Here we find three lines of Northern Dancer. There is little surprise to see that this is through sons Danzig and Try My Best, but we also see a female line through the presence of More Than Ready who has been such an important stallion for so many years across the US and Australia. The only other duplications that we see are related to the presence of Northern Dancer. His dam, Natalma, appears four times, and we also see Buckpasser, a stallion that had a lot of success with both Northern Dancer and Mr Prospector appearing. Much of the rest of the pedigree is dominated by local influences including the likes of Vain, Marscay, Kenmare, and Sir Tristram.

the thoroughbred stallion Herald who was by Marmion and born in 1819. He was imported by the Australian Agricultural Company in the early 1820’s and stood on Government land outside Sydney. This produced Miss Foote who was at the stud of Scottish born Sir John Jamison. Sir Jamison was a founder of the Bank of NSW, the first president of the Agricultural Society of NSW and one of the founders of the Sydney Turf Club in 1825. He was also to become the first president of the Australian Racing and Jockey Club in 1828. Miss Foote was bred to Boyd’s Camel, commonly referred to as Camel, to produced Moth. She was at the stud of Thomas Icely of Coombing Park near Bathurst but was one of eleven thoroughbreds imported to NZ

by Henry Redwood in 1852. This shipment also included the famous mare, Flora McIvor and her daughter Zoe, and the stallion Sir Hercules.

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n NZ, Moth was at the stud of Major Nathaniel G Morse who was one of the first squatters in the upper Wairau Valley in 1946 and had served in the Colonial and Militia Volunteers in NZ. Morse was later to settle at Wanganui where he made his reputation as a horse breeder. For Morse, Moth had eight foals between 1854 and 1864. One of these, Ladybird who was born in 1858 by Il Barbiere, a son of Figaro, was purchased by Henry Redwood and became an outstanding racehorse. She won two VRC Champion Stakes which was a race that was run in NZ in 1863 and 1865.

The first event saw Ladybird beat the top Australian galloper Mormon who had gone over for the race in Dunedin. In 1865, Ladybird raced in the colours of Henry Lance and won the race for a second time when it was held in Canterbury NZ. Ladybird proved to be a disappointment in the breeding barn, but her half-sister by Sir Hercules produced Atlanta by Towton in 1862 who was purchased by Francis Delamain from Canterbury. He mated the mare with Golden Grape to produce a daughter called Pungawherewhere who was to win the Dunedin Cup after bolting and galloping two laps of the course before taking her place in the field. She became a foundation mare at Tom Morrin’s famous Wellington Park Stud and produced the good colt, Crackshot by Nordenfeldt who was raced by John Ormond, a long-term member of the NZ General Assembly.

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wo daughters of Pungawherewhere continued the family. Crescent by Castor produced a line that has more recently supplied us with Palos Verdes by Oak Ridge who came to Australia to win four stakes races in the STC NE Manion Cup, Hobart Cup, Mornington Cup and VRC Bagot Handicap in the 1990’s. Her son El Segundo by Pins was to become a star of the mid 2000’s winning eight stakes races in Melbourne including the G1 Yalumba Stakes (now the Caulfield Stakes), Underwood Stakes, Orr Stakes and 2007 Cox Plate. Coolangatta though belongs to another line of Pungawherewhere through a half-sister to Crescent in Katipo by Tregeagle. Two other interesting lines apart from that which gave us Coolangatta are those of Lee’s Bid and of Baghdad Note. Lee’s Bid was a popular filly who won the 1991 Adrian Knox Stakes and South Australian Oaks who was to produce a son by Danehill called Arena. Arena was not only an underrated racehorse but also later an underrated stallion. He had his first start on 27 December 1997 as a 2yo and he ran

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fifth in a Randwick maiden over 1100m. Returning for the Autumn, he ran third in the Skyline and Pago Pago both by under two lengths before finishing fifth in the Sires Produce beaten a length behind Alf, and fourth in the Champagne beaten 1.5 lengths by Dracula. As a 3yo Arena won his first race in a maiden at Newcastle over 1200m before finishing fifth in the Peter Pan. At his first start past a mile he won the 1900m Gloaming Stakes followed by the time-honoured Hill Stakes over the same track and distance a week later. A third in the Spring Champion Stakes saw him head to Melbourne to run third in the Norman Robinson before winning the VRC Derby beating Sky Heights and Lawyer who had beaten him home in his previous start. The Ingham brothers who owned the horse backed him up in the Melbourne Cup but he finished fifteenth behind Jezabeel. We featured the 1998 Melbourne Cup in our January edition if you want to look at this race.

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n the Autumn Arena won the Hobartville Stakes and Caulfield Guineas while placing in the Royal Sovereign, Rosehill Guineas, Mercedes and AJC Derby. He also ran fourth behind Tie The Knot in the Sydney Cup. The following season Arena started by running fourth at his first three starts in the Warwick, Chelmsford and Hill Stakes, before a second in the Craven Plate. In Melbourne he was unplaced in the Caulfield Cup, Mackinnon and Melbourne Cup. His final preparation was in the Autumn where he kicked off by running fifth behind Redoute’s Choice in the G1 CF Orr. Arena had four more starts, placing in the St George Stakes, Australian Cup, Ranvet Stakes and Mercedes, with his last two finishing under a half-length behind champion Tie The Knot. Retired to stud, Arena was up against a host of other sons of Danehill but managed to sire eight stakes winners including G1 winners Regal Cheer and Rena’s Lady.

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ith such a wonderful heritage it will be interesting to see whether Coolangatta can go on to win the Golden Slipper. No matter what, she has ensured that she is most likely Australia’s most valuable broodmare prospect at the moment.

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RUSSIAN CONQUEST A TASTE OF THINGS TO COME

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he runner up in the Magic Millions looks a promising type. The way Russian Conquest finished off the race suggests that she might be able to turn the tables on Coolangatta by the time they reach the Golden Slipper later this month. There is the possibility that the Magic Millions form may not stand up by the time the Autumn is in full swing, but it would be a brave punter to predict that at least the top two will not be in with a real chance in the major Sydney 2yo races.

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ussian Conquest is a daughter of the exciting new stallion, Russian Revolution who stands at Newgate Stud. He is just one of the new crops of stallions emerging from that organisation who has become one of the leading studs in terms of their ability to identify potential stallions. Russian Revolution stands alongside two of the country’s most exciting stallions in Capitalist and Extreme Choice. Nonetheless, he looks set to make his own way among the wonderful stallion roster that stud has put together. Russian Revolution is a son of Snitzel, the champion sire. He was an outstanding racehorse winning seven of his eleven starts. He was trained by the Snowdens who appropriately train Russian Conquest. Quite surprisingly Russian Revolution did not start his career until the June of his 2yo season, winning his only two runs at that age at Canterbury and Randwick. A brief let up saw the colt return as a 3yo to win the Vain Stakes at Caulfield. He then returned to Sydney to win the important Roman Consul Stakes beating Astern and Capitalist. It was then back to Melbourne where he had his first Group 1 start in the Coolmore at Flemington but was to finish fourth behind Flying Artie, Astern and Star Turn. After a welldeserved break, Russian Revolution returned in the G1 Galaxy beating Redzel and

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Jungle Edge on a heavy track at Rosehill. He again led in the TJ Smith but found the star sprinter Chautauqua too good eventually finishing sixth. A trip to Brisbane for the Doomben 10,000 followed but he was to finish fourth behind Redzel. Another spell ensued, and Russian Revolution returned to win the G2 McEwen Stakes at Moonee Valley before disappointing in the G1 Moir Stakes behind She Will Reign.

That performance ended his Spring, and Russian Revolution was to have only one more career start on 24 February 2018. It was one of his best performances in winning the G1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield. He settled further back than normal and was forced to race wide but fought bravely to grab leader Snitty Kitty near the post in a blanket finish.

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he stallion is a son of Ballet D’Amour, the US bred daughter of Stravinsky. She also has produced the stakes-winning Turbo Miss by Sebring. In turn, Baller D’Amour was by Miswaki out of L’Extravagant by the French stallion, Le Fabuleux.

She was a half-sister to the champion Canadian bred racehorse, L'Enjoleur who won fourteen stakes races in the US from 6 furlongs to 12 furlongs (1200-2400m).

Their dam was the famed mare, Fanfreluche by Northern Dancer who we know as the matron of such great local horses as Encosta De Lago and Flying Spur. The dam of Russian Conquest is the US bred mare, My Conquestadory. By Artie Schiller, a US Breeder’s Cup Mile winner, My Conquestadory was herself a G1 winner in the Keeneland Alcibiades Stakes. Artie Schiller of course stands at stud in Australia and was interestingly the sire of Flying Artie who beat Russian Revolution in the Coolmore. The mare was also a three-quarter sister to another of Artie Schiller’s stakes winners in the US in Artie B Good. The family is very much a traditional US one, being imported to that country in the early 1900’s and was that of the second US Triple Crown winner, Gallant Fox. There have been other lines of the family that have had success in Australia including a Magic Millions winner in Brave Warrior.

Others include 2006 Caulfield Cup winner, Tawqeet, VRC and SA Derby winner, Rebel Raider, and Coolmore, All-Aged and TJ Smith Stakes winner, Shamekha.

With many of these horses getting over a little ground, it was not surprising to see Russian Conquest being very strong at the end of the 1200m of the Magic Millions, and the Autumn may easily see a much stronger and more mature filly.

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Russian Conquest represents one of the most heavily inbred pedigrees that we will feature this month (8.98%). Despite the large number, no individual is duplicated until the fifth generation. We should not be surprised when we see the horses that appear multiple times. Danzig and Mr Prospector are the first of those and of course names that we see in most modern Australian pedigrees.

We also see the sire of Danzig, Northern Dancer appearing in the fifth generation through his sons Sadler’s Wells and Nureyev who are three quarter brothers. There are six lines of Northern Dancer within the first six generations. Mr Prospector is represented by three lines and we also see multiple lines of his sire, Raise A Native. With no duplications within four generations, this is the type of pedigree that modern breeders are sometimes looking at as an outcross which is clearly misleading when we look at the extent of linebreeding overall.

HARRY ANGEL TRAPEZE ARTIST WRITTEN BY

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he 2022 yearlings will have been the first glimpse many have of the progeny of some amazing stallion prospects. Their performance will go a long way to whether the sires are commercially successful or consigned to the “non-commercial” scrap heap. These will be the fourth season stallions of next breeding season, and this can be one of the more difficult for a stallion. If they have not had anything that is being talked about by trainers and breakers, their reputation can be on a downward spiral even before they have runners on the track. For the astute breeder these can represent significant opportunity. That is always a key word, as opportunity and access to the right types of mares will have gotten the stallions to where they are. Although it was not numerically a great season for new stallions, some of the prospects that covered their first mares in 2019 are some of the most exciting for years. Unbeaten Triple Crown winner Justify and the exceptionally popular local son of Redoute’s Choice in The Autumn Sun head up a stellar line-up that we will be looking at over the coming months. Darley introduce one of the best performed British sprinters to challenge the local crop. We also see a VRC Derby winner in Prized Icon in this crop and while they notoriously have not been well received by the market, this stallion does not have the typical Derby pedigree. Add to that some sons of Snitzel and Written Tycoon, together with a myriad of pedigree features and diverse families, and we get a real insight into the future, and the past of the Australasian thoroughbred.

Prized Icon x Squill.foal

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HARRY ANGEL GREAT VALUE AT DARLEY

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arry Angel is arguably the most interesting of the new stallions that started their stud careers in Australia in 2019. He is another of the amazing Darley stallions that they regularly shuttle to Australia and Harry Angel stands at the Kelvinside property in NSW. They are also remarkable in that they offer these wonderful stallions at affordable prices often to the detriment of their sales figures.

Harry Angel who stood for $22,000 in his first season before reducing to $16,500 has had limited numbers through the sales. Magic Millions saw his progeny sell to $400,000 which is an astonishing figure given his service fee. At that sale, his progeny averaged over $180,000 which is over ten times his current service fee. As with all of the Darley stallions, we always suspect that there are likely to be some better ones at home and it will be well worth waiting to see what the stable will produce in their colours as time goes on.

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arry Angel is simply an incredibly well performed racehorse. In Australian terms, he raises a slight query in his 2yo form for many. He had only two starts at that age, running second at Ascot and then winning the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury over 6 furlongs (1200m). It is interesting how the Australian market often criticises this type of 2yo form in overseas horses where Australian

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horses like Russian Revolution, who we saw as the sire of the Magic Millions runner up, are accepted when his 2yo form was less impressive. This does not impact the performances of the stallions or their progeny, but it certainly influences the perceptions of breeders and buyers and contributes to the opportunity that these stallions will get.

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s a 3yo, Harry Angel was to stamp himself as one of the best of his generation.

Resuming in the G3 Pavilion Stakes at Ascot, Harry Angel was to finish second to Blue Point, another of the recent additions to the Darley stallion roster, over 6 furlongs. He then won the G2 Sandy Lane Stakes over the same distance at Haydock by a commanding 4.5 lengths having started the odds-on favourite. Back to Ascot, Harry Angel was beaten by 0.75 lengths by the top US 3yo Caravaggio in the Commonwealth Cup, also over 6 furlongs. Blue Point finished a further 0.5 lengths away in third. Harry Angel then was to have his next start in the G1 Darley July Cup Stakes at Newmarket over the same distance. Again, the US star Caravaggio was the odds-on favourite but this time he was no match for Harry Angel who won by over a length from Limato with Caravaggio a disappointing fourth. After a freshen, the colt was next up in the G1 Sprint Cup Stakes at Haydock, the colt led for the entire trip, running away to win impressively by four lengths. He was sent out as the oddson favourite in the British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot but reared at the start and raced ungenerously to be beaten into fourth behind Librisa Breeze by just over 2 lengths. Tasleet who had finished second to Harry Angel at his last start finished second with Caravaggio third.

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fter a spell, Harry Angel returned for another impressive win, this time as the odds-on favourite in the G2 Duke Of York Clipper Logistics Stakes at York. On to the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Ascot against the international runners, Harry Angel started as the 5/2 favourite. He became very fractious in the stalls and jumped slowly. Pushed along to settle behind the leaders, it was clear that something was not right, and he was eased up inside the final furlong to finish a distant eleventh of twelve behind the Australian galloper, Merchant Navy. He had a break and returned in the G1 Sprint Cup Stakes at Haydock. Again, he was unsettled in the stalls, but he was up with the leaders until weakening late to finish sixth beaten 4.5 lengths behind The Tin Man. Harry Angel had his last start in the G1 British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot, and this time was reluctant to go into the stalls. He jumped well though and was taken hold of by the jockey when he wanted to race keenly. The eventual winner, a French bred outsider called Sands Of Mali kicked clear inside the furlong with Harry Angel trying hard to pick him up, failing by a length. The Tin Man, who had started favourite, finished seventh. Interestingly Harry Angel had all of his starts over 6 furlongs. He was crowned the World Champion sprinter with a Timeform rating of 132.

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hile his racing performances are outstanding, it is the pedigree of Harry Angel that brings another dimension to his stud career. He is by Dark Angel, and outstanding Irish bred stallion who stands for a service fee of 60,000 Euros.

He himself was a quality 2yo winning four of his nine career starts all at that age including the G1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket. Dark Angel is by Acclamation and has been an outstanding sire of sprinters whose progeny include Battaash who won four G1 races in the King’s Stand Stakes, two Nunthorpe Stakes and the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp. He also won the G2 King George Stakes on four occasions. Other of Dark Angel’s G1 winners include Althiqa who won the 2021 Diana Stakes in the US, Angel Bleu winner of the 2021 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and 2021 Criterium International, Lethal Force, winner of the July Cup and Diamond TURF MONTHLY 17

Jubilee Stakes, Mecca's Angel who won the Nunthorpe Stakes twice, Persuasive winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and Raging Bull who won the Hollywood Derby in the US. While Dark Angel has had few progeny race in Australia, he has been represented locally by Valac who won the G3 SAJC Queen's Cup and MRC RM Ansett Classic, and Berdibek who won the 2021 Hawkesbury Rowley Mile and Wyong Gold Cup. The sire of Dark Angel in Acclamation was another top-quality sprinter having won the G2 Diadem Stakes and was also placed in the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes. He has been a consistent stallion producing the likes of G1 winners, Equiano, Aclaim, Expert Eye and Marsha. In Australia, his son Lidari won the VRC Blamey Stakes. The French bred Equiano who won the King’s Stand Stakes twice shuttled to Australia for five seasons with limited success and no doubt this will be a consideration when breeders look at the pedigree of Harry Angel. Of course, the sire line is only one part of the puzzle, and for those with concerns about the quality of this line, the noted differences in their female line is enough to suggest that Harry Angel is a very different prospect.

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key factor of course is the female line and Harry Angel offers some interesting lines. Again, they are probably not those that are seen regularly in Australia and no doubt this contributed to the stud’s decision to offer him for such a moderate fee. Harry Angel is out of a Cadeaux Genereux mare called Beatrix Potter. She herself did not win a race but she has produced a total of three winners including the stakes winning 2yo Pierre Lapin who won the G2 Mill Reef Stakes. In turn, Beatrix Potter was out of the stakes placed Grand Lodge mare, Great Joy who also produced Xtension by Xaar who won the G1 Champions Mile twice, and was placed in six major races in Hong Kong including the Sha Tin Trophy, Gold Cup, Derby, and Hong Kong Mile. Another daughter called Triggers Broom was to produce Supremacy by Mehmas who won the G1 Middle Park Stakes. If we delve further into the family, we see that it includes a very good US horse called Stephen Got Even. It is also the family of Get Square by Redoute’s Choice who won the Norman

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Robinson before going on to a short-lived career at stud when he died in only his fourth season.

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ith any stallion, success depends on their compatibility with the local broodmare population. When we have more obscure bloodlines, it is often a little more difficult to predict what lines will suit. The first words of caution when looking at his pedigree is that it features a line of Danzig through Chief ’s Crown, and one of Mr Prospector through Machiavellian. Neither presents a real difficulty unless we are looking at mares that have multiple lines of these stallions and this is something that is becoming more common. Harry Angel’s sire line traces to Try My Best, the sire of Last Tycoon, a stallion who had considerable success in Australia.

Last Tycoon we see in the sire line of Written Tycoon. It will be interesting to see whether daughters of Written Tycoon will be suited to Harry Angel. On face value one may be concerned about a possible lack of stamina in many cases, but we need to highlight the presence of Cadeaux Genereux in the stallion’s pedigree. We know Cadeaux Genereux best as the sire of the remarkable Red Cadeaux who ran in five Melbourne Cups, running second in the great race in 2011, 2013 and 2014 and who is now buried at Flemington. By and large though the stallion was noted more as a sire of sprinters so we would certainly not be suggesting him as a true source of stamina. His presence in the pedigree has another interesting aspect. His dam is Smarten Up by Sharpen Up who won the Temple Stakes in England over 5 furlongs.

She was out of the mare L'Anguissola by Soderini. This mare is more regularly found in local pedigrees as the dam of Solar by Hotfoot who was the dam of Desert Sun who produced the champion mare Sunline. He is readily found through the pedigree of All Too Hard who is one stallion whose daughters may well be ones that we would like to see mated to the stallion.

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hile we mentioned the presence of Danzig, Danehill is an influence that cannot be ignored in Australian breeding. Through Cadeaux Genereux we see that Sharpen Up is present in the pedigree of Harry Angel. Sharpen Up is notable in that he was the damsire of one of the great sons of Danehill in Danehill Dancer. It is also interesting to note that Danehill Dancer in the Northern Hemisphere proved that he was quite capable in producing progeny that got over some ground. That stallion is the sire of Choisir and this leads us to a couple of possible theories. Firstly, we can suggest that Harry Angel may well be compatible with Danehill line mares, but more directly with mares by Choisir. While stamina lines may not prove to be critical with the stallion, there will no doubt be times when we would be looking for mares that have a little more scope. To this end, the outstanding influences of Dundeel and So You Think are two that are likely to represent a good chance of breeding a little more versatile progeny from this stallion.

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verall it would seem that there will be a lot of local mares that will suit the stallion on face value. Not only is Harry Angel likely to produce plenty of early sprinting types that the market loves, but he also might get some that could be more of a classic type. The biggest concern though is that the stallion himself has a largely outcross pedigree. With bloodlines that are not commonplace in Australia, we might see that many of his progeny represent an even more extreme outcross and when we see such large numbers of ancestors in a pedigree, the end result can become a little less consistent. Perhaps though this will reduce the risk of breeding to multiple lines of Danzig and Mr Prospector. Harry Angel might just be the most exciting prospect we have seen in his price range for many years and we eagerly await some of his youngsters getting to the track.

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Harry Angel is another of the more moderately inbred types, and with a pedigree that few locally would be truly familiar with.

Nevertheless, we see three lines of Northern Dancer, all through sons in Try My Best, Night Shift and Danzig. Significantly all of these stallions have had an impact on the Australian thoroughbred. We see a 6mx5m cross of Bold Bidder, a US stallion who was the sire of Spectacular Bid, a Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner in his homeland. His son, Bite The Bullet, came to Australia with good success including producing a Stradbroke winner. The other son of Bold Bidder in the pedigree of Harry Angel is Auction Ring, who went to the UK to produce Lucky Ring who came to NZ where he had limited success. We also see duplications of Tudor Minstrel and Native Dancer, both high class stallions who have had impact in Australia. While some of the close up names that we see in the pedigree are unfamiliar, the engine room of the stallion contains many of the main influences that we see regularly in the local thoroughbred population.

TRAPEZE ARTIST THE BEST OF SNITZEL

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rapeze Artist is another of the growing list of Snitzel sons standing at stud in Australia. This exciting stallion stands at Widden Stud in NSW but we are getting to the stage that we need to find something different about a son of Snitzel in order to get excited. There are now over 20 sons of Snitzel at stud, and these include the likes of Shamus Award, Russian Revolution, Sooboog, Sizzling and Wandjina apart from a host who have yet to have runners on the track. What is it that not only makes Trapeze Artist stand out, but also sees him as the most expensive son currently at stud?

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irstly, let us reflect on Snitzel for a moment. He still stands at Arrowfield Stud for a fee of $165,000 and won his first sires title in the 2016/17 season, taking the crown from Street Cry at a time when Winx was starting to dominate Australian racing. Snitzel has now sired over 100 stakes winners but the only one to have won more than two Group 1 races to date is Trapeze Artist who retired with four Group 1 wins. He was crowned the champion 3yo and beat Black Caviar’s race record in the G1 TJ Smith, as well as breaking track records at both Canterbury and Randwick.

He retired with over $5.5 million in prizemoney having won seven of his twenty starts.

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rapeze Artist had his first start in February 2017 on the Beaumont track at Newcastle, winning a 2yo maiden over 1250m by 2 lengths. A fourth behind Invader was followed by a win in the Black Opal before the colt finished sixth behind She Will Reign in the Golden Slipper. This was followed by a third behind Invader over the 1400m of the Sires Produce before heading for a spell. He resumed as a 3yo with unplaced runs in the Up And Coming Stakes and Stan Fox before winning the G1 Golden Rose beating Champagne Cuddles and Menari. A trip to Melbourne saw him disappoint in the Coolmore behind Merchant Navy to end his Spring. Trapeze Artist arguably was at his best the following Autumn. A win in the Expressway was followed by good runs in the Hobartville and Randwick Guineas behind Kementari.

He then beat Redzel in the TJ Smith and won the All Aged Stakes from Le Romain and Showtime in record time on a Randwick track that was on fire. Another break saw him return from a spell to run third in the Theo Marks behind Home Of The Brave and D’Argento. Back at Randwick he finished fourth behind star Santa Anita Lane who smashed his track record in the Premiere Stakes. Trapeze Artist then finished second to Redzel in the Everest earning the biggest payday of his career pocketing connections $2.1 million. Returning for his last campaign, the stallion ran fourth in the Expressway behind Alizee before breaking the 1300m track record at Randwick when defeating Shoals in the G1 Canterbury Stakes. He had his last run in the TJ Smith, finishing seventh behind Santa Ana Lane.

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rapeze Artist was clearly a top 2yo, but importantly seemed to improve as he matured which is a good sign for long term success as a stallion. It is one thing to produce early 2yo’s, which is almost mandatory in the modern era, but it is another to have those horses train on to success as they mature. If his progeny follow the same pattern as his own career, he would certainly be on track to continue his own sire’s influence. But it will be the female line of Trapeze Artist that will set him apart from other sons of Snitzel. His dam is the modest performer, Treppes by Domesday. Domesday is an interesting influence having won the Silver Slipper in 2005. He also ran second in the Todman behind Written Tycoon, fifth in the Golden Slipper behind Stratum and fourth in the Sires Produce behind Fashions Afield.

No doubt he was a top 2yo and is a son of Red Ransom, in turn a son of Roberto who was much more of a stamina influence in many ways. His damline sees the good US stallion Gone West appear who may well have contributed some of the precociousness that Domesday displayed on the track. Domesday has been a very good stallion producing 18 stakes winners, but it is fair to say that his progeny did not reflect his early 2yo ability by and large. He has produced two Derby winners in WA Derby winner, Arcadia Dream and Qld Derby winner, Ruthven. It is his presence in the pedigree that might have seen Trapeze Artist continue to improve as a 3yo.

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he second dam of the stallion is Traipse by Bletchingly and it is wonderful to again see a prominent line of that stallion in a modern stallion. Traipse produced the Stradroke winner Crawl by Dr Grace, a son of Sir Tristram. He had six wins to 1500m, and his racing pattern saw him get back and run home strongly even over the shorter trips. Perhaps we should note that while Trapeze Artist clearly had an abundance of speed, he was more than happy to sit off the leaders. His third dam was Elegant Walk by Le Cordonnier who produced the Goodwood winner Boardwalk Angel, a full sister to Traipse. She was also to produce Champion NZ sprinter/miler Coogee Walk by Success Express. Coogee Walk interestingly produced Activation by Zabeel who won three stakes races in the MRC Coongy Handicap (2000m), BRC Rough Habit Plate (2020m) and STC Premier’s Plate (1800m). The Boardwalk Angel line of the family is more recently responsible for Ballistic Boy by Smart Missile who also won the Rough Habit Plate. The dam of Elegant Walk was the 1971 Golden Slipper winner Fairy Walk so we see a real mix between speed and stamina in the family. This versatility may well prove to be one of those points of differences we see between Trapeze Artist and many other sons of Snitzel. It is hard not to acknowledge that his best performed son at stud to date has been Shamus Award who has produced seventeen stakes winners including the star stayer, Incentivise. We need to be clear here that Shamus Award was the winner of the 2013 Cox Plate (2040m) and 2014 Australian Guineas (1600m). It is clear that they were two different types of horses, so we are not suggesting that Trapeze Artist will produce horses that get over ground but rather may produce some more versatile types than the speedy 2yo that many associate with Snitzel.

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e will talk more about the overall pedigree of Trapeze Artist when we look at his six-generation pedigree but one important thing to acknowledge is the sex balanced cross of Bletchingly, and this traditional colonial line should appeal

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to many breeders. It is quite a heavily inbred pedigree, and this will impact suitable mares for the stallion, but it may also suggest that he will produce quite consistent types. His female line actually traces back to a strong NZ line that arrived in that country in the 1890’s. In that line we see a mare called Entreaty who will hopefully be a name that will be recognisable by many readers. Entreaty was mated with the imported Night Raid to produce Australasia’s most famous galloper; the immortal Phar Lap. This could prove to be prophetic when we have looked at the impact of the great Carbine and his son Spearmint who played such a role in the pedigree of that champion. We noted of course how Spearmint is most readily found through Nearco.

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rapeze Artist as a son of Snitzel means that we see Redoute’s Choice, Snippets and Danehill play their role in potential matings. Similarly, we see Bletchingly and a son of Northern Dancer in Storm Bird prominent. Considering we see that he covered 180 mares in his first season, and over 120 in his next two, it does make us wonder how many are from Danehill line mares. It seems that breeders are happy to ignore the potential weaknesses in this strategy, but it does raise some concern as to what mares may be best suited to the stallion. Danehill will play a role no doubt, as it is near impossible to ignore his influence. Importantly in the case of Trapeze Artist we are pushing his presence back into the fourth generation. With mares carrying Danehill, it may be beneficial to push this influence back as far as we can and fortunately, we are seeing a range of mares pushing Danehill further back. A daughter of Choisir for example would not only push the resultant Danehill

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duplication back to the fourth generation, but also brings in a female line of the great stallion Lunchtime. Overwhelmingly, caution will need to be taken with Danehill line mares although no doubt some will achieve excellent results.

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owever, the long-term success of Trapeze Artist will possibly lie in his ability to produce outstanding runners from non-Danehill lines. Lonhro mares would be an appealing option, not only because this stallion is free from Danehill, but also because his sire line traces to Sir Tristram who was the sire of Dr Grace who had such success with this family. Normally many Danehill line stallions would find I Am Invincible mares suitable, but these do not hold the same attraction in the case of Trapeze Artist. The presence of Danzig and Canny Lad dominate these types of matings and this may be detrimental. In fact, the presence of Danzig in the sire line outside of Danehill may perhaps be a lesser attraction than having Danehill in the pedigree. This is a general view and individual pedigrees will have different strengths and weaknesses.

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adler’s Wells has long had a great association with Danehill lines, and the likes of So You Think and Dundeel, and their sire, High Chaparral are certainly stallions that could make the career of Trapeze Artist. We mentioned the importance of Carbine in the pedigree of Phar Lap and his continued presence through Nearco. We find Nearco largely through Northern Dancer so it is these non-Danzig lines of that stallion that perhaps represent the greatest opportunities with Trapeze Artist. While of course he will suit many overseas lines, especially Mr Prospector and European lines, these are not as dominant as Northern Dancer lines, and reinforcing multiple lines of that stallion through the right descendants might be the key to breeding a champion.

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Trapeze Artist has a heavily inbred pedigree at 11.72%. The first significant duplication we see is that of Bletchingly who appears 5mx3f.

Bletchingly was the sire of the great Kingston Town and is one of the most enduring of the Star Kingdom line. We see a 4fx5f cross of the US influence, Storm Bird, a son of Northern Dancer. He is best known as the sire of the great Storm Cat but we should remember that another of his sons in Bluebird shuttled to Australia and NZ with success. We also see two other sons of Northern Dancer in the pedigree in Nijinksy and Grand Chaudiere. Interestingly we also again see the duplication of Best In Show in the pedigree of Trapeze Artist, this time through lines that gave us Redoute’s Choice and Domesday. Perhaps importantly, we see Best In Show through the full sisters Show Lady and Monroe, both daughters of Sir Ivor, the sire of Sir Tristram who crossed so well with Star Kingdom lines.

WRITTEN BY A LEGACY OF SPEED

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ritten By is another of the new stallions who has started with impressive sales figures even if we have yet to see many of them through the sales. Standing at the famed Widden Stud, he has had good mare numbers and looks a real chance of making an impact at stud. Standing at a fee of $24,500, Written By is in that slightly awkward range. He is not the boom newcomer that commands top dollar, nor is he the budget option that is priced to attract large numbers. Widden have done an excellent job at filling his books and he certainly has the foals on the ground to give him his chance of success. Arguably he is the best value of this crop of Australian stallions as he is probably the best performed 2yo of the lot, but he just fell short in a few races that would have propelled him to the very pinnacle of the newcomers.

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he stallion made his racetrack debut on 2 December 2017 at Sandown, winning impressively over 1000m. After a freshen, Written By returned in February for the Blue Diamond Prelude for the colts over 1100m at Caulfield. He sat just off the leaders and again stamped himself a quality colt. His next start saw him win the Blue Diamond, Victoria’s Premier 2yo race in a dominant display that resulted in his crossing the line 2.5 lengths ahead of Enbihaar and Oohood. Connections then took him to Sydney where he had a great battle with Sandbar in the Pago Pago over 1200m. Written By might have been a little unlucky to hit a rain affected track in the Golden Slipper but he raced well to finish fourth, finishing less that two lengths behind fillies Estijaab and Oohood. He had earlier beaten Oohood comfortably in the Blue Diamond.

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spell saw him return in the Melbourne Spring to win a 1000m race where he beat Gytrash who was later to go on to become one of our best older sprinters.

Written By then won the G3 Blue Sapphire before running fourth behind Sunlight in the Group 1 Coolmore at Flemington. Again, Written By was beaten only 1.4 lengths.

Another break saw him resume to finish second in the WJ Adams at Caulfield before running sixth behind In Her Time in the Group 1 Lightning. This time Written By was beaten only 2.35 lengths. He had only one more start in his chase for an open Group1 victory. Written By was to run sixth behind Sunlight in the William Reid at Moonee Valley beaten 3.2 lengths this time to finish off a career that was never more that a couple of lengths away from being hailed outstanding. Still, these near misses are what saw breeders of more modest means have the opportunity to visit the type of horse that looks to be perfect for the Australian yearling market.

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ritten By is a son of Written Tycoon, the son of Iglesia who is one of the true life changing stallions of the last 20 years. His impact on the breed from

modest beginnings has been remarkable and he has also produced the Golden Slipper winner, Capitalist who looks to be one of the emerging stars of the breeding barn. Despite the success of Written Tycoon it is notable that his sons are only just now starting to make their way at stud. Largely this is due to the fact that Written Tycoon’s earlier produce came from lesser mares whose progeny really did not have the pedigree to make a stallion. It is important that Capitalist traces to the remarkable mare, Bold Promise but equally so when we see the female line of Written By. On face value it looks to be moderate. His dam, Yau Chin by Tobougg has produced five winners, but none apart from Written By has won in the city. Similarly, while she herself was a winner, it was not in a metropolitan race although she was to run second at Randwick. In turn, her dam was Tilla’s Daughter by Umatilla who again produced winners but not in the city. Her dam was Dilemma by Rory’s Jester and she was out of Moral by Godswalk. Importantly the stallions that we have seen in the female line represent some important bloodlines, and some that are not all that prevalent in our modern breed. Given that Written Tycoon also represents a significant outcross to Danehill lines in particular, Written By would appear to represent some exciting options. What we have yet to point out though is that his fifth dam is a mare called No Finer by Kaoru Star who was the dam of none other than Pins who was a champion sire in NZ. This also means that his sixth dam is Humour by Pirate King who produced, among others, the dual Rawson Stakes winner, and quality stallion Marceau who produced another excellent stallion in Hula Chief. While many may consider these influences traditional older colonial lines, there are times when these can be critical in modern pedigrees.

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ommencing with Written Tycoon, he is by Iglesia whose sire line traces to Last Tycoon, a grandson of Northern Dancer. Last Tycoon has had significant success when crossed with Danehill lines in particular with Redoute’s Choice.

Redoute’s Choice is of interest as we see that his dam, Shantha’s Choice is a halfsister to Umatilla who we have already noted in the pedigree of Written By. In the pedigree of Written Tycoon we also see the presence of Vain, another of our true colonial speed lines. We also see the presence of Star Kingdom through Biscay and his son Marscay. Tobougg is the damsire of Written By. He is a stallion that did not have a great impact in Australia but he was a well performed and well bred Darley stallion that was one of their first shuttle forays into the country. Notably though he was a grandson of Sadler’s Wells, a stallion who has now cemented his place in our local breed. In short, there are many opportunities to breed to a range of specific

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pedigree features with Written By. Most mare owners will find something within his pedigree to attract them to this stallion. Despite this, there needs to be an element of caution. The speed influences of his pedigree look quite dominant. While this will be an attraction for those wanting to breed precocious 2yo’s, it can lead to a lack of balance within a pedigree. There will no doubt be a place for mares that introduce stamina lines into a mating with Written By. The obvious would be to work with the presence of Sadler’s Wells, but this is a stallion we rarely see through a female line in Australia. We often forget the importance of Nijinsky in modern pedigrees, but mares that carry him through a male may find a suitable mate in Written By.

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ritten By looks to tick a lot of boxes for breeders and owners alike. He was a precocious 2yo and certainly looks the type to produce plenty of progeny similar to himself. His family, and indeed his entire pedigree, is littered with gems that represent some of the greatest colonial influences. With Written By, we see another of the Widden stallions that looks set to continue the remarkable heritage of that wonderful institution.

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Written By, with an inbreeding coefficient of only 3.91% is one of the more moderately inbred types that we see in modern times.

The nearest duplication is that of Northern Dancer in the fifth generation. We see that stallion appear in the sire line of both Written By’s sire and dam. Northern Dancer also appears in the sixth generation, again through a son. In all, the three sons of that stallion in the six-generation pedigree are Try My Best, Sadler’s Wells and Nijinsky which leaves a lot of other sons of that stallion that may play an important role in his progeny. We see three lines of Buckpasser which is not uncommon with some Northern Dancer duplications, but it is the last duplication that may be the most critical. We see the wonderful mare, Best In Show appear in the pedigrees of both Try My Best and Umatilla. Redoute’s Choice is among the many of famed horses from the line of this mare, which also interestingly includes the Japanese champion Almond Eye.

THIS MONTH

BRAKESPEAR

BRAKESPEAR

AND THE GREAT ROGILLA

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rakespear was an attractive son of Spearmint, bred in 1911 by King George V of England. He was raced by the King and won the Newmarket Chesterfield Stakes and the Goodwood Prince of Wales Stakes at two. He was later to run second in the Newmarket Stakes and the Prince of Wales Stakes as a 3yo. Brakespear was well fancied in the Derby but was to run sixth although he made the headlines for another reason. Brakespear was the subject of a plot by Suffragettes to shoot the King’s horse before the race, but it was foiled by police who stood guard at not only his stable, but that of favourite Kennymore on the night before and day of the race. He was imported into NSW by Messrs J and A Brown on behalf of Mr Henry Hunter White. White was a grazier at Mudgee and was to establish the Havilah Stud in that area. White had been long time member of the Western District Racing Association executive before purchasing a property in Double Bay in Sydney. Here he became a member of the Australian Jockey Club from 1900. White was elected to the committee of the Club in December 1910, until he resigned in 1940.

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rakespear was described in the Referee newspaper as “a beautiful horse in the truest sense of the word, with that wonderful quality that only the very highest class English thoroughbreds possess, and I certainly have never seen a better loined or more truly shaped horse.” He was to sadly pass away in 1918 shortly after his first yearlings had gone to sale with good results. White was also to stand the stallions Roger de Busli, Tippler, Buoyant Bachelor and Fresco. At stud, Brakespear was to sire two stakes winners in Ennis who won the Tasmanian Doncaster Handicap and War Spear who won the AJC Winter Stakes. A daughter of Brakespear in Speargila was a good race mare who won 13 races in Sydney, plus 10 other provincial and country races. White mated her with his stallion Roger de Busli, a son of Hurry On. The resultant foal was given to his son, Henry of Talbragar Station although Henry was to lease the gelding to trainer Les Haigh. The gelding was to race under the name of Rogilla who is another of our Champion horses of yesteryear that should be considered for entry into the Racing Hall of Fame.

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ogilla was a lightly framed horse who stood around 15.3. He did not begin his racing career until a late 3yo, missing all of the classic races, and suffered from a range of afflictions over his long career. He had a reputation of pulling hard in his races, and this contributed to many of his defeats. Leading farrier, Ted Boadle of Hamilton in NSW was accredited with much of Rogilla’s success and the horse was later in his career fitted with specially designed bar shoes and racing plates.

Boadle even accompanied trainer Haigh and the horse to the 1932 Melbourne Cup. Rogilla was another of the champions of the depression and had an immense public following. Not least of this was because of his courage which saw him win eight races by a neck or less, get beaten by that margin or less on four occasions, and dead heat for first on five occasions. In 1934, Rogilla beat the star galloper Peter Pan on four successive meetings. But we are a long way ahead of our story of Rogilla.

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ogilla had his first race start on 28 March 1931 at his home track of Newcastle in a 4.5 furlong (900m) maiden. He was unplaced that day and failed to run a place in his first four starts. On 30 June he recorded his first win at Menangle Park in Sydney over 7 furlongs (1400m) when he started the 9/4 favourite. He started favourite at his next start at Moorefield over a mile four weeks later but could only finish third. After a break Rogilla commenced his 4yo career with a win in a Newcastle Welter over 4.5 furlongs on New Years Day 1932. He ran second at his next start and then had his first dead heat over 6 furlongs at Newcastle. According to the trainer Rogilla came from almost a furlong behind to dead heat with the very good galloper Yore. He then failed by a neck behind Bold Boy in a Trial Stakes at Rosehill over 7 furlongs (1400m). He rounded off his 4yo season by winning the Cabramatta Handicap by three lengths over a mile at Randwick, and then a week later back over 7 furlongs at the same track, the Vaucluse Handicap.

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Rogilla 1932 Caulfield Cup

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y now, Les Haigh knew that Rogilla was something special, and he was given his chance against the best as a 5yo. His first start at that age saw him again beaten by only a short neck in the AJC Denham Court Handicap over 6 furlongs. A fifth in the Canterbury Stakes behind Holdfast followed over the same unsuitable trip and then it was on to his sternest test to date, in the Tramway Handicap at Randwick on 1 September 1932. He was to dead heat with the wonderful emerging 4yo Chatham.

A win in the Camelia Stakes at Rosehill followed before Rogilla finished second to Chatham, beaten only a half length in the Epsom, and also in the Metropolitan behind Denis Boy by the same margin. Unfortunately Rogilla was showing signs of foot trouble that was to plague his career, but he went to Melbourne for what was likely to be his most famous victory in the 1932 Caulfield Cup. Trainer Les Haigh was later to tell Frank O’Loghlen in an interview for his book “Champions Of The Turf ” (FH Johnston Publishing Co, Sydney 1943) that it was touch and go if the horse went to Melbourne. All had thought that the gelding’s soreness was to be found in his shoulder, but the vet, Mr Davis decided just eight days before the Cup that he would start again from the ground up. He found a deep seated bruise in the foot and after draining it, farrier Ted Boadle fitted a special rubber soled shoe before the horse headed south. Rogilla was met with a wet Spring in Melbourne and could TURF MONTHLY 37

not be galloped until the Wednesday before the race. The gallop proved a mistake as mud and grass got under the shoe and the soreness reappeared. Quick treatment saw him overcome the issue and even though underdone, the stable was quietly confident. Punters did not share the confidence as the well fancied Rogilla drifted out to 10/1 in the market. He had drifted even further, with 14/1 freely available only 30 minutes prior to the race before a second wave of support arrived. With only 7 stone 12 pounds (50kg) Haigh engaged the unfashionable Newcastle jockey, George Robinson. Rogilla settled towards the rear but had made a move mid race to circle the field nearing the turn. He hit the lead early in the straight and raced away for an easy three length victory from Segatti and Top Hole. The champion 3yo, Peter Pan finished fourth and even in that era, it was unusual for a 3yo to start in the race. Rogilla then was beaten a length by Peter Pan in the Mackinnon Stakes and then finished down the track as that champion went on to victory in the Melbourne Cup. Haigh never considered Rogilla at his best past twelve furlongs stating that over longer journeys, “Peter Pan was superior.” Yet over a mile and a half, Haigh was quoted as saying “There was nothing between Peter Pan and Rogilla. At two miles, Peter Pan, at weight-for-age was invincible, but again I say, at twelve furlongs you could never say which of the two would win. Another point about old Rogilla,”

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Haigh told O’Loghlen, “whatever race you put him in you never felt he was beaten until the numbers went up. He himself never knew when he was beaten.”

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ogilla was spelled after his Cup run and was unplaced first up over 6 furlongs (1200m) in a Moorefield Flying. He then ran second to Peter Pan in the City Tatts Randwick Stakes over a mile beaten a length. A fifth in the Rawson Stakes was followed by a third in the Chipping Norton, both times behind Lough Neagh.

Rogilla then returned to the winner’s circle in the Autumn Plate over 12 furlongs again putting in a stirring finish to win by a neck from outsider Pretzel. He then won the Sydney Cup by a half-length from Nord. He finished off the season by running fourth behind Peter Pan in the AJC Plate which was later to be renamed the Queen Elizabeth. As a six year old, Rogilla was to have his best season. He began with another dead heat for first in a Flying Handicap over 6 furlongs at Newcastle.

Rogilla carried 10st 9lbs (67.5kg) and was at one point twenty lengths behind the leaders. He caught the good galloper Loch Garry on the line with the judges not being able to separate the pair. A third behind Chatham in the Warwick Stakes then saw Rogilla prevail in another nail-biter in the Chelmsford, this time with a margin of a half-neck from Topical. A week later Chatham again proved too strong in the Hill Stakes with Rogilla running fourth. An interesting point here is that unlike

Rogilla 1933 VRC Melbourne Stakes

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many of the day, Rogilla was often not at his best backing up within a week. Likely his ongoing hoof issues saw him appreciate time away from the track. Two weeks later he had a comfortable win in the Spring Stakes before another quick back-up saw him finish seventh in the Metropolitan. A win in the 3200m Randwick Plate beating Lough Neagh was followed by another trip to Melbourne in the Spring of 1933. First up in the South, he was up against the champion Chatham in the Cox Plate. Chatham had won the Cox Plate in 1932 and was the raging favourite at 15/8 on. Chatham missed the start slightly but soon joined the leaders. Rogilla, now ridden by star jockey Darby Munro, settled only around five lengths from the front, much closer than most had expected. At the back of the course, Munro let Rogilla have a little more reign and he strode forward impressively, only to have Munro take hold again, most likely with a broad smile on his face. At the turn, the crowd was surprised as both Dermid and Waltzing Lily passed Chatham, but Rogilla soon put paid to both as he raced to the lead half-way down the straight, cruising to an easy win. Rogilla was quickly installed as the Melbourne Cup favourite, and he lost no admirers when he beat Gaine Carrington in the Mackinnon Stakes. Whether it was the short back-up or the conditions of the race, Rogilla again never was likely finishing among the tail enders in Hall Mark’s Cup. A week later Rogilla proved

Rogilla winning the Rawson Stakes 1934 from Peter Pan TURF MONTHLY 40

his class by winning the CB Fisher Plate back to the mile and a half, again beating Gaine Carrington.

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ogilla returned after a lengthy spell on 30 March 1934 in the Denman Stakes at Randwick over 6 furlongs. Carrying 60kg he stormed home from a seemingly hopeless position to dead heat with Frimsel. He then beat Peter Pan in course record time over the 1800m of the Rawson Stakes before going back to 1200m to win the Liverpool Handicap by a short head. A seventh in the Doncaster behind Chatham was followed by a third behind the same horse in the All-Aged Plate. His final run as a 6yo was in the King’s Plate where he again lined up against Peter Pan. This time the 2400m at wfa saw Peter Pan the narrow favourite at 3/1 with Rogilla well backed at 4’s. It was a tremendous race with Rogilla prevailing by a head on the line. In all, he finished his 6yo season with 11 wins from 17 starts.

FJ Marsden and Hunter White ca 1930s.

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Rogilla has a very interesting pedigree although at 5.08% does not represent an overly inbred one. Still, it represents a great lesson in linebreeding. The closest duplication is that of Gallinule who appears in the fourth generation of both sire and dam. That stallion is found in the female line of the sire, appearing as his grand damsire. Gallinule is also the damsire of our featured stallion, Brakespear

by Spearmint. The damsire of Gallinule is a stallion called Hermit who was one of the best of his time. We see Hermit appear five times in the sixth generation of Rogilla’s pedigree. All of these are critically through daughters, as we saw in the case of Gallinule.

These types of strategies can sometimes create an exceptional result, as we see in the case of Rogilla. We must never lose sight of the times that these strategies fail, and perhaps the inability of this line of the family to breed on could find at least some of the foundation in this type of strategy.

Presentation of Sydney Cup to Rogilla’s Trainer Les Haigh by the Governor General

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he gelding started off his 7yo season the way he finished the previous one. A narrow win in a 1200m Flying, this time at Rosebery kicked off the season.

The margins naturally were small with a neck by a neck being semaphored. A fifth to Chatham in the Warwick Stakes was followed by wins in the Chelmsford over 1800m and Spring Stakes over 2400m. Both times the champion Peter Pan finished second. Another third behind Chatham, this time in the AJC Craven Plate was followed by another venture to Melbourne. He was not to meet with success but was third behind Hall Mark in the Caulfield Stakes and Chatham in the Cox Plate.

Rogilla finished fifth in the Caulfield Cup carrying 62kg and also in the Mackinnon behind Peter Pan. He again ran in the Melbourne Cup finishing twelfth behind Peter Pan having lumped 60kg.

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oming back for the Autumn in February 1935, Rogilla again returned in a Flying over 1200m, this time finishing second beaten 2.5 lengths at Victoria Park. He then went to Melbourne to finish fourth behind Topical in the Essendon Stakes and then a narrow second, beaten a neck, by Hall Mark in the King’s Plate. Returning to Sydney he finished fourth to Peter Pan in the Randwick and Rawson Stakes. He then beat Hall Mark by a head in the Chipping Norton before being beaten by a long head by Peter Pan in the Autumn Plate. He failed in the Sydney Cup but was placed in both the Cumberland Plate and AJC Plate. The 7yo then broke down in the AJC Jubilee Plate, a race won by Peter Pan. Rogilla though was back as an 8yo the following August and again finished second in class record time in a Flying at Rosebery under 62kg behind Silver King. A week later he dead heated with that horse over the mile of the Warwick Stakes at Warwick Farm in what was to fittingly be his last win. He ran third in the Chelmsford and Sir Herbert Maitland Stakes before again lining up against Peter Pan in the AJC Spring Stakes, finishing third.

He then finished fourth behind that champion in the Craven Plate but by now it was clear that his career was nearing an end, and he was sent to the paddock rather than heading to Melbourne. Rogilla was to start only once more, finishing unplaced behind Sarcherie who had been placed behind Peter Pan in the 1934 Melbourne Cup. He was retired to Hunter White’s Havilah Stud.

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ALL SHOT - 1974 CF ORR STAKES

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he CF Orr Stakes is one of the real hidden gems of the Australian Turf. It started at Williamstown in 1925 and we covered the history of the race at some length in a previous issue. This year Tofane joined an impressive list of winners that in more recent times has included champions of the calibre of Black Caviar, Lonhro, Elvstroem, All Too Hard and even Redoute’s Choice. Vo Rogue and Manikato both won the race three times. It has always been a good horse’s race, even if some of them have been slightly forgotten. One that falls into that category is All Shot who was the winner in 1974 which is the race we are going to look at this month.

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ll Shot is one of those horses who was an outstanding racehorse, but who was never really fully appreciated by the racing public. He was often unlucky, running up against horses like Gunsynd, Tauto, Leilani, Sobar, Taj Rossi, Tontonan and Family of Man. All Shot won eleven stakes races in total, including two William Reid and Linlithgow Stakes, the George Main, All-Aged Stakes and George Ryder.

In all he won 21 of 77 races from the ages of two until nine, outlasting many of those absolute champions. The gelding started his career in NZ winning two of his six starts at that age. The son of Idomeneo came to Australia as a 3yo and that year won six of his sixteen starts. Perhaps his two best performances as a 3yo came in the Sandown Guineas and AJC Australasian Champion Stakes, the forerunner to the Spring Champion Stakes. All Shot had started the 5/2 favourite at Sandown but was beaten 1.25 lengths by Andros, a son of Sovereign Edition who had won the AJC Champagne Stakes as a 2yo. All Shot was also to run second to Andros in the Manfred Stakes at his next start after a spell. The Australasian Champion Stakes was first run the year before in 1971 when it was won by Gay Icarus who is another of our underrated stars. During 1971, that gelding won nine individual group races including the Caulfield Cup. In 1972, the boom 3yo was Latin Knight who duly saluted at 11/8 on with All Shot 1.5 lengths away.

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s a 4yo, All Shot was probably at his peak. He started 18 times winning seven of these. In the Spring he won the Toorak Handicap, Linlithgow Stakes and George Adams Handicap. This winning run was only broken by a strong second behind another champion in Gunsynd in the Cox Plate. The Autumn saw him commence by winning the William Reid with the margins being a short half head by a head, and then running third in the CF Orr, again with narrow margins of a short head by a head behind Longfella. In Sydney he won the George Ryder and All-Aged Stakes, both times beating the top class colt, Century. As a Spring 5yo, All Shot won the George Main in Sydney before failing by a half head to run second to Glengowan in the Caulfield Stakes on his return to Melbourne. He was unplaced in the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate behind Taj Rossi before beating Tauto when back to the 1400m of the Linlithgow. Our story though is in the Autumn of 1974. All Shot returned in the William Reid Stakes over 1200m at Moonee Valley, winning in course record time again beating Tauto. It was then on to the CF Orr Stakes over 1400m at Sandown on 9 February 1974.

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t probably was not the best CF Orr Stakes field that had ever been assembled.

All Shot was a clear favourite at 13/8 on, and while many of the names may now be unfamiliar to many readers, most runners in the major weight for age races have earned their place in the field. Lining up against All Shot was Grand Scale who had won the Feehan and Moonee Valley Cup and was to later go on to win an Adelaide Cup. Australasia was a front running type who had won the Geelong Cup, Mackinnon and Turnbull Stakes the previous year and loomed as one of the biggest dangers. The 1973 Melbourne Cup winner, Gala Supreme who had run an unlucky third to Baghdad Note in the Sandown Cup following that race was resuming from a spell. Mon Vin was another stayer resuming after a good fifth in the Cup. The South Australian galloper Stamboul and the Western Australian star mare, Millefleurs who had won four stakes races in Perth including the Railway Stakes, as well as the Queen Of The Turf in Sydney and the Invitation Stakes at Caulfield, were also in the field. Legendary trainer Tommy Smith had a strong presence in the race. He was represented by Zambari, a top Sydney sprinter who had won the Carrington and STC Premiere Stakes in that city as well as the Lightning, Memsie and Oakleigh Plate in Melbourne. He was later to go on to win the Caulfield and Blamey Stakes in 1975. Smith’s star though was his filly, Analie who had struck interference when tenth behind All Shot in the William Reid. She had won nine stakes races the previous season including both the AJC and Qld Oaks, Qld Derby, Doncaster and Metropolitan.

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ll Shot put in a brilliant performance to win the race, and we can just take the time to enjoy a wonderful talent. As a follow up to this race, All Shot was to continue to race for another four seasons, winning the 1974 Craiglee Stakes and 1975 VRC Baguette Stakes. He was also to run second in the William Reid behind Leica Show and second in the 1975 CF Orr Stakes behind another champion in Leilani. It is fitting that we can use this opportunity to look again at one of the stars of the past that now barely rate a mention in such a rapidly moving industry.

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