Entries Tagged 'News' ↓
November 10th, 2018 — News, Value For Money, Winners
Those of you who read these posts regularly will no doubt recall the bitter-sweet nature of our connection with yesterday’s Riccarton stakeswinner, Dee and Gee.
A yearling purchase by Shaune Ritchie, the daughter of Darci Brahma and the Jungle Pocket mare Gabana was highly rated in my Karaka Sales Analysis of 2015. Our Cloughmore Racing Partnership happily bought into the filly, who looked exceptional value at her $16,000 purchase price.
Dee and Gee raced four times as a 3YO. Although she showed some promise she didn’t meet the requirements of a majority of her owners and was accordingly leased to the South Island. I’ve written before about the wisdom of not unloading a staying bred thoroughbred too quickly, especially if it’s a late foal, but there’s no point in re-opening old wounds.
Anyway, yesterday was her day. Masterfully ridden by Cameron Lammas, Dee and Gee led for the last 2000 metres of that time-honoured contest, the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Metropolitan Handicap, and was simply too good on the day. She will no doubt take her place in the field for next Saturday’s New Zealand Cup and here’s hoping that she does herself proud.
The untarnished bright side of all this is that Dee and Gee has given credence to the concept behind the Cloughmore Racing Partnership. Buying small shares in nicely-bred and competitively-priced yearlings certainly seems to be working. Apart from our two current 3YOs, my partners and I have bought into seven yearlings. One broke down as soon as it went into work, another wasn’t much good and two others were placed, both having leg problems which shortened moderately promising careers.
The other three yearlings developed into Candle In The Wind (G2 placed, $208,805), Rikki Tikki Tavi (Listed placed, $112,187) and now Dee and Gee (SW, $109,485).
The total purchase price of all seven yearlings came to $93,000. To date our purchases have returned $430,477, with hopefully more to come. We have minority shareholdings in all our horses, so none of us have become rich, but winning 16 races and making a profit on our initial investment has been a blast.
Incidentally, the two 3YOs are Sir Ralph (Iffraaj) and Super Gee (Super Easy). Together they cost $24,000; both have won two trials.
October 21st, 2018 — Horse Racing, News
He had won his first two starts but stepping up from Novice grade to a well-contested Class 3 event against older horses was always going to be a challenge for Siam Blue Vanda.
However, yesterday at Kranji the son of Echoes of Heaven did just that. I don’t usually stay up late to watch a horse I’ve done the mating for but the experience turned out to be well worth the lost sleep. Glen Boss settled the 3YO well back in the field. As the race progressed, I couldn’t imagine how he could win from being last on the turn. However, that’s exactly what he did with an impressive display of acceleration. It wasn’t just a case of finding a huge gap and bursting through unimpeded: the horse needed the courage to squeeze through a minuscule space to get into contention and then the agility to be hauled sideways 50 metres from the post to continue his run to a most improbable victory.
From a pedigree point of view, I’ll happily confess that he’s somewhat different to how I expected him to be. He comes from a family of milers, more or less, with his most impressive close relative being the teak-tough Istidaad. His dam, the Lahib mare, I’m A Wag, failed to win but had managed to produce three minor winners by good stallions. I discovered that Lahib had won a couple of Group 1 miles in the early 1990s but had been only a modest success at stud, leaving 11 SWs from 220 winners. Nevertheless, as he was by Riverman, he offered some hope as a broodmare sire and Encosta de Lago appealed as an influence worth trying with one of his daughters.
However, what I really liked about her pedigree was that she was out of a mare by the brilliant El Gran Senor, a grandson of the wonderful Best In Show. Using Echoes of Heaven produced a 5 x 5 cross to this phenomenal animal and it didn’t hurt that the mating also featured a Northern Dancer triple. I hoped that these two factors would generate enough speed to offset the stamina which Echoes had shown during his racing career.
I’m off to watch the video again.
October 5th, 2018 — Choosing A Stallion, News
Every so often a race sticks in your memory for all the right reasons. The 2016 edition of the Group 2 Hawkes Bay Guineas was such a race, with Fastnet Rock colt Mongolian Falcon demolishing the opposition with a dominating performance. Like many good colts, he showed an affinity for making his own rules in front and then accelerating away to make a good field look second rate.
It’s certainly true that he found firmer tracks not as much to his liking in his subsequent starts but there’s no doubt that he was a top-class colt. As a stallion prospect, he appeals strongly, partly because of his pedigree and partly because at $3000 he gives all breeders a chance to upgrade their mares.
What really appeals to me about his pedigree is that you can make a case for a wide section of the New Zealand broodmare population being well suited by Mongolian Falcon’s genetic make-up.
One bloodline that appeals is Storm Cat. His affinity with Fastnet Rock is already well-documented (Foxwedge, Awesome Rock and Irish Lights) and Galileo has also produced Group 1 winners out of Storm Cat mares (Churchill, Gleneagles, Misty For Me, and Decorated Knight). When a stallion is bred on a sensationally successful cross such as the Danehill x Galileo nick which produced Mongolian Falcon, breeders are faced with a “now what do I do” scenario. However, Storm Cat looks like being a very good place to start. In particular, mares by Tale of the Cat, Falkirk and Giant’s Causeway appear to have a lot to offer.
Another influence which has been the cornerstone of Southern Hemisphere racing success is Sir Tristram, (not to mention his champion son Zabeel). Although Fastnet Rock already has a Sir Tristram line in his pedigree via Marauding, inbreeding to the Cambridge Stud flagbearer has produced Group 1 winners Atlantic Jewel, Mosheen, Avantage and Planet Rock, to name but four. Interestingly, Galileo is also developing a degree of affinity with Sir Tristram. For example, Rip Van Winkle has three SWs out of mares with a Sir Tristram presence: Capella, Pendleton and Seraphim.
Having said that, it’s equally important not to forget that duplicating Northern Dancer and/or Mr Prospector is the bedrock of many Group 1 pedigrees. Multiple lines of Northern Dancer are nothing new (2007 Golden Slipper winner Forensics had five strains), but recent years have seen Mr Prospector triples become increasingly frequent.
Finally, let’s not forget Star Kingdom. One of my favourite crosses is Tudor Minstrel x Star Kingdom and, although Tudor Minstrel occurs back in the sixth generation of Mongolian Falcon’s pedigree, it’s an influence which keeps on giving, especially when Star Kingdom is also involved. Fastnet Rock has a Biscay line and it’s never a bad idea to have other Star Kingdom influences to complement him. Accordingly, mares by stallions such as Pins, Savabeel and Thorn Park are well worth sending to Willow Glen’s new stallion.
October 1st, 2018 — Choosing A Stallion, News
Evaluating the chances of a first-season stallion ultimately being successful is a task fraught with imponderables but Derryn certainly has the pedigree to do well here, provided that he’s dominant for the strongest influences in his pedigree. He was a tough, sound competitor with well above average ability; in my view, he has every chance of passing on these attributes.
Clearly, he’s a speed horse so it will be important for his future that he attracts a good proportion of speedy mares in his first book. He’s already got three Grey Sovereign lines but they’re a fair way back so duplicating them would be a minimal risk. Interestingly, Grey Sovereign crosses well with Nijinsky, already present via Royal Academy. A further line of this great stallion wouldn’t go amiss.
Derryn is inbred to Biscay – generally not a great asset, but one that crosses especially well with other Star Kingdom influences such as Kaoru Star and Noholme. Fortunately, we are not short of these in New Zealand. Pins is one stallion whose daughters appeal strongly for Derryn. This cross would provide a 4×3 influence of Snippets, a prolific sire of good-class winners, as well as Kaoru Star.
Another bloodline which crosses exceptionally well with Star Kingdom is Tudor Minstrel. His most effective lines nowadays occur via Blushing Groom and Sharpen Up. Stravinsky mares often seem to carry many of the attributes of Blushing Groom. Given that he also features Mr Prospector and Nureyev, his mares appear to have much to offer.
The Easy Date duplication is an obvious attraction. She seems to cross nicely with Vain in particular.
Unbridled’s Song is an outstanding influence in modern pedigrees. The trick with any Fappiano blood is to find more Mr Prospector; Derryn already carries this line via Straight Strike, but there are many Group 1 winners on the planet which boast a Mr Prospector triple close up.
An influence which I really rate for Derryn is Storm Cat. He crosses well with both Fastnet Rock and Sir Tristram. Tale of the Cat mares would be excellent prospects as they would bring Mr Prospector and Nijinsky as well as Storm Cat. Giant’s Causeway mares also appeal strongly
To finish off by stating the obvious, inbreeding to Northern Dancer via a variety of sons is always a smart course of action.
September 9th, 2018 — Horse Racing, News
It’s been a quiet year to date but recent victories by La Diosa at Caulfield, Siam Blue Vanda at Kranji and Emily Margaret at Riccarton have all been top class performances.
The deeds of La Diosa are well documented and after a quiet 4YO season she resumed with a barnstorming victory over 1100 last month. She appears to have regained that brilliant finishing burst which characterised her classic year.
Siam Blue Vanda is a gelded 3YO son of Echoes of Heaven and the Lahib mare I’m A Wag. He made the headlines last month with an effortless maiden victory at his first start and looks to have a bright future.
Yesterday, long-time client Kevin Hughes was extremely bullish about the chances of his grey Pins filly Emily Margaret in the 3YO event at Riccarton. His confidence proved to be entirely justified as she came from the back of a useful field to win by a widening two lengths. A $55,000 Select Sale purchase, she had strongly appealed to me when I analysed that catalogue. She was an obvious choice, being by a highly successful stallion out of a Group 3 winning O’Reilly mare from a speedy and consistent family. Her grey colouring comes from one of my favourite horses, the under-rated Three Legs stallion, Shannon.
Don’t be surprised if Emily Margaret is a factor in the forthcoming Canterbury Belle Stakes – won by La Diosa a couple of years ago.
Hold the phone. Siam Blue Vanda has just won a Novice 1200 at Kranji. Starting at New Zealand odds of $2.00 in a strong field he was handy all the way, hit the front with 300 to go and just lasted. It will be interesting to read Glen Boss’ comments but it does look as if 1200 is already too short a distance for him. From a pedigree point of view he’s an interesting individual as he comes from the female family of the super-tough Istidaad and is inbred to Best In Show.
March 11th, 2018 — Horse Racing, News, Winners
Well, that was a pleasant surprise! If anyone had suggested a few months ago that our Tavistock mare would win two $50,000 1200 events on successive Saturdays at Ellerslie, I would have recommended a reality check.
We had never backed her up before but she looked better yesterday than she did seven days previously, so warmest congratulations are due to the Logan – Gibbs team for their skill in managing this considerable achievement.
I’ve written before (9 December) that at the end of her first campaign I had thought that she was just a horse, but it’s nice to be proven wrong. None of our Cloughmore Racing Partnership horses have ever shown sprinting ability until now, but this mare has wheels in abundance. She has a high cruising speed but also possesses the ability to accelerate over the final stages of her races. Last weekend she ran her final 600 in a slick 33.43; yesterday she returned 33.79 over the same distance, although she was wide and had to shift sideways twice.
Although by Tavistock, RTT (no, I still am not a fan of that name) is out of a Volksraad mare and does throw to that successful speed stallion. She’s bred on the same cross as four-time Group 1 winner Volkstok’N’Barrell and has a similar action to that remarkable galloper. Her second dam is by Zabeel, and if there’s one cross that constitutes a licence to print money at the moment it’s Tavistock x Zabeel.
So where to from here? RTT does lack size, if not heart, so if she’s going to win some black type it makes sense to get her into a nice race at the minimum weight. However, racing teaches all of us not to get ahead of ourselves so let’s just enjoy the moment.
I’m off to watch the video again.
January 11th, 2018 — News
It’s going to be really interesting to see how NZB’s new catalogue structure is going to pan out. What appears to have happened is that Book 1 has become even more attractive for the sort of buyers who constitute the major part of my client base – trainers who are keen to find value for money yearlings for their owners. However, I do suspect that yearlings which appear in Books 2 and 3 are going to struggle and that passings may well be quite high. Let’s hope I’m wrong.
Making selections from Book 1 was the most challenging task I have had since beginning these analyses in 1997. As always, there is a range of lots which you quickly label as “too expensive for New Zealand racing”, but there are hundreds of yearlings with strong pedigrees which are very difficult to discriminate between.
For those of you who haven’t bought an analysis before, I rank yearlings on a value for money basis. A+ yearlings are those with pedigrees which, in my opinion, are significantly better than a quick perusal of the catalogue page would indicate; however, to be an A+, the yearling must also have a reasonable chance of being buyable for a sensible sum. This year there are three A+ Book 1 colts and seven fillies (a record number). If you’re looking for a filly with a strong chance of acquiring significant residual value, this is the year to buy.
Yearlings which gain an A rating are those whose pedigrees aren’t quite as impressive to my way of thinking, or which could possibly bring more money than they are worth. (Yes, there’s an awful lot of opinion involved here and valuing yearlings without actually seeing them is a challenging task). This year I have found 12 A colts and 15 A fillies.
As you’ll have got the point by now, you’ll understand how I select yearlings which I label B+. In the Book 1 catalogue, I’ve found 14 B+ colts and 23 B+ fillies. It’s also worth mentioning that I deliberately do not go to www.nzb.co.nz to see what the yearlings I have chosen actually look like and also that I exclude yearlings for which I have done the matings myself. This year there are three such Book 1 yearlings: Lots 568, 569 and 581.
I charge $450+GST for each of the Book 1 colts and fillies, $200 +GST for each of the Book 2 selections and $150+GST for each of the Book 3. Discounts are available for multiple purchases. Buyers of any analysis are entitled to any further advice they may want on that section of the sale. There’s no charge for such additional advice
January 2nd, 2018 — News, Winners
It may only have a six-horse maiden event at the Waiarapa New Year picnic meeting but the way he dispatched his rivals indicated that the son of Rip Van Winkle and the Don Eduardo mare All In Black has potential considerably above average.
Times never tell the whole story but All In Mana’s 1:22.61 compared very favourably with the slightly slower time returned by Maltese Ruby when she was successful in the following event, a R75 contest. It’s also worth noting that the mare carried 4.5kg less than did All In Mana and that he spent most of the 1400 journey traveling three wide without cover.
All In Mana is nominated for both the Levin Classic and the NZ Derby in March. He may struggle to gain a start in the former event but he is a horse to keep in mind for the Ellerslie Group 1 contest – especially if the track is rain-affected. My theory is that whatever he achieves on a firm track, he has a strong chance of surpassing it on rain-affected going. Have a look at his trial wins and you will see what I mean.
Anyway, Ellerslie owes us. I really did think that another recommended mating, Fully Funded, was a huge chance in the Railway Handicap. When he drew a decent barrier, I was seriously confident. But there’s something inherently unreliable about Auckland, isn’t there? Think the perennial rugby under-achievers, the Blues (now there’s a well-named team!) – and if you need some more evidence, what about the ill-named Warriors? All that talent and zip to show for it.
Moving on to more cheerful thoughts, I can confirm that I have almost completed this year’s Karaka Yearling Sales analysis. Book One is very strong; Books Two and Three not so much. I’m clearly going to have to re-structure the pricing of the analyses. If you’re interested, do feel free to get in touch.
December 23rd, 2017 — News
There are two drivers which keep our industry going: money and optimism. Of the two, the latter is the more important because, without it, we’re never going to spend our hard-earned on the production and upkeep of animals capable of giving us the highest of highs (as well as the lowest of lows – must keep that journalistic balance).
Perhaps it’s appropriate that at this time of the year we celebrate the joys of breeding and racing. The yearling sales are coming closer and I’m sure that many of us are hard at work searching through catalogues to find THE HORSE, the animal which is going to change our lives. (Editor’s note: I’m about half-way through my annual process of analysing the pedigree of every catalogued yearling; it’s a procedure which sounds oh so boring to an industry outsider but absolutely fascinating to those who share our addiction).
Anyway, a story surfaced on Friday which gives us all a shot of hope. Highly Recommended, the Fastnet Rock stallion which has made such a strong start to his breeding career, has been relocated to Cambridge Stud. Berkley Stud will be retaining an interest in him and why wouldn’t they? It’s great to see a comparatively small operation based in the South Island make the big time and position itself to continue that success. This year Highly Recommended has covered around 140 mares: breeders and buyers of his progeny both have a chance to make a decent profit before his fee takes him out of the reach of most of us. As I’ve written before on this site, the really exciting thing about Highly Recommended’s stock is that when you look at the pedigrees of the best of his offspring, it’s not difficult to understand why they are as good as they are.
So, to quote “The Shawshank Redemption”, hope is indeed “the best of things”. You can’t achieve anything if there’s no reason to get out of bed every morning.
Best wishes to everyone for the Festive Season and the yearling sales.
December 9th, 2017 — Horse Racing, News
Before we go any further, I need to make it very clear that I had nothing whatsoever to do with naming our daughter of Tavistock and the Volksraad mare Macinally. And I have to admit that I’m also on record as saying that if there were a competition for the worst named horse in the country, the TAB would be offering prohibitive odds on her success. That’s one of the few downsides of being a minority owner – the people with the biggest shares certainly have the biggest say in the choice of name. And that’s fair enough.
However, she’s certainly looking – if not sounding – an awful lot more attractive than she was six months ago. Her 3YO career featured a win over a weak maiden field at Whangarei followed by a couple of unimpressive efforts in R65 1600 events at the same venue. Hm, I said to myself, at least she’s a winner and she’s a Tavistock; recommending her to our racing partnership wasn’t the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever had.. But, as the Dee and Gee saga has instructed us, thoroughbreds can improve dramatically given that magic ingredient – time.
To be fair, the Logan-Gibbs training combination always had faith in her and that faith has been vindicated in RTT’s most recent two starts. Firstly, there was a facile first-up victory at Ruakaka when she was three wide all the way and then ran away from her R65 rivals over 1200. And then there was yesterday. She didn’t win easily but she fought to stave off several challenges in the last 100 metres. The 1200 distance now appears to be too short for her and I have hopes that her nomination for the $80,000 Dunstan event over 1500 on Boxing Day will prove to be realistic.
So much for names. It’s also worth commenting that two of the best named horses I’ve ever had anything to do with – Red Hot Pirate and Brief Encounter – have recently proved themselves to be entirely useless.
