Son of Dansili - New to Stud
The hottest stallion in Europe this year is undoubtedly Dansili, whose offspring include record breaking performer Harbinger, US triple Group One winner Proviso and boom two year-old colt Zoffany, so Queensland breeders will be delighted to learn that a son of this emerging force will stand his debut season at Kilto Park this spring.
A three time winner in the UK before transferring to Hong Kong, where he won at Sha Tin and finished third in the prestigious Hong Kong Derby HK Gr 1 from just three starts, Champions Gallery (GB) is the first son of Dansili to find his way to stud in Australia.
“Champions Gallery showed plenty of ability in Hong Kong, but suffered a tendon injury after the Derby and was sent to Australia for rehabilitation before eventually going back into work with Tony Vasil,” explained Neville Bell of Kilto Park.
“A recurrence of that injury curtailed his career and as a result he was sent to us as his owners have enjoyed some success in standing Lucky Owners at Widden Stud and they have decided to give this horse a similar opportunity and will be supporting him with their own mares.”
The rise of Dansili on the world stage this year has prompted interest in Champions Gallery, who is an eye-catching near black individual standing 16.1 hands.
A winner at two over seven furlongs, Champions Gallery was effective up to a mile and a quarter, winning a strong race at Beverley in the UK at his last appearance before heading to Hong Kong, with respected publication UK Racing Post offering a glowing endorsement of that win.
UK Racing Post - A cracking turnout for a handicap which would have graced York last week, with several progressive and potentially very useful three-year-olds in the line-up. They went a good gallop - three of the first four came from off the pace - and the form is likely to work out.
As far as CHAMPIONS GALLERY is concerned that will chiefly be of interest to punters in Hong Kong, which is where he reportedly heads after this success. That´s a shame from a British point of view, as he had looked good in winning at Ascot earlier in the season, had an excuse for his subsequent Salisbury flop in a modest gallop and showed here he is a three-year-old on the up.
On the pedigree front, Champions Gallery has a female family packed with outcross European bloodlines, his unraced dam Pure, a full sister by English Derby winner Slip Anchor to champion filly and five- time Group One winner User Friendly, whose many career highlights included victories in the English, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks as well as the St Leger against the colts.
His sire Dansili, a son of the legendary Danehill, stands at a fee of 65,000 pounds at the Juddmonte Farms owned Banstead Manor in the UK and is the sire of 42 stakes-winners, seven of them Group One winners.
“Dansili is doing a phenomenal job and like his own sire Danehill, gets two year-olds, three year-olds, sprinters and stayers, so it will be no surprise if he can emerge as a sire of sires as well and in Champions Gallery we have the first of them for Australia,” Neville Bell added.
Champions Gallery will stand at a fee of $2,500 plus GST alongside proven sire of winners Ombra Della Sera.
For further information contact: Neville Bell Mobile: 0418 712 288, or at the farm 07 5498 9761 email neville@kiltopark.com
Bevagna victor in the battle
March 23rd 2010
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Bevagna battles to the line with Listen Son on the inside |
After tracking Listen Son in the Iceworks Bar Paddington QTIS 3YO Handicap 1200m at Eagle Farm on Saturday, March 20, Bevagna emerged the winner in an extremely tight photo finish.
Trainer Mick Mair wasn’t there to witness the tense moments before the win was declared. “I was halfway to Toowoomba and they called her winning so I didn’t worry about that,” he said.
Straight from the barriers after Bevagna (gate five) and Listen Son (gate four) jumped next to each other, Bevagna sat right on Listen Son’s tail even when the race leader created some trouble around the 1100m mark.
Michael Hughes guided the three-year-old filly to the outside of Listen Son (Kristy Banks) heading towards the home turn and kept on their side down the straight.
But Bevagna’s 54kg to the topweight’s 58kg may have proved the difference as she put in a last second surge to win by a nose.
Bevagna is by Ombra Della Sera out of the Clang mare Pale Face Express, bred and owned by Neville and Mary Bell at Caboolture.
Glacial Miss (Jason Taylor) ran on for third a length behind the race leaders after a slow start.
Race favourite Unica Bahaya (Timothy Bell) followed in fourth.
“I didn’t know who’d won,” admitted Hughes after the race.
“It was sort of an up and down matter in that last 50 metres. Neither horse would sort of go away.”
Mair said their plan was to track Listen Son. “She does a few things wrong, she’s just starting to race,” explained the trainer. “She just gets on one rein and on the wrong leg all the time and you’ve just got to let her sort of bowl along.
“It was a fairly strong win actually.”
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Neville Bell grins as Bevagna produces a QTIS win for him (Noel Pascoe photos) |
Hughes was happy to get the win. “He (Listen Son) was always going to be hard to run down because it’s what he does, he leads. It’s hard to beat a horse like that.”
From 10 starts, Bevagna has earned $154,600 including $58,000 in QTIS bonuses with four wins, a second and a third.
Mair said all connections were delighted with the win. “Everyone’s happy with those QTIS wins,” he said.
QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Hollie Roberts – March 23
MM News for 9 JAN 2010
WARRIOR GIRL SCORES STUNNING WIN IN SPRINT
Warrior Girl took the massive step from maiden class to open class and did it magnificently when she produced an amazing finish to win the $253,237 David Jones Magic Millions Sprint (1000m) at the Gold Coast today.
In a training masterstroke from popular local horsewoman Maryann Thexton, Warrior Girl was able to rumble home from the back of the field and reel in fancied runner Fab Fevola who was being hailed the winner after racing to the lead in the straight.
But in the end it was the girls who triumphed with Thexton teaming up with local rider Kelly Purdy to win the big race by a half length.
Thexton knew that Warrior Girl was a bright prospect, but against the seasoned sprinters in the field, she wasn't confident that the long shot could get home.
"I thought it was such a big step. We certainly knew she could gallop and that's why I said to the owners, if we could get the run we'd take it."
"We totally respected the field. We knew they were all good gallopers too."
"But the one thing I did notice after we stopped screaming was the deathly quiet in the stands."
"No one expected it, but we knew she could gallop and that's why we were in the race."
Raced by the Jamaica Run Thoroughbred Syndicate, Warrior Girl was purchased for just $6,000 from the draft of Kilto Park at the 2008 Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
With three runs under her belt, Warrior Girl was already earned $165,000 and with a Carnival campaign beckoning that figure will only continue to grow.
"I must give great credit to (winning rider) Kelly Purdy. She's had about 10 rides for the stable for seven wins."
"She rides these horses every morning and she knows them inside out."
"We made the decision to leave her on two horses today because we thought she knows them - she knows when to push the buttons."
Warrior Girl isn't the easiest horse to handle according to connections.
"Once she's under saddle she is great. But she's hard to get the saddle on, hard to get onto the track, hard to get in the barriers and she didn't want to come out of the stalls today - we had to push her out backwards."
"She's really temperamental. But we work with it, not against it."
A spell is next on the cards for the talented daughter of Ombra Della Sera.
"She's going to go to the paddock now for a well deserved rest. She's had more trials than she has trials."
"Hopefully with these past couple of wins she will go out with some positive experiences and come back for the winter carnival."
Warrior Girl is one of 48 winners by Brave Warrior's stakes winning son Ombra Della Sera.
Her dam, the unraced Al Hareb mare Abba Dabba, is the dam of two winners and hails from the same family as Niagara, Red Glory, Chettak, Heroism and Jar Jar Binks.
Congratulations to Fulmonti - owned by Allan Jones and Barry Broomhead and trained by Chris Jordon
Fulmonti goes the whole nine yards
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Fulmonti returns to scale with a win at the Gold Coast |
Fulmonti (NZ) went the whole nine yards, or furlongs in this case, when the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival well and truly got underway at the Gold Coast on Saturday, May 2.
At the Prime Minister’s Cup raceday, Fulmonti (G6 Montjeu IRE-Grosvenor’s Pride NZ) took out the top race of the day the $300,000 Group 2 Carlton Draught A.D. Hollindale Stakes 1800m.
Doomben trainer Chris Jordan had faith in his charge who would be carrying 59kgs with a starting price of $21.
“I was very confident the horse would race well,” he said.
“This horse lets you know when he’s feeling well and going into a race you sort of get a bit of an idea of how good he’s going.
“I knew he was going really well but it was his first time he was stepping into weight-for-age company.
“A lot of the time when he’s carried big weights in handicaps he has struggled a little bit, but under weight-for-age conditions where most of them are carrying big weights, he seemed to handle it quite well.”
Joe Bowditch guided Fulmonti from barrier two and they settled on the rail slowly creeping up through the pack. Sitting behind the leaders they got a gap in the straight and dashed away to win by half a neck in front of New Zealand horse Izonit (James McDonald).
Sir Slick (Glen Colless) made it a New Zealand trifecta rounding out third place trailing three quarters of a length.
With fine weather at the sunny Gold Coast, the track was rated good and Jordan believed this was to his advantage.
“Everyone’s got him a bit of a wet tracker but I’ve always found his better form was on top of the ground,” he said.
“He drew nicely and raced handier than he normally does. He travelled beautifully the whole race.
“He got held up a bit on the corner which probably didn’t do him any harm because he’s got a short sprint and if he gets held up like he did, he can really get to the line and that’s what happened.
“He sort of got a little bit of a break half way up the running and finished over the top of them.”
Jordan hails from New Zealand and is a former international rugby league player who spent 18 years in Sydney training with his brother Kerry and now has a small team of horses at his Doomben stables.
“I just keep a low key sort of thing now,” he said. “I don’t want a big team. It’s sort of a hands-on situation.”
While rugby league and racing have both been a big part of his life, Jordan can’t see many similarities between the two.
“Equine athletes are so much more fragile than what human athletes are,” said the former fullback.
“I find you can’t do the intensive work with a thoroughbred racehorse that you can with a human athlete.”
Michael Hughes rides Bevagna to success at Doomben (Noel Pascoe photo)
Bevagna pleasantly surprised her trainer by taking out the Dale Roche The Good Guys QTIS 2YO Handicap 1110m at City Pacific Doomben on Saturday, March 28. Mick Mair, who trains Bevagna (F2 Ombra Della Sera-Pale Face Express) had two horses in the race, and thought it would actually be his other charge, Rocky Habit, who would win the race.
“I thought my other horse would win but he came last,” Mair said. “Bevagna’s form’s been good and she can certainly gallop so her win wasn’t a surprise, but I thought the other horse would beat her. “She’s only had three runs and won two and come third in the other one. She’s a nice two-year-old.”
Bevagna (Michael Hughes) started out wide in barrier 11 and settled mid-field but got stuck three deep coming onto the home straight. When Michael Hughes gave her some encouragement at the 100m mark she broke away from the pack and charged to the line. The favourite Fab Fevola (Larry Cassidy) also finished fast to come second a length and a half back, while Bella Sirena (Eddie Wilkinson) got pipped at the post by a neck and came third. While it wasn’t the perfect race for Bevagna, her jockey Michael Hughes was pleased with the win.
“She got stuck three deep there round the back, but she’s just on her third race,” Hughes said. “She really knuckled down at the end there. She makes a nice horse.”
While she has only had a short career spanning three races, Bevagna has already amassed $75,800 in prizemoney including $31,000 in QTIS bonuses for owner Mary Bell.
Redibis lives up to dogged name
MAGIC IN THE AIR: The Darryl Gollan-trained Redibis takes out yesterday’s $100,000 Magic Millions 2YO Trophy from Captain Sonador and Fleet ‘n’ Fast at Callaghan Park.
RACING: Barrier draws played their part when Neville and Mary Bell's home-bred Ombra Della Sera filly Redibis fought on doggedly to win the $100,000 Rockhampton Magic Millions 2YO Trophy (1000m) amid rainy scuds at Callaghan Park racecourse yesterday. Cleverly ridden by Toowoomba jockey Kristy Banks for Clifford Park trainer Darryl Gollan, the filly made full use of her rails barrier to lead for the majority of the race and last by a neck from another Downs youngster in Captain Sonador (Ron Goltz) who jumped from 10 barrier. The superbly bred Exceed and Excel (She's Lovely x Zabeel) gelding Fleet'N'Fast (Renee Hinricks) was third-placed only a long head back for Sunshine Coast trainer Col Williamson. Race favourite, the Liam Birchley trained Sniplaz, had no luck in running from barrier nine and was caught wide throughout and shuffled even wider on negotiating the home turn.
The winner (pronounced Re-dibis) lived right up to the meaning of her name, according to trainer Gollan. “It is Latin for 'keep coming' and that is exactly what she did in the straight. She can be ridden off the speed, but I instructed Kristy to take advantage of her inside alley and make the others work and it worked out that way”, Gollan explained.
Neville Bell who conducts Kilto Park Thoroughbreds at Caboolture, where Brave Warrior stallion Ombra Della Sera stands at stud, always had a high opinion of Redibis, even from a very young age. Redibis is a daughter of the Zedative mare Ziff, which has a magnificent maternal line infused with winning families through the broodmares Whiff and Snuff. Gollan was taken by Redibis when she was offered as Lot 2541 at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale on June 12 at the Gold Coast last year.
“I wanted to buy her, but Neville had too much money on her “, the trainer said. Passed-in at $17,000 on a $20,000 reserve, the Bells were happy to retain and race the filly themselves.
“I wanted her and knowing that, Neville rang me and asked if I would train her. I said yes and that was it,” Gollan explained. He said Redibis would be given a few easy days resting before more juvenile races in the South-East Queensland.
For the sake of Omra Della Sera from a commercial viewpoint, the Magic Millions win was timely as 11 of his yearlings will be offered at the QTIS 600 Yearling Sale at the Gold Coast later this month. As an aside, an interested onlooker at the races was international steward John Schreck, an adviser to the Integrity Department of Queensland Racing.
Redibis broke her maiden status in style when she got home first in a thrilling finish to Thursday's $100,000 Magic Millions 2YO Trophy (1000m) at Rockhampton. Having her third start for trainer Darryl Gollan, Redibis got home to beat Captain Sonador and Fleet 'n' Fast in a driving finish.
The win extended the unbeaten association between Redibis and underrated Queensland jockey Kristy Banks. On the two occasions she has ridden Redibis, she has won in good style. A daughter of Ombra Della Sera, Redibis is a $20,000 graduate of last year's Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.
With her win in the Rockhampton feature, Redibis was able to boost her earnings from just three starts to an impressive $77,200. Redibis kicked away her career in style when she won impressively at Toowoomba in December. Next time out she finished out of a place on a heavy track behind the smart Temple of Boom in a rich Magic Millions Prelude on the Gold Coast in early January.
The favourite Sniplaz ($1.80), a representative from the powerful Liam Birchley stable, was fourth home.
Redibis is one of 29 winners by the stakes winning Brave Warrior horse Ombra Della Sera. A winner of three races at two and four in all, Ombra Della Sera scored his biggest win in the listed Ken Russell Memorial Classic at the Gold Coast. A chestnut filly, Redibis is one of four winners from four runners from the mare Ziff. An unraced daughter of Zeditave, Ziff is a one of ten winners from the stakes performed and multiple Sydney winning Lunchtime mare Whiff. Whiff is also the dam of the stakes placegetters Wayne's Gold and Wiggly Woo.
Sunshine Coast Cushion Track - February 28
BEVAGNA 2f Ombra Della Sera - Pale Face Express (Clang)
WON Tradesure 2yo Maiden (1000m); QTIS $14,800
O/B-M S Bell
T-Mick Mair (Sunshine Coast)
Retained by breeder
Bevagna made an auspicious debut at the Sunny Coast night meeting when stretching out to an authoritive victory. The margins were 2 lengths x 6 lengths. The winner and her sire Ombra Della Sera (Brave Warrior) are raced by Kilto Park owner Neville Bell. Her dam Pale Face Express is related to Le Drakkar (Anabaa), a G1 winner of the Kenilworth Cape Guineas in South Africa.
Queenslander Swiss Ace wins Oakleigh Plate
QUEENSLANDER Swiss Ace gave Caloundra jockey Ken Pope the racing day of his life with an upset win in the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield yesterday.
After being headed by Lucky Secret halfway up the straight, the Secret Savings entire, who cost just $6000, rallied under Pope's vigorous riding to pocket $240,000 for his connections in the Group 1 sprint.
Swiss Ace could finish only seventh in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington at his previous start but speared across from the outside barrier in the field of 18 to give Pope his first Group 1 win.
Trained on the Sunshine Coast by Mick Mair, Swiss Ace ($31) beat Lucky Secret ($12) by a short head, while Typhoon Zed ($15) was a long neck away third.
Pope said his plan was to save Swiss Ace for a last burst at the finish and it came off, as Lucky Secret just failed to sustain his effort. "This is the most fantastic feeling I have had in racing," 38-year-old Pope said.
Pope started his riding career in outback Charleville before moving to Chinchilla and later Toowoomba, where he won the jockeys' premiership. For the past 10 years he has been the stable rider for Mair, who has been training for more than 40 years. Pope's previous biggest win was the Group 2 Sir Byrne Hart (1200m) on Swiss Ace in April last year.
"I don't chase fame or the big dollars," Pope said."Caloundra is where I enjoy life the most and I'm happy to poke along and snag one of these horses once in a lifetime."
Owner Darryl Rogers waited all day at a Brisbane bloodstock sale to buy Swiss Ace for $6000 and he has now won 10 of his 15 starts and more than $650,000.
"I thought he would be dearer than he was as he comes from one of the best broodmare families in the world and he showed it today," Rogers said.
Swiss Ace's dam Rapid Serve, by Carson City, and his grand-dam Tennis Partner, by Northern Dancer, were both unraced, but the family is saturated with black type.
International Group 1 winners include Newmarket Middle Park Stakes winner Formidable, Dewhurst Stakes and July Cup winner Ajdal and Oaklawn Fantasy Stakes winner Flying Partner. Rogers has a liking for Secret Savings as a sire and recently bought a filly by him for $2500 at the Brisbane sale and a Secret Savings weanling filly last year. Jockey Dan Brereton said he thought Lucky Secret was going to win at the 100m but Swiss Ace was too good. Top filly Samantha Miss will need a replacement rider after Hugh Bowman was suspended for 18 meetings. Bowman pleaded guilty to careless riding on third-placed Typhoon Zed.
Trainer Mick Mair gives outsider Swiss Ace a chance in Oakleigh Plate
DON'T be shocked if Swiss Ace wins the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield today because trainer Mick Mair gives him a better chance than his $61 price suggests.
"That was the idea of taking him to Caulfield and giving him experience at the track every morning," Mair said.
"The way he worked on Tuesday he is a chance despite the gate. I would have liked a horse on his outside but he will come across.
"My foreman Gary Blake will saddle him."
Swiss Ace fits the mould of several Oakleigh Plate winners because it has been a race of surprises over the years. Swiss Ace cost his owner Darryl Rogers just $6000 at the QBBS sales and the entire has now won $412,750 in stakes.
"The reason we sent him to Melbourne was to avoid the wet tracks," Mair said.
Mair will stay at the Sunshine Coast today, where he has three runners, but he expects Swiss Ace to beat more horses home than finish in front of him.
"I certainly don't think he is a $61 chance," Mair said.
Swiss Ace will also start in the $1 million Newmarket (1200m) at Flemington on March 7 and weights for that race will be issued next Tuesday.
"The 1200m will suit him better in the Newmarket," Mair said.
"He is still an entire and any Group 1 placing would improve his value at stud."
Swiss Ace is a horse who likes to dominate in his races and tried to match strides with Wilander in the Lightning (1000m) at Flemington when he faded to run seventh. Swiss Ace will meet Wilander 3kg better for finishing just over a length from him in the Lightning yet Wilander is one of the favourites.
Caulfield Cup-winning trainer Danny O'Brien is predicting an improved run from Master O'Reilly in the St George Stakes (1800m).
Master O'Reilly was the victim of a slow-run race when he finished last to Maldivian in the Orr (1400m) at Caulfield last start.
The gelding has a racing pattern that requires pace because he likes to settle back but he was runner-up to Littorio in the Turnbull (2000m) at Flemington. Theseo is expected to lead in the St George which will give him a huge tactical advantage and the two horses again clash in the Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington.
O'Brien said Master O'Reilly would have to perform well to assure himself a trip to Dubai and join stablemates Barbaricus and Validictum, who won a race at Nad Al Sheba yesterday.
BREAK-THROUGH SUCCESS
Jockey Ken Pope drives Elate and Excite to the line to claim victory at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday. The four-year-old is trained by Greg Kennedy. (06-01-09).
1st - Elate And Excite; 2nd - Binrasy; 3rd - Decarazi
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Greg Kennedy: “He sat very wide and went far too early last time, so that result wasn’t his form. I said to the jockey before hand, never mind that run, he should go well today. He has had seventeen starts but, in saying that, he’s only had three or four over the journey. I think when he gets up to 2100m or 2200m he’ll be a very nice horse.
“He is by Ombra Della Sera and he’s always shown early in trials. He’s won 800m trials here by four lengths. You go, well I’ve got a nice sprinter here and then of course he doesn’t show anything ... and you think, what have I done wrong here? But he was obviously really wanting a bit of distance.”
Gold Coast – December 27
STAR OF OMBRA 3f Ombra Della Sera - Megan's Star (Star Shower)
WON Sun Lover Solar Maiden (1200m); QTIS $8,950
O-S W Lister, D J Lister, Miss S J Lister & S J Lister; B-S & D Lister
T-Robert Heathcote (Eagle Farm)
Retained by breeder
Star Of Ombra was placed in 6 of her first 8 starts and was unlucky in the majority of them with the stewards reporting she: Raced wide – over raced – raced ungenerously – Vet exam – Thumps etc etc.
There were no excuses at the Gold Coast and the victory brought up a winning treble in a week for her sire Ombra Della Sera (Brave Warrior) who stands at Neville Bell’s Kilto Park.
Star Of Ombra is a half-sister to the winners Comtesse Star (County), Retsil (County) and Mr Lister (Nediym). Their dam has a 2yo colt by Piccolo.
Ipswich - December 19
BINGIL BAY 3f Ombra Della Sera-Synsational (Sea Road)
WON Ace Computer World Hcp (1200m) QTIS $12,700
O-N & M Bell; B-N Bell
T-Darryl Gollan (Toowoomba)
Retained by breeders
The drop back to restricted company enabled Bingil Bay to score for the second time in 8 starts. The Toowoomba based filly is a Kilto Park homebred raced by Neville Bell. She is by Brave Warrior stallion Ombra Della Sera who represents the same sireline as Show A Heart.
Bingil Bay is the first foal for the lightly raced winner Synsational. The dam produced another colt by Ombra Della Sera in 2006.
Toowoomba - December 20
REDIBIS 2f Ombra Della Sera-Ziff (Zeditave)
WON XXXX Gold 2YO Maiden (900m); QTIS $5,400
O-Kilto Park Thoroughbreds & S Bell; B-N Bell
T-Darryl Gollan (Toowoomba)
Retained by breeders
Redibis had been beaten 10 lengths in a Toowoomba hit-out leading up to her debut but she improved when it counted to score by three-quarters of a length. She was always prominent and had enough in reserve to repel the fast finishing Reset youngster Stopstart.
Redibis brought up a QTIS double for Kilto Park sire Ombra Della Sera last week. The winner is related to the stakes performers Wayne’s Gold (Golden Snake) and Wiggly Woo (Polish Patient). She is also a direct descendant of blueblood broodmare Dark Jewel.
Her dam Ziff foaled a full sister to Redibis last year.
Improving filly Angel’s Breath (3f Tale of the Cat x Butterfly Kisses, by Spectacular Spy) remained unbeaten this preparation when she notched her third successive win at Randwick on Saturday in the Ratings 76 event over 1400 metres. |
“This filly’s got a bit of guts. She was ridden to perfection to my instructions, and she’s got a lot of good things in store,” said Quinton.Lady luck has at last smiled on three-year-old filly Angel's Breath with the daughter of Tale of the Cat resuming in good style in the Freeway Artarmon Hotel Maiden over 1100m at Canterbury on Wednesday.
During her first preparation earlier this year, Angel's Breath often found herself a victim of some of the typical circumstances that test the patience of thoroughbred trainers and owners alike - in this case it was unsuitable wet tracks, wide barriers and drifting too far out of her ground - and consequently she failed to post that coveted maiden victory in three outings.
But after a spell of four months Angel's Breath returned a stronger and more mature racehorse and duly discarded her maiden status in a manner denoting a galloper of above average talent.
Once she pulled out from behind the leaders and balanced up in the straight she sprinted quickly over the final 200m to overhaul the runaway pair of Miss Purrdy, also by Tale of the Cat, and Jersey Lily to win impressively by 2 ½ lengths.
Angel's Breath had shown plenty of promise in her initial campaign including competitive efforts behind highly regarded fillies Olonana and Margham. Both of those fillies subsequently acquitted themselves well during the Melbourne spring carnival placing fourth and fifth respectively in the Listed Cadbury Roses Stakes on Oaks day.
"She's always shown us a lot of ability but today was the first time that she's been in a position close enough to win so I'm very pleased," said Randwick trainer Ron Quinton.
"She's a Tale of the Cat so she can get a bit hyped but hopefully now she continues to mend her manners and keeps improving."
There is no mistaking who Angel's Breath's dad is as she is a striking brown filly attractively stamped with a white blaze and three white socks, just like the debonair Tale of the Cat.
Her dam, the grey Spectacular Spy (USA) mare Butterfly Kisses, is a full sister to the brilliant sprinter of the mid 1990's, Legal Agent.
Legal Agent's feature stakes victories were in the 1994 G3 The Shorts (this year elevated to G2 status), 1995 G3 Star Kingdom Stakes, 1996 Premiere Stakes (also since elevated to a G2) and the 1996 G3 Missile Stakes.
Despite being blessed with an abundance of natural speed, Legal Agent also had to possess a tough constitution to walk away with those races.
Remember these names? Gold Brose, All Our Mob, Just Awesome, The Heavyweight, Khaptingly, Alert Me, Light Up The World, Cangronde, Moss Rocket, Mamzelle Pedrille and Peruzzi? Well they were just some of Legal Agent's contemporaries in what was a very competitive, but memorable, era of thoroughbred sprinting in this country.
Besides Angel's Breath, Butterfly Kisses' best performed progeny is the four-time winning Octagonal mare Eight Kisses.
Both Butterfly Kisses and Legal Agent are from She's The Verdict, mother also of stakes producer Miss Guilty whose finest moments in motherhood were foaling G1 Doomben 10,000 winner Mr Innocent and Millie Fox Stakes winning female Verdict Declared who emulated mum by producing 2007 Millie Fox Stakes winner A Country Girl.
Hombre Warrior raced yesterday at Rockhampton and won the feature 1000m Breeder Maiden plate for 2 year olds it was his first start he was born and bred at Kilto and is by Ombra out of Miss Crabopple. He picked up QTIS prizemoney of $12,800 for his owners.
Second Breeders Plate for Rundle
Jim Rundle has trained his second winner of the time honoured Breeders Plate.
The 2008 XXXX Gold Breeders Plate was held on Melbourne Cup Day at Callaghan Park with a crowd of over 2000 in attendance.
The winner was Hombre Warrior from Arctic Bear with Duncan running third in a time of 59.10sec for the 1000m.
Hombre Warrior (G2 Ombra Della Sera- Miss Crabopple-Ark Regal (NZ)) was ridden by former Western Australia jockey Dyan Masdil who has been in Rockhampton for a short time. Jim has previously trained Justforsatisfaction to win the 2006 Breeders Plate and Hombre Warrior provided his first feature race since relocating to Rockhampton.
Jim said he purchased three yearlings from the Magic Millions Sale in 2008 with Hombre Warrior being one of these yearlings. “Our stable has gravitated to training young horses with my son Stephen doing the breaking and pre-training of the young horses,” said Jim.
“It is a great feeling to purchase a horse and bring it up to racing and eventually win a feature race such as the Breeders Plate and also to introduce new owners to the racing industry and the win of Hombre Warrior was very special for them.
“One of the part-owners of another horse I trained for this race came all the way from Melbourne to watch their horse race.
“The competition is very strong this year with a draft a good two-year-old being prepared
for racing in Rockhampton and this should
go very well towards make Rockhampton
the two-year-old centre for racing outside of South East Queensland.”
Hombre Warrior gives Jim Rundle another Breeders Plate win (Darcy Digby photos)
Congratulations!
'Rosey Glow'
Two-Year-Old Filly by Ombra Della Sera out of Flower of Karioi, shown
by Jade Copeland
Thoroughbred Marketing Queensland Supreme QTIS Exhibit.
Brisbane RNA 2007
Photo by Julie Wilson