The winning run of Redondo Beach came to an end in the Bagot Handicap at Flemington on New Year’s Day but this young stayer has had only nine races and hopefully there’s more to come.
He’s a half-brother, of course, to the brilliant middle distance exponent El Segundo, winner of this season’s G1-R W S Cox Plate.
If performance ultimately makes up pedigree, then El Segundo, as a horse of international class, has a rare background.
Without delving too far back into history, I note that:
# His first dam’s sire Oak Ridge never ran a place.
# His second dam’s sire Otehi Bay was a moderate welter sprinter in Sydney and was never so much as stakes-placed.
# His third dam’s sire Battle-Waggon won one race.
# His fourth dam’s sire Red Mars was a war baby and won just 3 races from 11 starts.
I don’t need anyone to tell me what beautifully bred stallions these were blah blah blah, or what genetic nicety is responsible for this horse’s ability, but I would be interested if anyone can find a similar example of a multiple G1 winner of international standard generated on the distaff side by a succession of sires so undistinguished as racehorses?
The four dams in question themselves were all useful performers.
El Segundo, from the first crop of Pins, was a fabulous yearling, he looked a racehorse. He was at the top of my ‘most wanted’ list at Karaka in 2003 (for the sceptics, I still have my ratings sheets) but it didn’t happen, as it often doesn't at sales much to one's later regret. We bought two others by Pins instead, stakeswinner Tivoli Dancer and Dress Suit (8 wins, $232,150). Not a bad effort, but together they cost about the same as the future El Segundo (12 wins, $3,791,875 and counting).
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3 comments:
Hi Steve.
I thought the South Island of New Zealand was a good place to start looking.
Came up with the brothers The Phantom Chance and The Phantom.
Damsires are Gate Keeper (2 wins & 791 pds), Mellay (unraced) and Kurdistan (4 wins & 966pds)while the fourth dam is by Man's Pal, who I can't find much info on, except that he doesn't rate the slightest mention in GTSOTW.
And the, the brothers were by the unraced Noble Bijou.
Have we stumbled on a Cox Plate winning formula ?
Brilliant!!! My gut feeling is New Zealand's the most likely place to find them because for a long time they only had the dregs of the world to breed from yet produced world-class animals. Shows you what a good environment and horsemanship can do! Most of my old books, catalogues, going back to the early 1900s, I've disposed of as I've moved from one abode to another, owing to lack of space, which is something OF COURSE one now regrets very much. So Man's Pal is a bit of a haze to me, too, except that I don't believe he was a star. Australia's own STRAWBERRY ROAD just about takes the cake, except that he does have one very good racehorse in his tail female sire descent. By a sire who won one race, Whiskey Road, out of a mare by Rich Gift (English provincial nonentity), out of a mare by Red Jester (an outstanding son of Red Mars) out of a mare by Regal Diamond (NZ-bred son of Treasure Hunt) out of a mare by Harum Scarum who doesn't have a Stud Book pedigree! Go for your life, all you people with Nicks & Crosses!
By Jove !
Strawberry Road - another Cox Plate winner !!
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