I often wonder how some horses end up where they end up.
Take for instance a New Zealand-bred mare named Penpont, by Crested Wave (USA), who is distinguishing herself at stud in California.
Yesterday her 3YO filly Golden Doc A scored in the G1 Las Virgenes Stakes, a US$250,000 mile for 3YO fillies at Santa Anita.
Golden Doc A is the second graded stakes winner produced by Penpont; her 4YO brother Unusual Suspect is a G3 winner of six races and almost half a million dollars.
In fact, Penpont has had five foals, all winners and all sired by an obscure stallion (outside California) named Unusual Heat who stands at Olde English Rancho in California.
Unusual Heat is a now 18-year-old son of Nureyev out of the Danish mare Rossard who was the champion 3YO in Scandinavia, winning five classics. In 1994, Unusual Heat won Listed races at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown in Ireland.
Penpont, the mare, was bred in 1994 by Tony Cook from Ashburton who had a share in Crested Wave in the latter half of that stallion's stud career. She was a sibling of nothing in particular but her dam Imposing Star was a daughter of the fine filly Black Willow (Sobig), dam also of English Charm (Noble Bijou).
Penpont was trained and part-owned for racing by Sam Ballantyne, a Christchurch-based Scotsman who was, and may still be for all I know, a big wheel in the trotting business. She raced twice in New Zealand for a second placing then for some reason was exported to the USA where she was a one-time winner.
Perhaps it was through Sam's standardbred connections that an outlet was found for Penpont in the States, but it would be interesting to know why/how an apparently modestly credentialled filly ended up being sent there.
She is certainly doing one heck of a job at stud. Her G1 daughter changed ownership not long before Saturday's victory and is now owned by Lexington, Kentucky connections so it's reasonable to surmise that she will go east when her racing days are over.
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Tilly, super cool biker chick.
Melbourne Underbelly?
Looks like it, but actually the Main Man at 'Orange' ... if great coffee, fine food, sumptuous wines, funky atmosphere and fab service are your go, 'Orange' at the Windsor end of Chapel St, Melbourne, is the place. Ask for Anthony and tell him his old man sent you.
SOME RECENT PURCHASES and RECOMMENDATIONS
Thousand Guineas Prelude winner Ortensia, trainer Tony Noonan. Love those nostrils and ears (the filly's).
Fastnet Rock/Rare Insight 2YO colt. Tr J O'Shea
Danzero/Global Dance 2YO colt. Tr G Waterhouse
Canadian 2YO stakeswinner and young broodmare Chelsey's Image (Holy Bull-Lucky Chelsey), in foal to Dylan Thomas (Ire)
Golan/Double Owe 2YO colt, named Double Whisky. Tr C Waller
Redoute's Choice/Volted In 2YO filly. Tr G Waterhouse
Hussonet/Portrayal 2YO filly, named Bolocco Miss. Tr C Waller
Anabaa/Regal Fun 2YO colt. Tr C Waller.
High Chaparral, sire of the Kaapentyne 2YO colt. Tr C Little.
More Than Ready/Rachael's Pride 2YO colt, named Our Corsa. Tr C Waller
Charge Forward/Zerlina 2YO filly, named Passing By. Tr Robert Price
A P Indy's successful sire son Malibu Moon, sire of USA stakeswinner and young broodmare Grant's Moon, booked to Show A Heart.
USA stakeswinner and young broodmare Les Ry Leigh (Broken Vow-Azusa), in foal to Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire)
Hussonet's G1 winning 2YO champion filly La Chiflota
Group winner Rockwood (Rock Of Gibraltar-Foxwood, by Centaine). Tr G Waterhouse
Gr 1 winning mare Absolut Glam (Snowland-Pine Away, by Pine Bluff). Tr D O'Brien.
2 comments:
I am confused as to how many moderately performed and pedigreed fillies and mares find their way to California.It would be interesting to do a search of the NZ suffix and you would be amazed how many are there.Usually they are running at just a moderate claiming level but sometimes they can get black type.Take Andrea as a prime example, her form was very ordinary in NZ to the degree where you would be just about ready to stop the pain of paying training bills and retire her to stud.Instead she goes to California and wins a $50 000 Allowance first up before running 2nd to a very good one in a Gr 2at Hollywood. Then she ran in a 5 runner Gr 1 and yes she ran 5th but she was beaten just over 2 lengths from the winner and photoed out of 3rd.Her form since now replicates some of her Kiwi form however how did she improve so much for those 3 races ?
Yes, I'm aware there are always quite a few NZ/Aus breds running around in Cal. When I was last at Del Mar I backed every one of them and they helped pay for the trip! I assume, mostly, they are bleeders which get sold up to there fairly cheaply and run on Lasix (which almost every horse in America does) though with some of the better ones, like Black Mamba (NZ), that's probably not the case - there is a market up there for racing fillies which appear cheap by US standards. Still, re Penpont, it would be a leap of faith to buy a once-placed maiden and schlep her all the way up there. Perhaps she was put on the plane to complete a pallet-load of pacers?
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