Three Down, Two To Go

Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot. Voila, a dyselxic and geographically challenged female presenter, Zoe, on AtTheRaces last night.

Lauding the suitability of American-breds to handle the firm going in light of 2YO South Central’s narrow win in the Gr 2 Norfolk Stakes, Zoe proceeded to laud Exceed And Excel, sire of the second and fourth placegetters, as another Yank product. AUS might look like USA if you’re dyslexic or looking at an atlas upside down. Aushorse/Darley to the rescue! Mind you, E & E is by American-bred Danehill out of American-bred Patrona but I think that’s too long a bow for the lady to draw – we know where he took his first breath and won his races!

Norfolk winner South Central, by Deputy Minister’s son Forest Camp, is the ninth foal and first black-type winner produced by his dam who is by Forty Niner. Never give up.

---------------------------------------------------------

The pro-American theory proved spot on in the Ribblesdale Stakes over 2400m for 3YO fillies with the favoured daughter of Dynaformer, Michita, prevailing very easily. Dynaformer, now 23 and still standing at US$150,000 thanks to Barbaro’s heroism last year, has been a really decent sire with in excess of 80 stakeswinners and almost $75 million in progeny earnings – more than half of it on turf.

By Roberto, Dynaformer stands a massive 17 hands. He’s out of an His Majesty mare (like Danehill), often a factor for size. Dynaformer has had little exposure in this part of the world but his broodmare sire stats are also quite impressive. Given his pedigree and turf proclivities, I’d expect his daughters to fit in nicely down here and you mightn’t have to pay an arm, a leg and half your torso to buy one.

---------------------------------------------------------

The present day Yeats is made of much, much sterner stuff than his namesake who first graced these shores a quarter century ago amid much euphoria, being one of the first by Nijinsky to make his way down under.

The first Yeats was an Irish Listed winner at two – imagine getting excited about that these days – and soon joined the majority as a sire: disappointing. He got three Group 1 winners amongst his 16 stakeswinners (from 957 named foals) but only one true top-notcher: the magnificent and versatile (Our) Poetic Prince.

Bred in Australia by an American cardiologist, Alex Sywak, and a NZ$16,000 yearling bargain, Poetic Prince finished second in the Cox Plate as a three-year-old then won it the following year, finishing his racing as a four-year-old with 16 wins and 11 placings from 36 runs.

His relegation from first in the Caulfield Guineas which he won by a space remains one of the worst travesties I’ve seen. They ganged up on Kiwi trainer and jockey John Wheeler and Noel Harris and gave the race to Geoff Murphy’s Marwong.

Alas, Our Poetic Prince proved even inferior to his own sire at stud and departed for Korea in 2001.

With jumps racing again on the skids, if the noises coming out of Victoria are to be believed, we’re unlikely to see the modern-day Yeats standing at stud down here; a ‘dual purpose’ National Hunt sire seems likely to be his fate in Ireland. His shortest win was over one mile as a two-year-old, his furthest the two-and-a-half miles of the Ascot Gold Cup.

Not that marathon-running colts can’t make good sires. Forgetting about several useful Melbourne Cup winning entires, Zamazaan (Fr) never won a race short of 2450m, winning up to 3100m. He was outstanding and figures as the sire of the grandam of Haradasun and Elvstroem. Sea Anchor (Ire) finished third in the Ascot Gold Cup, never won shorter than 2000m and won as long as 3800m in top company. He sired the brilliant Horse Of The Year Red Anchor and a NZ gelding virtually unknown in Australia, Weston Lea, which I daresay might have been Red Anchor’s equal. A magnificent type, Weston Lea smashed a hind pastern in an exhibition gallop five days before the Derby which was at his mercy.

The present day Yeats is Ireland/England’s Makybe Diva equivalent. He’s had seven races since finishing seventh in the 2006 Melbourne Cup behind Delta Blues and Pop Rock, carrying 59 kgs, winning six of them.