Caption: So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral (IRE)-Triassic by Tights (USA)
With The Championships at Randwick now concluded, there has been enough activity for it to be worthwhile having a look at how the second crop sires, those whose first runners are now three, are shaping up. At the top of the heap we find So You Think (High Chaparral-Triassic by Tights), who one would have hoped to see emerging about now.
He was a Group winner from 1400m-2100m and was effective all the way up to the 3200m of the Melbourne Cup-Gr.1, in which he finished third. His best distance was probably about 2000m and around that distance he won back-to-back editions of the W.S. Cox Plate-Gr.1, L.K.S. Mackinnon Stakes-Gr.1, Underwood Stakes-Gr.1 and Yalumba Stakes-Gr.1 in Australia, and in Europe, two renewals of the Tattersalls Gold Cup-Gr.1, the Eclipse Stakes-Gr.1, Irish Champion Stakes-Gr.1 and Prince of Wales’s Stakes-Gr.1.
The first notable son of the Sadler’s Wells horse High Chaparral, who did extremely well in the southern hemisphere, with runners, So You Think is off to a very bright start with a classic-winning colt and a classic-winning filly among his four first crop stakes winners. The filly is La Bella Diosa (out of a mare by Star Way, with a second dam by Grosvenor), whose quartet of black-type victories includes the New Zealand 1000 Guineas-Gr.1 and Surround Stakes-Gr.2. The Randwick Guineas-Gr.1 victor Inference is out a mare by Redoute’s Choice from a daughter of Royal Academy, with a third dam by Sir Tristram (so bred very similarly to Fastnet Rock, who is broodmare sire of a stakes placed So You Think runner).
So You Think also has New Zealand two year-old sprint Gr.2 winner Gold Rush out of a mare by Oratorio (by Stravinsky, giving the combination of the three-quarter relatives Sadler’s Wells and Nureyev), and three-time stakes winner Northwest Passage from a Danehill mare. Among his stakes placed performers, we should also mention the Rosehill Guineas-Gr.1 third, So Si Bon, who is out of a Lonhro mare, so bred on a cross with Zabeel (out of a Nureyev mare) that also worked for his sire.
In second and third are Fastnet Rock sons, Foxwedge (ex Forest Native by Forest Wildcat) and Smart Missile (ex Comical Smile by Comic Strip), who in reverse order are also one and two by individual winners. Group placed at two, Foxwedge developed into a sprint star at three, winning three Group events, including the MVRC William Reid Stakes-Gr.1, in which he defeated Hay List and Buffering. Foxwedge has a trio of stakes winners, led by Foxplay, whose four Group victories are headed by the Legacy Stakes-Gr.1. Foxplay is out of a mare by the Sadler’s Wells horse, El Prado (represented in Australia by Medaglia d’Oro and Artie Schiller) out of mare by Theatrical, a son of Nureyev.
Foxwedge also has Volpe Veloce, a dual stakes winner in New Zealand, out of a mare by Barathea, who like El Prado is a Sadler’s Wells/Sir Gaylord cross. Kentucky Miss, the third stakes winner for Foxwedge, is out of a mare by Deputy Storm, a grandson of Storm Cat, giving a double of Storm Cat (the sire line of the dam of Foxwedge), along with Storm Cat’s close relative Royal Academy, the broodmare sire of Fastnet Rock.
Smart Missile went two-for-two as a juvenile, taking the AJC Breeders’ Plate-LR and the ATC Todman Stakes-Gr.2, beating Sepoy and Foxwedge, and added an ATC Run to the Rose Handicap-Gr.3, over Foxwedge and Helmet, at three. A half-brother to two stakes winners, he is out of a half-sister to the ill-starred Champion First Season Sire Northern Meteor. Smart Missile has first crop stakes winner Sassy ‘n’ Smart, out of a mare by Empire Maker (by Unbridled, from the Fappiano line, a strain that is also in Fastnet Rock), and second crop Group winner Debellatio, from a mare by Flying Spur, from his own Danehill line. Similarly, multiple Group-placed filly Smart Amelia is out of a mare by Danehill son Redoute’s Choice. He also has two stakes horses out of mares by Tale of The Cat.
(Mossman-She’s a Meanie (NZ) by Prince Salieri)
Dream Ahead (Diktat-Land of Dreams by Cadeaux Genereux) is something a little different, a shuttle horse from the In Reality/Known Fact branch of the Man o’War line. Joint-Champion Two Year-Old in Europe and European Champion Sprinter the following year, Dream Ahead captured five Gr.1 events and ended his career by defeating the mighty Goldikova in the Prix de la Foret-Gr.1.
Dream Ahead has three stakes winners in Australia, with stakes winners Generalissimo and Awaken and stakes placed Dreams Aplenty, all out of Redoute’s Choice mares, and stakes winner Ken’s Dream, out of a mare by Shamardal. Dream Ahead also has four stakes winners from his first two crops in Europe, including juvenile Gr.2 winner Donjuan Triumphant, out of a mare by Tagula; Al Wukair, an impressive winner of the Prix Djebel-Gr.3 a 2000 Guineas trial this spring, out of a mare by Machiavellian; two year-old Group winner Final Frontier (dam by Pivotal); and stakes winner Basileus, out of a daughter of Hussonet.
Helmet (Exceed and Excel-Accessories by Singspiel) owns a resume that includes the MRC Caulfield Guineas-Gr.1, ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes-Gr.1 and ATC Champagne Stakes-Gr.1. Helmet has this year’s MRC Blue Diamond Prelude Stakes-Gr.3 winner, Limestone (out of a Charge Forward mare from Fappiano’s family), in his second crop, and stakes winner Archives (out of a Canny Lad mare) in his first. In his first northern hemisphere shuttle crop, now three, he has a really good one in Thunder Snow, who took the Criterium International-Gr.1 last year and the UAE 2000 Guineas-Gr.3 and UAE Derby-Gr.2 in 2017. Out of a Dubai Destination mare, Thunder Snow, is a candidate for either the Kentucky Derby-Gr.1 or the coming European classics. Helmet’s first European crop contains four other stakes horses, including stakes winner Anda Muchacho, who is out of a mare by Shamardal.
Champion at two and three in Australia, Sepoy (Elusive Quality-Watchful by Danehill) was also the top-weighted three year-old sprinter on the World Thoroughbred Rankings. He is out of a sister to Gr.1 winner Camarena, which makes him a “blood-brother” to Camarena’s Elusive Quality daughter, the champion Guelph. The second dam is a sister to Canny Lad. Sepoy is out of a Danehill mare, and the cross of stallions who are out of Danehill mares back over mares from that line has been very disappointing, which might explain why his impact in Europe, where he had first two year-olds in 2016, has been more notable than in Australia. There he has Group winner Kilmah, out of a mare by Sadler’s Wells grandson Act One (by In the Wings), stakes winner Baileys Showgirl (dam by the Danzig horse War Chant), and the Gr.1-placed Dabyah, out of a mare by Machiavellian.
US Champion Two Year-Old Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie-Playa Maya by Arch) has been a sensational record-breaker in the land of his birth. He has three stakes horses from his Australian crop, including Man From Uncle, out of a Danehill Dancer mare and winner of the ATC Hobartville Stakes-Gr.2 and ATC Eskimo Prince Stakes-Gr.3. It wouldn’t be surprising if Uncle Mo did turn out to be a useful influence as a broodmare sire from the crops he left in Australia.
Making a very useful start as a value-for-money sire is Love Conquers All (Mossman-She’s a Meanie by Prince Salieri), a winner of five sprint stakes events, three of them Group, including the ATC Shorts Handicap-Gr.2 and three times runner-up at Gr.1 level (Doncaster Handicap, Doomben 10,000, George Ryder Stakes). He’s had 22 first crop winners, including the MRC Angus Armanasco Stakes-Gr.3 scorer Savanna Amour, who is out of a mare by Stravinsky, with a second dam by Twig Moss, the broodmare sire of Mossman (sire of Love Conquers All). He’s also got stakes placed Par Oneri, out of a mare by Flying Spur.
Starting to look quite interesting is US-raced Pluck (More Than Ready-Secret Heart by Fort Wood), winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf-Gr.2. He has four stakes horses in his first crop, including the ATC Frank Packer Plate-Gr.3 scorer Mongolian Wolf, whose dam is by Tale of the Cat out of a mare by Flying Spur. From his second crop he already has the VRC Maribyrnong Plate-Gr.3 winner and VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes-Gr.2 runner-up Aspect, out of a mare by Lonhro. Given his pedigree, he could also be expected to cross well with Danehill line mares.
Speedy Moshe (Bel Esprit-Helsinge by Desert Sun) rounds out the Top 10 second crop sires’ list. He won three of five starts and was fourth in a Listed event and is a brother to the unbeaten World Champion Sprinter and three-time Australian Horse of the Year Black Caviar (25 wins and $7.3m), and half-brother to Champion All Too Hard (four Gr.1). He already has stakes winner Moshki out of a mare by Zeditave, and three stakes placed horses, including one out of a mare by his own grandsire Royal Academy.
Published: May 2017
