Photo: The Quarterback (Street Boss (USA)-Soorena by Encosta de Lago)
The Quarterback, who provided his sire Street Boss (USA) with his first Australian Gr.1 winner with his success in the $1.25m Newmarket Handicap down the straight 1200m at Flemington, hails from a pretty illustrious family. He is yet another star in the Dark Jewel firmament, that mare being his sixth dam.
Purchased by Jugiong graziers Griff and Daisie Tait for £1000 in the 1950s after a modest career on the track for trainer Fil Alotta, Dark Jewel (1953), a daughter of Star Kingdom (IRE) and Red Lace by Excitement (GB), would prove a marvellous investment upon going to stud in 1957. Her foals included stakes winner Heirloom (Rego (IRE), dead-heat in VATC 1000 Guineas), Betelgeuse (Wilkes (FR)), Cabochon (Edmundo (GB), wins included Epsom Handicap, Stradbroke Handicap), Birthright (Rego) and Baguette (Rego, Golden Slipper, Sires’ Produce, Champagne Stakes, unbeaten at two, also won VRC Newmarket, Doomben 10,000, George Main Stakes, sire).
Dark Jewel’s descendants have left more than 150 city winners and about 30 stakes winners including other Gr.1 winners like Cinda Bella, Spinning Hill and Danglissa and she is remembered each year with the running of the Dark Jewel Classic-Gr.3 at Scone. Griff and Daisie’s children Sandy Tait and Jill Nivision are still breeding from the Dark Jewel family today with Sandy operating the property (Gunnong Jugrewong) settled by his grandfather Peter in the early 1920s.
The Quarterback descends from Briolette (King of Babylon (IRE)), foaled in 1970 and her dam’s final foal. A multiple city winner at two and three, she produced stakes winner and Group placed Jewel of Light (Kaoru Star) in 1982, who left just three foals (two winners). That mare’s unraced daughter Dawn Arrival (Century), dam of 10 winners from 12 named foals, is third dam of The Quarterback through Group placed juvenile winner Suraya (Brief Truce (USA)), dam of five winners, and two year-old winner Soorena (Encosta de Lago), a half-sister to Strutt Stakes-LR winner Spinning Jenny (Hard Spun (USA)). Soorena’s five foals to race are all winners and include dual Gr.2 winner and Australian Derby-Gr.1 runner-up Phillippi (Host (CHI)), who also raced successfully in Hong Kong as Vanilla. She has a two year-old colt Hussor (Husson (ARG)) and a weanling colt by I Am Invincible.
The Newmarket win, the first at the elite level for trainer Robbie Griffiths, took the Quarterback’s earnings past $1.3m for his eight wins, two seconds and five thirds in 25 starts. The five year-old gelding’s best previous wins at black type level were in two Listed events. Bred by Rick Jamieson at his Gilgai Farm and selected by Peter Ford as a yearling, he made $120,000 at the 2012 Inglis Premier in Melbourne. Jamieson is best known as the breeder of unbeaten champion Black Caviar, who counted the Newmarket among her 25 wins.
Street Boss (Street Cry (IRE)-Blushing Ogygian by Ogygian) has been shuttling to Victoria for Darley since 2009 (missing 2010) and the dual US Gr.1 winner (1200m, 1400m) is also sire of US Gr.1 winners Capo Bastone (Fit to Fight) and Danza (French Deputy) among 229 winners (68% of starters) of $21m. His 22 stakes winners represent 6.5% of starters and his runners have a winning distance index of 1322m. His local stakes winners include Thiamandi (Woodborough), Petits Filous (Exceed and Excel) and Scarlet Billows (Hussonet). A brilliant sprinter who set records at 1100m and 1200m and carried his speed out to 1400m at Gr.1 level, he has covered more than 100 mares in Victoria in each of the past four seasons including a book of 119 (his largest in Australia) in 2015 (fee $11,000). His 2016 fee at Darley’s Northwood Park is $27,500.
Tempt Me Not’sboost for young sire
GOOREE Park Stud at Mudgee was rewarded for its faith in young sire Strategic Maneuver (Royal Academy (USA)-Crystal Gauntlet by Marscay) when his daughter Tempt Me Not won the P.J. Bell Stakes-Gr.3 at Randwick on day one of The Championships in early April.
The James Cummings-trained three year-old filly, who is from placed Ganda (by Encosta de Lago from dual Gr.1 winner Tempest Morn by Thunder Gulch (USA)) and is from her sire’s first crop, has now won more than $260,000 and has provided a timely boost for her sire who stands at Malcolm Boyd’s Bullarook Park Stud at Avenel in Victoria. Strategic Maneuver won his only start in Sydney over 1100m at two and was off the scene for three years before being retired after one unplaced run for Gai Waterhouse as a five year-old.
A horse with obvious talent, he won two trials in his lead up to his debut win and then won a trial as an early three year-old (September 12, 2008) before being off the scene until December 2010 when he won a 1050m trial at Randwick, followed by another trial win on January 17, 2011 before a sixth of 12 over 1250m in Sydney on February 4, 2011 and his retirement to stud.
Closely related to Group winners Poor Judge and Royal Courtship (both also by Nijinsky’s July Cup-Gr.1 and Breeders Cup Mile-Gr.1 winner Royal Academy), Strategic Maneuver’s first three dams are by Golden Slipper winners Marscay, Vain and Todman, the first and last being a grandson and son of breed shaper Star Kingdom (IRE) (Stardust). Fourth dam Expulsion (GB) (Infatuation-Roedean by Big Game) was imported by Stanley Wootton and is by the same sire as champion stallion Showdown (GB).
Wootton bred Strategic Maneuver’s third dam Virgin Wing (and her sire Todman) and her stakes-winning three-quarter sister Selsey (and her sire Biscay). Gooree later acquired Virgin Wing and stud principal, Filipino-based businessman Eduardo Cojuangco, bred Strategic Maneuver’s second dam Madayo (Vain) and her Listed-winning son Proud Player (Squill (USA)) as well as the young sire’s dam Crystal Gauntlet (Marscay).
Strategic Maneuver, who went to stud in 2011, has had 10 winners (to April 18), the others including multiple Sydney winner Way Too Good (Encosta de Lago), Unblemished Mark (Encosta de Lago), Dance Again (Lion Heart), Lotza Focus (Testa Rossa), Precision Strike (Snowland) and Peaky Blinders (Blevic). Gooree has continued to support Strategic Maneuver at stud in subsequent seasons (he covered 54 mares at $6600 in 2015) and Tempt Me Not provided a just reward by becoming his first stakes winner.
There’s another Gooree connection too as her young trainer James Cummings is married to Eduardo Cojuango’s grandaughter Monica Barrera, who is racing manager for the Gooree Park horses. James, who previously trained with his late grandfather, racing legend Bart Cummings, had his first Gr.1 winner in his own right at Randwick on April 16 when Gooree Park-bred and raced juvenile colt Prized Icon (More Than Ready-Tropical Affair by Danehill (USA)) won the Champagne Stakes (1600m), just one race after the Cumming-trained three year-old filly Yattarna (Exceed and Excel-Umaquest by Umatilla) had collected first in the J.H.B. Carr Stakes-Gr.3 (1400m).
Magic Albert headsfor Kooringal Stud
SURE fire winner getter Magic Albert (Zeditave-Sally Lou by Salieri (USA) is a welcome addition to Stuart Lamont’s Kooringal Stud at Wagga Wagga in 2016. The rising 18 year-old has sired 460 winners (67.3% of starters) of more than $33m since retiring to Yarraman Park in 2002 and has always been popular with breeders.
His 22 stakes winners include dual Gr.1 winner Albert the Fat, whose dam sire Bureacracy (NZ) also moved to Kooringal after a stint at the Mitchell family’s Yarraman Park Stud at Scone, as well as Gr.1 winner and young sire Ilovethiscity (Kenfair), NZ 2000 Guineas-Gr.1 winner Magic Cape (Kaapstad) and South African Golden Horseshoe-Gr.1 winner Fighting Warrior (Wallenda). His stock’s winning distance index is 1267m.
Magic Albert’s seven wins from 13 starts included the Peter Pan Stakes-Gr.2 and NJC Spring Stakes-Gr.3 and he carries a 5mx5f cross of the legendary Native Dancer. His sire was an outstanding sprinter and a grandson of champion sire Showdown (GB) (Nearco male line), while his dam won five races to 1600m and is from the imported Plunkett Street (GB) (Habitat-Scholl for Scandal by Arts and Letters) in a pedigree free of Northern Dancer.
“He’s been a great servant for us and has delivered success for his supporters on the track and in the sale ring over many years,” Arthur Mitchell said. “His owner Denis Wilton is delighted with the move as Magic Albert will enjoy the benefit of being a proven commercial sire with a new pool of broodmares to service, offering the chance of further success.”
“It is extremely exciting to stand a stallion of the calibre of Magic Albert as his credentials place him among the best stallions in the country,” Stuart Lamont said, noting the horse’s stakes winners this season, among 67 winners of $2.1m, include Alberto Magic, winner of the Maurice McCarten-Gr.3 at Rosehill in 1100m race record time of 1:03.45. His 2016 fee is $8800. Magic Albert’s stud mates at Kooringal are Krupt, Shrapnel, The Brothers War (USA) and Zariz.
Duporth movesto Jindera Park
THE BTC Cup-Gr.1 winner Duporth (Red Ransom (USA)-Staging by Success Express (USA)) has moved from Kitchwin Hills at Scone and will stand at Brett Cavanough’s Jindera Park Stud in southern NSW in 2016 on a fee of $6600. He is the sire of 60 winners of close to $5m including Hong Kong Gr.3 winner Dashing Fellow and stakes placed Cornrow, Inkling and Two Over One (racing in HK as Wingold).
Duporth also won the Golden Rose-Gr.2 and San Domenico Stakes-Gr.3 and he is a half-brother to Gr.1 winner and sire Excites (Danewin), Gr.2 winner and sire Tickets (Redoute’s Choice) and to the dam of dual South African Gr.1 winner and now Newhaven Park-based sire Delago Deluxe (Encosta de Lago). Staging is a Gr.2 winner and Gr.1 placed sister to Listed winner Dashing Image.
Duporth will stand alongside Gr.1 sire Fast ‘n’ Famous (Redoute’s Choice-Zalinda (NZ) by Zabeel (NZ)), sire of Telegraph Stakes-Gr.1 winner Adventor in 2015-16. His fee is $5500. Also on the roster is the Goodwood Cup-Gr.2 (3200m) winner Illustrious Blue (GB) (Dansili-Gypsy Moth by Efisio), who will have runners in the new season. A grandson of Danehill, he won 10 races and more than $880,000 in the UK, including five of 11 starts from 7f-9f as a three year-old, and he stands at $2500. Also a Gr.3 and Listed winner in the UK, his first Australian run was a ninth of 23 in the 2010 Melbourne Cup.
Al Samer isback in Victoria
BLACK Opal Stakes-Gr.3 winner Al Samer (Redoute’s Choice-My Lady’s Key (USA) by Key to the Mint) is back in Victoria in 2016, standing at Phil and Fiona Sloane’s Ridgeview Park, Muskerry East after a couple of seasons in Queensland. He retired originally to Nasser Lootah’s Emirates Park Stud (Victoria) in 2006 and has sired 144 winners (56.5% of starters) of more than $10m.
His best runner is the Gr.3 winner Mr Chard (Secret Savings (USA)) whose four wins include the Carbine Club Stakes. Underestimation (Marscay) has been flying the flag of late and his six wins to 1400m include the VRC Anzac Day Stakes-LR and MVRC St Albans Stakes. Other black type winners include Le Remas (Zabeel) and Mornington Cup winner Berisha (Brief Truce), while Elldami (El Moxie), Export (Singspiel), Royal Lawyer (Marscay), Show the Cash (Broad Brush), Magnetosphere (El Moxie) Young Knight (Rainbow Quest) and Sunshine Full Life (Hennessy) are stakes placed. His youngsters are also popular in Asia and he has had several good performers there, particularly in Hong Kong. His 2016 fee is $2200.
His unraced dam produced eight winners and she is from the winning Roberto mare, You’re My Lady, a half-sister to Razyana, dam of Danehill. As Al Samer is by a multiple champion sire son of Danehill, this gives him intense inbreeding to this family and he has the half-siblings Spring Adieu and Northern Dancer 4,4,5×3. He also has brothers His Majesty and Graustark (by Ribot) 4×3. It is interesting to see several of his winners from daughters of El Moxie (USA) (Conquistador Cielo-Raise the Standard by Hoist the Flag) as his dam, by a Ribot-line sire, is a half-sister to Northern Dancer and Spring Adieu.
Joining Al Samer at Ridgeview Park is the AJC Champagne Stakes-Gr.1 winner Onemornomore (Red Ransom (USA)-Palia by Last Tycoon (IRE)) who has moved from Vinery and will stand at $5500. Since retiring to stud in 2010, this close relation to Gr.1 winner and sire Casino Prince has left 71 winners of more than $4m including Gr.3 winner Onemorezeta (Commands) and stakes placed Tonto (Arena), Genius (Rock of Gibraltar), Excellent One (Clang), Purcentage (Flying Spur) and Capannello (Elusive Quality).
Published May 2016
