Innehållsförteckning för April 2022 från Turf Monthly

Catmint’s daughters have continued to have success across the globe quite remarkably given his performance in New Zealand. Interestingly one of the earliest international successes was by Valquest who traces to a daughter of Catmint in Barenka. Valquest was bred by Homer Maybrier in Kentucky USA and sold as a yearling in at the Breeders Sales Company, which was later to become the Keeneland, Summer Yearling Sale for US$10,100 in 1948. He was purchased by Andrew J Crevolin who was the exclusive Chrysler - Plymouth car dealer in Los Angeles. Valquest was to win the 1950 Hollywood Derby and the Westerner Stakes. Cione is another daughter of Catmint whose family was later to find international success, this time in Japan. As too did a mare called Prodice whose family was…

This daughter of Testa Rossa was born in 2005, out of Aerate’s Pick by Picknicker. She first faced the starter on 29 March 2008 at Bendigo where she impressively won a 2yo maiden over 1000m. After another win at Sandown she went to the paddock with connections no doubt happy with their new star. As a 3yo, she finished a good third behind Time Thief first up at Moonee Valley over 1000m after getting back in the field. A second in the Champagne at the same track followed when she again got back and stormed home over 1200m. She finished off the Spring with a win in the G3 Tranquil Star at Caulfield. In the Autumn, a first up win at Caulfield was followed by a trip to Sydney which…

Standing at Arrowfield Stud for a fee of $66,000, The Autumn Sun is one of the most exciting stallion prospects in recent times. A Group 1 winning 2yo and the champion 3yo of his year, The Autumn Sun is arguably the best son of his champion sire to ever go to stud. If there is a query about his potential, it is the European nature of his female family. While knockers may point out that it is not a family of early 2yo’s, it is also possible that this factor may allow The Autumn Sun the versatility to become a true breed shaping stallion like his famed sire. No assessment of the stallion can ignore his spectacular racing performances, and this is where we will start. A $700,000 purchase for…

By leading Australian sire, Bletchingly, Mr Tiz was out of the NZ mare, Yir Tiz by Bismark. She had been a good mare winning five stakes races in her local country including the Group 1 Ellerslie Sires’ Produce. She came to Australia later where she won the Newcastle Newmarket Handicap. She was to eventually to head to Japan to finish her stud career following the success of Mr Tiz. That galloper commenced his racing career in NZ. He had two starts as a later 2yo, finishing third at both attempts. After a let up he returned to racing in August of his 3yo season to win a 1200m maiden before success in the Okawa Paramount HB Guineas. Moderate performances followed, but as a late 3yo he stamped himself as a…

Filante is one of those horses who was unlucky in that he raced against some of the best we have seen. He was part of a wonderful crop of 3yo’s that would certainly have been hailed at any stage throughout history. He raced against such names as Octagonal, Saintly, and Nothin’ Leica Dane from his own age group, and also other topliners like Encounter, All Our Mob, Juggler, Dane Ripper and Circles of Gold as he got older. Filante was a son of the imported stallion Star Way who stood in NZ with great success. He was an interesting addition to the NZ bloodlines as his own race performance and family did not necessarily stamp him as an obvious horse to bring to this region. He was however a son…

Encryption is a surprise packet among the stallions that we have been looking at. He stands in Queensland, at the famed Eureka Stud on the Darling Downs, for the relatively modest fee of $13,200. The stallion has covered good books of mares, and his early sales results have been nothing short of outstanding. At Magic Millions, his progeny averaged over $200,000 which is an incredible return for breeders. A son of the top stallion Lonhro, out of the Group 1 winning mare Guelph, he was one of a long list of outstanding racehorses from the Darley organisation. A lot of work was done by the McAlpine family to secure part ownership of the stallion to be able to offer this quality stallion to Queensland. One the track, Encryption had his…

Myola was another of the Catmint daughters who have played their part in the modern thoroughbred. Piko by Fair’s Fair was another NZ star of the late 1960’s. He too won four Guineas races but also won two Derbies in the Great Northern and NZ Derby. In all he won eleven stakes races. More readers will be familiar with Sky Flyer who was by Half Iced and born in 1987. He had his first trip to Australia in the Spring of 1991 in an ambitious campaign that saw him win the Werribee Cup to gain a start in the Melbourne Cup of that year. He was to finish seventeenth behind Subzero, but ensured that his connections went home happy by running second to Silk Ali in the Sandown Cup eleven…

It is hard to really get a guide on just how good the 1981 Australian Cup field really was. Number one saddle cloth was carried by Beldale Ball who had won the Melbourne Cup the previous Spring. He had raced twice in the Autumn without success, and the Australian Cup was to bring no joy to the stable. In fact, the stallion was to return to the US in June of that year. Bohemian Grove was another of the Colin Hayes stayers who had won The Dalgety the previous Spring and returned in the Futurity. Hyperno, who we have written about this month, was to go on to become the 1981 Australian Horse of the Year. He was a proven stayer and he started at what proved to be the…