Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday Sep 17

After striking gold with Night Raid making the transition from a country maiden to stakes-winner we will roll the dice for a second time in Saturday’s Listed Jim Moloney Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, a race that the Henderson brothers, Luke and David, have had an extraordinary influence on.

The Henderson family have one of the favoured runners in the Dissident filly Aidensfield who was runner-up to Night Raid (Vancouver) in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes.

Hindaam breaks her maiden in style at Pakenham (Natasha Morello/Racing Photos)

Five-time Group 1 winner and Horse of The Year Dissident is a son of the Golden Slipper winner Sebring, the Star Thoroughbreds colour-bearer that thrust the Hendersons into the national spotlight.

The sadly missed Sebring will have a big say in the Jim Moloney Stakes with the current favourite Mozzie Monster and the potentially top-class Agreeable.

The Henderson connection does not end there.

Back at the 2013 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Gai Waterhouse and James Harron outlaid $500,000 for Coolmore Stud’s Fastnet Rock filly of Legally Bay.

Named Bayrock, the Chris Barham-bred filly raced in the Hendersons brown with white epaulettes silks.

Now, Bayrock did not distinguish herself on the track, recording just one placing in seven starts and two years after her sale she was back in the ring at the 2015 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale where she was knocked down to Windsor Park Stud for $140,000.

As a sister to the Group II ATC Roman Consul Stakes winner and Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes runner-up Jolie Bay out of the top-class Snippets mare Legally Bay that looked good buying for a family that was on the move. It proved to be an inspirational choice a couple of years later when Bayrock’s three-year younger brother Merchant Navy scored a miraculous win the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes before his heroics in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

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Bayrock has proven to be a goldmine for Windsor Park Stud.

Her first two foals were consigned by Kitchwin Hills.

The first was a Charm Spirit filly that was knocked down to Ciaron Maher Bloodstock for $300,000 at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

At the same venue a year later, Shadwell Stud Australasia shelled out $825,000 for a daughter of Savabeel subsequently named Hindaam.

Sent to Lindsay Park, Hindaam made her career debut over 1100m at Bendigo on February 15. No sooner had the race caller declared her the winner when Incredulous Dream rattled home to spoil the party.

Sent for a spell, Hindaam kickstarted her current campaign with a facile five-length score over 1200m on the synthetic at Pakenham Park.

There is not a lot of depth to the form but the daughter of Savabeel looks a progressive type and at $15 is worth an each-way ticket on Saturday.

Her dam Bayrock has a brother to Hindaam, which was purchased by David Ellis for $825,000 at the 2020 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale, and on August 15 the daughter of Fastnet Rock foaled another Savabeel filly.

Hindaam descends from one of the very many branches of a family we have mentioned numerous times through the likes of that wonderfully big-hearted and often luckless mare Spright (by Fastnet Rock’s son Hinchinbrook), the Group III winner  Kaepernick (also by Fastnet Rock),  the Group III SAJC South Australian Oaks winner Zarpuple (Zabeel), the Group II ATC Ajax Stakes and Group II Missile Stakes winner Burbero (O’Reilly) and more recently the Group III MRC Blue Diamond Preview winner A Beautiful Night (Night Of Thunder).

They share a common ancestor in the Neville Begg-trained import, Gypsy Moss (IRE) who finished second to Divide And Rule in the 1970 Group I Stradbroke Handicap before defeating the champion son of Alcimedes a fortnight later in the Listed Tattersall's Cup.

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