Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Friday Dec 31

Isotope has looked a Group 1 winner in waiting from the time she became the talk of the town with a dazzling 10-length romp on debut at Doomben in April last year.

The Tony Gollan-trained daughter of Deep Field backed that up with another dominant performance at the Sunshine Coast before facing defeat for the first time when second to the top-class Rothfire in the Group 1 BRC JJ Atkins Stakes.

That remains her only start at the elite level to date. Isotope has had her ups and downs since.

In the $2million Magic Millions 3yo, Guineas Isotope was in a challenging position when she clipped the heels of Away Game, dislodging jockey Ryan Maloney.

Sydneysiders had a taste of Isotope's talent when defeating Odeum and Bella Nipotina in the Listed Darby Munro Stakes at Rosehill before narrowly going down to Wild Ruler in the Group II Arrowfield Sprint.

Isotope wins the Darby Munro stakes (image Steve Hart)

More drama was to follow when Isotope underwent surgery for colic in June.

The Black Soil Bloodstock colour-bearer has been on R and R and makes a belated seasonal debut in Saturday's Listed Nudgee Stakes (1200m) for fillies and mares at Doomben.  

Bred by Daandine Stud, Isotope was a $170,000 purchase by Gollan Racing/John Foote Bloodstock/Black Soil Bloodstock at the 2019 Magic Million Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Advertisement

She is the first foal of the useful Choisir mare Great Dansaar who won three races for Bjorn Baker before finishing her career battling around North Queensland.

Isotope was a $170,000 Magic Millions yearling

At the conclusion of her 27-start career, Great Dansaar was consigned by Three Bridges to the 2016 National Broodmare Sale where Daandine Stud/Boomer Bloodstock P/L (FBAA) had the final say at $80,000.

The timing could hardly have been better. After a fast-finishing second in the Golden Slipper, her half-sister Yankee Rose had just won the Group 1 ATC Sires' Produce Stakes.

A bargain-basement $10,000 yearling purchase by Darby Racing, Yankee Rose added the Group 1 ATC Spring Champion stakes at thee. The daughter of All American was sold to Japan, where she was later joined by another Darby Racing overachiever, She Will Reign.

The Japanese value racetrack performance over everything, and it has been serving them well.

The Tasmanian icon Mystic Journey is another heading to the land of the rising sun.

Not that Yankee Rose lacked depth to her pedigree.

Her yearling price was an anomaly as her siblings all found favour in the sales ring. They included her $500,000 half-brother by Redoute's Choice at Easter this year and her $460,000 half-sister Miravalle  (Redoute's Choice), who became the second stakes winner for her dam Condesaar when capturing the Group III Kembla Grange Classic.

A daughter of the dual Group 1 winning two-year-old Xaar (GB), Condesaar failed to impress the track. Her two starts resulted in an 8 of 14 at Muswellbrook and 12 of 14 at Cessnock.

A half-sister to the Group 1 New Zealand Derby winner Redoute's Dancer (Redoute's Choice), Condesaar is a granddaughter of the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks winner and Group 1 Irish Oaks runner-up Condessa (Condorcet).

This is one of the many successful branches of the Simon's Shoes family.

Great Dansaar is shaping up as an excellent buy for Jan Clark's Daandine Stud.

Darby Racing purchased Dansaar's Winning Rupert filly for $90,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions.

Named Rupertaar, she has won three of four for Bjorn Baker, the latest coming at Gosford on Wednesday.

If Darby went drilling where they struck oil before, the same can be said of Black Soil, who shelled out $450,000 for Great Dansaar's Sebring colt at the Gold Coast in January. He has been named Prince Of Plenty and is also trained by Tony Gollan.

So, the hopes must be high for the fourth foal of Great Dansaar, a Spirit Of Boom filly in the Daandine draft heading to the Gold Coast in January.

Great Dansaar is a dream broodmare. Isotope was born on September 4, the latest Great Dansaar has foaled with her following four foals born in August.

The daughter of Choisir produced a full brother to Isotope on August 16.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Magic Millions 2027 – The Sire Break Up
The Magic Millions Yearling Sale (Book 1 &2) in January features 1280 entries (up slightly on 1221 last year) and the break up of stallions is always interesting as it reflects the thinking of the sales company back at the start of spring when inspections were undertaken and entries being judged and finalized.
Sires With Winners - Sunday November 8
Here is the full list of 44 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Manzor Blue Heads to Sandown Cup
Palmerston North mare Manzor Blue claimed valuable Australian black type when runner-up in the Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington on Saturday, and she will now try to go one better in the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m) later this month.
Golden Year for Magic Graduates Highlight MM 2027
Some of the richest and most influential age specific races for horses in Australia come in Sydney and this year Magic Millions graduates –four of them colts- have won the $5million Group I Golden Slipper (1200m 2YO’s), the $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose (1400m 3YOs ), the $10million Group I ATC Golden Eagle (1500m 4YOs) and the $2m Group III ATC Five Diamonds (1800m 5YOs).
2027 Golden Slipper Entries – Sortable Sale Mail – Find Out More
The new season is nearly upon us and that means all over the country a new crop of rising two year-olds are taking baby steps in the best stables in the land with the Australian Turf Club announcing this week they had received 1881 entries for the 2027 Golden Slipper, so who is in the race?
Remembering Northerly – The Greatest Caulfield Cup Winner This Century
It's Caulfield Cup week, and what better moment to revisit the life and times of one of the greatest - if not the greatest - Caulfield Cup winner of the modern era.
New French SW for Almanzor
Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor (Fr) added a new stakes-winner to his tally in France on Sunday when progressive three year-old filly Lameloise landed the Listed Prix Vulcain (2500m) at Saint Cloud.
Magic Millions Vendors 2027 – That Widden Feeling!
The release of the 2027 Magic Millions Yearling Sale has seen a change in the ranking of vendors by representation with Widden Stud taking over from Yulong as the biggest vendor at this sale.
Remembering Sunline – The Queen of the Cox Plate Before Winx
From our vantage point in 2026, we can look back at modern Cox Plate history and marvel at how quickly the years are passing.
Pedigree Potential –NZB Ready to Run – Nicks that Click
A quality packed catalogue for the 2026 NZB Ready to Run Sale is now online and in the lead up to the sale we’ll go looking each week for some horses of interest that jump out on pedigree for various reasons.