Doncaster/Derby Day at Randwick on Saturday, and we hope to kick off with a winner of the opening event, the Group III Kindergarten Stakes for two-year-olds.
In 1982 leading breeder David Hains sent three imported mares to Bletchingly, and for a long time, it looked likely he would come up empty-handed.
Most of the focus was on the German-bred Ada Hunter, dam of the champion Kingston Town, and the Italian-bred Ursula Lauderdale, who had left AJC Oaks and Queensland Oaks winner Lowan Star.
The trio's third member was the Danish-bred Love Song, successful in the 1979 Danish Oaks and runner-up in the Swedish Oaks.
All three did eventually get in foal, although Ada Hunter waited until March of the following year, foaling a colt that was dispatched to America.
Love Song was nowhere near as successful a broodmare as her paddock mates. She failed to produce a winner from four named foals.
When Bletchingly covered Love Song, she had a Vain filly at her side. She was named Song Of Norway and, despite being unraced, left a lasting legacy.
The filly foal produced by the Bletchingly mating to Love Song was Song Of Kingston. Also unraced, Song of Kingston is the dam of Group II Hill Stakes winner Muirfield Village who ran second to Redding in the Victoria Derby.
The only other filly produced by Love Song was Lover's Chariot. A daughter of Zephyr Zip retired a maiden; she placed in six of her 18 starts.
Lover's Chariot contributed to the family's legacy as the granddam of Cornwall Park Stud's Caulfield Cup winner Boom Time.
Circling back to Song Of Norway, which was purchased by Robert Crabtree for $40,000 when carrying the Snippets filly Scandinavia.
Winner of the Group II QTC Cup and Blue Diamond Prelude, Scandinavia was 4-times Group 1 placed in the Salinger, Goodwood, Lightning and Newmarket.
The best of four stakes-winners from Song Of Norway, Scandinavia sent the family soaring to new heights.
She the dam of Group 1 Galaxy winner Magnus (Flying Spur), Group II Schillaci Stakes Wilander (Exceed And Excel), Arctic Flight, a sister to Magnus, who won the Listed Dark Jewel Classic, and Scandiva (Fastnet Rock), who won the Group II Magic Night Stakes and finished second to Guelph in the Group 1 ATC Sires' Produce.
Scandinavia's unraced dam Helsinge (Desert Sun) produced the undefeated champion Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), the Champion 3yo colt All Too Hard (Casino Prince), and the unraced Naturale (Bel Esprit), the dam of Group 1 Caulfield Guineas and Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes winner Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon).
Scandinavia's first foal, the Danehill mare Danavia, is the dam of Listed Carlyon Stakes winner Iconic and is the granddam of Rosemont Stud's wildly popular Hanseatic.
Iconic's Moonee Valley winning sister Sistonic is the dam of the Shalaa (IRE) colt Semillion, a leading chance in Saturday's Group III Kindergarten Stakes at Randwick.
Bred by Robert Crabtree, Semillion was purchased by International Thoroughbred Solutions (FBAA) for $300,000 out of the Blue Gum Farm draft at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Trained by Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes, Semillion kick-started his career with a win in the $400,000 Inglis Banner (RL) at Moonee Valley last October.
After separating Lofty Strike and Daumier in the Group III Blue Diamond Prelude, Semillion finished less than two lengths from Daumier when fifth in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes.
Sistonic’s first foal, the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Sebring filly Seatonic, was a 4-time winner from 13 starts. She visited Blue Point (IRE) last season while Sistonic foaled a colt by Blue Point before visiting Capitalist.
The family connection might not end there at Randwick on Saturday.
One of the leading chances in the $3million Doncaster Mile is All Too Hard's daughter Forbidden Love, one of the great benerficiaries of Sydney's big wet.
The Michael Freedman-trained mare will be lining up for her fourth consecutive win and third Group 1 on the bounce after the Canterbury Stakes George Ryder Stakes.
