Big Saturday of racing with Group I events in Melbourne and Sydney throwing up a couple of first time Aussie G1 winners to put the spotlight on the Acclamation sireline, while G2 events for three year-olds produced three brand new stakes-winners.
The $5million Group I MVRC Cox Plate (2040m) was the richest race in Australia on Saturday with ‘the pride of Hong Kong’, Irish bred Acclamation gelding Romantic Warrior (IRE) snatching a last stride win, read about him here.
Already a three-time G1 winner in Hong Kong before Saturday, Romantic Warrior is the very best of 66 stakes-winners sired by Acclamation, six of them G1 winners that include leading sire Dark Angel. Now aged 24, Acclamation is in the twilight of a long and successful stud career at Rathbarry Stud where his fee this year was €27,500. Interestingly Dark Angel was in his first crop of foals born in 2005 and Romantic Warrior arrived some 13 years later in 2018.
The $2million Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) was won in dominant style by Godolphin Tom Kitten, who has a bit in common with Romantic Warrior in terms of pedigree, read about him here.
Tom Kitten is the first G1 winner worldwide for young shuttle sire Harry Angel (IRE) and is the 23rd as a broodmare sire for Street Cry, who is also the dam sire of Romantic Warrior, so he’s a potent force in a pedigree that can never be underestimated. At this point in time this pair of G1 winners are the only stakes-winners to combine the blood of Acclamation and Street Cry with the nick producing 23 winners from 46 starters.
Harry Angel was a lightning fast G1 winning sprinter and has had good opportunity in both hemispheres with his oldest progeny 3YO’s, so where is he going better?
Southern Hemisphere – 18 winners from 40 starters – Tom Kitten the best of three SW’s, the others are Stretan Angel and Arkansaw Kid – 7.5% SW to runner.
Northen Hemisphere – 74 winners from 125 starters- G3 winners Marshman and Al Dasim the best of six SW’s - 4.8% SW to runner.
Tom Kitten traces in tale female line to legendary blue hen Dancing Show via the Twyla branch with this family already producing a winner of the Spring Champion Stakes in Platinum Scissors, who saluted back in 2002.
Another interesting fact about the pedigree of Tom Kitten is that 4 x 3 double cross of Machiavellian. Harry Angel’s sire Dark Angel has sired three G1 winners – Althiqa, Mysterious Night and Hunt – from mares that carry Machiavellian blood and two of those are from daughters of Shamardal, whose dam is a sister to Street Cry.
The $1million Group II ATC Callander Presnell (1600m) was won by a big impressive looking colt in Chrysaor, who was over the odds at 25-1, read about him here.
Chrysaor is the tenth stakes-winner for Better Than Ready and comes from the family of world champion sprinter Silent Witness. He is the 29th as a broodmare sire for Choisir, who has a pretty good record with More Than Ready. The two combine in the pedigrees of seven stakes-winners headed by G1 winner The Mission.
Better Than Ready in particular has had nine winners from 11 starters out of mares by Choisir with Chrysaor the first SW bred this way.
The $400,000 Group II MVRC AAMI Vase (2040m) was won by progressive colt Apulia, who was too strong for the Justify duo of Verdad and Air Assault, read about him here.
Apulia is the ninth stakes-winner for the late Melbourne Cup winning sire Fiorente and is the 71st stakes-winner as a broodmare sire for Epsom Derby winner High Chaparral. Given the close presence in his pedigree of Monsun and Sadler’s Wells it’s not hard to see why he excelled when stepped up in trip and he also traces in tail female line to Australian Oaks winner Just Now, who is his fifth dam.
The $300,000 Group II MVRC Fillies Classic (1600m) was taken out by unbeaten filly Skybird, who flew home from last to first, read about her here.
Skybird is the seventh stakes-winner for Lonhro’s Golden Rose winning son Exosphere and is the fifth stakes-winner as a broodmare sire for Fastnet Rock’s G1 winning son Wanted. While Exosphere and Wanted have slid from commercial favour, they are well bred stallions and also consider Skybird comes from one of the hottest current female families of the right now.
Her second dam Forest Finch is a half-sister to stakes-winner Snippets Lass, famous as the dam of champion sire Snitzel, but more recently famous again as the grand-dam of G1 Epsom Handicap winner Rediener and third dam of Everest place-getter and $8million earning G1 winner Private Eye.
