In a week where Rich Hill Stud lost their beloved Be My Guest stallion Pentire (GB), it may be timely to remember a daughter of Be My Guest who also left her mark in Australasia.
Carrying the colours of Robert Sangster, Formal Invitation (IRE) was a more than useful filly for Colin Hayes winning the first ever running of the MRC Blue Diamond Prelude for Fillies back in 1982.
She then finished fifth behind Rancher in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes.
Rancher was to be one of Formal Invitation’s suitors when she retired.
It proved lean pickings for Formal Invitation after her triumph in the Prelude. She added the Listed VATC Catanach's Handicap at three and placed in the Group II A.V. Kewney Stakes, Group II Edward Manifold Stakes, Listed AJC Princess Handicap and Listed VATC Heath Stakes.
Formal Invitation did not make it past her classic season as she was retired following a seventh in the AJC Oaks.
She went on to produce 13 named foals, 11 made the track and 8 were winners.
The best performed were the Listed winner Don Bellotto (Bellotto) and the Listed Emancipation Stakes winner Hysterical while her daughter Eliza Dane (Danehill), did not earn a zac on the racetrack from three starts but she left two stakes winners and is the great-grandam of Ron Quinton’s hugely popular Group II winner Daysee Doom (Domesday).
A daughter of the Wolver Hollow stallion Wolverton (IRE), Hysterical is carving out a dynasty of her own.
She is the dam of the stakes winner Hy Fuji (Fuji Kiseki) and the stakes-placed Mary Machree (Quest For Fame).
Hy Fuji is the dam of the Group 1 Doncaster Mile and Group 1 All Aged Stakes winner Kermadec (Teofilo) who now stands at Darley Stud, while Mary Machree is the dam of Group III Liverpool City Cup winner and multiple Group 1 placed Triple Elegance (Mossman).
Another two daughters of Hysterical have produced stakes winners.
Teneales Pearl (Redoute’s Choice) is the dam of Listed winner and Group 1 SA Derby third Shoreham (Reset) while The Quarewan (Supremo) is the dam of the Listed VRC Chester Manifold Stakes winner At The Heads (Hussonet).
Born 17 years after her half-sister Hysterical was Helluva Party who was Formal Invitation’s last foal.
A daughter of the Danehill stallion Dante's Fury, Helluva Party was purchased for $27,000 as a yearling in Perth and more than paid her way on the racetrack winning three and placing in 10 of her 31 starts in Sydney with earnings of $178,675.
The first three foals out of Helluva Party have been winners including the stakes-placed Australia Day (Sebring).
The daughter of Dante’s Fury was consigned to the 2015 Easter Broodmare Sale. Carrying a positive test to Hinchinbrook she was knocked down for $50,000 and now resides at the Cook family’s Mystery Downs.
Helluva Party hit a home run for the Cooks as she subsequently foaled a filly that was sent to the 2017 Magic Millions Yearling Sale in the Fairview Stud draft and was purchased by Golden Eastern Horses for $210,000.
Named Countercurrent and sent to Bjorn Baker at Warwick Farm, the daughter of Hinchinbrook made light work of three opponents in a three-length romp over 900 metres at Queanbeyan on November 13.
Things will be ramped up a touch on Saturday when Countercurrent (pictured as a yearling ) travels down to Ballarat to contest the innovative $200,000 Magic Millions 2YO Clockwise Classic (1000m). It shapes as a test to see if she presses on for the $2 million Magic Million 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast in January.
