The remarkable win of Hayasugi in the $2million Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes last Saturday made a lot of people happy, but none more so than her breeders Mike O’Donnell and Michael Kirwan, who were both at Caulfield to share in the excitement.
O’Donnell owns and runs Fairhill Farm with his wife Debbie, while Irish born Kirwan has had a long and successful career in Australia, notably as General Manager at Coolmore, before embarking on a private bloodstock consulting business.
Both have bred Group I winners previously, but this is the first they have bred together.
“Michael and I are good friends going back to his Coolmore days and we enjoy each other’s company, so we’ve ended up with a number of mares together that we breed with and China Road is one of them,” revealed Mike O’Donnell.
“Helen Page had a two year-old called Dynastic that bolted in at the Gold Coast in June 2017. Shannon Evans (Evans Racing) heard it could be pretty good and his dam China Road was in an Inglis online sale, so we bought her for $10,000.
“Of course as can happen, Dynastic didn’t end up amounting to much, although he’s won nine races and I think he’s still racing!”
China Road produced foals by No Nay Never (USA) and Impending that were sold as weanlings by Fairhill Farm for $90,000 and $45,000 and then in 2020 it was decided to send the daughter of Commands to Victoria to visit Leneva Park’s first season sire Royal Meeting (IRE).
“He’s a Group I winning 2YO by Invincible Spirit and Michael had two shares in him, so we sent a couple of mares down to him as it made good sense and then when we saw the foals, we couldn’t have been happier,” said O’Donnell.
In a Breednet story back in 2021 highlighting the progeny of first season sires, O’Donnell was full of praise for Royal Meeting comparing his stock to the early foals he had seen by I Am Invincible when he was starting out, click here to read the story.
That early promise has come to fruition in the shape of Group I winning filly Hayasugi, who was sold in the Fairhill Farm draft at the Inglis Weanling Sale for $47,500 to James Bester/ Shane McGrath/ Cara Mok and has now earned a shot at the Golden Slipper.
“Michael and I went to Melbourne last spring and were at Moonee Valley for her first race when she ran second in the Inglis Banner,” O’Donnell recalled.
“Clinton McDonald thought she was very good even back then and said only the barrier would beat her that day, which it did as she finished second and then when he ran her again at Flemington she’d had enough and came fifth.
“This time in, she’s just got better and better. I thought she’d have the colts covered in the Blue Diamond, but was worried about Lady of Camelot and that is exactly how it turned out.”
Hayasugi powered to the line late for Jamie Kah to win by a head at 15-1 and has now won three of five starts earning $1.6million with the Golden Slipper firmly in her sights.
“I had never met Cara Mok and her family until last Saturday and they are the most lovely people,” said O’Donnell, who was thrilled and delighted with an unexpected gift from Hayasugi’s owners.
“We had the best celebration afterwards and there was a real warmth to the owners room, so much happiness… although that could have been in part due to her price!
“Her owners also gave me this beautiful tapestry of Hayasugi that Debbie and I will treasure forever and a bottle of Grange. Such a thoughtful kindness is something you rarely see and I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it.”
Win, lose or draw in the Golden Slipper, Hayasugi has turned China Road into a G1 producer and as such the question of a partner for her this spring is one that will require some thought as she has not had a foal since the Blue Diamond winner was born.
“She’s missed the last couple of years and is not in foal now after missing to Royal Meeting last year, so we have all the options to consider, although Justify is definitely in the mix,” O’Donnell added.
