Woodside Park have had good reason to be happy for adding proven stakes sire Shalaa (IRE) to their roster last year with the Group I winning son of Invincible Spirit siring a string of smart metropolitan winners since the start of this year including exciting juvenile winners Roselyn’s Star, Sassy Jenni and Southern Charm, plus a new Hong Kong stakes-winner.
Sassy Jenni won on debut at Moonee Valley for the Lindsay Park Racing team and was then third last Saturday in the Listed MVRC Moonee Valley Pearl, while the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Southern Charm won at Warwick Farm on March 6 and has now gone for a spell after finishing sixth in the Group III ATC Magic Night Stakes.
Trained by John O’Shea, Roselyn’s Star was second on debut to boom colt Gatsby’s and then bolted in at his second start winning by three lengths at Randwick on the Kensington track with connections announcing their intention to head towards the Group III ATC Kindergarten Stakes on Saturday week.
Rose
lyn’s Star looks a great prospect going forward and was a $220,000 Magic Millions purchase from the draft of Arrowfield Stud, who previously stood Shalaa for six seasons.
Victorian breeders warmed to Shalaa last spring and he covered 89 mares at his new home with continuing success on the track sure to keep his name at the forefront of thinking for broodmare owners looking for that proven stakes sire with the ability to get precocious juveniles.
“He’s had a great start to the year siring 15 metropolitan winners in Australia since January 1 and they include four stakes class two year-olds,” said Woodside Park’s Mark Dodemaide.
“Roselyn’s Star, Sassy Jenni, Southern Charm and Winning Proposal, who was fourth in the Inglis Millennium, are all talented types up and going early as was their sire Shalaa, who was a Champion 2YO.”
Shalaa has also had good success in Hong Kong this year, which is such an important market place for Australian breeders.
“He’s had four winners in Hong Kong this year including consistent sprinter Whizz Kid, who won the Bauhinia Sprint Trophy (G3) to become the 16th stakes-winner for Shalaa,” Dodemaide added.
Shalaa has a smaller crop of yearlings this year, but they have still sold well averaging $140,000 at Magic Millions on the Gold Coast, $72,500 at Inglis Classic and $65,000 at Inglis Premier. He is represented at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale by one very special youngster that will be offered by Goodwood Farm.
