Nine horses - bred in six countries- will line up in the $5million Group I MVRC Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday and for pedigree enthusiasts a look at the genetics behind these elite runners is always interesting given we don’t breed a lot of horses like these in Australia and there are only two Aussie breds in the race and one of those is almost a Kiwi.
Click on any horse to see the five gen pedigree that looks like this.
Pedigree Notes – A Quick Snapshot
Foaled in Australia, Pride of Jenni is the pseudo Kiwi in the field having been bred and sold by NZ based Trelawney Stud, who are no strangers to Cox Plate success having bred and sold the last Kiwi bred winner of the race in Ocean Park (NZ), who was successful in 2012.
Pride of Jennis is by the most versatile of sires in Pride of Dubai and her female family is all high class Kiwi through and through being from a winning O’Reilly mare that won from 1200 to 2200m and her grand-dam by Zabeel is Group I Queensland Oaks winner Vouvray, throw in a couple of other Kiwi G1 winners in Loire and A Touch of Ruby and you can see why she is everything her pedigree said she would be and more… and the best bit is that she cost just $100,000 at Inglis Classic!
Mr Brightside (NZ) – The best offspring of Aussie bred sire Bullbars, the half-brother to G1 winners Helmet and Epaulette that got sent to stud to New Zealand, Mr B traces in tail female line to one of the great Kiwi blue hens in Taiona, the dam of G1 winners Gurner’s :Lane, Sovereign Red and Trichelle. Interestingly rising star HK sprinter Ka Ying Rising also has Taiona as his fourth dam.
Kovalica (NZ) – By Cox Plate winner Ocean Park and is a Kiwi blueblood with his grand-dam and third dam both producing multiple G1 winners in The Bostonian and King Mufhasa.
Evaporate (NZ) – A third Kiwi bred runner in the race and this one by Street Cry stallion Per Incanto (USA), who is better known for his sprinter/milers, but first two dams by Kentucky Derby/Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom and Savabeel give optimism that he can run the trip and he does love the Valley where he is three for three!
Prognosis (Jpn) – By one of the world’s great stallions in Deep Impact, but surprisingly is not a Group I winner given the hype around him although he’s been placed three times at that level. His female family is all European and he is a half-sister to Group I Newmarket Cheveley Park Stud Stakes winner Vorda and his third dam Val D’Erica won the Group I Italian Oaks.
Royal Patronage (FR) – By Wootton Bassett, a stallion that has been making headlines this year for his high priced first Aussie yearlings and also his boomer crop of Northern Hemisphere two year-olds that are the first conceived at Coolmore in Ireland after his acquisition from France. Royal Patronage is yet to run a bad race in Australia and unlikely to start now. He’s from an Aga Khan bred mare staying mare that comes from the family of Epsom Derby winner Shahrastani.
Docklands (GB) – By a bargain basement son of Teofilo in Masaat, that stands at a fee of 3,000 pounds, Docklands is ranked as his third best horse even though he hasn’t won a stakes race, although he hangs his hat on an excellent second to champion miler Charyn in the Group I Queen Anne stakes at Royal Ascot this year. Interestingly, Masaat has only sired two stakes-winners and one of them is Coco Jamboo (IRE), who is running in the $2million The Invitation at Randwick. Docklands is a half-brother to two staying stakes-winners and it’s hard to think he won’t make it three for his dam, although maybe not in the Cox Plate.
Via Sistina (IRE)- Bred on the Fastnet Rock x Galileo nick that has been hugely successful and just for the record here are the stats – 72.8% winner to runner, 18.3% SW to runner with 11 G1 winners among 29 SW’s! Via Sistina is from a half-sister to dual G1 winning sprinter Kingsgate Native, so has a good mix of speed and stamina that reflect in her race record with eight wins from 1400 to 2100m
Broadsiding (AUS) – From the first Aussie crop of Dubawi stallion Too Darn Hot (GB), who was bred to be a stayer, but was in fact the Champion 2YO Colt of his generation and Champion 3YO Miler with six wins at 1400 – 1600m. First three dams by champion sires Street Cry, Redoute’s Choice and Zabeel, so every reason to be optimistic he can run the trip, although there is a lot of speed in this female family and none of the stakes-winners on the page have been successful beyond a mile.
