A trio of progressive three year-olds won stakes races last Saturday and on the pedigree front were all interesting for different reasons – two of them are double Danehill, while the third is a rare beast being completely free of the legendary sire, whose influence continues to flourish in Australia.
The Group II ATC Furious Stakes (1200m) was the second leg of the Princess Series with Bangkok Hottie improving from her second in the first leg of the series to claim her first stakes win read about her here.
No Danehill in sight - Bangkok Hottie is the 37th stakes-winner worldwide for Too Darn Hot (GB), who is one of the most expensive sires in Australia this spring. She is a homebred for her co-owner John Thompson, who has required plenty of patience and persistence to get to this point with a female family he has obviously never lost faith in.
Thompson bred and raced her stakes-placed dam Bangkok and her grand-dam Aziani, a two time winner that he bred from Sweet Babe, who produced 10 named foals for Thompson, eight of which raced and four of them won.
The family was not looking exciting until Bangkok came along and upped the ante to be G2 placed and now her daughter has nailed a G2 win.
The Too Darn Hot x Medaglia D’Oro nick has produced four winners from seven runners and Bangkok Hottie is the second stakes-winner joining Superalloy.
The Listed MVRC Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1300m) was won by Pretty Baby, who was also a Listed winner last season in Adelaide, read about her here.
Another homebred that was not offered at auction, Pretty Baby is one of four SW’s for well bred Redoute’s Choice stallion Barbados, who stands at Ducatoon Park in South Australia at a fee of $3,300.
A blueblood Godolphin bred metro winner with a big pedigree being from dual Group I winner Virage de Fortune, Barbados is one of only a handful of stallions still standing in South Australia and with 62% winners to runners is more than capable of getting you a winner and in the case of Pretty Baby a pretty good one!
She is from a skinny branch of a prolific Black Type family as her dam Louisiana is the only foal of her dam Atwell, an unplaced three-quarter sister to SW Missy Cummings, the dam of Group I winner Mizzy and Group II winner She’s Got Pizzazz.
Third dam Lady Knockout is a multiple stakes-winner and fourth dam Prime Again a Group II winner, so while at first glance you might raise your eyebrow about a SW by Barbados from a daughter of unremarkable shuttle sire Southern Image (USA) (yes he sired a Caulfield Cup winner Southern Speed, but one swallow does not make a summer), there is a fair bit more going on here that will make Pretty Baby an appealing broodmare prospect in the future if her owners choose to cash her in.
The Listed MVRC McKenzie Stakes (1300m) was won by Kiwi bred gelding Blind Raise, who was a SW last season at two and is now three wins from four starts, read about him here.
Blind Raise is one of six SW’s for High Chaparral’s quality stayer Ace High, who won the Group I VRC Victoria Derby and ATC Spring Champion Stakes to earn a slot on the Rich Hill Stud roster in New Zealand and stands at a fee of $15,000.
An Epsom Derby winner and six time G1 winner that won at the elite level at two, three and four, High Chaparral has forged an impressive sire dynasty that is still unfolding and produces plenty of sharp sprinter milers as well as the staying types you might expect.
Blind Raise has plenty of class in his female family being from a daughter of two time NZ Horse of the Year Seachange, who won 14 races up to 1600m, seven of them G1, so you would have to think the G1 Caulfield Guineas would be a suitable target for this talented 3YO.
He has something in common with one of the most promising young sires in the country in Storm Boy, who is also from a daughter of Seachange. Storm Boy was the busiest first season sire in Australia last year covering 227 mares at Coolmore.
