The late Arthur Baxter was a huge supporter of the New Zealand Yearling Sales where he sourced a filly by Bluebird (USA) out of the stakes-placed Vice Regal mare Kiwi Magic who was a daughter of the Group 1 VRC Sires' Produce Stakes-winner Outward Bound (Without Fear).
Like the majority of Baxter’s purchases, the filly named Flitter headed to the Newcastle stable of Max Lees.
She made winning debut at Gosford on March 12, 1992, then kept the run going with success at Rosehill and the Listed Keith Mackay Quality Handicap defeating the up and coming champion Slight Chance.
It was the first of six stakes wins for Flitter who scored career highlight wins in the 1994 Group 1 Doomben 10,000 defeating All Our Mob and Bint Marscay and the 1995 Group 1 Winfield Classic (Coolmore Classic) defeating Moment’s Pleasure and Aragen.
It was third time lucky in the Classic for Flitter with her best previous finish being third behind Kapchat and Mahoenui Lass the previous year.
When time was called on Flitter’s career on the track she had a record of 9 wins, 4 seconds and 8 thirds from 39 starts with earnings of $807,555
Following the death of the 80yo Arthur Baxter in a car accident in March 1997, there was a dispersal of mares from Baxter’s Macquarie at Wellington.
Flitter made the top price of $360,000 to the bid of Corumbene Stud even though she had slipped her Marscay foal.
Now it would be nice to report that Flitter was equally successful as a broodmare but despite the fact she visited some of the nation’s most successful stallions her total of eight winners, no black-type, from 13 foals was somewhat underwhelming.
Her Sydney winning daughter Unconditional Love (Elusive Quality) is the dam of the Group II VRC Matriarch Stakes winner Jersey Belle (Rock Of Gibraltar)
Flitter’s filly foal named Flittery, by the multiple champion stallion Danehill (USA), made just one start, finishing fourth behind Hosannah at Rosehill before being retired to the breeding barn.
There may have been some sentiment involved when Baxter’s son John, who ran the Ruane Stud at Menangle, made the winning bid of $140,000 for Flittery’s fourth foal, a Red Ransom (USA) filly named Maybe I at the 2007 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
She proved a sound investment winning her purchase price back with two wins and was stakes-placed in the Group III Run To The Rose, Listed Tibbie Stakes and Listed Reginald Allen Hcp.
Put back on the market, Maybe I was purchased by Paul Willetts on behalf of Three Bridges Thoroughbreds for $120,000 at the Inglis Broodmare Sale in 2015 when carrying the Listed VRC Springtime Handicap winner Ringerdingding (Sebring).
Blessed with a breathtaking turn of foot, the Darren Weir-trained Ringerdingding (photo Grant Courtney ) will look to double his stakes tally in Saturday’s Group II Sandown Guineas.
But he will not be the lone representative for his dam on the programme. His year-younger half-sister Salome will be favoured to open her winning account in the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m).
While Ringerdingding was a $170,000 Inglis Premier purchase from the Three Bridges Thoroughbreds draft for B2B Bloodstock, Salome (pictured as a yearling ) made $90,000 to the bid of Ciaron Maher Bloodstock at the 2018 Premier Yearling Sale Book.
From the second crop of Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Unencumbered, Salome will be bidding to become the first stakes-winner for her ill-fated sire.
At her only start, Salome was a fast-finishing third behind Tulloch Lodge’s highly rated Espaaniyah in the Inglis Banner at Moonee Valley on October 27.
With Ringerdingding strongly favoured in the Group II Sandown Guineas, it shapes as a profitable day for Maybe I.
