Former shuttle-sire Hard Spun is responsible for the latest Swedish Derby winner Red Cactus - and he's bred by an Australian!.
The Svensk Derby has been run since 1918 and on Sunday at Jagersro Galopp in Malmo Red Cactus (3 c Hard Spun - Strut The Canary) faced 14 rivals and, aided by an inside run in the home straight, came through to defeat Privilegiardo (Sea The Moon) by 3-1/2 lengths with the filly Queen Rouge (Lord Of England).Inbred 2x5 to Danzig (Northern Dancer), Red Cactus was bred by Twin Hills Stud principal Oliver Tait and sold for $US80,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September before being sold for £80,000 as a Breeze-Up 2yo in England to his current owner, Lone Kaj-Nielsen.
Red Cactus finished third in the Group II UAE 2,000 Guineas on dirt and two wins in Sweden followed including a nine-length victory in the Svensk Derby Trial.
Hard Spun won seven of his 13 starts, notably the Grade I King's Bishop Stakes over seven furlongs at Saratoga.
Retired to stud in 2008 under the Darley banner and shuttling for the first of six seasons to Australia the same year. From his 501 live foals conceived in Australia he is responsible for three-time Group I winner Le Romain and the Group II West Australian Derby winner Gatting, both those geldings having Night Shift (Northern Dancer) as their maternal grandsire.
Hard Spun's best runners in the northern hemisphere include Questing, the champion 3YO Filly in USA in 2012, as well as Grade I winners Hard Aces, Wicked Strong and Hard Not To Like.
Strut The Canary won five races in the US and finished third in the Listed Sugar Maple Stakes at Charles Town. The granddam Flash Of Fashion (Petionville) is a sister to Grade I La Brea Stakes and Santa Monica Handicap winner Island Fashion. The third dam is the Likely Exchange Stakes winner Danzigs Fashion (A Native Danzig).
