Arrowfield and Darley Studs will be hoping the career of Dubai World Cup hero Animal Kingdom (USA) mirrors that of another World Cup winner, Street Cry (IRE).
Street Cry (IRE) spent four seasons shuttling to Darley Stud
before staying in Kentucky for two years.
With success on both sides of the equator, he returned the conquering hero with a fee to match.
After standing at a fee of $16,500, the son of Machiavellian
was bumped up to $110,000 and the year after that $137,500.
One of the mares that visited him that year was Hold To
Ransom (USA).
A $95,000 Keeneland September Yearling sale purchase, Hold
To Ransom (USA) proved a very useful performer on the track highlighted by
5-length triumph in the Listed Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The daughter of Red Ransom (USA) has proved just as
affective in the breeding barn.
Her first foal was the dual Group
III winner Retrieve (Rahy) who was runner-up in the 2011 Group I Rosehill
Guineas to Jimmy Choux and to Shamrocker in the Group I AJC Australian Derby.
Believe it or not, Retrieve is
still plying his trade around Great Britain.
Last week the 10yo finished down
the track in a restricted race at Bath. He did win a claimer on the all-weather
at Wolverhampton in June, one of five starts he made that month.
The second foal of Hold To Ransom
(USA) was the Exceed And Excel filly Reparations who kept her dam’s record
perfect with three Listed Stakes wins in Melbourne for Lee and Anthony Freedman.
The result of Street Cry’s mating
with Hold To Ransom (USA) was Abduction who won two of 11 starts including the
Listed Reginald Alen Quality at Rosehill.
She was also second in the Group
II Wakeful Stakes and fifth in the Group I Victoria Oaks.
Three years later, Godolphin sent
Hold To Ransom (USA) to Animal Kingdom (USA) in his first season.
The result is Animalia who will be
vying to become his sires first stakes winner in Australia and his dam’s
fourth, when he contests Saturday’s Group III Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m).
Animalia earned his place off the
back of a facile 7-length win at Gosford at his most recent start.
The Ming Dynasty is chockful of
quality with any number of progressive types and shapes as every bit as
competitive as the other 3yo stakes race on the card, the Group II San Domenico
Stakes.
