REDCLIFFE SALE TAKING HUGE STEPS
The success of the Redcliffe Harness Racing Club’s Yearling Sales Series continues to go from strength to strength. With a 3YO race now added as of this season, the 2YO Final increasing in stakemoney and the continued support of club patron Chris Garrard through the sponsorship provided by his Garrards Horse and Hound enterprise, the Redcliffe Sales Series has firmly established itself on the landscape of Queensland racing.
With a further announcement that the club will increase the stakes of the race to $100,000 and thus achieve Group 1 status as of the 2016/17 racing season, the Redcliffe Yearling Sales Series has fast launched itself as the sales and race to be a part of. From its inaugural running for $30,000, next years round of yearling sales could well find the Redcliffe sale unseating Australian Pacing Gold as the premier yearling sale in Queensland.
Restricted to horses passing through the sales ring at the Redcliffe sale, there were 92 horses aiming up to make the 2015 sales race series. In a great achievement for the club, they managed to attract 32 acceptors.
Spread across 4 heats, there was a great mix of siring credits across the 32 acceptors. Leading the way was Cammibest with 6, followed by Western Edition with 4, Rock N Roll Heaven had 3, Art Official, Live Or Die, South Park Hanover and P B Bullville each had 2. Meanwhile with individual progeny being represented were The Falcon Strike, Changeover, Gold Dust Beach, Camelot Hall, Julius Caesar, Brigadier Jujon, Shadow Play, Bettors Delight, Somebeachsomewhere, Tell All and Tintin In America.
Noel and Christine Denning’s Burwood Stud continue to find the recipe for success in the race and continued their affinity with the Peninsula Club’s flagship event again in 2015. The Denning family’s stud operation based on the Darling Downs has dominated the 6 Series held thus far, having direct involvement in the past 5 winners in succession.
Leading into this year’s final, Burwood Stud had bred the previous 4 winners, Mathilda Diventa by Cammibest, Designer Style by Mr Aviator, Couldntresist by Ultimate Falcon and Cha Ching Chaching by Cammibest.
Cammibest, a resident stallion at Burwood recorded his 3rd siring success in the 6th edition of the race, when his gelded son Leos Best landed the 2015 title.Cammibest was a 37 time winner who took a lifetime mark of 1.50.0 At stud he has produced 86 starters for 49 individual winners. There are 3 $100,000 earners with the richest being Pub Blitz.
Leos Best is out of the Lotsa Clout mare Miss Marleo and was purchased at the 2014 yearling sales by Solid Earth. Not normally a buyer at the yearling sales, the purchase came about through the recommendation of their principal trainer Grant Dixon.
Aiding the purchase were the breeders certificates they had at their disposal. As well as receiving a QBred cash bonus at the first career penalty win in eligible races, 2 and 3YO’s of both sexes win a Breeders certificate for the owner at the time of the race. This certificate has a face value of $1,000 to be redeemed in the purchase of a stallion service fee or a purchase at the yearling sales.
So armed with surplus bonus certificates and Dixon’s appraisal, Solid Earth went to $13,000 to secure the colt.The family is well known to the Seymour’s who have been closely involved in the maternal family. They bred the dam Miss Marleo and bred and raced the majority of Miss Marleo’s immediate descendants tracing back to one of their wonderful foundation mares Goldrush Girl.
Bred by Martine Dwyer, Leos Best is the 3rd foal and 3rd colt out of Miss Marleo. Her first foal by Elsu raced as Doctor Dave and was a winner in 2.00.2 from 25 lifetime starts. The second foal is a full brother to Leos Best, and is the winner of just one race at this stage. A current 3YO he has 1 win and 4 placings from 13 starts.
The 3rd live foal is Leos Best. Only just making the field as the last horse included following the heats, driver Grant Dixon settled in the run 4 back along the marker line and stayed in that position for the majority of the event as a solid tempo was being set at the head of affairs.Traversing the Redcliffe triangle 5 and 6 wide turning for home, Leos Best finished strongly to gain the prize. 
There would be few Group races on the Queensland calendar that Solid Earth have yet to taste success in as either owners or breeders and the win in the Redcliffe Sales Final helped fill a void in the trophy cabinet.
Proving the win was not just a case of getting the right run in transit, Leos Best franked the winning form at his next start at Albion Park. Leading out from an inside barrier, the gelding was allowed to free wheel at the head of affairs. Going down to the line to win by a narrow margin, the clock stopped on a brilliant run returning a mile rate of 1.54.9 for the 1660m trip.
A 6 year track record went by the wayside following the emphatic win. If Leos Best can go on to emulate the career of the previous record holder, Chariot King, then the Seymour’s will have another top horse on their books.
QBRED SCHEME SPREADS THE JOY
Under the revised format of the QBred race series’, unsustainable heats that have regularly provided multiple odds on favourites on the same card were replaced by a Consolation. Prizemoney earned throughout the season up until nomination closing time of the Finals went towards lifting a horse’s QBred ranking.
The highest 12 ranked horses (10 for 2YO) that were then nominated for the Final become the starting field with the next highest ranked becoming the Emergency. Consolations were staged for 2 & 3YO, so the emergency could start in the Consolation if not required for the Final.
This format ensured a greater spread of the feature prizemoney available, to more participants. The changes have been well received and this was confirmed by the strength of the nominations for each of the age/sex divisions across both the Breeders Classic Events and the Triad Finals.
A year-to-year comparison shows:
2014 2YO Fillies 2 Heats- Heat’s 1 and 2 7 starters, Final with 10 starters- 80% capacity
2015 2YO Fillies Final 9 starters, Consolation 7 starters- 80% capacity
2014 2YO C&G’s 2 Heats- Heat’s 1 and 2 7 starters, Final with 10 starters- 80% capacity
2015 2YO C&G’s Final 10 starters, Consolation 10 starters- 100% capacity
2014 3YO C&G’s No Heats, Prelude only 11 starters, Final with 10 starters- 58% Capacity
2015 3YO C&G’s Final 12 starters, Consolation 10 starters- 92% Capacity
2014 3YO Fillies 2 Heats- Heat 1 9 starters, Heat 2 10 starters, Final with 8 starters- 75% Capacity
2015 3YO Fillies Final 12 starters, Consolation 10 starters- 92% Capacity
This highlights the growth that has occurred in one year, even though the foal numbers and QBred registered horses fell in the same period. With QBred Breeders Classic races held under the same format, the spread of the feature race money under the scheme is reaching more pockets.
The 2014-15 racing season, up until the end of June has seen the QBred scheme make the following bonus payments
- 14 2YO Colts and Geldings at $5,000.
- 13 2YO Fillies at $10,000
- 71 3YO at $5,000
- 64 4YO at $3,000.
With the announcement that the 2015-16 racing season will realise a further increase in QBred Bonus stakes, the Queensland breeding industry is receiving the shot in the arm it desparately needed. The increase also now pitches the scheme as the strongest bonus structure across Australia. It is now up to breeders and owners to get behind QBred and make full benefit of it’s lucrative nature.
The bonus structure for the next season has been set at:
- 2YO Fillies $12,000
- 2YO Colts & Geldings $ 10,000
- 3YO Fillies $7,000
- 3YO Colts & Geldings $5,000
- 4YO Either sex $3,000
4YO Entires& Geldings
The 4YO Entires & Geldings Final saw success go to Mafuta Vautin. Bred and owned by Linda Graham and trained and driven by husband Darrel. He is the third foal of Ashleysplace, whom the Grahams also raced. A chestnut like his sire, Mafuta is a Swahili word meaning Fatty- so named after the former Queensland rugby league legend and footy show host, Paul Fatty Vautin.
Mafuta Vautin is a ‘homebred’ being by the Fake Left stallion Rollon Bigred. In winning the Triad Final, he became the first horse to win a Triad, sired by a Triad winner. Rollon Bigred, a 30 time winner was successful in the 2004 4YO Entires& Geldings Final and was also successful in the 2YO Triad Final in 2002. In 2003 he finished 3rd behind Left Devil.
The potency of Fake Left was on full display in that 2003 3YO Colts and Geldings Triad Final, with all 12 combatants boasting the incomparable stallion as their sire. Amazingly, the 3YO Fillies Triad Final held on that same night featured the same remarkable statistic. Stamping his dominance on the Queensland and Australian breeding scene, this is a feat that has not happened prior to these 2 races and may certainly never occur again.
The dam of Mafuta Vautin, Ashleysplace is by Perfect Art out of the Explorador mare Perfect Amy and faced the starter on 44 occasions for 2 victories.Since retiring to stud, she has produced 4 live foals, all to the court of RollonBigred. The first foal a filly named Bigred Ash raced four times, all unplaced. The second foal has never raced. Her 2010 foal is Mafuta Vautin. Plagued by a leg issue, the Grahams have been patient and been selective in his racing career and did not start the gelding until 3. As at July 27 his figures read 18 starts for 12 wins and a best time of 1.55.2, which he has recorded at both 3 and 4. Ashleysplace 4th and final foal to date is the 4 time winner Sista To Mafuta.
Rollon Bigred has done a fair job at stud from limited opportunities. He is the sire of 133 live foals. 65 have reached the races and of these there have been 35 individual winners. The richest being RollonGidget who is out of a Panorama mare, secured a win a NSW Breeders Challenge Regional Final last season. While his fastest is the 1.54.7 mare Get A Rollon.
The broodmare supremo Perfect Profile has left a remarkable legacy in the stud book and across racetracks worldwide.The 4YO Entires& Geldings Triad Final was a perfect example of this marvellous matrons dynasty. Perfect Profile was responsible for the trifecta placings thought the deeds of 3 of her sons.
The winner, Mafuta Vautin, cites Perfect Art as his broodmare sire. The 2nd placed horse, Raring To Go is by Art Major, the full brother to Perfect Art. Meanwhile Art Major and Perfect Art’s half brother, the Western Hanover stallion, Western Edition, sired the 3rd place getter The Duke Downunder.
An amazing achievement, achieved via a unique impact that the great mare has had on the breeding of the sport.
*** At time of writing MafutaVautin had reportedly tested positive to cobalt for his win in the Triad. No further information was available at this time.
3YO Colts & Geldings
The 3YO Colts & Geldings final was a well deserved win for trainer Donny Smith. The Smith trained colt A Good Chance was a popular victory for the well liked former State cricketer. It also went some way to erasing the colts narrow defeat in the 2YO Triad final the previous season where he went under by a short half head margin.
It also signified the first Group 1 victory for his sire, Mr Feelgood.
Ironically both ‘dad and son’ were recognised at the previous season RQ Awards evening. A Good Chance was given the title of Queensland 2YO of the year, whilst Mr Feelgood was granted entry into the Queensland Hall of Fame.
A Good Chance is out of the Perfect Art mare Chance The Walk. A winner of 13 races form just 23 starts, the mare is a half sister to the 1998 2YO Colts & Geldings Triad winner Attack Life and to Catwalk Beauty. In a brief career that was curtailed by injury, Catwalk Beauty started just the 10 times, winning on 9 of those occasions which included wins at 2 in the Nursery Pace and the Triad Final. Her last career start finished in a 4th placing in the 2009 Queensland Oaks behind Ima Spicey Lombo.
Mr Feelgood from limited starters in Australia is showing the signs of being a formidable force on the breeding sphere. The sire of just 14 starters, he has thrown 12 winners. Heading this list are Charming Allie and A Good Chance, who both cite Perfect Art as their damsire. This could bode well for the abundance of Art Major mares that will slowly start heading to the breeding barn now that his oldest Australian bred progeny are rising 9 years old.
Chance The Walk has produced 6 live foals with the first 5 all being colts. 3 of the 6 have raced thus far and all 3 are winners. Ranking as half brothers to A Good Chance is the 8 time winner Attacovita and the 5 time winner Hey Sam. The Triad win propelled A Good Chance over the $100k stakes barrier and his current best time shows an impressive 1.54.8, recorded at just his second start back in his 3YO campaign.
Finishing 2nd to A Good Chance was the Modern Art gelding Drifting Away. Out of the Andrell mare Lindrell, this mare has produced just 4 live foals from 9 matings, however 3 of the 4 that have raced are all winners. Breeder Rhonda Morton has bred and race this family. The half sister Third Strike, an As Promised mare was a 15 time winner who recorded victory in the 4YO Mares QBred Breeders Classic. Third Strike’s first foal is the 4 time winner Witch Striker.
Finishing 3rd was Duke Jujon, a son of the Cold Mountain Stud stallion Gold Dust Beach. From 30 foals to the races, Gold Dust Beach has recorded 17 individual winners, his richest being the 10 time winner Jare, while his fastest is the 1.54.7 horse, Chevals Diamond.
4YO Mares
The G2 4YO mares edition of the Triad was taken out by the Art Major mare Joys A Babe. Bred on what is arguably the golden cross of current times, she is by Art Major out of a Fake Left mare in Joy To Behold. This cross is currently represented by 16 individual Australian bred $100,000 earners, as well as the millionaire For A Reason.
Horses bred on this cross include the triple Triad/RQIS winner Shez No Fake, the dual Triad/RQIS winner Rani Major, Brigadier Bronski, All Eyes On Us, recent The Blacks A Fake winner Philadelphia Man and Lettuereason.
The win for owner breeders Solid Earth P/L was their first in this Sires category since 2010. Coincidentally their previous win in this category was also a 5 year interval, back in 2005.
The Solid Earth juggernaut, managed by Kay Seymour has now won 21 Triad Finals since the turn of the century across all age and sex divisions. 2004 and 2007 are the only years when they did not breed at least one winner of the Queensland Scheme.
Joys A Babe win took her stake earnings over the $200,000 mark and her best time now sits at 1.55. Finishing 2nd was the Elsu mare Il Cavalino. The dam of Il Cavalino was the 14 time winner Rapt In Red by Fake Left out of Cashmere Cate, herself a daughter of one of Queensland’s strongest maternal families, being out of Call Girl.
3rd in the event was another Solid Earth runner, Charming Allie. The daughter of Mr Feelgood was attempting to land the ‘threepeat’ of Triad victories following on from wins at 2 and 3.
3YO Fillies
The 3YO Fillies Final was a reversal of the quinella placings from the 2014 2YO Final. Gaining the spoils at the expense of her stablemate, Bettor Promise emerged victorious. Although punters sent Bettorthanspecial out the odds-on elect, perhaps following the lead stable driver for the Shannon Price team, Brad Cowen had elected to drive Bettorthanspecial.
The 2 fillies, both bred and owned by Raboki P/L, managed by Shannon’s father Tony Price, have managed to amass very similar numbers in their careers to date. As their names would suggest both by super sire Bettors Delight, both fillies have eclipsed the $150k stakes barrier and both have bettered 1.55. Bettor Promise cites a best rate of 1.54.4, while Bettorthanspecial holds bragging rights with 1.54.2.
Competing in a Rising Stars Final in early July, the pair once again ran the quinella, making it the 7th time they have ran the quinella in their careers, all at Albion Park. Another famous Queensland duo that also shared a sire and met frequently were Blacks A Fake and Be Good Johnny. Both by Fake Left, the millionaire pair ran the quinella 9 times in their career, spread over 4 different tracks in Australia.
The win of Bettor Promise set a 3YO Fillies Triad record when held over the 2138m of Albion Park. Highlighting the quality and authority of the win, is it also the 2nd fastest of either sex. The only Triad Final to record a quicker time was the 2001 Colts & Geldings victory of Cam Dee.
Bettor Promise is out of the Fake Left mare As Promised and ranks as a half sister to the dual Oaks winning filly All Promises. Bettorthanspecial is out of the Christian Cullen mare Specialagentcullen who is a full sister to Raboki’s former Group winning star Secretagent Cullen.
Finishing 3rd to the “Bettor pair” was Feel The Faith. A daughter of Mr Feelgood, the Grinfromeartoear stallion only has 2 foals in his 2011 crop, but what a talented pair they are, being Feel The Faith and A Good Chance. Feel The Faith is out of the Fake Left mare Faith Prevails, out of Girl From Ipanema by Vanston Hanover.
2YO Fillies
The Queensland and moreover the entire harness sport lost one of its greats when Queensland Harness Hall of Famer Tony Price passed away after battling ill health, just the morning after the 2015 2YO Triad Finals.It was only fitting that the last night of Price time on earth that one of his fillies manage to give him one last Group 1 triumph.
The poignancy of the success in hindsight was in the name of the filly. Special Moment.
In recent years, Price’s team has gone from strength to strength, with success coming on the back of a lot of heartache and rebuilding following the EI crisis that gripped Australia in 2007. The Price team fared worse than most affected and Tony Price spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to improve the health of his team.
Fast forward to 2015 and after the success of his now, 3YO Fillies in filling the quinella position in the 2014 2YO Triad Final, Raboki had just the sole runner lining up. Many in the field would have felt that they were lining up for the place money at best. The exciting, Australian record breaking filly Heavens Trend is a QBred and had made the trip from Victoria.
However the old saying that there is no sure thing in racing rang true. Hitting the lead at around the 450m mark, the $1.10 favourite went off stride, putting paid to her chances. With Get In The Groove having her driver unseated, Covert Beauty crashing heavily to the track and the field being scattered in the aftermath of the scrimmage caused by Heavens Trend, the race had, in amazing fashion opened up.
That left Aussie Vista, Sweet As Candy and Special Moment to battle up the Albion Park straight for the Triad title.
Special Moment gained the verdict for the Raboki partnership, giving the dam of Special Moment, the title of dual 2YO Fillies Triad victories for her progeny. A feat that has never been achieved by a matron in achieving back to back 2YO Triad titles. The full sister to Special Moment and the 2014 fillies Triad winner is Bettorthanspecial.
By the all conquering Bettors Delight out of the Christian Cullen mare Specialagentcullen, Special Moment became another Group 1 winner for this successful cross. Others boasting this magic cross with Group 1 success are the Victoria Derby winner Ohoka Punter, the Ballarat Cup winner Highview Tommy and the Group 1 Nursery Flying Stakes winner Burnaholeinmypocket. Other Group winners of this cross are the Teeny Teeny Stakes winner Pas Ultimate Delight, God Send and Bettorthanspecial. As a broodmare sire, 8 of Cullen’s top 16 performed by stakes are by Bettors Delight.
Specialagentcullen is by Christian Cullen out of Secret Asset by Vanston Hanover. She is a full sister to the Price’s former smart performer Secretagentcullen. A QBred Breeders Classic winner at 3, at 4 he won the Paleface Adios to qualify for the Chariots at Harold Park in 2006 won by the mare Innocent Eyes.
Specialagentcullen is an unraced 2006 foal. Her first foal is the Falcon Seelster filly Shesaspecialone who is yet to taste victory at 5 attempts. At her next mating to Bettors Delight Bettorthanspecial is the resultant foal with Special Moment the 3rd foal. There is a rising 2YO that is a full brother to his Triad winning sisters, while the rising yearling is a son of the Bettors stallion Betterthancheddar.
Ironically, under the revised format of QBred ranking determining the final field for the rich final, Special Moment was the lowest ranked at 14 to gain a start. Another Raboki bred and owned filly, Rocknrollhighlight was ranked 15 and became the emergency for the Triad Final. With no scratchings, she took her place in the consolation. To cap a successful night for Team Price, that filly duly won the consolation in fine style.
Finishing 2nd in the Fillies Final was Sweet As Candy, a filly by Courage Under Fire out of the Westburn Grant mare Likeness. 3rd was Aussie Vista, one of the limited foals on the ground in their first season racing crop of Tintin In America. A New Zealand bred son of Mcardle, he is a multiple Group 1 winner and dual Jewels winner at 3 and 4. Aussie Vista is the 5th foal to race for her dam, the Panorama mare Terranora Vista. From her 5 foals 4 are winners, including Aussie Vista, with her best being the Redcliffe Sale Series runner-up Falcon Vista.
Stamping his mark on the Australasian breeding world, the Direct Scooter stallion In The Pocket had direct involvement in the trifecta of the 2YO Triad Final. His involvement included being the maternal grandsire of Special Moment, through his son Christian Cullen, being the paternal grandsire of the runner up Sweet As Candy through her sire Courage Under Fire and he ranks as the damsire of Tintin In America, the sire of Aussie Vista.
2YO Colts & Geldings
Leos Best became the first horse since Abbey Tiara to win both the Redcliffe Yearling Sales Series Final and the 2YO Triad Final in the same season.
In taking the victory, he once again lowered his career PB and the newly established track record at Albion Park in stopping the clock in a rate of 1.54.8.
NSW visitor, Daniell Rowell finished runner up with his PB Bullville gelding Roarn. The first foal out of the Jeremys Gambit mare Beckoning, he was bred by Burns Bloodstock and purchased from the Brisbane APG sale for $7,000. Beckoning herself was a 14 time winner who took a lifetime mark of 1.57.2.
Her dam Fiery Spirit, by In The Pocket is a full sister to the NSW Derby winner Top Speed. Roarn looks to be a horse with scope and connections will be keen to atone in his 3YO campaign. His beaten margins in both the Triad and Breeders Classic were a nose and a head respectively. Or the difference in stakes of $65,000 should the margins have been in the geldings favour for such a small distance.
Finishing 3rd was the Group 2 QBred Breeders Classic winner Catcha Lefty. By the champion Jate Lobell horse Village Jasper he is out of the broodmare gem Lefty, a 10 foal, 100% producer. Trainer and breeder Cristina Monte has had amazing success with the family of Lefty, herself a Triad winner. As her name suggests, Lefty is by Fake Left out of the Rip Van Winkle mare Miss Winkle.
With such a successful QBred season, the increased stakes of the bonus payments and a positive outlook for QBred breeders, more and more people should be looking at making the change. Head north, the dollars are greener with QBred.
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