A tale of two (half) sisters
Recent Captain Cook Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) victor Rock On Wood (Redwood) descends from the imported filly Celebrity II (Meadow Court), however it has taken 50 years for his branch of the family to finally get the Group 1 job done.
The very last foal of Celebrity II (she had six daughters and two colts), Star Of The Knight (Sir Tristram) has established a super family, courtesy of an array of top line sires and is ancestress of four Group 1 title holders, namely classy dual Group 1 sprinter Sacred Star (Flying Spur), Cambridge Stud’s young sire Embellish (Savabeel), Diademe (Savabeel) and Windsor Park Stud’s young sire Vanbrugh (Encosta De Lago).
By stark contrast, Celebrity II’s second daughter, Celerity Girl (Battle-Waggon), fourth dam of Rock On Wood, has taken a far different path for her branch to finally achieve Group 1 honours.
John Higgs, breeder of dual Derby winning Classic Mission (Persian Garden II), imported the French-bred Celebrity II in 1969.
Although unplaced in four starts as a juvenile, she was a half-sister to the champion Irish two-year-old filly Kathy Too (Beau Sabreur). Her dam, Celestial Gold (Golden Cloud), was a sister or half-sister to four stakes winners, three achieving stakes success at Churchill Downs, Hollywood Park and Hialeah in the United States. On that basis, Higgs probably believed that a worthwhile investment had been presented.
Her sire Meadow Court (Court Harwell) was very well performed on the racetrack earning the title of champion Irish three-year-old due to his 1965 Irish Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) victory. Unluckily born the same year as the freakish Sea Bird II (Dan Cupid), he had to settle for second in that year’s Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) but, the day prior to his Irish Derby, he took on a new part-owner, American crooner Bing Crosby.
Immediately after the race, which he won easily by two lengths, Crosby gave an impromptu version of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” in the birdcage.
Meadow Court would next head to Ascot and take out the King George & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 4f) before finishing second in the St Leger (Gr 1, 1m 6f). There was no doubt he could run, however his record as a sire would prove to be very disappointing, siring just four stakes winners.
Higgs, in partnership with Patrick (now Sir Patrick) Hogan, wasted little time in getting Celebrity II in foal. Her first mate was Classic Mission’s sire Persian Garden II (Alcide), embarking on his fourth season as resident sire at Fencourt Stud in Cambridge. Classic Mission, from his second crop, would not complete his Victoria-AJC Derby (Gr 1, 12f) double until the spring of 1971.
The resultant filly was foaled in September, 1970. Celebrity II was barely three and a half.
As a broodmare she was given every opportunity and the following year visited Battle-Waggon (Never Say Die) to produce Celerity Girl, the start of Rock On Wood’s branch of the family.
She was next sent to Hermes (Aureole) for two visits, then Adios II (Silly Season), Final Orders (Final Court) and Heir Presumptive (Tambourine) were further mates but until her last foal, Star Of The Knight (Sir Tristram), Celebrity II had produced just one winner.
The mating with Sir Tristram (Sir Ivor) produced a fine race filly in Star Of The Knight who enjoyed great success at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm where at two she won the Queensland Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) and at three the Queensland Guineas (Gr 3, 1600m). Celebrity’s honour was saved.
Whereas Star Of The Knight and her daughters would be mated with a series of high profile stallions, among them Waikato Stud’s Centaine (Century), O’Reilly (Last Tycoon), Pins (Snippets), Savabeel (Zabeel) and Ocean Park (Thorn Park), Celerity Girl and her branch of the family were not so blessed.
The stallions in the bottom line of Rock On Wood’s dam, Rock On Rye (Catcher In The Rye), are far less commercial but the addition of Westbury Stud’s Redwood (High Chaparral) to the mix seems to have worked the oracle.
Forty stakes horses comprising 18 stakes winners and 22 stakes-placed performers trace directly to Celebrity II. All but three trace via Star Of The Knight leaving Rock On Wood’s branch some serious catching up to do.
Rock On Rye could run; her performance record shown on a catalogue page omits the fact that two of her six wins took place in the Marlborough and Greymouth Cups.
Her sire, Catcher In The Rye (Danehill) was a Coolmore shuttle stallion whose premier raceday effort was to finish a very strong second (from last with a furlong to run) in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Gr 1, 1600m) at Longchamp but he suffered a serious training injury which curtailed an all-too-brief four-race career. In his case it was: “What might have been….”
His stud record is not well-known in Australasia, recording a solitary stakes winner – two-time Listed victor Rhyno Chaser – but in South America he has sired in excess of 30 stakes winners (40 in total worldwide), including 13 at Group 1 level.
Rock On Wood’s granddam Beldale Blues (Beldale Lear) was more than capable, scoring at Riccarton as well as recording Group or stakes placings on five different occasions.
Her sire Beldale Lear (Majestic Light), although bred in the US, ventured to Europe and at two won a Group 1 race in Belgium, returning stateside to land a Listed race at Hollywood Park as a four-year-old. After his export to New Zealand, he struggled commercially and sired just two stakes winners.
Rock On Wood’s third dam Celemonde (Charmande), a winner at two, produced 13-time South Australian winner and Group 3-placed Likable Will (His Royal Highness) as well as Beldale Blues.
Charmande, Celemonde’s sire, was exceptionally well-bred being by champion and American Horse of the Year Damascus (Sword Dancer), the winner of 21 races including two of the three Triple Crown events. His two were the Preakness Stakes (Gr 1, 9.5f) and the Belmont Stakes (Gr 1, 12f) after finishing third in the first leg, the Kentucky Derby (Gr 1, 10f).
Charmande’s dam was the American Eclipse Award-winning champion three-year-old filly of her year, Turkish Trousers (Bagdad). She won 12 times including the Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap (Gr 1, 9f) at Santa Anita and was a sister or half-sister to five stakes winners including Group 1 champions Tell (Round Table) and Craelius (Avatar). Her granddam was a half-sister to international sire influence Round Table (Princequillo).
On the racetrack, Charmande could not match his pedigree, only managing two wins, and at stud sired just two stakes winners.
Catcher In The Rye’s presence is a plus but Beldale Lear and Charmande cannot be considered as successful sires. The good ones, such as Rock On Wood, can emerge from anywhere, though, even when bloodlines include sires that have not reached their expectations or female families that struggle to consistently produce black-type performers.
A good example is Sea Bird II, whose Timeform rating of 145 was the highest ever until Frankel (Galileo), who achieved a magnificent rating of 147.
Sea Bird II’s dam placed once at two; his granddam was unplaced at her only start; his third dam won over hurdles after failing to win or place on the flat; his fourth dam won a race under Pony Turf Club rules while his fifth dam raced twice without a return.
By comparison, Rock On Wood’s family looks fabulous.
Rock On Rye’s sixth foal, a yearling catalogued as Lot 75 in Book 1 of next month’s Karaka Premier Yearling Sale, is also her first filly, having produced five colts previously.
She is a sister to Rock On Wood so her residual value could be rather high.
For a family to consistently produce Group 1 winners, all the stars must align. The Sir Tristram factor saw the Star Of The Knight branch of this family thrive and enjoy great success. Rock On Wood has one sister now and no doubt the hope is that this side of the family will build on its Group 1 breakthrough.