Honey goes Boom to propel sire towards leading juvenile honours
Spirit Of Boom draws level with Queensland rival Better Than Ready in race to be crowned top two-year-old sire by winners
A grandstand finish is set in the race to be named Australia’s leading two-year-old sire by winners as Eureka Stud’s Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo) continued his relentless end-of-season form to capture a 23rd individual two-year-old scorer yesterday, drawing level with Queensland rival Better Than Ready (More Than Ready).
In a thrilling finale to the Eureka Stud-sponsored QTIS Two-Year-Old Handicap (1200m) at Eagle Farm, it was the highly-touted Tony Gollan-trained Honey Pot (2 f ex Fairchild by General Nediym) that unleashed a flying turn of foot to the line, nailing fellow Spirit Of Boom-sired juvenile and stablemate Spiritualised on the bob of heads, as the pair drew over three lengths clear of the trailing field.
Akin to the filly’s last-ditch heroics yesterday, Spirit Of Boom has hunted down his Lyndhurst Stud counterpart in the standings, having entered the month of May trailing by three (16-13), but a flurry of ten individual two-year-old winners in the last 12 weeks sees the duo level pegging, although Spirit Of Boom’s one juvenile winner in New Zealand takes him to 24 for the season. In terms of overall wins, Spirit Of Boom has 32, with Better Than Ready one behind on 31.
“It’s going to be a real thriller towards the end of the month and the end of the season, but hopefully there’s enough classy ones coming through to see Spirit Of Boom over the line,” Eureka Stud’s Harry McAlpine told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“Better Than Ready is certainly going to make us earn it. He’s popped up with a heap of winners and will continue to do so.”
Honey Pot is owned by cattle farmers Alan and Jennifer Acton, who also owned Spirit Of Boom’s multiple Listed winner and Group 2-placed mare Outback Barbie.
She first caught the eye back in November, when running out a comfortable winner of a trial at Deagon which saw her labelled as one of the state’s brightest two-year-old prospects. However, when sent off a warm favourite for her debut at the Sunshine Coast later that month, she could only finish fifth, and in January she failed to qualify for the rich Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) when fourth in the key lead-up race at the Gold Coast the week prior.
Honey Pot returned last month but was again thwarted by outside barriers, flashing home from the rear for eye-catching placings in both the Bill Carter Stakes (Listed, 1200m) and Tattersall’s Life Members Stakes (Listed, 1400m), while also finishing second at Ipswich as part of a Spirit Of Boom juvenile trifecta on Cup day.
Drawing barrier four for yesterday’s assignment, she was able to strike from much closer to the leader, although it took every inch of the straight for her to land the telling blow in the final stride.
“She has been awfully unlucky her whole career,” Gollan said.
“She never draws a barrier, she’s always had great ability, and when the colt kicked away at the furlong, she did a mighty job to knuckle down and beat him.
“They are both well above average two-year-olds that will develop into beautiful three-year-olds. The stable is happy, and I’m sure Mr Acton is happy up in Rockhampton.
“She is a beautiful filly, lovely to look at and a great type of horse. Maturity was always going to be her friend.”
This fifth crop of two-year-olds is Spirit Of Boom’s most fruitful since his first, one which yielded 18 winners from 52 starts and five stakes winners among them. It is success that was widely forecasted, with this year’s two-year-olds conceived off a career-high fee of $55,000 (inc GST) in the wake of his progeny’s initial triumphs, having stood his first four seasons at an $11,000 (inc GST) price. This season he will stand at a fee of $33,000 (inc GST).
Honey Pot, a $300,000 buy for the Actons from the Three Bridges Thoroughbreds draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, is out of General Nediym (Nediym) mare Fairchild, herself a two-time winner that was tried at stakes level on seven occasions, including when eighth in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. She is a daughter of Dancer’s Joy (Danzatore), who won the 1990 Magic Millions 2YO Fillies Stakes (RL, 1200m) and finished fourth in that year’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
Runner-up Spiritualised, a winner of his last start at the Sunshine Coast, is out of Personalised (Snitzel), a four-time winner from eight starts and a half-sister to Group 1 winner Personal (Fastnet Rock).
Of Spirit Of Boom’s 23 winners this season, seven are out of stakes-winning mares or previous producers of stakes winners. That includes Palazzo Spirit, one of his two juvenile stakes winners this season.
As a result, Spirit Of Boom is also challenging to be the leading two-year-old sire by winners to runners this season (minimum ten runners). His 23 scorers have come from 49 runners, for a 46.9 per cent strike-rate, a figure which sees him trail only fellow Queensland sire The Mission (Choisir), who has nine winners from 18 starters.
“We probably thought he might have had more runners than he’s had. He’s not even had 50 runners, but around half of them have won, which is a pretty good conversion rate,” McAlpine said.
“Spirit Of Boom has had a metropolitan winner this season in every mainland state of Australia, so he’s not just restricted to Queensland.
“The quality (of mares) dropped off after his first crop and it was a bit of a wait for the good mares to come back, but he’s certainly demonstrating now what he can do when he gets a chance.
“The dams of both Honey Pot and Spiritualised are nice physical mares who have nice pedigrees and have left nice types by the stallion.
“It’s great to see Alan and Jennifer rewarded with a filly who obviously has a lot of ability.”
McAlpine believes Honey Pot and the runner-up Spiritualised can improve further into their three-year-old year seasons and beyond. Spirit Of Boom earned his first Group 1 winner this season courtesy of six-year-old Jonker, himself a stakes-winning juvenile, in the Manikato Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
Excluding the stallion’s two juvenile stakes winners this season, of Spirit Of Boom’s eight individual stakes winners at two, four have gone on to post black type wins as older horses.
“As we know, they run at two, but they get better as they get older if you look after them and there’s plenty more in the wings. Hopefully a few more of those two-year-olds can come out and salute,” McAlpine said.
“Tony Gollan has quite a lot there and plenty that we haven’t seen yet, so there’s plenty of stakes-class horses to come through.”