Kingofwallstreet
Just when you thought he’d been a bit quiet, it could be time to prepare for a few more headlines about Dundeel (High Chaparral).
In the past two seasons, Arrowfield’s 15-year-old surged into the top 20 on the Australian general sires’ table for the first time, finishing sixth and seventh.
After a more moderate start to 2024-25 he was in the mid-20s before last weekend, but he’s now had his first stakes-winner of the season and has several strong chances for more this weekend. It must be Classics time of year.
Dundeel put his first score on the black type board for this term in Saturday’s Caulfield Classic (Gr 3, 2000m), with the Matt Cumani-trained Kingofwallstreet. Given that’s the old Norman Robinson Stakes which has long been a key trial for the VRC Derby (Gr 1, 2500m), he’s now gone in as one of the main chances in markets for the Flemington test.
This Saturday, Dundeel will have two more sons and Derby fancies, Red Aces and Politely Dun, vying for favouritism in Moonee Valley’s Vase (Gr 2, 2040m).
For good measure, Dundeel’s sire son Castelvecchio, is starting to hit his straps, and has El Castello as the Derby second-favourite, while he sired his second stakes winner last weekend when Aeliana won the Reginald Allen Quality (Listed, 1400m) at Randwick.
El Castello will shoot for top level glory at Randwick this Saturday as the possible favourite in the Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), as will sons of Dundeel in third-favourite Henlein and Duvana.
Back at The Valley, Polymnia (Dundeel) will likely start popular elect in the Fillies’ Classic (Gr 2, 1600m), just ahead of Double Market (Castelvecchio), with both potentially en route to the VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m).
Little wonder Arrowfield is anticipating Dundeel – who had two three-year-old Group 1 winners last season in Militarize and Celestial Legend – will soon be back in more familiar territory on the general sires’ standings.
“With all the prize money on offer in the past few weeks, unless they win one of those big races a sire tends to get squeezed out, and then has to work his way back up through the normal channels,” said Arrowfield’s bloodstock manager Jon Freyer.
“I think we’ll see Dundeel doing that in the next little bit. Gee, he’s got some lovely three-year-olds around.”
One who could be delivering fully franked dividends is Kingofwallstreet, the little colt who’s proving himself despite often being overlooked.
Bred by Jimmy Unwala’s Avesta Bloodstock, he may also become the latest top-liner from one of Australia’s most successful families.
Out of an unraced mare who brings Dundeel’s second-best nick in Our Girl Raquie (Fastnet Rock), Kingofwallstreet’s third dam is none other than the blue hen Shantha’s Choice (Canny Lad).
If you’re unfamiliar with her then you haven’t been paying attention. But for the record she’s the dam of four stakes winners including three at Group 1 level in Platinum Scissors (Danehill) plus two who’ve gone on to be Group 1-producing sires in Manhattan Rain (Encosta De Lago) and the legendary Redoute’s Choice (Danehill).
Added to that, her fourth stakes-winner is Sliding Cube (Rock Of Gibraltar), dam of Rubick (Encosta De Lago), sire of Group 1 winner Jacquinot and Everest (1200m) hero Yes Yes Yes, both current sires.
When Unwala branched out from Aquis to start Avesta, he more or less “took” Our Girl Raquie with him as Aquis had a reduction sale. Bred by Teeley Assets, she’d been a $500,000 yearling. Unwala nabbed her in partnership, in-foal to the then Aquis-based Brave Smash (Tosen Phantom), for just $120,000 – a smallish number that keeps coming up.
“When I worked for Aquis she was at the farm, so I knew her well,” Unwala told It’s In The Blood.
“Her first foal by Written Tycoon was born at Aquis and was a very nice type, and then she visited Spieth, who also stood for Aquis. So I had first hand seen her foals and was involved in both her matings at Aquis.
“I thought it was unbelievable value buying her for $120,000, considering she’d made $500,000 only a few years earlier.”
Our Girl Raquie wasn’t going to be the simplest of broodmares, however. She’s inbred 2m x 3m to Danehill (Danzig), so outcross sires would be needed.
Her first such mating, with Written Tycoon (Iglesia) hadn’t yet raced (and when he did, nothing was written home about it). Spieth and Brave Smash were unproven.
“I wanted to go to a proven stallion to give her a chance. At that stage, High Chaparral and Fastnet Rock had decent results as a cross. So You Think (High Chaparral) had a few black-type horses on that cross,” Unwala said.
“I’m not really hung up on nicks and crosses, though they’re part of the big equation, but I felt Dundeel was a stallion who was underrated and I expected him to have a surge.”
That he did. Unwala put Our Girl Raquie to him at a fee of $66,000 (inc GST). Four years later, with eight Group 1 winners to his name, he’s at $88,000.
Kingofwallstreet, Dundeel’s 31st individual stakes victor, was a beautiful if compact type from the day he was born at his mum’s residence Kitchwin Hills. Unwala offered him at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale, but he was passed in short of his reserve – of $120,000.
“I felt that was modest, but ultimately the market didn’t value him at that – plain and simple,” Unwala said. “He was on the smaller side – which is what you’d expect from Dundeel, but he was strong and had a lovely action.”
Two close friends of Unwala’s did like him – Ross Hatton from Rathmore Stud and Johnny McConnell of McConnell Bloodstock. They bought in privately, and are still enjoying the ride, with their first stakes winner.
Several months later, the colt was offered at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, and was again passed in initially, before being bought by Cumani and bloodstock agent Johnny McKeever – still only fetching that weanling reserve – of $120,000.
“We took him to Adelaide as we wanted to stand him out at that sale. He could have easily made a few other sales,” Unwala says. “He was very popular, but when he came into the ring, there was not much action, much to our surprise. We thought he was easily a $200,000 colt, but again the market didn’t align with us.”
Noting McKeever had shown much interest, Unwala and company pursued him and Cumani to complete the sale.
“Plenty of credit goes to Johnny McKeever as he was on the money,” Unwala says. “Ross, Johnny, myself and other partners also kept a share.
“I did joke with the boys at the yearling sale that we’d have the last laugh when he is running the Derby. I’m not calling myself Nostradamus, but sometimes things come to fruition.”
Ballarat-based Cumani is a huge fan of Dundeel. So are his parents Luca and Sara.
With former Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) raider – and dual Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) winner – Luca now retired from training, the couple operate Newmarket’s Fittocks Stud as a highly successful boutique operation. Arrowfield has engaged with them in foal shares to Dundeel on a couple of occasions, most recently with the mare Tigeen (O’Reilly), who Matt bought on their behalf with Phill Cataldo at Karaka in 2016, and trained to win three races.
As usual, Cumani the younger inspected all the Dundeels at that Adelaide sale. As indicated by his missed reserve, Kingofwallstreet wasn’t quite a must-have.
“He was a very pretty horse, very good looking with beautiful colouring and markings,” Cumani told It’s In The Blood. “But I was a bit concerned about his size.”
Now three, he still stands at just 15.2-and-a-half hands. The half might be important to him, since average height is 15.3.
“There was some umming and ahing on my part, but I realised that was silly really,” Cumani said. “Dundeel wasn’t a very big horse himself, but it’s just that when you’re looking at all these big beautiful yearlings and you see one who’s a bit small, you worry it might limit him.
“But my parents have always done particularly well with smaller horses. Some of their best families at the farm are from small mares.
“And it shouldn’t be a problem – if you like the horse you should buy the horse irrespective of size, unless they’re too big of course.
“But the colt is perfectly put together, with a deep girth, not too heavy and not too light boned.
“Combine that with his pedigree and he was a pretty good purchase – the Dundeels who I love, and a family where the third dam is Shantha’s Choice. That’s not so exclusive any more, but it’s always nice to think your horse can go back a couple of generations and tap into some of the best bloodlines in Australia.”
Cumani has done particularly well out of Dundeel. In fact, having trained 11 individual winners by him from 17 runners (65 per cent), he ranks third behind the far bigger stables of Chris Waller (15 winners) and Ciaron Maher (12) among Dundeel’s most successful trainers.
“I just liked his first crop – their athleticism, their action, their balance, the way they were built, the balance of muscle and bone,” Cumani said.
“When you see a horse in a first season that you’re drawn to – like, most recently I’ve really liked the D’Argentos – you pay extra attention to them and try to buy them. Then when you’re proven right because a stallion has success, it gives you a bit of extra confidence.”
Despite being more than proven, the stock of ATC Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Dundeel remain relatively economical, perhaps because of a reputation for being headstrong. Cumani is one who’s profiting.
“I think they’re misunderstood,” he said. “People might think they’re unruly, and that that’s something innate or inherent in those horses and unfixable, whereas if you treat them a certain way, you can work with it.”
Still chasing a first Group 1, Cumani’s stand-out Dundeel so far has been Hit The Shot, who was at least extremely profitable, being sold to Hong Kong for more than $2 million after running second in the VRC Derby of 2020.
Kingofwallstreet might just go one better, making both horse and trainer Derby winners.
Like father, like son.