Lost opportunity?
Hindsight is, as they say, twenty-twenty, and as that relates to opportunities lost regarding stallions, Darci Brahma (Danehill) comes close to fitting that lost opportunity.
The term: “Flying under the radar” seems appropriate and Darci Brahma has done that for most of his career.
A very nice Group 2 win by his daughter Sierra Sue in the PB Lawrence Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday could not be a better reminder of just how under-appreciated the son of Danehill (Danzig) might be.
The win was not Sierra Sue’s first at this level. She landed Flemington’s Rose of Kingston Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) last October season and has banked more than $500,000 from seven wins in only 16 career starts.
Several weeks ago Kiwi Chronicles made similar observations about Grangewilliam Stud’s Zed (Zabeel) as well as Hallmark Stud’s Super Easy, who just happens to be a son of Darci Brahma.
Zed, of course, is represented by the eight-times Group 1 star Verry Elleegant while Super Easy has just emerged from his most successful season, highlighted by Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Bonny Lass, Trentham’s Anniversary Handicap (Gr 3, 1600m) winner Super Strike and Listed winners Sheezallmine and Spine Tingle.
Even though Super Easy, who is from Darci Brahma’s first crop, sired the very speedy Prom Queen in his first crop, breeders seem reluctant to recognise the successes of both sire and son.
Kiwi Chronicles contacted Rick Williams from The Oaks Stud, where Darci Brahma resides, for his observations as the stallion enters his twilight years.
“His stats are so obvious and it’s a bit of mystery as to why his stock do not make as much at the sales as you might expect,” began Williams.
“They perform on the track and his record here at home plus in Hong Kong and Singapore is just super.”
A candid Williams then commented: “The one thing that might have counted against him at the sales is size. They could be a half a hand bigger and that might have made the difference but at the same time, the smaller ones have been just as good as the bigger ones.
“Darci Brahma fits a similar mold to Pins, who was a terrific sire, but not rewarded in the sales ring,” continued Williams, who added: “He is very well, in good health and, in fact, quite sprightly. His bookings are very consistent and it is likely he will serve around a hundred mares this season.”
Darci Brahma has single-handedly kept the Danehill banner aloft in New Zealand while in Australia the Danehill line has completely dominated the annual sire rankings for the last decade.
Eight of the last ten Australian Sire Premierships have gone the way of Danehill’s sons and grandsons, Snitzel accounting for four successive titles. On two occasions the Danehill line filled four of the top five on the earners’ rankings and on a further five occasions, three of the top five. The word ‘dominance’ may be insufficient to describe this feat.
Here in New Zealand, Darci Brahma may not have secured a Sire Premiership but he has certainly been ultra consistent from the 2012-13 season when, from his third crop, he finished third. In the intervening years he has finished second four times, three of those in succession (2013-14 to 2015-16).
During the seven-year winning reign of Savabeel (Zabeel), Darci Brahma has been runner-up three times as well as once third and twice fourth.
Against power house Waikato Stud, in the 2013-14 season, he headed Savabeel (third) but had to settle for second behind their O’Reilly (Last Tycoon).
With eleven crops to race, the 19-year-old stallion is about to embark on his 15th stud season.
His best, so far, is the crop of 2012-13. From 89 runners he sired ten stakes winners. His best crop from a stakes wins perspective was his initial 2008-09 batch which accrued 25 stakes victories, much aided by the nine stakes wins in Singapore for Super Easy.
Of his 53 stakes winners, 11 have succeeded at the elite Group 1 level and three of those (Nashville, Julinsky Prince and Recite) have managed the feat twice.
Darci Brahma’s ability to sire top fillies is significant, as four of his classic winners represent the fairer sex. Gust Of Wind took out the Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) and Artistic the New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m), while Risque and Kahma Lass each bagged the New Zealand One Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m).
The first mentioned receives a special note from Rick Williams: “Gust Of Wind was the last horse to defeat Winx.” That makes for a good trivia question and answer.
A classic Guineas winner himself, Darci Brahma was the Champion two- and three-year-old of his crop as well as the Champion Sprinter in 2006-07.
His sole classic-winning male is the brilliant New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Catalyst who is back in work with Tony Pike and is looking to return to his former exciting self in the next few months.
A possible explanation as to why Darci Brahma has not been as attractive to Australian buyers is the well of Danehill blood in Australia. It is vast, as discussed above, yet despite being overlooked he might have the last laugh with his broodmares.
Already his young mares have produced 62 individual winners including three Australian Group winners headed by Doomben Roses (Gr 2, 2000m) winner Only Words (Sweynesse), Tulloch Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) winner Yaletown (Vancouver) and Maribyrnong Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) winner Finance Tycoon (Written Tycoon), also the winner of the rich VOBIS Showdown Stakes (1200m).
Also out of a Darci Brahma mare, and bred on the same cross as Only Words, is recent Hong Kong export Solid Impact (Sweynesse) who raced here as Explosively. He showed quality and speed to be twice Group placed in his few races, and it will be no surprise to see him make some noise there.
Few and far between
Sierra Sue descends from a family that is not exactly prolific for producing stakes winners. In ten generations and the passing of 100 years there have been just eleven stakes winners, however, if one were to invest in the family, the branch represented by Sierra Sue is the one to stick with.
During the early 1970s, and three generations closer, appears Breathalyser (Battle-Waggon), winner of the Great Northern Oaks (Gr 1, 12f) and two further Group races.
Thirty years on, the family’s best representative, by a country mile, is Tit For Taat (Faltaat), whose 15 victories included 11 at stakes level, of which five were Group 1s: the New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas, Captain Cook Stakes (1600m), Telegraph Handicap (1200m), Waikato Draught Sprint (1400m) and Levin Bayer Classic (1600m). He took his form to Brisbane scoring the Sir Byrne Hart Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Eagle Farm and was named New Zealand Horse of the Year in 2002-03.
Tit For Taat is a half-brother to Sierra Sue’s granddam Miss Tree, a Group 3 placed daughter of Oregon (Halo).
A half-sister to Sierra Sue’s dam Centree (Centaine) is Miss Puzzle (Citidancer) who, after winning three in New Zealand and capturing a Listed placing at Ellerslie, was exported to the US where she has since produced two stakes winners, including dual Grade 1 winner Fashion Plate (Old Fashioned), winner of the Santa Anita Oaks (8.5f) as well as the Las Virgenes Stakes (8f), also at Santa Anita.
Centree has visited Darci Brahma just the once and since Sierra Sue has foaled two colts to Per Incanto (Street Cry) including the Hong Kong winner Oscar Glory. She was not served for two seasons and was covered by Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Empire) last year.
Sierra Sue is one five winners from her dam and is being set for the rich Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) at Caulfield later this month.
Second season sires earning breakthroughs
At the 2020 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale a total of 11 new sires were represented by their first crops. Having lost a number of key stallions in their prime, the industry therefore had fewer options and was forced to look further afield and take a gamble on which sires might propel the industry.
Just turned three and keeping in mind that Kiwi-breds are not renowned for their two-year-old precociousness, how are those 11 shaping up?
From a stud master’s viewpoint, the wait-and-see aura hangs over this next covering season. Breeders don’t always get it right and many times make their decisions prematurely, such is the commercial fashion and fads of the industry.
First up is Belardo (Lope de Vega) and the Haunui Farm shuttler has already claimed a title, that of leading New Zealand First Season Sire.
A Group 1 winner at two and at four, Belardo got his stud career off to a flying start with his initial northern hemisphere crop, resulting in four stakes winners including Group winners in England, Ireland and France.
His first New Zealand runners include Listed winner Avonallo and twice Group placed Fonsalette.
It’s very early days yet for Preferment (Zabeel), the four-time Group 1 winner. While his Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) win takes precedence he was effective over 2000 metres as a four-year-old in the Australian Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) and the Turnbull Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), both at Victoria’s headquarters Flemington.
Preferment has had just two runners but we should be seeing a few more in the coming months. The wait-and-see crowd will just have to be a little more patient.
New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Puccini (Encosta de Lago) remained sound through five seasons of racing and attracted sufficient mares to have more than 100 foals on the ground in his first three crops. His first crop includes Wolfgang who, at two last season, placed in a Group 3 race as well as a Listed event.
Rageese (Street Cry), the Group 3 Flemington winner and Group 1 placed two-year-old, has had several runners, including placegetter Ridgers. He has exactly 100 foals from his first three crops and his book increased for his fourth season suggesting that mare owners are happy with his foals.
Tarzino (Tavistock) has the responsibility of fulfilling the Tavistock (Montjeu) legacy and has made a nice start, siring the promising Jungle Magnate, a winner at Sandown on debut in June. Tarzino’s best season was at three including the Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) in the spring, extending his form through to the autumn with another classic, the Rosehill Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m).
Alongside Tarzino at Westbury Stud is well supported Telperion (Street Cry), who was one of the better Sydney two-year-olds of his year, winning at Listed level, finishing second in the Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and fourth in the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
From just three runners he already has the Group 2 two-year-old stakes winner, Stormy, who has since been exported to Hong Kong and will race there under the name of Five Elements.
You can expect to see more Telperions winning as the season unfolds.
Much is expected of Waikato Stud’s Group 1 stallion Tivaci (High Chaparral) as his first foals made a big impression on buyers.
With perfect timing for the impending stud season he is front and centre in the news this past week having sired his first winner last Wednesday (at Belmont, Perth) then followed that up the very next day with the John O’Shea-trained filly Mascherata, who was most impressive at Scone. The filly is highly regarded by her connections and is to be set some stakes assignments during this spring.
Turn Me Loose (Iffraaj) has made a splendid beginning to his stud career. Along with Ribchester and Wyndspelle, Turn Me Loose provides breeders with some sort of continuity of the great success enjoyed by their sire Iffraaj (Zafonic).
He was some racehorse, taking on and defeating the best that Australia could serve up and has been given his chance at stud. Among his initial crop is the undefeated Listed winner Turn The Ace and Listed placed Verbeek.
Vadamos (Monsun) and Tivaci were neck and neck on popularity at the 2020 Karaka Yearling Sale, with Vadamos inching ahead on sale average. His second crop also sold well, meaning that buyers are pleased with their purchases.
The Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Gr 1, 1600m) winner has already sired his first two New Zealand winners to go along with a further 31 winners in the northern hemisphere, where he has just two crops of racing age, including the twice Group 3 placed Spycatcher.
Windsor Park Stud’s Vanbrugh (Encosta de Lago) has had four runners to date including the highly promising filly Mustang Valley, who was impressive recently at Te Rapa. With less than 70 foals on the ground in three seasons at stud, the Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000) and dual Group 3 winner has had to battle hard for support but the way Mustang Valley performed, his book is sure to be stronger this season.
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Stakes (Gr 1, 8f) winner Wrote (High Chaparral) has had just three runners from his first New Zealand crop, including the tough filly And We Danced, who won on debut at the end of May.
High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) is revered in Australasia and for good reason. So You Think, Dundeel and Toronado are making a lot of noise, while a look at Wrote’s enormous female family reveals an outstanding pedigree.
Hype minus the trunk
The hype is real for Elephant (Shocking), who remained undefeated in five starts and was impressive on his Melbourne debut over 1400 metres last Saturday.
Similar to his four New Zealand runs, he rounded up his opponents then bounded into the lead for his biggest and best win yet.
He is certainly a very exciting addition to the New Zealand raiders and, judging from this latest effort, his future looks both bright and exciting.
If he continues in this vein his sire Shocking (Street Cry) will have a few more Australian admirers next January at the Karaka sales.
It’s all too easy to look at Shocking as a Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) winner, which he won as a four-year-old, but at five he returned to Flemington to bag a Group 2 over 1600 metres as well as the Australian Cup (Gr 1, 2000m).
Elephant has inherited some of his brilliance from his stakes-winning dam Ticklish (Maroof), a very speedy mare whose nine wins did not extend beyond 1200 metres, her premier performance coming in the 1000-metre Pegasus Stakes (Listed) at Riccarton.
Pretty good
Talking of families, ANZ Bloodstock News concentrates on Flat racing but, just for fun, Kiwi Chronicles traced the pedigree of the outstanding jumper Tallyho Twinkletoe (St Reims) who has now won the double-double of the Australian Grand National Hurdle and Steeplechase and, on Saturday, completed the New Zealand Grand National Hurdle and Steeplechase.
The grand old campaigner traces directly to the brilliant Pretty Polly (Gallinule) from whom Champion Sire Foxbridge (Foxlaw), and, more recently, Tavistock (Montjeu) also descend.
Pretty Polly won 22 of her 24 starts and was undefeated in nine starts at two. Her dam, Admiration (Saraband), was tried as a steeplechaser before producing nine winners.
Influential sire Donatello II (Blenheim), Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) winner St Paddy (Aureole) and champion Brigadier Gerard (Queen’s Hussar) all descend from Pretty Polly.