Mullaglass barracking for The Little Pumper in Nursery
McClenahan’s faith in Shalaa could pay off in Inglis’ $500,000 juvenile race at Randwick on Saturday
Former shuttler Shalaa (Invincible Spirit) now calls Arrowfield Stud home on a permanent basis and Scone veterinarian Richard McClenahan is glad the European sprinter is here to stay.
About to finish his sixth southern hemisphere stud season in the Hunter Valley, Shalaa is the sire of four southern hemisphere-bred stakes winners and 82 individual winners from 153 runners, principally last season’s Reisling Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) scorer Seven Veils and first–crop colt Shaquero, the 2021 Magic Millions 2YO Classic (Listed, 1200m) winner.
Dr McClenahan, who also operates Mullaglass Stud with his wife Kim, has sent mares to Shalaa each and every season and the result of one of those matings, unraced two-year-old colt The Little Pumper, will line up in Saturday’s $500,000 Inglis Nursery (Listed, 1000m).
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained juvenile, a $120,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale purchase in February by his trainers and Kestrel Thoroughbreds’ Bruce Slade, tuned up for the lucrative Randwick sales-restricted race with a Warwick Farm barrier trial win on November 18, his second public hit-out.
“I would expect a very nice run from him as he always looked like he was going to be precocious and he looks to be a nice horse,” McClenahan said yesterday.
“He showed a bit of talent and a bit of maturity (in his barrier trial).”
The Little Pumper, sold through the Valiant Stud draft for the McClenahans, is a son of the ATC Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) runner-up Sensibility (Redoute’s Choice), the dam of four winners from as many foals to race.
McClenahan paid $140,000 for the mare at the online Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale, during the early peak of the Pandemic.
“We went to see them on the farm at Segenhoe before the sale and obviously being by Redoute’s Choice, he’s a good broodmare sire, and I liked Shalaa and I’ve sent mares to him every year since he’s been in Australia,” the breeder said.
“Shalaa had a phenomenally good start with the Magic Millions winner (Shaquero) and he’s consistently there at the trials and at the races (with his progeny), so I think he’s a really good stallion and I think he’s a bit underrated and under the radar.
“We’ve supported him again heavily this year.”
A strong performance on Saturday in the Nursery – he is $7.50 fourth favourite behind Facile (Trapeze Artist) ($2.20 favourite); Blac De Blanc (I Am Invincible) ($4.40); Disneck (Trapeze Artist) ($5.50) – would only enhance the appeal of the Mullaglass-bred half-sister by Castelvecchio (Dundeel) who will be offered through the Valiant Stud draft at next year’s Classic sale. She is catalogued as Lot 50.
“She is a beautiful filly, very feminine, a good mover, a nice type of filly,” McClenahan said.
“Unfortunately, [her dam, Sensibility] missed last year, but she’s in foal to St Mark’s Basilica this year. His sire Siyouni is a stallion who is obviously going really well in Europe and he has had a few horses over here who are running well (notably Northerly Stakes winner Arcadia Jewel).
“St Mark’s Basilica is a beautiful style of horse when I saw him and he’s an outcross as well.”
To add his attachment to the family, McClenahan paid $55,000 earlier this year for an I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) half-sister to The Little Pumper.
Named Sensitivity, a three-time winner who was sold by Belmont Bloodstock as agent through an Inglis Digital sale in April, she foaled a colt by Churchill (Galileo) in August and she was served by Pierata (Pierro) in September.