Royal Mile could finally deliver Danerich and his trainer Group 1 glory
The outcome of last weekend’s Australasian Oaks (Gr 1, 2000m) at Morphettville was one for the battlers, with popular country Victorian trainer Chris Calthorpe winning the feature with a game $5,000 filly called Media Award (Shamus Award).
And tomorrow the winning trend of the lesser lights could continue in the South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m).
Mt Gambier trainer Lee Creek has Royal Mile (Danerich) engaged in the race, who, like Media Award, was a cheap purchase costing just $26,000 from the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale in 2019.
Speaking to ANZ Bloodstock News as he floated the horse to Adelaide yesterday, Creek said he drew plenty of inspiration from the success of Media Award and Chris Calthorpe last Saturday.
“I turned to my wife when Chris (Calthorpe) won the race and said to her see you don’t need to be Ciaron Maher or Hayes or Waller to win a Group 1,” he said.
“You take confidence from those things and you have to back yourself and the horse that you have.”
Creek has every confidence about Royal Mile tomorrow, and why wouldn’t he given the horse has won five of his eight starts including his last four on the trot.
Last start he won the Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 2040m) and prior to that he won another of the key SA Derby lead-ups, the Port Adelaide Guineas (Listed, 1800m).
“I’m very bullish about him, he’s highly talented and from that barrier (2) he will get a good run and he can lead or sit off a hot or slow speed. So I’m very confident he will run well,” the trainer said.
Creek is a huge fan of the progeny of Danerich (Danehill) and says Royal Mile’s breeding was essentially what drew him to the horse at the sales.
“I have had a couple of Danerich horses and I was always keen to get another one but they are hard to come by at the sales.
“He’s a cracking type and I had to have him. He had great X-rays and everything about him and what you look for in a yearling, he had it. He’s a really nice horse.”
Royal Mile is 100 per cent owned by Rob Dycer, who is aged in his seventies and has been an owner with Creek since he started training 11 years ago.
“This is the first horse he’s owned outright. He doesn’t like the limelight and likes to stay in the background. It’s all a bit much for him some days.”
Since Royal Mile started winning races, Creek said he’s been inundated with offers from Hong Kong to buy him, but Dycer has resisted.
“He’s very happy at the moment,” said Creek. “There’s been a lot of offers to buy the horse. Hong Kong has been chasing him which is very stressful because they throw the money at you, but he’s fortunate he doesn’t need the money and says he’s in it for the ride.”
Royal Mile was bred and sold by Wellington Park, a stud farm based near Violet Town in Victoria, that is owned and run by former Olympic show jumping rider and racehorse trainer David Brideoake.
He’s out of their unraced Street Sense (Street Cry) mare Street Blaze.
“I have to thank David and Tom who bred the horse. If they hadn’t sent that mare to Danerich I wouldn’t have looked at him. If he wasn’t by Danerich I may have overlooked him,” added Creek.
“When the owner was looking to buy I said ‘these Danerich horses, there are not many that don’t win races’.”
Danerich, a half-brother to two-time The Everest (1200m) winner Redzel (Snitzel), has stood at Rangal Park Stud since the beginning of his breeding career in 2007 but, sadly, he had to be moved this week to Rockwell Stud.
Rangal Park’s stud master Eric Butler was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer and has to shut up shop.
“Due to my ill health that’s the way it has to be I’m afraid,” said Butler.
“You can’t live on forever. I’m 81 years of age and there are a lot of people that have gone before me,” said a philosophical Butler.
Despite being a stalwart of the Australian stallion ranks, Danerich is yet to win a Group 1 with his progeny on the racetrack. He’s been close though with several Group 2 winners, including Richie’s Vibe and Rich Charm, while his line lives on through Kingstar Farm stallion Lord Of The Sky, who has had his first yearlings sell this year.
“I would have loved to have seen him get the first book of mares that stallions in the Hunter get, then it would have been a different story.
“He’s a very fertile stallion and underrated stallion. He’s done very well considering the standard of mares that have been presented to him,” he said.
Today might finally be the day for Danerich to reach that elusive Group 1 milestone with Royal Mile.
And what a good tonic that would be for so many people involved in his son’s journey to the post in today’s South Australian Derby.