Sebonack
Sebonack (Capitalist) showed some blistering speed to grab second-favouritism for the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) with his slashing debut win over 1000 metres at Caulfield last Saturday.
But there’s a diamond in his bloodlines – from a female family dripping with quality – including an Irish Classic performer, who later pulled off a major coup in Sydney’s 2400-metre feature, in the colourful days of the late 1960s.
Named after a golf course on Long Island near New York, the Team Hawkes-trained Sebonack powered home in the Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) to provide his giant, Adelaide city-winning dam Profound Wisdom (Al Samer) with a Group 3 winner from just two runners.
The first stakes winner from the second crop of Newgate stallion Capitalist (Written Tycoon), and his fifth overall, Sebonack was officially bred by Ayliffe Caldwell, a veteran at the boutique caper based near Cootamundra.
Caldwell just keeps the one mare now, which is fine, because Profound Wisdom is about the size of two put together. And she bought her in foal with Sebonack, after Rothwell Park designed the mating and sold her for $245,000 in 2019. It was a shade disappointing for Caldwell, then, when Sebonack fetched just $260,000 at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale when sold to the ill-fated Spendthrift Australia, in whose colours he still races. Still, Caldwell wishes the owners well with their “bargain” buy.
Bred by Emirates Park, Profound Wisdom, a 2010 drop, was only a $16,000 yearling, only won two of 15, but sold as a broodmare for $300,000 in 2018. She was bought by James Harron, a shrewd judge of residual value, who doubtless noted the quality of the black type deeper in the pedigree.
She’s out of Ghalia (Secret Savings), a Sydney city-winning daughter of American sire Secret Savings (Seeking The Gold). She’s best known here as the dam of Santos (I Am Invincible), winner of the 2018 Skyline Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) and now an Aquis stallion with a first crop currently at the sales.
But Ghalia also threw the Emirates-bred Melagrana (Fastnet Rock), a $200,000 yearling bought at 2014 edition of the Easter sale by Japanese giant Katsumi Yoshida. Exported to Japan just before her second birthday, she became one of the great Fastnet Rock’s (Danehill) two stakes-winners there, from 18 runners, winning at Grade 3 and Listed level.
At Sebonack’s third dam you strike pure gold. The Sydney-winning Elated Lady (Vain) helps Sebonack to a juicy 5×4 cross of her sire Vain (Wilkes) (second damsire of Capitalist’s sire Written Tycoon (Iglesia)). Elated Lady is out of the British mare Lady Upstage (High Line), making her a half-sister to the outstanding Shaftesbury Avenue (Salieri), winner of ten stakes races including six Group 1s, which would have been considerably higher but for a pesky contemporary named Super Impose (Imposing).
At stud, Elated Lady (1983) was something of a Blue Hen, producing four stakes-winners of eight stakes races to Group 2 level.
These were Mutawaajid (Redoute’s Choice), who took out the Royal Sovereign Stakes (now Arrowfield 3YO Sprint) (Gr 2, 1200m) and Hobartville Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m), and three full siblings by Snaadee (Danewin): Adeewin, who also had a brace of Group 2s in the Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) and MVRC Champagne Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), Listed winner Jivago, and Fatoon, winner of the Reisling Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m)
Fatoon in turn found breeding fame by throwing Fat Al (Al Maher), winner of the 2012 Epsom Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) and two Group 3s, as well as Sir Isaac (Dream Ahead), stakes-placed in Singapore.
Sebonack’s fifth dam Tenebel (Djebel) is a long way back, being a 1951 drop, but is key to a fascinating chapter of Anglo-Australian racing history.
She was the dam of Lady Upstage, who was exported to Australia in the 1970s, won the Christmas Cup (2400m) at Rosehill in 1978, and later threw Shaftesbury Avenue.
But Tenebel also left a colt named Khalekan (Alycidon), a son of the outstanding galloper and more than useful sire, Alycidon (Donatello II).
Foaled in 1963, Khalekan only won one modern British Group 3, the 1966 Gordon Stakes (Gr 3, 1m 4f) at Goodwood, but was placed in two others, with a second in the Irish St Leger (Gr 1, 1m 6f) and a third in the Dewhurst Stakes (Gr 1, 7f).
Khalekan had an Australian connection in that his regular rider was Des Lake, who’d gone to Britain seeking to emulate the likes of compatriots Scobie Breasley, Edgar Britt, and his great rival George Moore. “Dashing Des”, a character of the track often known for a fiery temperament, didn’t quite achieve their level of fame, but did pull off one masterstroke, for which many people were financially grateful.
“Des was so taken with Khalekan that he helped arrange for him to be imported him to Australia,” says Michael Ford, former keeper of the Australian Stud Book and still the keeper of a good few historical anecdotes (and of Lake, Moore and Mulley’s autographs, having incredulously bumped into a racing boy’s Holy Trinity in the street behind Randwick’s 1600 metre start one day).
Such an importation of an active galloper was a bit of a bold step for the age (and may have influenced the Lady Upstage importation several years later). But it proved a canny move.
Trained by Warwick Farm’s Jim Baker, Khalekan was set for the 1968 Tancred Cup at Rosehill – now the Tancred Stakes (Gr 1, 2400m). And with his formlines perhaps a little sketchy, given punting information sure ain’t what it used to be, a massive plunge was designed.
Khalekan opened at 33-1, was backed off the map, and with Lake in the saddle – and many others aboard – he did the business, in authoritative style, winning by three-quarters of a length in race record time.
The late Lake, who’d probably fall very foul of the stewards these days, once recalled of the race in a Sydney Morning Herald article: “We got the lot. Thirty-three to one until we ran out of money. We won every quid on the course.”
Lake later stood Khalekan on his Kingsfield Stud on Sydney’s western outskirts, where he sired seven stakes-winners headed by 1975 Doomben Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) victor Golden Khan.
Back to the present, Sebonack also has a three-year-old sister with two New South Wales provincial placings from three starts called Wealthofknowledge.
Caldwell reports Profound Wisdom also has a yearling filly by Rubick (Encosta De Lago), a filly foal by Dundeel (High Chaparral), and is in foal to Farnan (Not A Single Doubt).
“She’s a lovely mare but she is quite big, so I try to look for the more compact stallions for her,” Caldwell tells It’s In The Blood.
“I was just looking to upgrade my broodmares when I bought her, so it was great to see Sebonack win so well the other day. The Hawkes team has obviously taken their time with him, so hopefully that will continue to pay dividends.”