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43.
Australian Stud's Cheer Home Spartacus
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12/08/2002 |
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The win of the Aidan O’Brien-trained Spartacus in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday will prove a boost for his full brother Johann Cruyff, which stands at Lee Fleming's Eliza Park Stud in Victoria.
It was the fifth consecutive win for O’Brien in the Phoenix Stakes, the first European juvenile Group One event of the season. Spartacus (Danehill--Teslemi, by Ogygian) was the outsider of O'Brien’s four runners, which included the runner-up Marino Marini (Storm Cat--Halo America, by Waquoit) a US$1.8 million Keeneland September yearling. Incredibly it was Ballydoyle’s seventh consecutive win in Irish Group 1 races for two-year olds.
JOHAN CRUYFF
The powerfully built Johan Cruyff, like his brother Spartacus, was a top-class two-year old in Ireland where he won 2 of his three starts including the Group 2 Gallinule Stakes. He was later to prove a sensation in Hong Kong where his victories included the Hong Kong Derby (HKG1). The eagerly awaited first crop by Johann Cruyff will be available at next years round of yearling sales.
Gerry Harvey's Baramul Stud also celebrated the success of Spartacus, as it was lucky enough to purchase his half-sister Mantles Princess (Rock City) at the 2001 Australian Broodmare Sale for $180,000.
Mantles Princess (GB) was in foal to Desert King (Danehill), a cover that resulted in a bay filly (now a yearling) and she is currently due to foal to Flying Spur (Danehill). Gai Waterhouse will train the first foal of Mantles Princess a Danehill filly named Beefy, a three-quarter sister-in-blood to Spartacus, for prominent owner Yvonne Smith.
It was a great weekend all round for Baramul as their evergreen stallion Bite The Bullet sired a winning treble at Randwick and followed up with another winner at Belmont Park to make it four metropolitan winners on the day.
By: Mark Smith
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