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82.
Watch Out For This Hot Shot
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27/07/2002 |
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Many patrons at the Belmont meeting on Saturday walked from the course believing they had witnessed the emergence of the next star galloper from the west. Two-year old gelding Hot Shot Brother, starting a red-hot 4/9 favourite, gave his backers little cause for concern, cruising home 5 ¼-lengths clear of his nearest pursuer. If the son of Key Business makes it to the top ranks he wont be the first galloper from his family to gain national attention.
A $37,500 purchase by Belhus Racing Stables at the 2001 Magic Millions Sale in Perth, Hot Shot Brother remains undefeated in his three racetrack performances. He is a full brother to stakes winning mare Cool Business, which was due to run in the race following Hot Shot Brother’s however she did not run. The winner of over $260,000 Cool Business, 3 years senior to Hot Shot Brother, has won 13 races and placed a further 7 times from 28 starts. She earned her black type with a win in the WATC H.G. Bolton Sprint (LR) (1200 m.) earlier this season.
Hot Shot Brother is the fifth named foal of the Protos mare Cold Fusion a five-time winner in Perth and a daughter of the one of the West’s most influential broodmares, Elmhurst. The dam of 9 foals Elmhurst produced the popular old gelding Machine Gun Tom, winner of over $400,000 including the 1998 Group 1 Railway Stakes and the 1999 Group 3 Easter Stakes.
The first three foals out of Elmhurst were all fillies and were all winners. Her first foal Easter Mystique (Hammed) won 9 races and was stakes-placed in the Group 3 Winter Stakes. However it was in the broodmare barn that Eastern Mystique was to gain international recognition. Her second foal was a son of Old Spice named Rogan Josh, winner of the 1999 Group 1 VRC Melbourne Cup and Group 1 VRC Mackinnon Stakes.
Elmhurst’s second foal Saracen Girl, a sister to Mystique Lady, produced as her first foal the grand campaigner Corporate James (Corporate Raider). Although he didn’t begin racing until he was four years old Corporate James went on to win 20 races and placed a further 12 times from 60 starts for earnings of just under $600,000. Seven of those wins and 8 placings came in stakes races. As a seven-year old Corporate James won the Tatt's Club (NSW) Tramway H. (G3) (1400 m.) and finished second in the MVRC Waterford Crystal Mile (G2), AJC Hall Mark S. (LR) and was third in the BATC Doomben 10000 H. (G1). The tough old gelding was still winning stakes races as a nine-year old when he was successful in the WATC Goodwood Sprint (LR) (1300 m).
The remarkable aspect of this wonderful stakes producing family is that the great majority of the stallions represented would hardly be known outside the west.
Key Business, the sire of Hot Shot Brother, won 4 of his 14 starts including the WATC N.J. Way Quality S. (LR) (1100 m.) WATC Placid Ark Quality S. (LR) (1200 m.), Beaufine Quality Sprint H. L (1000 m.) and was third in the WATC Winterbottom S. (G2). A son of Chatswood Stud’s well-traveled stud success, Success Express, Key Business retired to stud in 1995. Like his own sire, Key Business was below average in the early stages of his stud career. After serving over 50 mares in his first two seasons the support for Key Business dropped off alarmingly in his third year when he served just 27 mares that produced 19 live foals. Hot Shot Brother is one of just 25 live foals from the fourth crop by Key Business.
However the first progeny by Key Business had by that time hit the racetrack and were winning with regularity. Cool Business and Express Bay became stakes winners while Monkey Business and It’s the Business became stakes-placed winners. Just as importantly the progeny of Key Business were becoming popular on the lucrative Malaysian/Singapore circuit where his son Emperor Returns has earned over $435,000.
While he may not be well known in the eastern states Key Business, which stands at Rangeview Stud for a fee of $3,850, may well have his name carried with distinction by his promising son Hot Shot Brother. If the two-year is to put his sire on the map he will also be adding to the rich heritage of descendents from his outstanding granddam Elmhurst.
By: Mark Smith
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