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Eliza Park Stud 27/02/02 Media Release
Names don't come any bigger than Nureyev, Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber, the Yasuda Kinen and Shadai Farm when speaking in the now truly international language of thoroughbred bloodstock.
All four represent the pinnacle of racing and breeding worldwide, in addition to being readily associated with the very latest star stallion recruited by Eliza Park.
After a lengthy period in search of a world-class stallion to bring to Eliza Park for the 2002 breeding season, the management team of one of Australia's most progressive thoroughbred nurseries has successfully negotiated the southern hemisphere standing rights to the outstanding Japanese performed galloper Black Hawk (GB).
Retired from the racetrack at the backend of last year, this elite individual is presently covering his first book of mares in the northern hemisphere after which he will make the trip Down Under to Romsey, Victoria, and feature among the prized shuttle stallions for the coming domestic breeding season.
One of the outstanding racehorses to have competed in Japan in recent time, Black Hawk will head to Australia later this year as well credentialed and as well connected as any dual hemisphere serving stallion to have crossed the equator.
A striking individual with a rich brown coloured coat and bold white face, Black Hawk is a supremely-bred son of Nureyev in the mould of Polar Falcon, one of the champion stallion's most outstanding racehorses and subsequently successful sire-sons.
Black Hawk enters in to the stud ranks at a time when Nureyev is represented by a string of outstanding young sire prospects, Spinning World (USA), Peintre Celebre (USA), Fasliyev (USA) and Stravinsky (USA) included, which promise to uphold this particular strain's name as one of the most fashionable contemporary sirelines.
Bred by the acclaimed Watership Down Stud owned by Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber, the world's most celebrated modern-day composer, Black Hawk was raised in Britain then shipped to Japan through the United States to embark on a racing career during which he would earn the reputation of being one of the finest sprinter/milers seen in the burgeoning thoroughbred region.
Over five seasons, from three through to seven years of age, Black Hawk continually opposed the finest performers of his era, in the process racking-up the auspicious record of nine wins, eight seconds, six thirds and the equivalent of $US5,750,386 in stakes from just 28 career outings. And yes, that should read in excess of $US5,750,386 in stakes!
Two wins, in particular, performances which came two years apart, reveal the full merit of Black Hawk's ability and resolve.
Firstly, in the Sprinters Stakes (Jpn-G1) of 1999, Black Hawk finished over the top of world-class sprinter Agnes World (USA) to record a last stride success in Japan's premier sprint.
Not only does the blistering time of 1m 8.2s illustrate the excellence of his performance, the fact that Agnes World recorded wins in the Newmarket July Cup (G1) and Longchamp Prix de l'Abbaye (G1) on a subsequently European raid establishes the full extent of Black Hawk's pure sprinting ability.
More recently, Black Hawk was seen at his potent best in winning the 2001 Yasuda Kinen Stakes (Jpn-G1), the world's richest event conducted over a mile. Once again responsible for a remarkable winning time, the exceptional son of Nureyev stopped the clock at 1m 33.0s.
Equally notable about the performance was the calibre of racehorse which opposed Black Hawk in the Yasuda Kinen and which was duly handed a thrashing. Among the beaten division in one of the world's great 1600-metre contests was the Hong Kong super-horse Fairy King Prawn, trailing-in over five lengths in arrears; Japan's ultra-convincing 2001 Hong Kong Invitational Mile winner Eishin Preston, beaten over six lengths; and six-time Australian Group 1 winner Testa Rossa, who finished over 12 lengths adrift of the winner.
Throughout his career, Black Hawk exhibited rare speed over all sprint distances. Indeed, in addition to the remarkable times recorded in the two feature wins of his career, it is also worth noting that he ran 1m 20.20s to win a Group 2 contest over 1400 metres.
Black Hawk's bloodlines are a fascinating mix of the world's greatest sireline over an exceptionally well performed female family.
A son of one of the world's most celebrated and versatile stallions, the Nureyev entire is from Silver Lane, winner of the Group 3 Longchamp Prix de la Grotte and a placegetter in the Group 1 Curragh Irish Oaks for her generation.
In addition to producing Black Hawk, Silver Lane's four runners also include the Irish stakes winner Shakespeare, a notable performer in Hong Kong, and the French Group horse Starmaniac.
While Silver Lane was a very decent racetrack performer herself, Silver Lane's full-brother was even better. The quality dam of Black Hawk is own-sister to Hawkster, a three-time US Grade 1 winner regarded as the finest American turf runner of his time. Silver Kite, another full-brother to Silver Lane, also proved to be a high-class runner on turf, winning the time honoured Deauville Prix Yacowlef (LR) as a juvenile before placing third in the Longchamp Prix de la Salamandre (G1) that same season.
Eliza Park's arrangement with Shadai Farm - a Japanese icon in terms of the thoroughbred breeding industry - to bring Black Hawk to Australia for the 2002 breeding industry is another major coup for a stud farm which has not failed to enhance its profile during each of its handful of years in existence.
Even in light of its achievements to date, the senior management of the stud has excelled itself in securing a world-class individual with so much to offer local broodmare owners.
Black Hawk (GB) will stand the Australian 2002 breeding season at a fee of $12,500 (plus GST). For any further information contact general manager Denis Roberts on (03) 5428 5168.
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