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26.
Snowland To
Stand At Widden
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09/09/2002 |
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It
was an exciting twenty minutes for Widden Stud’s Antony Thompson. Shortly
after All Of Me and Helenus, products of Widden stallions Belong To Me and
Helissio respectively, staged a thrilling duel in the $101,000 Drumstick Royale
Plate at Flemington on Saturday, courageous sprinter Snowland took out the Group
3 Roman Consul Stakes at Randwick. Thompson revealed after the race that Widden
and Snowland’s owner, Gooree Stud’s Eduardo Cojuangco, had agreed to stand
the quality son of Snippets at Widden Stud at the finish of his racing career.
Snowland’s sire Snippets was the best-performed son of Widden Studs
outstanding stallion Lunchtime to go to stud. The winner of the time-honoured
Dewhurst Stakes Lunchtime perhaps did not get the recognition he deserved as he
stood alongside the Widden greats, Bletchingly, Vain and Marscay.
His underrated son Integra produced the champion racehorse Intergaze a popular
addition to the Widden stallion roster.
Sons of Snippets already at stud in Australia include Spartacus, Picnicker,
Akhenaton and High Rolling.
Lunchtime also proved to be an exceptional broodmare sire. His daughters have
produced Canny Lad, Over, Canny Lass, True Jewels, Canny Lass, Lady Jakeo etc.
Having his sixth race start, All Of Me (Belong To Me-Mysticaro (USA) by Seattle
Slew) was coming off a win in a Bendigo maiden on August 25. The Mathew Ellerton-trained
three-year old showed an electrifying turn of foot half way down the Flemington
straight to leave a high-class bunch in his wake. It was left to the Leon
Corstens-trained Helenus, which had been caught flat-footed when All Of Me
accelerated, to make a race of it with the eventual winner.
A David Hains homebred All Of Me is the third named foal of the royally bred
mare Mysticaro. A daughter of the immortal Seattle Slew Mysticaro is a half
sister to the English 2000 Guineas winner Mystiko, which was bred by Haines when
he operated a division of his Kingston Park Stud in Kentucky. Sold as a yearling
for US$150,000 Mystiko, a son of Epsom Derby winner Secreto, won the 2000
Guineas in the colours of the late Lady Beaverbrook.
Finishing third in the opening event at Flemington on Saturday was the promising
stakes placed, Kingston Park bred filly Coupe (Spinning World). Like All Of Me,
Coupe, a half sister to VRC Sires Produce Stakes winner Coup De Grace, is out of
a daughter of Seattle Slew. Coupe’s dam Kingston Coup is a daughter of the
grand racemare Spirit Of Kingston (Bletchingly), winner of three Group 1 races
the VRC Oaks, STC Rosehill Guineas and Canterbury Guineas.
The runner-up in the Drumstick Royale Plate, Helenus, gained many admirers for
the VRC Derby. Having just his third start in a race Helenus finished powerfully
to get within a long head of All Of Me on the line. Helenus comes from the first
Australian crop of the 1996 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Helissio (Fairy
King), which spent two seasons at Widden.
An 80,000 purchase by Newmarc Thoroughbreds at the 2001 Easter Sale, Helenus is
the second foal of his dam, Worldwide Elsie, a three-times winning daughter of
the champion racehorse Java Gold (Key To The Mint).
It will pay to keep an eye on this most promising young horse.
By: Mark Smith
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