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6.
Hong Kong star
confirms Widden's Anabaa as a world class sire
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04/6/2003 |
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The powerhouse win of Precision at the weekend in one of Hong Kong's most
prestigious races, the Group 1 Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup (2400m),
confirms that his sire Anabaa is now one of the leading international sources of
winners.
Also winner of the Group1 Hong Kong Cup last December and earlier a second
placegetter in their Derby and now earner of A$5.1million, Precision is a France
bred five-year-old from the first crop of Anabaa, a great Danzig sprinter used
in that country and also at the Widden Stud in the Hunter Valley region.
An aspirant for the Hong Kong Horse of the Year title, Precision's achievement
means that Anabaa has already had Group1 winners in three countries, the other
two being France and Australia. All told eight of his progeny including three
millionaires have been Group1 monery earners including five winners headed by
Anabaa Blue (French Derby) in France, Precision in Hong Kong and Yell in
Australia.
Showing the benefit of the use of Anabaa at Widden with a daughter of a speed
sire, Bluebird, the current three-year-old Yell could end up being named this
season's champion Australian sprinter following three Group1 wins in Melbourne,
the Futurity Stakes and C.F. Orr Stakes at Caulfield and the Australia Stakes at
Moonee Valley.
Anabaa has been an exciting sire in Australia since he had his first Widden Stud
sired progeny race in the 2000-01 season, one in which his first runner, Donna
Natalia, sizzled to a 5 3/4 lengths win in race record time in the historic
Gimcrack Stakes at Randwick.
The champion European sprinter of 1996, a year he ran seven times for six
successive wins, Anabaa is one of four superior sons available in the southern
hemisphere seasons that make the Widden Stud one of the world's best sources of
Danzig, one of the greatest speed influences of all time and of course also the
sire of the spectacular Danehill.
Another of Widden's Danzigs well established as a leading international sire is
the former crack New York sprinter Belong top Me, the sire of 27 stakes winners
to date for American and Australian racing including five successful at Group1
level.
Two of his progeny sired at Widden, the oldest of which are only
three-year-olds, have been Bulla Borghese (won the Victoria Oaks) and Before too
Long (Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Moonee Valley).
Widden's other two visiting Danzigs are to have their first yearlings at 2004
sales.They are Agnes World (a champion northern hemisphere sprinter, winning
major races in France, England and Japan and setter of a national 1200 metre
record in the latter country) and Mujahid (the champion European two-year-old of
1998 and an English Two Thousand Guineas placegetter at three).
by
Brian Russell Bloodstock Media Service |
