Today It's All About Me

What's in a name?

Why judge a book by his cover?

Liking comes naturally, loving is a choice.

A slow beginning makes for a fast ending.

Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it.

 

Some famous quotes, some pearls of wisdom from everyone from Aesop to Confucious.  Have we suddenly gone all philosophical? well not quite.

However we have been thinking and wondering about why our striking Commands' colt is so friendless?  He is feeling very unloved and will be our very last horse to sell - we cannot understand why on earth that would be and luckily he doesn't know why everyone seems to just pass him by.

Maybe people are put off because of his Mum's name - well to be fair, it's probably not the most classy - maybe because she is 'Adulterer' it conjures up images of some of history's most notorious!! She could of course been named philanderer, deceiver, womanizer, ladies' man, playboy, Don Juan, Casanova, Lothario, Romeo, seducer, libertine, rake, reprobate, wanton, profligate, lecher, debauchee, sinner, cheat, love cheat, love rat, skirt-chaser, ladykiller, lech, goat, wolf, stud.  But she wasn't - she is purely and simply "Adulterer" and she was actually a 'good girl' on the track -a dual winner and stakes' placed.

We have called our Commands' colt Tiger (as his stablename) and he is currently being broken in - and our head breaker James said to us today - "I think this horse is your silent achiever (not he didn't mean necessarily that great racemare) - he's an absolute star to break in, everything is done professsionally, he's smart and gives me the most terrific feel, he just gets on with it and he will show everyone what he is made of, I am very confident".

Karyn says - "I watch this colt every day and he is such a gorgeous mover, he has a great eye you can actually see your reflection in and just looks a picture.  He's mature and powerful, a real athlete.  Commands was one of Australia's top sires and even though I have purchased a share in the Colts' Breeding Syndicate again this year, I just can't go past him - so I have bought a share myself and I would love you to race him with me. I am sure we will have some fun naming him!!!"

 

This is YOUR LAST CHANCE to buy a Commands' colt - the stallion died suddenly in 2014. At the time of his death, he was one of only two stallions in Australia to have sired 10 or more stakes' winners in each of the prior four seasons - the only other being Redoute's Choice and we know how great a sire he has been. Commands actually set an Australian record of 155 individual winners in the 2010-11 racing season and was also Australia's leading sire by winners for three consecutive seasons.

Our colt's dam is as we have said the stakes' performer and winning mare Adulterer, a half-sister to six-time winner Divine Rebel who won the Group 2 AJC Chairman's Hcp in Sydney, was twice runner up in the Group 1 AJC Sydney Cup and who won $602,000 in stakes. His grandmother was the hugely talented NZ mare It's My Sin who counted the Grp 1 Otaki Maori WFA (won last weekend by Volkstok'n'barrell) amongst her five wins.

 

 

This is what we said when we bought him from the Gold Coast - by the way he is also nominated for the A$2 million two and three year old races there and we'd love to take him back for those):

Te Akau knows all about Commands colts - let us tell you about the last one David bought:

His name in New Zealand was Catalonia, who has gone on to race as Vilanova in Australia after being sold.  Bought by David Ellis at Karaka for $150,000, Catalonia was a gun 2YO winning the Listed Wentwood Grange Stakes at just his second start.  He knuckled over at the start of the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes at his next start and did well to finish fourth.  He was completely demolished by a wayward opponent in the Karaka Million, showing so much courage to pick himself up to finish fifth.

After being sold to Australia he immediately finished runner up in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Eagle Farm and in the Group 2 Sires' Produce at Doomben before a gallant fourth in the Group 1 JJ Atkins' Stakes also at Eagle Farm.  He went on to claim the Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes at Doomben in 2014 along with the Group 2 Autumn Classic at Caulfield.

So Catalonia, a crack 2YO, who trained on to further black type success as you can see, and with this new Commands' colt we think we have found our next Catalonia/Vilanova (who incidentally just won the Listed Tattersall's Cup in January 2016 and has now won $585,000 in stakes).

Commands has been the leading Australian Sire on THREE occasions and counts 67 stakes' winners amongst his 801 winners at the time the catalogue went to print.  This includes Group 1 VRC Myer Classic winner Appearance, Epaulette, Purple, Undue, Paratroopers, Catalonia/Vilanova, Commanding Jewel and numerous others.

Our colt is out of the two-time winning Traditionally mare Adulterer (she placed in the Group 3 Eulogy Stakes), she herself a half sister to six time winner Divine Rebel (Don Eduardo) who won the Group 2 AJC Chairman's Hcp, was twice runner up in the Group 1 AJC Sydney Cup and won $602,000 in stakes.

This colt's grandmother was the hugely talented New Zealand mare It's My Sin (Success Express), counting the Group 1 Otaki Maori WFA in her five wins, two of which came as a 2YO.  She was also the Third Top Filly on the New Zealand 3YO Free Hcp in 1996/97.

This colt looks mature, powerful and ready to get up and go - Jamie Richards who will co-train him with Stephen Autridge and Mark Walker commented:

Jamie - “he was the first Commands in the sale - a very athletic, well-balanced colt with plenty of class from a quality New Zealand family that was very good buying early in the sale.  If he had have been later in the day he could have made $250,000.  A terrific buy!”

Mark -  ” this colt's is a great family that I'm fully aware of and it's a current family full of black type performers. I could see him being a Group 1 Sires' Produce colt that could train on to be a Group 1 2000 Guineas colt.”

A 10% share in this colt is $14,500 plus GST, a 5% share is $7250 plus GST -
a classy colt from a quality New Zealand family

I don't know why you leave me, I don't know why you pass
I think that I've got sex-appeal -
I've got a ton of class!

Maybe it's my mum's name
That suggests things 'not so great',
But take me home, make me yours
I'll be a top first date!

My manners are delicious -
My style beyond compare,
I'd rate higher than The Bachelor
Of that - you have no fear!

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