New Boys Add Depth

The Informant reports:

While the racing industry grapples with track problems and tries to come to grips with tragedy, there are encouraging signs for at least the breeding side of the thoroughbred world.

At last Sunday's rescheduled Awapuni meeting, less than halfway through the season, Burgundy (main picture) became the fourth freshman sire this season to make it into the top 10 on the sires of two-year-olds list.

Burgundy's daughter Dijon Bleu narrowly outfought her stablemate Dreams of Platinum (Dream Ahead) in the Mills Reef Winery 2YO Premier, nudging her sire's progeny earnings to $16,875 and ninth place on the two-year-old sires' premiership.

The other first-season sires on that table are leading two-year-old sire Power (Oasis Dream) (current progeny earnings $99,950), who stands alongside Burgundy and older stallions Keeper and Tavistock at Cambridge Stud; second-placed Super Easy (standing at Hallmark Stud, by Darci Brahma), $40,625; and Highly Recommended (Fastnet Rock), standing at Berkley Stud and currently 10^th with progeny earnings of $15,875.

In recent years, after a period of economic anxiety when the rate of new stallion arrivals slowed to a trickle, the increasing depth of New Zealand's stallion roster has become clearly evident.

Greats like Zabeel, O'Reilly and Volksraad may have departed and the numbers of their active progeny steadily diminish, but Savabeel and Darci Brahma (not greatly overshadowed by Savabeel on the domestic front) have taken up the cudgels.

And in the wings just behind are a group of relatively young stallions like Tavistock, Iffraaj, Alamosa, Per Incanto, Swiss Ace, Shocking and Zacinto whose consistent winner-getting qualities increase their reputations year by year.

Now the emergence of new young stallions like Burgundy, Power, Super Easy and Highly Recommended widen the range of options for broodmare owners - and, if we could only persuade the TAB to renew the information formerly given in the form guides, for punters too.

Burgundy is the only sire, freshman or otherwise, who has so far chalked up more than one two-year-old winner.

With Tavistock's quick success soon promoting him to top spot on the Cambridge Stud roster, standing this season at $65,000 and followed by dual Group One-winning European horse Power at $8000 and reliable old Keeper at $6000, Burgundy has been “affordable man” on the totem pole.

He stood at $6,000 last spring and, though his broodmare numbers were up on the previous year, was dropped to $5,000 this year. Now, if he sustains the momentum of two runners, two winners that his first crop of racing age have so far given him, he will no doubt be climbing back up the service-fee scale next spring.

The amount of two-year-old racing at this stage of the season has not been great but it is interesting that Burgundy is the only sire, freshman or otherwise, who has so far chalked up more than one two-year-old winner.

Preceding Dijon Bleu was Hard Merchandize (2 b/br g by Burgundy-Pride and Passion, by Encosta de Lago), from the in-form Gary Vile stable and, like Dijou Bleu, successful on debut. After winning two trials, Hard Merchandize comfortably beat four rivals at Otaki early last month.

Dijon Bleu, second at her only trials appearance, had a somewhat harder task in her debut; faced by six rivals including a last-start winner, Gold Fever (Savabeel), and then tackled hard by her more experienced stablemate Dreams of Platinum, who had previously run third in the Wellesley Stakes. Just a nose separated the two Lisa Latta fillies, and Gold Fever closed late to be only a half-head further back.

So Burgundy claimed the honour, leading sire of two-year-olds by winners for however long that may last, and the team at Cambridge are no doubt much encouraged as the racing season for the “babies” unfolds.

Dreams of Platinum's sire Dream Ahead (by Diktat) will not get so much benefit even if his Kiwi daughter carries on, as seems very probable, to winning form. The multiple European Group One winner shuttled to Australia for Emirates Park but it has been announced that he will be standing next year in France, at Haras de Grandcamp in Normandy.

Super Easy, second at present on the sires of two-year-olds premiership, is a former champion Singapore racehorse by Darci Brahma.

Darci Brahma is also closely related to Burgundy. Now 14, he is by that fabulous pioneering dual-hemisphere shuttler Danehill from the Zabeel mare Grand Echezeaux, whose four wins included the Group One Australasian Oaks. This is the family from which Sir Peter and the late Phillip Vela bred, among others, the Hong Kong Cup winner Romanee Conti and the champion staying mare Ethereal.

Burgundy, a medium-sized dark bay who won seven of his 12 starts including five in stakes company, is by one of Danehill's best sire sons, Redoute's Choice, from the aforementioned Grand Echezeaux. He is thus a three-quarter brother to The Oaks Stud's now firmly established progenitor Darci Brahma.

Note: David Ellis purchased both Burgundy and Darci Brahma from the Karaka Premier Sale and botyh were trained by Te Akau.

 

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