Deja Vu?
Beginning his first season at stud this year is Little Avondale’s Little Brose (Per Incanto), the 2023 Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) victor. Although Little Brose carries the AUS suffix he was conceived at Sam and Dame Catriona Williams’ Little Avondale Stud. The same is true of Eurocanto (Per Incanto) whose debut in Flemington’s Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (Listed, 1000m) caught the eye on Saturday.
Eurocanto shared last at the junction but from the 300 metres Mark Zahra eased him wider where he launched a strong bid down the centre of the track, overpowering his rivals over the final 100 metres. He certainly had no favours in the running so to keep finding when he saw daylight was more than promising. Even co-trainer JD Hayes commented: “It’s a little bit early for comparisons, but he was a little bit ‘Brosey’ there,”, in an interesting deja vu comparison to Little Brose – who was trained by the same camp.
Similar to Little Brose, Eurocanto was foaled in Australia after his dam Shespending (Savabeel) was exported in March of 2023 while carrying him. Shespending has quite a sales history. She first appeared at the 2019 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale fetching $170,000 when purchased by Guy Mulcaster.
Her race career consisted of one start and at three she was sold for $180,000 as a maiden mare at the 2021 Magic Millions Broodmare Sale. In New Zealand she produced an older brother to Eurocanto (who has yet to race) in 2022 and found herself back on the Gold Coast for the 2023 Magic Millions Broodmare Sale, this time realising $260,000.
In January, Eurocanto was offered, also on the Gold Coast, at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale and was knocked down to the Hayes training operation for $250,000.
Apart from his sire Per Incanto (Street Cry), Eurocanto’s family is pure Waikato Stud’s for three generations. The sires of each of his dams are a giveaway. His dam is by Savabeel (Zabeel), his grandam is by Pins (Snippets) and his great grandam is by O’Reilly (Last Tycoon), all stalwarts of Waikato Stud and all highly successful.
His fourth dam, Iguazu, reconnects to Little Avondale Stud via Carolingian (Bletchingly) who stood his first season at Little Avondale Stud in 1994, making Iguazu a member of Carolingian’s first crop.
Iguazu was a splendid racemare who scored 12 wins, two of which were at Group 3 level and a further six of which were Listed wins. At stud she produced Melbourne Thoroughbred Club Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) winner and Group 1-placed Splashing Out (O’Reilly) as well as Iguazu’s Girl (Redoute’s Choice), the dam of dual Doncaster Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) winner and successful sire Sacred Falls (O’Reilly). The latter ranks as a three-quarter brother to Splashing Out.
Splashing Out was even more successful at stud than on the track, producing three Group winners, namely dual Group winner Splurge (Savabeel), dual Group winner Shopaholic (Pins) and Group 1-placed Packing Pins (Pins).
Splashing Out also produced Eurocanto’s stakes-placed grandam Spending (Pins), dam also of Sydney Listed winner Tilianam (Savabeel), a sister to Eurocato’s dam Shespending. This is a consistent stakes producing family.
Eurocanto marks Per Incanto’s 34th individual stakes winner with a further 36 performers achieving black type.
So much for the equinox
According to the calendar, the equinox (when the sun is directly over the equator), marking the beginning of spring, occurred on September 22.
Blossoms are out, a smattering of bright green leaves are appearing on some trees and the temperatures are gradually thawing, though not quickly enough. Tell that to horse trainers and they will likely just point to the ground and remind you of all the moisture which is responsible for the continuing heavy tracks.
The gremlins stuck around this past weekend. Both Matamata and Hawera staged their meetings on deep surfaces with Matamata having to abandon their final three races.
A lightning strike at Matamata after race 4 signalled problems and pushed the program back. Oddly, race 5 was raced in bright sunshine but surface water along the back straight caused officials to call off the remainder of the meeting which included the Matamata Cup (Listed, 1600m).
A bleak day greeted patrons at Hawera also but the program was able to be completed and one mare, Hi Yo Sass Bomb (Complacent), successful in the Grangewilliam Stud-sponsored Taranaki Breeders Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m), didn’t mind one bit.
The now seven-year-old has a penchant for rain-affected tracks and even though Saturday’s feature might have been shorter than she prefers, her class, combined with the track were more than sufficient for her to shine.
Hi Yo Sass Bomb arrived at Hawera with five wins from just 24 starts, a light career indeed for one her age. Three wins were achieved on heavy tracks and two on soft tracks including the 2024 running of Trentham’s Cuddle Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m). Among her best non-winning performances was a second in the 2024 Livamol Classic (Gr 1, 2040m) behind star mare Snazzytavi (Tavistock).
Five original acceptors scratched which weakened the final field, effectively playing further into the hands of the winner who was slowest away. She recovered to sit fourth at the 1000 metres but a combination of a slow pace and a compact field saw her second last into the straight. Rider Chris Dell searched for a path wider and when the mare saw daylight she charged after the leaders and had the race comfortably under control with 50 metres remaining but the 1:32.24 told the story of the track and the pace.
Hi Yo Sass Bomb is the sole winner from her five-race winning dam Hi Yo Soo (Spartacus). Her grandam, Listed-placed Hi Yo Wassup (Al Akbar), is a sister to Group 3-placed Luscious Lady, grandam of Hezashocka (Shocking), another performer whose best wins have taken place on rain-affected tracks.
A $1.4 million earner, Hezashocka took out the Ellerslie Championship Stakes (Gr 2, 2100m), raced in heavy conditions, as a three-year-old before his export to Australia where he landed Brisbane’s Premier’s Cup (Gr 3, 2400m) and the Gosford Gold Cup (Listed, 2200m), both on deep tracks.
Older readers may remember three further family members who relished winter conditions. Avondale Cup (Gr 2, 2200m) winner Wiremu (Arctic Explorer) plus the brother and sister combo of Wiri (Resurgent) and Ruakiwi Lass (Resurgent), were all adept in bad ground. Resurgent (The Phoenix), the half-brother to successful sires Knight’s Romance (Royal Charger), Pride Of Kildare (Royal Charger) and Admiral’s Luck (Precipitation), was a noted sire of mudlarks but we are talking sixty years ago. Maybe family traits endure?
Kiwi connection
In Sydney, one of the two debut new season two-year-old stakes winners can claim a connection to the New Zealand Stud Book.
Incognito’s story is that the Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) winner represents the initial crop of Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) victor Stay Inside (Extreme Choice). That’s not all. Incognito has the distinction of realising $1 million at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
He is the first winner from his dam, three-race winner Bleu Zebra (I Am Invincible), who ranks as a half-sister to Melbourne Listed winner Fox Swift (Foxwedge). His grandam Runway Runaway is by Starcraft (Soviet Star) from Pay My Bail (Justice Prevails), a New Zealand-bred performer who was rated the top filly of her year.
Another accolade achieved by Pay My Mail was as Champion NZ Sprinter of 2004 as a result of wins in the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) and the Arawa Stakes (Gr 3, 1215m). She also placed second in Ellerslie’s Railway Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m).
Pay My Bail has been equally successful in the breeding barn. Her eight foals include seven winners, two of which are stakes winners. Her best foal is White Moss (Mossman), winner of eight races, four stakes – all Group races – the Sapphire Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) two years apart plus the Millie Fox Stakes (Gr 2, 1300m) and the Nivison Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
What’s going on?
The season is barely two months old but a look at the current New Zealand sire premiership makes one wonder what exactly is going on.
Thanks largely to the win by Waitak (Proisir) in the Howden Mile (Gr 1, 1600m), Proisir (Choisir) heads the list. The remainder of the list looks a little out of whack.
Currently second is Time Test (Dubawi), the former shuttler (until 2023) to Little Avondale Stud but who has since been banished to Turkey.
Third is Belardo (Lope De Vega), another whose shuttling days to Haunui Farm came to an end in 2022.
Fourth is El Roca (Fastnet Rock), who is enjoying consistent success at Westbury Stud and whose Perfumist was an impressive winner of the Benchmark 94 Melbourne Storm Mile (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday. On that run, surely a stakes win is just around the corner.
Fifth is Complacent (Authorized), sire of Saturday’s Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) winner Hi Yo Sass Bomb. Complacent’s last sire season in New Zealand was 2021. He is now domiciled in France.
Sixth is retired Darci Brahma (Danehill) while seventh is Zed (Zabeel) who is dead. Eighth is Vadamos (Monsun), yet another who no longer shuttles. Vadamos stood his last season at Rich Hill Stud in 2023.
Westbury Stud’s Redwood (High Chaparral) holds ninth and Waikato Stud’s Ocean Park (Thorn Park) stands tenth.
Between 11th and 20th, four stallions are no longer available. Jakkalberry (Storming Home) is dead and so are 17th placed Atlante (Fastnet Rock) and 19th placed Tavistock (Montjeu). Currently 13th is Telperion (Street Cry) who is now at stud in China.
Missing from the top 20 is Champion Sire Savabeel (Zabeel), currently 21st but it is almost certain that he will surge up the rankings as the tracks dry out and the bigger stakes money is on offer.