It ain’t over ‘til it’s over
The heading is a line uttered by Yogi Berra, not only a great American baseball player but also an unwitting sage when it came to explaining some of life’s issues. Another was: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
One hot summer, Berra was signing autographs in Florida wearing his customary open-necked jungle suit. An elderly lady remarked: “Mr Berra, you look really cool in that suit.” Berra responded: “Why, thank you ma’am, you don’t look so hot yourself.”
Jokes aside, Bera’s “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over” is possibly his best known quip and it surely applies to Darci Brahma (Danehill) whose Tajana was so impressive in Saturday’s Northland Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
Now retired, Darci Brahma was a model of consistency as a sire and for his first 15 seasons drew an average of 120 mares resulting in an average foal crop of 75, the same number as his last full crop, foaled in 2022. Once his connections knew he was on the slide the stallion was not over-burdened and his final crop (now two-year-olds) numbered just 13. Tajana represents his second last crop and she won’t be the only one to remind us just what a good sire Darci Brahma has been for the industry.
The great Danehill (Danzig) had to be euthanised in May, 2003 and his second last crop (2002 southern hemisphere) was offered in 2004. In January, 2004 David Ellis travelled to the Gold Coast in search of a son for one of his stallion syndicates but he came away from the Magic Millions sale empty handed so had to wait another couple of weeks for NZB’s Karaka Sale.
Ellis cut it fine at Karaka as Darci Brahma was offered very late in the sale, lot 509 of the 515 lot catalogue. Added to that, there were just 11 Danehills and three were fillies. Darci Brahma was the last of all of them to be offered. On day one the BBA (Ireland) outlayed $1 million for the Danehill-Push A Venture colt, later named Offenbach, who would score eight wins including the Hobart Cup (Gr 3, 2200m) and a couple of handicaps in Melbourne.
A couple of bids left
Ellis was the last man standing on the Grand Echezeaux colt and declared that he had a couple of bids left after signing the docket at a sale-topping $1.1 million and his wish came true, Darci Brahma not only enjoyed a superb race career, he also ensured that his name will not be lost as a stud book influence for some considerable time.
There is a very simple reason why Darci Brahma did not make much impression with Australian buyers and it had nothing to do with his ability to sire stakes winners. It had everything to do with the “coals to Newcastle” quantity and availability of Danehill blood in Australia. The Aussies had (and still have) access to Danehill’s sons and grandsons in droves.
Nevertheless, two of Darci Brahma’s fillies performed at the highest level in Australia, namely dual Group 1 winner Sierra Sue and Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Gust Of Wind, one of his five classic winners.
His daughters have so far produced 14 stakes winners headed by Coolmore Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) victor Ozzmosis (Zoustar) and New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Pier (Proisir).
With more to come, Tajana is stakes winner number 59 for a ratio of 6.8 per cent stakes winners to starters and the old boy maintains a 70 per cent strike–rate of winners to runners. Although he featured among the leading New Zealand sires for a number of years he had to contend with O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) and Savabeel (Zabeel). Four times he was runner-up and twice he was third on the New Zealand sire lists.
Tajana’s chances of becoming Darci Brahma’s latest stakes winner looked ominous at the 800 metres as she sat a clear last by three lengths. From the 600 metres she had caught the tail but rounding into the home straight was still last. Rider Wiremu Pinn elected to keep to the rail as the ground was no better out wide. From the 400 metres they gained considerable ground to sit second at the 200 metres where Pinn eased the filly off the fence before driving through at the 50 metres for a nice win.
Saturday’s win was Tajana’s second at start five. She debuted last February in Ellerslie’s Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (Gr 3, 1200m), finishing second, a half-length behind the unbeaten Group 1 winner Return To Conquer (Snitzel). A fair fourth, also at Ellerslie, took place later in February before her breakthrough win at Matamata in March.
The end of March saw her at Trentham for the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and while no match for La Dorada (Super Seth), she didn’t have much go her way and was hampered at the 150 metres, rallied to grab fourth then promoted to third after an enquiry.
Tajana is a homebred by The Oaks Stud and was not offered for sale. She is the fourth foal out of Sleek Secret (Sakhee’s Secret) who was passed in at the NZB 2013 Karaka Select Sale. Her first four foals by Darci Brahma are all fillies. Her fifth foal, now a yearling, is a filly by Satono Aladdin (Deep Impact). Tajana is her second winner from two to race. Sadly, Sleek Secret died in June of this year.
Sleek Secret came within a neck of achieving black-type when fourth at Listed level at Riccarton and scored five wins, her best a win at Awapuni. She is one of seven winners from Miss Smugg (Volksraad), a Brisbane winner.
Miss Smugg’s half-sister is Spin ‘n Grin (Spinning World), winner of Ellerslie’s Eight Carat Classic (Gr 2, 1600m). Her half-brother Mr Smug (Spectacular Love) was a Listed winner of seven races. Their dam, Smile (Sackford) ranks as a three-quarter blood sister to Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) and Queensland Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) winner A Little Kiss (Sackford).
Rosehill bookends
None of Saturday’s black-type races fell to a New Zealand-bred but Rosehill saw two Kiwis win, two more at Doomben and one at Morphettville.
Rosehill’s meeting began with a fourth win in 15 starts for ex-New Zealand-trained Monkhana (Mongolian Khan). The now five-year-old mare raced four times at three in New Zealand for a maiden win at Pukekohe then two more starts at four before her transfer to New South Wales.
In nine subsequent starts she has added three more wins, her best, Saturday’s Benchmark 72 handicap over 1500 metres. She camped behind the leading group until the home straight, moved out into the centre of the track at the 300 metres and kept up a strong run to the line although she didn’t reach the lead until the 50 metres.
The mare’s maiden win was on a heavy track but her two wins at Hawkesbury in February and April of this year were both on a Good 4 surface. Back to the heavy on Saturday merely suggests that she is versatile and she was ready to win again, this time in town, heading to Rosehill on the back of a good second at the same track two weeks previously.
Monkhana’s family is thin on performance and there is no black-type within her first three generations. She is the only winner from her unraced dam Pedderstock (Tavistock), her grandam won twice and her third dam, Hong Kong Lady (Lycius) is a half-sister to three stakes winners. Her fourth dam, Irish Listed winner Chinese Justice (Diesis), is a sister to stakes-placed Sharpatan, dam of Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) inner Isolda (Sir Tristram).
The Rosehill meeting ended with Cloudland (Swiss Ace) racking up win eight. Kiwi Chronicles covered his career in some detail in the Tuesday, July 8 edition
All the right blood
The Right Way (Ghibellines) seems to be getting better with age as the six-year-old took out his ninth win in 30 starts. Saturday’s victory in Doomben’s Benchmark 90 handicap over 2000 metres was almost a walk in the park. The gelding sat outside the leader until the 300 metres, took over at the 200 metres then waltzed clear by three and a half lengths.
Unraced at two and three, his previous wins were at Toowoomba (4), Ipswich (3) and at the Sunshine Coast but this latest win suggests that there is more to look forward to. He has three second placings and seven third placings among the remainder of his 21 starts, proving a good money-spinner, with earnings in excess of $300,000. Three of his last five starts are wins.
The Right Way was not offered for sale and was bred by the Dennis Brothers at their Ravelston Stud, Woodlands, just north of Invercargill. He represents their famous “The” family but is from a branch that has not been quite as prolific as other branches.
His dam, The Choice (O’Reilly) won three times but at stud had just two live foals, both winners. All the right blood is present in this branch as The Choice is from The Freckle (Grosvenor), a half-sister to Melbourne Group 3 winner The Penny (One Pound Sterling). The Freckle is also the dam of Listed winner The Pearler (Volksraad). The next dam is The Wink (Noble Bijou), who ranks as a three-quarter sister to The Dimple (Noble Bijou) and half-sister to The Pixie (Mellay), the mare that set the Dennis Brothers on their path to extraordinary success as breeders.
The Choice is identically bred with dual Group 1 winner The Jewel who is by O’Reilly from The Grin (Grosvenor) from The Dimple from The Pixie. The Choice is also from a Grosvenor (Sir Tristram) mare from a Noble Bijou (Vaguely Noble) half-sister to The Pixie. Noble Bijou combined with this family gave us triple Group 1 winners The Phantom Chance and The Phantom.