Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos
Arkansaw Kid was bred by Philippa Duncan Bloodstock and she retained a share in him when he was purchased by Lindsay Park’s Ben and JD Hayes, for Jenny McApline’s all-female syndicate, for $190,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale from Treen and Royston Murphy’s Sledmere Stud draft. Royston told TDN AusNZ he was delighted to see the colt win on Saturday, having always believed he was a high-class horse.
“It was a good result for everyone. We were actually having a staff lunch when he won and we were all commenting how nice his temperament was and he was just like a lamb,” he recalled.
Jenny McAlpine | Image courtesy of Lindsay Park Racing
“We have sold a lot of horses over the years and some have nice attitudes and temperaments and some not so good. Nice temperaments doesn’t always mean it’s going to turn out to be good racehorses, but you would like to think it helps when training those younger horses, especially the colts.”
Aside from the $300,000 first-place prizemoney, Arkansaw Kid was the first eligible winner of the new Inglis Pink Bonus, which saw his connections also pick up the $200,000 Pink Bonus cheque and McAlpine, who put the syndicate of women together told TDN AusNZ that she fell in love with the colt at the sale.
“He passed in at the sale and Philippa Duncan, who bred the horse, is a well-respected longtime breeder and I have known her for a number of years,” she explained.
“He (Arkansaw Kid) passed in at the sale and Philippa Duncan, who bred the horse, is a well-respected longtime breeder and I have known her for a number of years,” she explained.” - Jenny McAlpine
“Ben and JD really liked the colt and thought we should approach Philippa because she wanted to stay in the colt for a quarter, which was brilliant because I wanted to make it a Pink Ribbon Ladies' horse. I thought it was brilliant that the female, well-respected breeder could stay in with the horse and we could go after those Pink bonuses. These bonuses are a brilliant incentive and a big thing for when I put my syndicates together.”
The perfect temperament
Like Murphy, McAlpine said that one of the colt’s key attributes is wonderful temperament and she believed that would stand him in good stead going forward.
“With my syndicates, I handpick the girls, because I like to make it a good networking, racing experience and hold events with like-minded ladies,” said McAlpine. “There is a lovely group of ladies in this colt. At $190,000, he was an expensive enough colt for us at the time.
“With my syndicates, I handpick the girls, because I like to make it a good networking, racing experience and hold events with like-minded ladies.” - Jenny McAlpine
“The thing about him is he has the most beautiful temperament. At the sale, I went down to Sledmere and spoke to the strapper and he said he has been with him since the day he was foaled and he has been the most sensible, well-mannered horse and good temperamental horse, which bodes well for keeping him a colt. Ben Hayes will tell you that he is incredibly easy to handle.”
The colt is out of Florabella (Exceed And Excel), who has produced a further two winners, but Arkansaw Kid is her first stakes scorer, but Murphy said the mare was a breeder's dream, given her ability to throw such consistently good types.
“We were happy with what he made the sale, but the mare throws such cracking types, so we weren’t surprised to see that sort of money come for him. She is one of those mares who is nice to have because she just constantly throws good sorts.”
Leaving an impression
Harry Angel has sired 21 winners in the Northern Hemisphere and they include three stakes placegetters, spearheaded by Marshman (Ire), who finished second in the G2 Gimcrack S.
Harry Angel (Ire) | Standing at Darley
Murphy said both he and Treen had been impressed with the first crop of Harry Angel at the sales and as a result have thrown their support behind the stallion.
“We were very impressed with all the Harry Angels we’d seen and this one was no different,” he said. “We have been impressed with the stallion all along.
“The Harry Angels have a lot of substance to them and he is a horse we have had a lot of faith in from the start. The other day, on the back of the wrap he had been getting, we had a staff mare ready to be covered and we sent her to Harry Angel, so it was brilliant to see him get his first stakes winner.
“I think he is the sort of horse that will really suit Australia and from what I have heard around the traps from trainers, there is a lot of positive talk about him, so I think he is a stallion that is very good value at the moment.”
“I think he (Harry Angel) is the sort of horse that will really suit Australia and from what I have heard around the traps from trainers, there is a lot of positive talk about him, so I think he is a stallion that is very good value at the moment.” - Royston Murphy
Such was the quality of the colt, Duncan has sent Florabella back to the stallion for the past two years and she produced a filly by the stallion in 2021 and a colt earlier this year. Like her brother, the filly is catalogued at 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
“Obviously, Philippa thought a lot of the colt to send the mare back there twice again. The filly is entered for the Classic Sale, which is where she will head next year, all going well,” said Murphy.
The victory also handed Exceed And Excel, who stands alongside Harry Angel in Darley’s Kelvinside barn, a 72nd stakes winner as a broodmare sire and Murphy said his daughters instils a lot of quality into their stock.
Royston and Catriona Murphy with Dave Wallace | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
“Exceed And Excel is a stallion that I know Philippa really loves and we have about four of our own Exceed mares and I think he is just one of those real, top-class broodmare sires around,” he explained. “The Exceed mares seem to throw those really nice, strong and powerful horses like he was himself.”
More Pink Bonus success?
On the plans for the Arkansaw Kid, McAlpine said they are hoping to hunt for Inglis Pink bonus riches and the $2 million Inglis Millennium at Randwick on February 11 could be an option for the colt, but she said she would be guided by the Lindsay Park team.
Arkansaw Kid after winning the Inglis Banner | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“Ben and JD had said ahead of the race that they thought he had a lot of ability and he had been doing everything right. They were quite confident he was well able and would handle his first start at Moonee Valley. Inglis were incredibly generous on the day, they took the girls up and gave us champagne and we were all very excited,” she said.
“We are all talking about the next Pink Ribbon bonus race, which is of course the Millennium. The trainers and the team will decide with the owners, but at the end of the day, we did buy this horse to tackle the Pink Ribbon bonus races and so you would have to consider the Millennium with this horse.”
“We are all talking about the next Pink Ribbon bonus race, which is of course the Millennium. The trainers and the team will decide with the owners, but at the end of the day, we did buy this horse to tackle the Pink Ribbon bonus races and so you would have to consider the Millennium with this horse.” - Jenny McAlpine
Saturday’s win was the Hayes brothers' 15th stakes triumph since they formed a partnership in June 2021, and McAlpine, who also works as a public relations consultant at Lindsay Park, said she was delighted to see the boys achieve such success since taking on the family operation.
“I am so proud of the boys, Ben, JD and Will. They have worked incredibly hard under incredible pressure and they are coming through with flying colours,” she said. “They work so hard to achieve what they are achieving and they are kicking goals, it’s fantastic to see. I could not be more proud of them.”
