Last year was a great year for The Chase, the China Horse Club's (CHC) showpiece farm represented by a number of classy winners including the Group 1 gallopers Ozzmosis (Zoustar) and Communist (Russian Revolution) and 2024 has kicked off well with a successful sale at the Gold Coast.
CHC’s Michael Smith delves into the draft that heads to Inglis Classic with five exciting types.
Lot 117: Justify (USA) x Bethsaida (Ire) (brown filly)
“She’s a big, imposing filly made in the mould of her sire, the all-conquering Justify, like elite gallopers Learning To Fly and Storm Boy. It’s a family with plenty happening with 3-year-old full brother, Red Mile, looking a progressive sort for Peter Moody, and 2-year-old colt Russian Roulette racing for the Waterhouse/Bott stable and the China Horse Club/Newgate colt syndicate.”
Out of a mare secured by the China Horse Club for 900,000gns (AU$1.8 million) she is a full sister to the promising Moody and Coleman-trained Red Mile (a $450,000 yearling) who was impressive breaking his maiden at Cranbourne in late December - proving 1.25 lengths too strong for fellow Justify Justaboom who won at Caulfield last weekend.
By the current leading sire of 2-year-olds, this filly is also a half to the talented juvenile Russian Roulette (Russian Revolution), a $360,000 yearling who ran very nicely behind boom colt Switzerland (Snitzel) at his recent debut for the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable.
Bethsaida is a daughter of the mighty Dubawi (Ire) who is doing a great job as a broodmare sire with nine of the first 69 stakes winners produced by his daughters being Group 1 winners including Without A Fight (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) who certainly made their mark in 2023.
Bethsaida is a half-sister to the four-time stakes winner Dunelight (Ire) (Desert Sun {GB}) and the Listed winner Sperry (Ire) (Shamardal {USA}) whose son Discovery Island (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) won at Group 3 level in Dubai last year.
A full sister to the G3 Prix Quincey winner Mahboob (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) and half-sister to the Listed winner Nabhaan (Ire) (In The Wings {GB}), Bethsaida's dam is a daughter of the dual Group 1 winner Miss Gris (USA) (Hail The Pirates {USA}) who earned the titles of Italian Horse of the Year, Champion 2YO Filly and Champion 3YO Filly.
Bred on a 7 X 6 cross of her own sixth dam Kerala (USA) (My Babu {Fr}), whose multiple Group 1-winning son Damascus (USA) appears in Justify's grandsire Johannesburg (USA), this filly has another very interesting element to her pedigree with her second damsire Marju being a member of the prolific Feola (GB) (Friar Marcus {GB}) family which is a strong influence in Justify's pedigree including a 5 X 5 cross of Narrate (USA) (Honest Pleasure {USA}).
Lot 138: Extreme Choice x Brisk (GB) (chestnut colt)
“I really like this colt. He is a very similar style of horse to his sister Dance To Dubai who was a dynamic galloper for Peter Moody and Wylie Dalziel, winning seven races and over $450,000. He’s a very late foal but is mature for his November 22nd birthdate and brings that Extreme Choice X-factor to the table.”
There are only 42 members of this crop of youngsters by the outstanding Extreme Choice and this fellow is one of only two of his colts being offered at this sale.
He is a half-brother to the speedy and tough six-time city winner Dance To Dubai (Pride Of Dubai) and the promising 2-year-old Privalova (Russian Revolution) who just recently won a Cranbourne jump-out for the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young stable.
Brisk is a half-sister to the dual Group winner Costume (GB) (Danehill {USA}) out of the Group 3 mare Dance Dress (USA) (Nureyev {USA}) whose dam is the dual stakes winner Private Line (USA) (Private Account {USA}) - grandam of the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Epicuris (GB) (Rail Link {GB}).
With Extreme Choice boasting excellent La Troienne (Fr) (Teddy {Fr}) influence it is interesting to see a colt out of a mare with the same; Brisk's second damsire Private Account (USA) a member of this family. Extreme Choice has had just one runner bred this way so far - the stakes-placed promising 3-year-old Extreme Threat. And he does extra well when Mr Prospector (USA) is duplicated (as is the case here)... 33 winners from 45 runners including five of his 11 stakes winners.
Lot 413: Extreme Choice x Lady Xuxa (NZ) (bay filly)
“What a fantastic fillies’ family this is – Striker and Calveen were both Group 1 fillies and the page is filled with Group class and producers. This filly is bred on the same Extreme Choice/O’Reilly cross as Star Thoroughbreds and Chris Wallers Group 1-winning mare Espiona. If you're looking for lightning to strike….”
As already mentioned, there are not heaps of chances to secure a yearling by Extreme Choice who has done such a great job with his fillies. This lass is out of an unraced half-sister to the G3 WA Oaks winner First Impressions (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) out of the Group 1-placed Listed winner Striker (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy {USA}).
Striker is one of the 10 winners (from as many to race) for Calvinia (Varick {USA}) who also produced the New Zealand Champion Sprinter, Miler and Older Female Calveen (NZ) (Canny Lad), the Group winners Kosi Bay (Spinning World {USA}) and Fireworks (Snitzel) and the dams of the stakes winners Okahu Bay (Flying Spur), Ektifaa (More Than Ready {USA}) and Thalassophile (Not A Single Doubt).
Bred on the same Extreme Choice/O'Reilly (NZ) cross as the G1 Coolmore Classic winner Espiona this filly boasts a cross of Best In Show (USA) (Traffic Judge {USA})... the fourth dam of Redoute's Choice and grandam of Try My Best (USA). Espiona is one of the 15 Group 1 winners and 76 stakes winners bred on this Redoute's Choice/Try My Best combination.
Lot 578: Farnan x Pirapala (chestnut filly)
“This is a Gimcrack 2-year-old special – she’s a sharp early conveyance by Golden Slipper winner Farnan and out of a half-sister to G1 Robert Sangster winner Instant Celebrity. Farnan puts the Not A Single Doubt line back into the pedigree that worked so well producing the before mentioned Instant Celebrity.”
G1 Golden Slipper S. winners are always in high demand as stallions and Kia Ora's first-season sire Farnan is no exception - the son of Not A Single Doubt serving full books at his first few years at stud with his first yearlings so popular fetching up to $1.2 million.
This filly, whose sire and dam are bred on the same Danehill (USA)/Vain cross, is out of the lightly raced Moonee Valley winner Pirapala (Sepoy) who was purchased by the China Horse Club as a yearling for $850,000. Her first foal - the $180,000 purchase Firebird Two (Russian Revolution) is a recent winner.
Pirapala is a daughter of the dual stakes winner Celebrity Girl (Starcraft {NZ}) whose G1 Robert Sangster S.-winning daughter, Instant Celebrity, is by Farnan's sire Not A Single Doubt.
Celebrity Girl's dam is also a stakes winner - Dashing Granada (Keltrice) a Listed winner at two. Another two of her daughters were stakes performed and both have produced stakes winners - the Group 3 winners Healthy Happy (Zoustar) and Generalife (Lonhro).
This filly is bred on a 6 X 5 cross of Jesmond Lass (Lunchtime {GB}), dam of Canny Lad and third dam of Pirapala's sire Sepoy who is already the sire of four stakes winners - including the Group 1 galloper Pignan (NZ) (Staphanos {Jpn}) as a broodmare sire - and who sired three stakes winners with that Jesmond Lass cross via Canny Lad.
Lot 666: Zoustar x Scrum (chestnut colt)
“A clean-bodied, good-moving colt, he’s by one of the best sires in Australia (Zoustar) and out of a half-sister to the sire sensation Extreme Choice. This colt is inbred to Rolls like some of Zoustar’s best gallopers including Mizzy, Espionage, Sun City and The Astrologist.”
What an outstanding record the high-class stallion Zoustar boasts with mares by Scrum's sire Flying Spur - an 78.3% strike rate; 18 of the 23 runners being winners, three of those at stakes level.
And there are another two Zoustar stakes winners - including the Group 1 mare Mizzy - bred on this cross, one which provides for a cross of the terrific mare Rolls (USA) (Mr Prospector {USA}) - grandam of Zoustar's grandsire Encosta De Lago and dam of Flying Spur.
This colt is out of a two-time winning half-sister to the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 Moir S.-winning high-class stallion Extreme Choice (a fellow member of the Danehill {USA}) sireline and the stakes-placed eight-time winner Raise No Doubt (also by Not A Single Doubt).
Scrum's grandam is the durable stakes winner Going To Extremes (USA) (Nasty And Bold {USA}).
