Matings Mix: Alma Vale & Kitchwin Hills selecting a wide range of sires

Cover image courtesy of Alma Vale Thoroughbreds

Alma Vale and Kitchwin Hills, two well-established names in thoroughbred breeding, have recently formed a partnership. With an impressive foal crop already hitting the ground this spring, Metcalfe is optimistic about what’s to come, highlighting the importance of type, pedigree, and temperament in their breeding selections.

“We have been very lucky with our run of foals so far this spring,” Metcalfe said on Monday, “our mares have been producing cracking types.”

A run she hopes will continue with the mares being bred with all boasting outstanding attributes in relations to type, pedigree and temperament.

Such as the Group 3-placed multiple city winner Calming Influence (Commands), a daughter of the Listed winner Calming (Zeditave). She is dam of this year's G3 Eskimo Prince S. winner Caballus (I Am Invincible) who looks set for further success this spring.

The Bjorn Baker-trained 4-year-old was a trial winner at Cranbourne on Monday morning having been far from disgraced after getting a bit too far back when resuming in the G1 Moir S. A $1 million Inglis Easter yearling who later changed hands for $315,000, he is one of Calming Influence's five winners from as many foals to race.

Also dam of the lightly raced but very talented Barassi (I Am Invincible), Calming Influence has a couple of unraced Zoustars coming through; the $180,000 Inglis Easter graduate Zoned Out winning two recent Wangaratta jump-outs for the Tal Nolen stable whilst the 2-year-old Stability, a $550,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Domeland is under the care of Sara Ryan at Wyong.

Back to Zoustar

It is on the strength of the types she has produced to Zoustar that she revisits him this year, due in October to Ole Kirk.

“Zoned Out has been trialling unbelievably well,” Metcalfe said, happy to have found a home for him after he was initially “unwanted” in the ring.

“About 20 minutes before he was due to walk up to the ring he fell over,” she recalled. “We had a vet look at him and he went through with a guarantee from us, but nobody wanted him. I ran into Tal Nolen and told him that this was a really good colt and he should give him a try.

“I've had a bit of luck pointing horses in his direction, so he was happy take him on.”

Metcalfe has plenty of time for Calming Influence, “She is just a great mare,” she enthused. “We are rapt to have her.”

A $300,000 purchase at this year's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, the Group 3-placed Wedgie (Foxwedge), who will visit Militarize (NZ), foaled a Zoustar colt on August 23 and Metcalfe could not be happier.

“He is just a lovely colt,” she said, happy to note that Wedgie's second foal Pretty Cheeky (Written Tycoon) won a Rosehill trial for the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou stable on Monday morning.

“She is a lovely mare, and we were very happy to pick up her, and with what we paid for her,” Metcalfe said of the mare who hails from the prolific Gold Vink (NZ) (Gold Sovereign {GB}) family.

This is the family that produced the G1 AJC Oaks-winning, high-class broodmare Circles Of Gold (Marscay) and Metcalfe is happy to also have in her care one of that chestnut's daughters in Comaneci (High Chaparral {Ire}).

Purchased for $60,000 at Inglis this year, she just recently foaled a Blue Point (Ire) colt who Metcalfe is very impressed by.

“We really like Blue Point, so we set out to buy a couple of mares in foal to him,” she said.

“Comaneci is a touch on the small/slight side but that's the family and we really thought we bought well with her.”

The half-sister to the globe-trotting multiple Group 1 winners Elvstroem and Haradasun is one of several mares visiting State Of Rest (Ire) who Metcalfe has plenty of faith in.

Fan of State Of Rest's foals

“I like the fact that he trained on and wasn't just a speedy early horse,” Metcalfe said. “We have some of his foals here and they are real crackers.”

It's further back on the page but this is also the family that produced the multiple Group 1-winning successful stallion Dundeel (NZ) and his half-sister Forreel (NZ) (Nom Du Jeu {NZ}) is another nice mare secured this year.

Purchased from an Inglis Digital sale for $90,000, she was in foal to Too Darn Hot (GB) with Metcalfe noting that, “We were happy to buy mares in foal to him as we have been impressed by the job he is doing.”

“And she is just a lovely mare, and she's had a stunning colt.”

Shinzo has been chosen as her next mate.

Metcalfe is a fan of Newgate Farm's Militarize and has several mares visiting him and another is the imported dual stakes winner Josdesanimaux (USA) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) who was purchased at this year's Magic Millions National Sale for $150,000.

“She is a nice mare who has improved a lot in the last few months, Metcalfe said, looking forward to the imminent arrival of her foal by Too Darn Hot.

“There is a bit going on in her family and we hope that continues.”

A daughter of the dual Group 1-winning successful broodmare Jostle (USA) (Brocco {USA}), Josdesanimaux had her 3-year-old Vortex Bay (Exceed And Excel) win an Ellerslie trial (his second win from four attempts) for the Tony Pike stable last week.

Homebird a good online purchase

Several promising mares have been secured online in recent times, another one of those being Homebird (Rothesay) who was purchased for $225,000 a couple of years ago.

Her first foal Bound For Home (Rubick) won the G3 Quezette S. and she is due next month to Home Affairs.

“We are not yet 100 per cent on who she is going to,” Metcalfe said. “But it will be one of the Newgate stallions.”

“We really like how they do things with their stallions, and the fact that they support breeders at the sales.”

Hailing from the same family as the Hong Kong superstar Silent Witness (El Moxie {USA}), Homebird had an upgrade to her page last weekend with Chrysaor (Better Than Ready) winning at Listed level at Flemington.

Also well-related is this year's $260,000 Magic Millions National Sale purchase Pasar Gold (Choisir) who is due later this month to Capitalist, due to head to Stay Inside.

“She is a beautiful, big mare from a good family," Metcalf said of the half-sister to the Group 2-winning up-and-coming stallion Zousain.

The one and only Vinnie

Metcalfe was also active at this year's Inglis Chairman's Sale, taking home for $300,000 the unraced Prospect Park (Manhattan Rain) in foal to the one and only I Am Invincible

Prospect Park is a half-sister to the G1 WATC Derby and G3 WATC Oaks winner Grand Journey (Good Journey {USA}) and to the dam of the G1 Galaxy winner Griante (Good Journey).

She may well revisit that champion stallion with Farnan also on the list of possibilities.

Metcalfe was one of those who spotted the potential of I Am Invincible early, sending mares to him from his first season and enjoying good success.

“I saw him at Yarraman and just loved the way he moved, I remember watching him walk away from me and thinking 'wow!'”

Little wonder then that one of his daughters is a favoured mare at the farm, Monte Invincible being a half-sister to the G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Shooting To Win and the Group 2-winning successful stallion Deep Field.

A member of the acclaimed Eight Carat (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {Ire}) clan, she is on the list to visit Extreme Choice after “foaling a really lovely filly for us by Stay Inside."

“She is not a big mare but it's not a big family. She is a very neat mare with an impressive hindquarter, a lovely walk and a really good attitude.”

A standout mare

Blazing Miss (Sizzling), who will visit Militarize, also has Group 1 relations with her third dam being the terrific mare (both on and off the track) Procrastinate (Jade Hunter {USA}).

A Group 3-placed, multiple city winner purchased at last year's Inglis Chairman's Sale for $590,000, she lost her first foal but is in foal to Capitalist, a foal Metcalfe is excited about meeting.

“She is such a beautiful mare, if you'd see her, you'd just say that she is an absolute standout.”

Other stallions being utilized this season include Brutal (NZ), Exceedance, Hellbent, King's Gambit, Tassort and Artorius with Metcalfe happy with the variety of foals who will appear next year.

She likes to mate the mares under her change on type, noting that, “Firstly I look at the mare, then the stallion and then what the family is producing, and I go from there.”

“A horse who looks a good match on paper, may not be in the flesh and I always try to choose a stallion who is going to cancel out any faults the mare might have.”

Table: Some of the matings Alma Vale and Kitchwin Hills are planning in 2024