A smart man of Steel

HELENUS: The former star Victorian sired his first Stakes winner when Mega Steel won the Listed Belmont Classic.

Issue 18, July 16, 2009

The Lloyd Williams-John Sadler team will invade Monday’s trials at Bendigo, where they will saddle 13 horses, including a dozen 2YOs. Bendigo’s spacious track is a favourite haunt for Williams to kick off the careers of his young horses.

However, one gelding stands out as the most interesting of the Williams-Sadler bunch – a three-quarter brother to Williams’ former star, and now promising sire, Reset (b h 2001, Zabeel (NZ)-Assertive Lass, by Zeditave).

Resetable, who will go around in trial four over 800m, is by the great Zabeel (by Sir Tristram (IRE)) from the Danehill mare Assertiveness, a half-sister to Group 1 Flight Stakes winner Assertive Lass, the dam of Reset.

Reset was unbeaten in five starts as an autumn 3YO in 2004. His wins included the Group 1 Cadbury Guineas (1600m, Flemington) and the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m, Caulfield). He was injured after that and snapped up by Darley as a stallion for a reported $20 million. At stud, Reset has sired three Stakes winners, including the 2008 Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) hero Rebel Raider.

Resetable cost $200,000 as a 2008 Inglis Easter yearling, from the draft of Stratheden Stud, Tamworth. His dam Assertiveness (b m 1999, ex-Sommes Sound (USA), by Assert (IRE)) won a 1550m race for mares at Canterbury in 2004, from nine starts. Assertiveness’ first foal, Run The Lights (by Red Ransom), is an unraced 3YO.

I first met Russell Roberts, Perth bookmaker and publican, in Kilmore in 1976. His famous pacer, the relentless Pure Steel had just won the Kilmore Cup.

Roberts owned and supervised the training of Pure Steel (born in 1971), a la Lloyd Williams, during a stunning career that resulted in 68 wins from 127 starts, and stakes of almost $1million. ‘Steelo’ won four WA Pacing Cups, three Hunter Cups and a Miracle Mile.

Roberts paid $2400 for Pure Steel as a yearling, but it was no fluke. He had bought cheaply, as yearlings, two other near champions – James Eden and Local Product, who both won WA Pacing Cups with a young Fred Kersley (trainer of the great Northerly) in the sulky.

In my time as a harness racing writer for the Sporting Globe and The Herald, I spent

a lot of time with Roberts, as we shared a similar interest in breeding. I spent many hours with Roberts at the yearling sales, and I learned quickly that this was a man, despite his background of pubs and bookie boards, who knew about the conformation of horses.

Unlike most thoroughbred trainers of today, Roberts was very hands-on when looking at yearlings. He would start and the head and work his way to the tail, rubbing his hands over every centimetre of the horse. He liked a horse with a keen eye and balance, but he loved a well-topped horse with a broad, well-muscled rump.

Roberts is virtually out of the harness game, but he has applied his interest and knowledge to thoroughbreds, with resounding success.

In 1999, using Perth agent John Chalmers as bidder, he paid $32,500 for a colt by

Jeune (GB) from How Special, by Persian Heights (GB) at the ABCOS Yearling Sale in Adelaide.

Named True Steel, the chestnut won the 2003 Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (WFA 1800m) at Ascot and amassed a prizemoney pool of $556,990.

Roberts’ famous colours of blue with grey sleeves were again prominent last weekend when Mega Steel, a monstrous 17hh 3YO gelding, won the Listed Belmont Classic (2200m) at Belmont. The big horse has a very bright future for trainer Colin Webster. Mega Steel boasts three wins and three seconds from six starts.

In 2006, Roberts paid only $30,000 for Mega Steel as a weanling. The youngster’s dam, Cabernet Queen (by Marauding), is a half-sister to one of Perth’s best sprinters Barrosa Boy (by Synsky (NZ)).

DANNY POWER

WORDS BY DANNY POWER

An Aussie first for Pivotal Fareer ‘s 2YO maiden (1300m) win at Cranbourne last Sunday was the first Australian success for one of England’s outstanding sires, Pivotal (by Polar Falcon).

The Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum-bred and owned youngster is the first Pivotal son or daughter to race in Australia – his win, for trainer David Hayes, was at his fourth start after being placed third in his previous three.

Fareer’s dam Alqwah (by Danehill (USA)) was imported in foal to Pivotal. In all, 11 imported mares have foaled down to Pivotal in Australia after being served in the UK to southern hemisphere time.

Fareer is from the family of former handy New Zealand sire College Chapel (by Sharpo (GB)). This is essentially a fast European family, which is why Fareer is more precocious than the only other 2YO by Pivotal in Australia – the unraced Pivotal Moment (c 2006, ex-Speciality (IRE), by Entrepreneur (GB)) – whose dam is a half-sister to the 1998 Group 1 Italian Derby (2400m) winner and 1999 Melbourne Cup (3200m) runner-up (to Rogan Josh), Central Park (by In The Wings (GB)).

Pivotal has been a revelation in England. The big chestnut was an exciting sprinter who won four from six starts, including the 1996 Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes (1000m, York) and the 1996 Group 2 King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) at Royal Ascot. But at stud he has produced winners over all distances; an inheritance from his versatile paternal grandsire Nureyev (by Northern Dancer).

Pivotal is the sire of 71 Stakes winners, one of which, Excellent Art (2007 G1 St. James Palace Stakes, (1600m)), is standing his second season at stud at Coolmore, Jerrys Plains, in the Hunter Valley, at a fee of $19,250 (inc. GST).

Pivotal, 16, stands at Cheverley Park Stud, Suffolk, UK, for a fee of £65,000. He hit the headlines again this week when his daughter Sariska won the Group 1 Irish Oaks (2400m, The Curragh), joining a list of star fillies who have won the Epsom and Irish Oaks double.

The Newmarket Dream The hot young sire in Europe at the moment is Oasis Dream (by Green Desert (USA)).

Most Australians will remember Oasis Dream as the horse who beat Choisir to win the 2003 Group 1 July Cup (1200m) at Newmarket, after finishing third to the Australian star in the Group 2 King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) at Royal Ascot.

Like Choisir, Oasis Dream is proving himself a versatile sire and it is only a matter of time before one of his sons arrives in Australia for stud duties, especially considering sons of Green Desert have done well

here – namely Volksraad, Cape Cross and Invincible Spirit.

It was a monstrous week for Oasis Dream. He sired the feature double for 2YOs at Newmarket – the Group 2 Cherry Hinton Stakes (1200m), won by the filly Misheer, and the Group 2 July Stakes (1200m), won by the colt Arcano.

On Friday, his exciting sprinting son Main Aim finished second to Fleeting Spirit (by Invincible Spirit) in the July Cup and on the same day, at Ascot, his 4YO son Aqlaam won the Group 3 Summer Mile (1600m).

Oasis Dream, proving his versatility, also is the sire of the classy filly Midday, who this season has finished second in the Epsom Oaks (2400m) and third in the Irish Oaks (2400m).

Seamer the breeder Melbourne Cup winning jockey Scott Seamer’s decision to invest in a broodmare has provided instant results, but in far fields.

Seamer is the registered breeder of Agnes Flash, a chestnut son of Choisir who won a 1000m allowance race at Sapporo in Japan. Japanese trainer Hideyoki Mori paid

$150,000 for Agnes Flash at the 2007 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale.

Agnes Flash’s dam National Song (b m 1992, Vain-Olympic Aim (NZ), by Zamazaan (FR)) was sold in foal to Choisir at the 2005 Inglis Easter Broodmare Sale for $145,000 to the bid of William Inglis, as agent. All subsequent foals from National Song have Seamer listed as the breeder, including a colt by Flying Spur (by Danehill) that failed to reach his $50,000 reserve at the 2009 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.

National Song is a half-sister to champion broodmare and former top racemare Circles Of Gold (by Marscay), the dam of Group 1 winners and young stallions Elvstroem (by Danehill) and Haradasun (by Fusaichi Pegasus).

Agnes Flash also is a three-parts brother to the exciting Starspangledbanner, who is by Choisir from National Song’s daughter Gold Anthem (by Made Of Gold). Starspangledbanner won the 2008 $250,000 Inglis Juvenile (1000m) at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate day.

No need for another 3YO G1 Following last week’s announcement that the Golden Rose (1400m, 3YOs), run at Rosehill in late August, has been elevated to Group 1 status, there are calls from some sections of the racing industry, particularly from NSW, for a Group 1 race for 3YO sprinters to be added to the Sydney autumn carnival.

In the autumn, both in Sydney and Melbourne, the 3YOs are so well catered for in the WFA and handicap sprints – the record of 3YOs against open age is outstanding in the autumn – that it is ludicrous to consider adding a specific race for sprinters of that age to the racing calendar.

DANNY POWER

OASIS DREAM: the July Cup winner is the most promising young sire in Europe.