No room for a Derby winner

Robbie Laing is not being rushed with offers from studs to stand his Derby winner, Polanski, as a sire.

No worthwhile stud has shown any interest, and not likely to, the simple facts are no one wants to stand a Derby winner.

More recent Derby winners, Blackfriars and Helenus, proved successful sires when located to Western Australia, each received opportunites that would never have happened in Victoria.

No one wanted Blevic either; he would have withered on the vine unless he was taken up by Peter and Brian Toole at Kambula Stud, in South Australia, where he proved a stud success.

Manfred, winner of the classic in 1925, was among the most successful sires to have won a Derby, in fact he won both the AJC and VRC Derbies.

At stud he sired the crack New Zealand performer Red Manfred, as well as Cardinal, The Trump, Manrico, Mildura and Manolive, plus numerous good producing mares, at Leslie Aldridge’s Kismet Park Sunbury.

New Zealand Bloodstock

New Zealand Bloodstock are conducting their Winter Mixed Bloodstock Sale on the 1^st of August with 129 lots to be offered.

Broodmares make up the bulk of the catalogue with a number of younger mares that not been covered.

Lot 105 yearling filly is an interesting lot; she is by Shocking from a daughter of Pins, from the same family that produced the Cox Plate winner Ocean Park.

Arrowfield’s Statistics Book

The Arrowfield Statistic Book arrived on my desk this morning, I was quite impressed, good stuff really, similar in some respects to what John Gains of Gainsway published when he stood 47 sires at his Kentucky Stud.

This is a great step forward, we can never have too much information in this industry, provided it is the facts, people get tired of glossy advertising, it is nothing more than wild speculation which means very little, it is results that count.

Brothers In For Big Pay Day

The Wood brothers, Ian, Paul and Graeme, are in for a big pay day if their noble steed, GottaTake Care, can prevail and win the Grand National Hurdle at Sportingbet Park (Sandown) on Sunday.

First prize for the 3900 metres of the race is $126,750, however, as the winner of the Melbourne Racing Club’s Jumps Racing Bonus series, the Galleywood, and the Australian Hurdle, the gelding qualifies for an additional $300,000 if he wins on Sunday.

Gotta Take Care has the steadier of 71 kgs, however, he has earned it, in his current form he is going to take a ton of beating.

Colts with Similar Form

Vuelta and Zebulon both have similar form going into Taj Rossi Series at Flemington tomorrow; each is a last start winner at headquarters.

Prior to their Flemington wins each had finished second at Werribee in races that were too short and each was disappointed for a run at a vital stage.

Tomorrow they meet on an equal playing field, Zebulon is drawn a little further out but that should not bother him unduly, each will get the 1600 metres as their Flemington wins were over 1400 metres and both were running on.

Zebulon was the more impressive last time out and is favoured to win, this looks to be an interesting race.