Queensland received a worthwhile boost; when Miss Cover Girl recorded her second Group 1 win when she held on to defeat the favourite, Azkadellia, in the Sky Racing Tatt’s Club Tiara at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Not only was it great to retain the race for the sunshine state where her sire, Monashee Mountain. stands at the recently renamed Sun Stud.

Whilst he was bred in the U S ,his entire racing career was restricted to Ireland, where he had seven starts for four wins, most at 1400 metres, with the exception of one win at 1200 metres.

Monashee Mountain, bred in the US, is a much travelled sire, with horses flying out of one hemisphere into another; the best bloodlines in the world can be sought so easily, with the advantage of world travel designed for livestock.

Monashee Mountain has plenty of previous flyer points up, however, at 19 years of age he has just about been grounded to spend his time in sunny Queensland.  

He has sired more than 500 winners and 17 Stakes horses, he had well and truly earned his keep with progeny earnings of $33 million.

Morphettville Parks – Alitaka --by Wanted

Belmont Park – Great Shot – by Magnus

Swan Hill – Magnus Magic –by Magnus

Edenhope –Kookiecutter -- by Sharkbite

Edenhope –Shark Shuffle – by Sharkbite

Sun Stud was among the prominent buyers at last week’s Magic Millions mare’s sales on the Gold Coast, a criteria was set for young stakes winning mares in foal to leading sires.

This will ensure that yearling prices in 18 months time will at least redeem 50 per cent of the original outlay.

SUN STUD PURCHASES

Lot 816 SABIE $390,000
Stakes Winner In Foal To Medaglia d’ Oro

Lot 888 THE FILLY $320,000
Group 3 Winner In Foal to Sebring

Lot 917 VINTEDGE $400,000
Group 2 Winner In Foal to Medaglia d’ Oro

Lot 696 ALWAYS DISCREET $400,000
Group 2 Placed In Foal to Sebring

Lot 944 YOSEI $580,000
Group1 Winner In Foal to Deep Field

Lot 1107 Fine Bubbles $400,000
Group 3 Winner In Foal to I Am Invincible

Group 3 success Fine Bubbles

Moshe sired his first winner here when Moshway led for much of the way to win the Samson Handicap, at Sandown Park on Saturday.

That was the first Melbourne winner sired by Moshe, and it could not have come at a more appropriate time, with the breeding season just three months off.

He has now sired three winners, including a stakes winner, from 18 of his progeny to race, not a bad average and much better than some of the more expensive sires that have yet to get a winner.

He is a full brother to Black Caviar and a half brother to All Too Hard, it is a sire family evidenced by Magnus and Wilander, until he became infertile.

Moshe is bred on a double cross of Vain, a brilliant sire, a champion racehorse, a winner of 12 of his 14 starts; every win was at Group level, the only three year old ever to win three times against open age over a four day V R C carnival.

His sire, Bel Esprit, was purchased as a yearling for the paltry sum of $9,000; as all the so called good judges knocked him back due to a hock injury.

Bel Esprit has since surely squared the ledger after winning eight races, including the Blue Diamond Stakes and the Doomben 10,000, earning over $2 million in stakes and siring progeny earnings in excess of $45 million.

Whilst Moshe inherited the precociousness of his sire, Bel Esprit, his racing career was much shorter, he was limited to just five starts, winning three times.

His oldest progeny are about to turn three, that will be the season when we are likely to see a marked increase in the numbers of his progeny racing.

He covered a big book of mares in his first and second seasons, and there are a lot of young horses out there yet to be tried.

Private breeders are inclined to give his horses more time in the paddock before they race them, just the opposite to the commercial breeders that breed to sell.

Moshe by Bel Esprit at Sun Stud

Leading stallion operation, SUN STUD, has announced the introduction of the ‘Sun Club’, an exciting opportunity for broodmare owners to secure lifetime breeding rights in two of the Stud’s promising sires, Ready For Victory and Jabali.

Sales & Nominations Manager, Mark Lindsay, released details of the initiative pointing out -

“The premise of the Sun Clun is quite simple, but the benefits have the potential to reward our club member’s long term, “Lindsay points out.

Basically ,Sun Club members send one mare in 2016 to Ready For Victory for $16,500 (2016), Service Fee $9,900 + $6,600 VOBIS SIRES scheme /Sun Club Membership), or to Jabali $9.900 (2016 Service Fee $7,700 + $2,200 Sun Club Membership).

Payment is not due until you actually have a live foal on the ground, which works along similar lines to the Live Foal Payment we have on all Sun Stud stallions.

“You are then open to send a mare Free in 2017, and a mare in 2018 for Free.

Any member that fills the three nominations receives a lifetime breeding right to that stallion or the remainder of his stud career”

The Sun Club concept has stemmed from the success of the stallions at stud, as Encosta De Lago, Street Boss and Not A Single Doubt.

Sun Stud (formerly Eliza Park International) launched the careers of Love Conquers All, currently Australia’s Leading First Season Sire, Moshe, Victoria’s Leading First Season Sire, and Written Tycoon who was the first Victorian based stallion to win a national premiership in decades, when crowned Australia’s Champion First Season Sire. His introductory fee ? $,8,250 !

Under the Sun Club breeders can access a potential champion at a set fee and not be penalised when the fees increase commensurate with performance.

And both Ready For Victory and Jabali will be given every opportunity to succeed.

Ready For Victory is an ideal fit for Victoria, he won a stakes race on debut as a 2YO at Flemington, and then ran a very unlucky fourth in the Golden Slipper at his second start ,while the Queensland bound Jabali was the second highest rated 2 Y0, finishing second in the Blue Diamond, before winning the Queensland Guineas at three.

Sun Stud, formerly known as Eliza Park International, was among the major players at the Sydney May Sales earlier last week.

After some serious bidding the Victorian stud secured the 2009 Victorian Oaks winner, Faint Perfume, for $700,000, the highest priced lot of the four day sale.

Faint Perfume was by far the best filly of her year, with five wins netting $1,456,290, besides winning the Oaks she was successful in the Wakeful Stakes, Vinery Stakes and the Kewney Stakes, and was placed in the Australian Oaks and Thousand Guineas.    

She has had just the one foal to race at present, recording a win and is in foal to Redoute’s Choice after being covered by him the previous year, to date she has produced four colts; she is due for a filly to carry on a successful dynasty.

Trained by the late Bart Cummings Faint Perfume staged a remarkable performance, seldom seen in winning the Oaks, she was 20 lengths off the pace with 1200 metres to run, yet had the race in her keeping when heads were turned for home.

Ten lots later, Sun Stud put up their hand again, this time to purchase Prairie Star for $240,000, she is by High Chaparral and in foal to Sebring, she won five races up to 2100 metres with a fair share of Black Type in her pedigree.

They also purchased quite a number of prominent mares at the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast 12 months ago; they have since been mated, mainly with their own sires, Fiorante and Fighting Sun.

Both horses have recorded excellent fertility ratings, leaving quality young horses that will be seen as yearlings at the 2017 sales.

A weanling colt, by Magnus out of Flowerdrum by Mister Baileys, was snapped up by agent Shamus Mills acting on behalf of a Melbourne client for $160,000.

The Easter Draft

Lot 20, Bay Filly by Fastnet Rock from Pretty Flamingo by More Than Ready, dam of 1 foal to race Lagonda, a winner bred on a double cross of Danehill from a proven international pedigree.

 Lot 83, Bay or Brown Colt by Smart Missile from Songs of Vienna by Umatilla (USA), a winning dam of 4 races, dam of 4 foals to race, 3 winners closely related to Hadabeclorka .

Lot 263, Grey Colt by Fastnet Rock from Distinctly (USA) Sadler’s Wells, dam unraced sister Moon Queen dam of Beauty Parlor , The Brothers War ,three quarter sister to Barafamy.

Lot 271, Bay or Brown by Fastnet Rock from Dower (NZ) by Pins, dam 2 races at 1100 metres with prize money of $159,767, dam of 3 foals 2 winners.

Lot 415 Bay Filly by Fastnet Rock from Mist (Ire.) by Galileo, three quarter sister Aloft, only 1 foal to race at this stage, Aloft winner of Royal Ascot and second in the Group1 Doncaster Post Trophy.  

Magnus is not far off another Group1 winner after the performance of Malaguerra in the Group 3 Star Kingdom Stakes, at Rosehill on Saturday.

The gelding went into the race with the ideal form line, having won his last three starts at Flemington.

The feeling is he will be eased at this stage, with a likely trip further north to Brisbane for the Group1 feature, the Stradbroke Handicap over 1400 metres, with stake money of $2 million.

Blake Shinn did the almost impossible, how he didn’t go over the inside rail was a miracle, when Coolring appeared to be having a bumping duel with Malaguerra half way up the straight.

Magnus has had just the one Group 1 winner in Magnifisto, a second is on the horizon with his latest find, Malaguerra

The gelding is trained jointly by Lee and Anthony Freedman, they are a proven duo, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since the duo won their first race with Sauna, a mid week meeting all those years ago at Sandown.

Miss Wynette was the first leg of a two state double for her sire Magnus, when she recorded an all the way wins in the Bert Bryant Handicap at Caulfield.

Magnus found it hard to win beyond 1200 metres, yet he is siring horses winning up to 2000 metres.

Tears of Joy chased the winner Miss Wynette for most of the way, getting within a short head when the post was reached.

This was her best win to date, aided by a great ride from a youthful Brandon Stockdale; he claimed the 3 kg that brought the mare in at a more acceptable weight.

When the winner was well ridden by the youthful apprentice, there was no panic involved, he rode the mare right out, he is a promising young rider.

Brandon is apprenticed to his father, Frankie Stockdale, at Sale; he was a former jumps jockey who met with success over the tall timber.

Trainer, Tony McEvoy, was on the missing list, he left Michael Shepardson in charge of the mare and to handle the media as well.

Punters were with the favourite Testability, she went out short enough, after two good runs at Sandown she was handy all the way, but just wilted on the run.

Miss Wynette ridden by Brandon Stockdale

Moshe, the full brother to Black Caviar and the half brother to All Too Hard, sired his first winner at Morphettville on Saturday last, when Moshki recorded the first winner for her sire in the Listed Cinderella Stakes.

That was her sixth start and she has only been out of a place the once, with stakes earnings not that much short of $100,000.

Trained by Terry and Karina O’Sullivan, the filly had run a nice race at Moonee Valley to Dam Ready, hence the win was not unexpected.

Whilst Moshki was the first winner for her sire, who has had nine runners from his first crop of 123 foals, which is a small percentage to date.

Moshe was a brilliant young colt, he set tongues wagging when first up at Bendigo, setting a record over 1000 metres and did similar twice at Moonee Valley.

In hindsight, his service fee of $6,000 only encourages mediocrity in the quality of mares that a sire services, a more realistic fee, at least, should have been doubled.

It is still just early days; there is still a lot of water to go under the bridge, with still 114 foals somewhere about yet to race.

Only two yearlings were entered and sold at the Premier Sale, Lot 244 made $40,000, and Lot 597 sold for $45,000, those yearlings are sure to be given a chance, they were purchased to race.

Moshe - The speed machine