SUMMERHILL FIRST SEASON SIRES SHOW THE WAY

Cataloochee
(Photo : Summerhill Stud)

CATALOOCHEE AND WAY WEST

Following is an extract from an article by Sarah Whitelaw published on Racingweb, in which she discusses the performances over the past season of some younger stallions climbing South Africa’s ranks.

“The ill-fated Cataloochee was the second leading first crop sire by prize money. His 22 runners included eight individual winners, including the Grade 3 winning filly Oochee Agent and the stakes placed Archangel Michael. He is also the sire of the promising filly June Bug. A fast and precocious horse himself, Cataloochee seems to be passing on these traits to his offspring. Clearly, the premature death of Cataloochee was a serious loss to the industry.

Cataloochee stood at Summerhill Stud, as does Way West. The latter has had just one winner to date (from 14 runners), but it was a good one. His daughter, Waywest Goddess, won the Grade 2 SA Fillies Nursery and was 2^nd in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Fillies Futurity. Way West himself was a precocious juvenile, and it is not surprising that Waywest Goddess inherited these tendencies.”

RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING ON MY HEAD

Chocolicious - Allan Robertson Championship (Grade 1)
(Photo : Gold Circle)

TWO MONTHS, THREE GROUP ONE WINNING FILLIES

There are two sayings that are associated with rain that come to mind at times like this. “It never rains but it pours” and “It’s raining cats and dogs”. If you’re speaking of Group Ones, you might apply that adage to our resident stallion Kahal, whose juvenile daughter, Chocolicious, became his third Group One winning filly in the past two months.

Bred by Keith Russon and Ian Todd’s Backworth Stud, this game youngster got caught up in a cat fight over the last furlong and a half, with the newly-crowned Highveld Champion, Waywest Goddess, with the lead changing hands every few strides in the final 300. The race was a triumph for the Summerhill stallions, with Way West providing the runner-up and Cataloochee the fourth place through the Pretty Polly Stakes (Gr.3) winner, Oochee Agent.

Just two months back, Connington-bred Noble Heir thumped the colts in the Computaform Sprint (Gr.1), while Peet Diedericks’ Spiced Gold got up in the final strides of the SA Fillies Classic (Gr.1) a couple of weeks later to dead heat with Here To Win.

Mike de Kock’s been saying for some time that if Kahal got the opportunities the likes of Fort Wood and Western Winter were getting, he’d be challenging for the championship. It won’t happen this year, as Jet Master has it all wrapped up, but this effort at least consolidates Kahal’s position in third on the log. What is encouraging, is that he seems to get them to run over any trip. His five Group One winners to date extend from 1200 metres to 3200 metres, which makes him an ideal candidate for a crack at the big one.

LEADING SIRES BY STAKES

#	Stakes (ZAR)	Sire	Rnrs	AEPR	Runs
1	11,318,175	JET MASTER	167	67,774	883
2	9,296,924	SILVANO	136	68,360	707
3	8,279,400	KAHAL	128	64,683	772
4	8,169,150	CAPTAIN AL	163	50,117	878
5	7,597,837	FORT WOOD	143	53,132	715
6	7,430,549	PARADE LEADER	88	84,438	534
7	7,040,512	WESTERN WINTER	123	57,240	718
8	5,796,212	WINDRUSH	102	56,826	613
9	5,527,974	JALLAD	141	39,205	761
10	5,086,050	NATIONAL EMBLEM	157	32,395	858

Correct as at 1 June 2010

CHOCOLICIOUS TOO SWEET IN GRADE 1 ALLAN ROBERTSON

Click above to watch Chocolicious winning the Allan Robertson Championship (Gr1)
(Photo : Gold Circle - Footage : Tellytrack)

ALLAN ROBERTSON CHAMPIONSHIP (Grade 1)
Scottsville, Turf, 1200m
29 May 2010

Charl Pretorius www.racingweb.co.zaChocolicious, a 50-1 chance from the Herman Brown stable, fought an exciting battle with Louis Goosen’s Waywest Goddess (15-2), before getting the upper hand late in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m at Scottsville on Saturday.

The pair went head to head over the last 200m with replacement jockey Johnny Geroudis on Chocolicious and Piere Strydom on Waywest Goddess flat to the boards for first prize. Chocolicious found a little extra and claimed victory close to the line.

Chocolicious, beaten three lengths by Romantic Moon in her previous start, turned the tables to the tune of eight lengths on her conqueror and assistant trainer Frank Robinson commented: “She was just a bit underdone that day and we were more confident today.”

Chocolicious and Waywest Goddess came together in the heat of the contest and then the Herman Brown filly appeared to carry Waywest Goddess off a straight course, but no action was taken by the stipendiary stewards.

It is doubtful whether anything would have affected the result, however, as Chocolicious won well.

Louis Goosen said: “There may have been something, the head-on suggests that they moved across the track, but it wasn’t my duty to object. Pierre didn’t mention anything after the race. He said Waywest Goddess seemed to have little left in the tank going into the last 400m, she was battling. But she picked up the bit and kept fighting on, which shows how courageous she is. Good luck to the Brown stable, it was an exciting race, we beat a filly like Mahbooba and several other top class fillies home, we are happy and we look forward to her career from here.”

Chocolocious was bred by Keith Russon and Ian Todd at Backworth Stud near Eston, KwaZulu Natal, a fine achievement and a Grade 1 winner on their roll of honour. Chocolicious is by Kahal from Candy Box and her half-brother by Miesque’s Approval fetched R275 000 at April’s Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale.

CHOCOLICIOUS (Kahal x Candy Box)
2 Year Old Bay Filly
Owners : Messrs P Ebbs, MG Frost, M A Robinson and Ms L Kapustina, Messrs HJ Brown (Jnr) and NC Smith
Trainer : Herman Brown
Jockey : Johnny Geroudis
Breeder : Backworth Stud
Win Time : 69.70
Career Record : 2 Wins, 1 Place, 3 Starts

RACE RESULT

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	CHOCOLICIOUS	58.0	0	14	J Geroudis	Herman Brown
2	0.50	WAYWEST GODDESS	58.0	0	12	P Strydom	Louis Goosen
3	4.25	MAHBOOBA (AUS)	58.0	0	5	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
4	4.30	OOCHEE AGENT	58.0	0	10	S Brown	Paul Matchett
5	4.80	STORMY COAST	58.0	0	2	G Figueroa	George Scott
6	7.85	HOLLYWOODBOULEVARD (AUS)	58.0	0	6	A Marcus	Charles Laird
7	5.60	LEGAL ACCOUNT	58.0	0	3	B Fayd’Herbe	Paul Lafferty
8	6.85	ROMANTIC MOON	58.0	0	7	S Randolph	Duncan Howells
9	7.35	IBROX PARK	58.0	0	13	B Lerena	Dominic Zaki
10	8.85	MAUREEN DE LAGO (AUS)	58.0	0	9	G Schlechter	Darryl Hodgson
11	11.10	INDIGOFERA	58.0	0	1	N Welch	Corne Spies
12	11.35	SIX BLUE NOTES	58.0	0	11	D Daniels	Glen Kotzen
13	12.10	BIG ON BROADWAY (AUS)	58.0	0	8	F Coetzee	Glen Kotzen
14	18.35	POPPINS	58.0	0	4	G Lerena	Gavin van Zyl

GOING TO HOLLYWOOD IN ALLAN ROBERTSON CHAMPIONSHIP

Charles Laird - Trainer of Hollywoodboulevard
(Photo : The Age/Jacqueline Takahashi) 

ALLAN ROBERTSON CHAMPIONSHIP (Grade 1)
Scottsville, Turf, 1200m
29 May 2010 

Karel Miedema Sporting PostHollywoodboulevard proved to be a major disappointment in the soggy going of the Gr2 Fillies Nursery earlier in May, but the impressive winner of her only previous start could be worth another chance when she takes on 14 other juvenile fillies in the Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m at Scottsville on Saturday. A daughter of hot international sire Street Cry, Hollywoodboulevard never got into the hunt before she finished 5.5 lengths seventh behind Waywest Goddess (who opposes her again here) in The Fillies Nursery, but that entire meeting was a nightmare for the Charles Laird yard and it is hard to believe that the Australian-bred import cannot do a great deal better. She may have met ordinary maidens when she made her debut over 1200m at the Vaal in April, but there was no mistaking the authority with which Hollywoodboulevard streaked to a seven length victory after showing pace from the start. The going will hopefully be good on Saturday (as it was when she opened her account) and a much better effort seems likely from Anton Marcus’ mount.

However, Ibrox Park may also have been done no real favours by the wet ground of the Fillies Nursery and this very fast inmate of the Dominic Zaki stable makes plenty of appeal. She led for most of the way at a cracking pace before being beaten two lengths by Waywest Goddess, and purely on that form does have the beating of Hollywoodboulevard. The Fillies Nursery is probably not to be taken too literally, but Ibrox Park created a very favourable impression when she blitzed to an almost ten length success on her Vaal 1000m debut on sticky going in March and may very well now encounter good or fast ground for the first time in her life. She could prove even more effective on such a surface, and she has a bright winning chance.

Waywest Goddess has to be considered on the way she won the Fillies Nursery, where she was perhaps ridden with a shade more restraint than when she bolted off to the front and tired late in a Gr3 race over 1100m at her penultimate start. She was the very easy winner of a Vaal 1000m Listed race second time out, and while the Fillies Nursery form may be slightly suspect nobody would be very surprised if Waywest Goddess came to the fore again on Saturday.

Mahbooba is undefeated from two starts and does duty for the Mike de Kock stable, which in itself entitles her to healthy consideration. The Australian import needed every inch of 1200m when she beat Big On Broadway by less than one length going away in a Gr2 event over this course-and-distance in April, and on pedigree the daughter of Galileo is entitled to prove better suited to more ground. She has done nothing wrong, though, and she may be able to pick of the leaders in what should be a fast-run race, at any rate if the early pacesetters overdo things and run out of steam on this course with its distinct uphill finish. Still, it would be no surprise should Mahbooba be found wanting for the pace needed to win a contest such as this and she may be running on too late.

Lightly raced Big On Broadway was making her local debut behind Mahbooba, having accounted for subsequent dual winner Emerald Cove when scoring on debut over 1200m at Kenilworth in February. She may improve, and there may not be a great deal to choose between her and Mahbooba again.

Legal Account has promising form and stayed on steadily to finish only a neck further behind Big On Broadway last time out. She ran on well in a minor Feature over the Clairwood 1000m two starts ago and is more effective over this 200m longer distance. She may really be looking to go a bit further still, but could possibly sneak into a minor place.

Stormy Coast has consistent Gauteng form and ran on when only a short head behind Ibrox Park last time out in the Fillies Nursery. She needed four attempts before winning a maiden and as such one may suspect that the Fillies Nursery flatters her a bit. After all, she had less than one length to spare over runner-up Zara when winning over 1000m in March, and Zara was beaten almost ten lengths behind Ibrox Park next time out. All things considered, others do make more appeal than Stormy Coast this time.

A bigger threat may come from undefeated Romantic Moon, who has shown pace throughout and registered two impressive course-and-distance wins. Duncan Howells’ filly was never in any danger of defeat when she beat Chocolicious by three lengths earlier in May and there is no reason whatsoever to believe that Chocolicious will be able to reverse the form, and Romantic Moon has won her races with enough ease to suggest she may very well prove to be more than a match for the field she faces here. She must be taken seriously.

Six Blue Notes was also making her local debut when beaten about one length into fourth behind Mahbooba and there would seem to be little between her and stable companion Big On Broadway. Both fillies had subsequent dual winner Emerald Cove in second when winning their respective maiden races at Kenilworth, and just for good measure Six Blue Notes had subsequent Gr3 and Listed winner Madrisa behind her in third when she opened her account. There may again be little to choose between Six Blue Notes and those she took on at this course in April.

Oochee Agent made no show in the Fillies Nursery, but probably cannot be written off on that. She ran on very well to narrowly beat a field which included subsequent Fillies Nursery winner Waywest Goddess in a Gr3 event over 1100m at Turffontein the last time she encountered good going and could still be in with a chance of upsetting calculations here.

Essential Oil made a very bright debut when she showed plenty of pace and beat subsequent easy winner Take A Ride by 3.25 lengths over the Scottsville 1000m earlier in May. That probably wasn’t a great field even allowing for the runner-up’s subsequent win, but Essential Oil did everything right and shaped as if this 200m longer distance would suit her. She can’t be without some chance, but Felix Coetzee partnered her to that debut win and now takes the ride on Big On Broadway instead.

Indigofera has very good sand form, but all three of her wins have come at Kimberley and her form in Gauteng hardly suggests that she is a Gr1 contender.

Maureen De Lago shows plenty of pace, but has something to find on her local debut effort behind La Pucelle in a Gr3 event over 1000m at Scottsville in April. She isn’t entirely sure to appreciate what promises to be a testing 1200m and she may have been a very precocious early 2 year old, but on the other hand she did beat Six Blue Notes easily over 1000m in January and is meeting that filly on 2.5kgs better terms now. In a roundabout way that doesn’t appear to say too much for the chances of Six Blue Notes and all of those who finished just ahead of her in the Debutante, but she was making her debut when beaten by Maureen De Lago and could have improved since. 

Poppins has good form over shorter and has the measure of Maureen De Lago on their form behind La Pucelle, but this will be her first try beyond the minimum distance.

Legal Account ran on well when beaten less than one length by Poppins over 1000m at Clairwood in March and surely must have a bright chance of reversing that form over an extra 200m here.

As already noted, Chocolicious has it all to do after proving no match for Romantic Moon on the identical weight terms earlier this month.

One certainty is that there will be no shortage of early pace, with plenty of very quick fillies in the line-up, and it will take a youngster who truly stays a testing 1200m to emerge victorious. Hollywoodboulevard should have no stamina question marks whatsoever and is given a chance to redeem herself in what is nevertheless not an easy race to sum up. Ibrox Park, Romantic Moon, Mahbooba and Big On Broadway could be the ones to give her the most to do, with Oochee Agent perhaps the candidate most likely to produce a real surprise if there is to be one.

Extract from Sporting Post

FINAL FIELD

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	BIG ON BROADWAY (AUS)	58.0	0	9	F Coetzee	Glen Kotzen
2	CHOCOLICIOUS	58.0	0	15	R Danielson	Herman Brown
3	ESSENTIAL OIL	58.0	0	4	A Fortune	Sean Tarry
4	HOLLYWOODBOULEVARD (AUS)	58.0	0	7	A Marcus	Charles Laird
5	IBROX PARK	58.0	0	14	B Lerena	Dominic Zaki
6	INDIGOFERRA	58.0	0	1	N Welch	Corne Spies
7	LEGAL ACCOUNT	58.0	0	3	B Fayd’Herbe	Paul Lafferty
8	MAHBOOBA (AUS)	58.0	0	6	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
9	MAUREEN DE LAGO (AUS)	58.0	0	10	G Schlechter	Darryl Hodgson
10	OOCHEE AGENT	58.0	0	11	S Brown	Paul Matchett
11	POPPINS	58.0	0	5	G Lerena	Gavin van Zyl
12	ROMANTIC MOON	58.0	0	8	S Randolph	Duncan Howells
13	SIX BLUE NOTES	58.0	0	12	D Daniels	Glen Kotzen
14	STORMY COAST	58.0	0	2	G Figueroa	George Scott
15	WAYWEST GODDESS	58.0	0	13	P Strydom	Louis Goosen

WAY WEST DAUGHTER NAMED CHAMPION TWO YEAR OLD FILLY

Way West
(Photo : Greig Muir)

“GO WEST YOUNG MAN”

Having a top young stallion prospect is every breeder’s dream, so when Way West flattened the cream of Australia’s exposed juvenile talent in the Blue Diamond Prelude of his year, there was more than a smile of satisfaction from Arrowfield’s John Messara. He was, after all, a son of Danehill.

In the winner’s circle, when it was announced that he’d posted a race record as well as lowering the time of the great Alingi in the Fillies version just a half hour earlier, the beam on General Manager Peter Keating’s mug was palpable. At Lindsay Park, the Hayes’ famous nursery and training centre, thoughts turned to the Blue Diamond itself, and already there was talk of a crack at the Golden Slipper, the world’s richest Two Year old get together.

Alas, when injury intervened, as so often happens with the demands of Australia’s richly endowed juvenile programme, it was a case of here today, gone tomorrow.

One thing’s for sure, though, when we talk of his first crop daughter, Waywest Goddess, she is both the here and the now. Facile winner of the Ruffian Stakes (Listed), the first juvenile Black type of the season, she subsequently underscored her supremacy over Gauteng’s juvenile version in the R400,000 The Fillies Nursery (Gr.2), going away by two lengths to secure the Highveld Champion’s tag, and earning ‘Johnny-come-lately ”, Louis Goosen, a “welcome home” to the world of racing.

Like her nearest pursuer, Pretty Polly (Gr.3) heroine Oochee Agent, she is another advertisement for the 2009 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale.

And speaking of the Ready To Run, it’s worth remembering that the Horse Of The Year at the same ceremony, was a graduate as well.