THERE’s a strong Australian connection with Highland Reel – winner of this year’s Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2400m) held at Ascot in England on Saturday, July 23.
Bred at Coolmore in Ireland, the 4YO entire Highland Reel is by former shuttler and triple Group1-winning champion European sire Galileo from the Australian-bred, Group 1-placed, Danehill-sired Hveger – a full-sister to Elvstroem and a half-sister to Haradasun .who are both dual hemisphere Group 1 champions
All are from the Marscay mare Circles Of Gold whose six wins included the Group 1 Australian Oaks at Randwick. She, in turn, is from the Zamazaan mare Olympic Aim who now has the distinction of being the third dam of both Highland Reel and Royal Ascot Diamond Jubilee Stakes winner Starspangledbanner – not forgetting she’s also the second dam of Royal Ascot Queen Anne Stakes winner Haradasun. Hveger has since ‘nicked’ with Galileo again to produce promising 3YO colt Idaho who placed in both the Epsom Derby and Irish Derby already this season.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien – who has now prepared four King George winners including Galileo – Highland Reel has raced 15 times for six wins in seven countries. Three of those wins have been at the elite Group 1 level – the Hong Kong Vase, Arlington Secretariat Stakes at Chicago, USA, and the King George. His latest Group 1 win – in what is regarded as England’s weight for age championship – put further polish on the magnificent win by champion mare Winx when she won Australia’s weight for age championship, the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley last October with Highland Reel finishing third a distant 5.5 lengths away in her wake.
Snitzel equals 2YO sire record
ARROWFIELD Stud resident stallion Snitzel (Redoute's Choice/Snippet's Lass) equalled a 40-year-old record over the weekend when siring his 30th 2YO winner for the 2015/16 season.
On July 28, 1976, Lindsay Park's great sire Without Fear set an Australian and world record of 30 2YO winners in a season when the filly Point Blank scored at Gawler in South Australia. The world record endured until 1998 when End Sweep, who subsequently stood at Arrowfield, posted 33 individual winners from his first US-bred crop.
The Australian record has been much harder to crack but, almost exactly 40 years later, Snitzel has equalled it. The critical victory was finally achieved last Saturday, July 23, by the filly Bukzel, who scored on debut at Newcastle for trainers Peter and Paul Snowden. With the season closing on Sunday, July 31, Snitzel still has time to claim exclusive ownership of the 2YO winners record. The joint record follows a trio of Snitzel yearlings topping each of 2016's three major Australian yearling sales (Magic Millions Gold Coast, Inglis Easter and Inglis Melbourne) and five of his yearlings fetching $1 million or more.
Hopwood joins Sky Racing
FORMER jockey Libby Hopwood is joining racing broadcaster Sky Racing.
Punters will initially see the former South Australian jockey on Formline Extra on Sky Thoroughbred Central (FOXTEL channel 528) as a form analyst from August 8.
Hopwood suffered a career ending fall at Murray Bridge in late 2014. The same race claimed the life of her close friend Caitlin Forrest. Hopwood initially thought she would have no trouble getting back in the saddle, but with the realisation that wasn’t going to happen she began studying and working towards a media career.
Libby joins other successful female former jockeys like Bernadette Cooper, Priscilla Schmidt and Chantelle Buckley in the Sky team.
Queensland has three Group 1 winners
BUFFERING, Capitalist and Miss Cover Girl are the Group 1 ‘icing on the cake’ for the Queensland breeding industry during the 2015-2016 racing season.
Rising 9YO sprinter Buffering (Mossman/Action Annie) proved his durability with Group 1 wins in Melbourne and Perth in 2015 prior to showing his prodigious talent on the international stage through wining the Group 1 Al Quoz (1000m) on the Dubai World Cup program in March.
Hot on the heels of Buffering’s Dubai triumph, Capitalist (Written Tycoon/Kitalpha) proved he was Australia’s best 2YO by winning the Group 1 Golden Slipper and 4YO mare Miss Cover Girl (Monashee Mountain/Tolart) has now reached elite status with victory in the final Group 1 race of the racing season – the 1400m Tatt’s Tiara for fillies and mares – held at Eagle Farm on Saturday, June 25.
All three horses were offered for sale at the Magic Millions Gold Coast sales complex. Capitalist was sold at the January sale while Buffering and Miss Cover Girl were both catalogued at the March QTIS sale.
