Lessons Learned This Weekend

More Than Useful…

The VRC Carnival at Flemington has served up more reminders of just what a massive contribution to Australian breeding has been made by the 19-year-old shuttle-stallion More Than Ready (Southern Halo). During a lengthy career of yearly return trips between Kentucky and New South Wales, More Than Ready has churned out numerous high-class sons and daughters in both hemispheres, putting himself in the Danehill category by becoming a proven top-class sire on both sides of the equator. It was in Australia, though, that he first proved his true worth, and in Australia that he has achieved his greatest results. More Than Ready's first season at Vinery Stud in the Hunter Valley was in 2001. It didn't take him long to establish himself among the country's elite because his first crop swiftly yielded a 2-year-old Group 1 winner in the autumn of 2005 when Carry On Cutie (Aus) landed the G1 Champagne S. over 1600m at Randwick and a 3-year-old Group 1 winner when Benicio (Aus) took the G1 Victoria Derby over 2500m at Flemington the following spring. A third Group 1 winner subsequently emerged from that crop later that season when Perfectly Ready (Aus) landed the G1 Goodwood H. over 1200m at Morphettville.

Since then, More Than Ready has come up with consecutive G1 Golden Slipper winners Sebring (Aus) and Phelan Ready (Aus) an consecutive Magic Millions Classic winners Augusta Proud (Aus) and Phelan Ready. Additionally there has been eight-time Group 1-winning racemare More Joyous (NZ); Samaready (Aus), a Group 1-winning sprinter at both two and three; G1 Queensland Derby winner Eagle Way (Aus); Dreamaway (Aus) and Perfect Reflection (Aus), each a Group 1 winner over middle distances in West Australia; G1 NZ Oaks heroine More Than Sacred (Aus) and South African Grade 1 winners Gimmethegreenlight (Aus) and Entisaar (Aus). During the same time, he has been represented by four individual Grade I winners in the USA, and by Regally Ready, the Steve Asmussen-trained winner of the GI Nearctic S. at Woodbine in 2011.

This year's Flemington Carnival has seen a further extension of More Than Ready's Australian legacy. On the opening day Prized Icon (Aus) became his second G1 Victoria Derby winner, having already become his second G1 Champagne S. winner when taking the final leg of Sydney's 2-Year-Olds' Triple Crown last season. A week later, the final day of the Carnival was kicked off when the opening G3 Maribyrnong Plate became the first group race won by a son of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf-winning More Than Ready stallion Pluck when Aspect (Aus) stamped himself as a high-class juvenile with an impressive victory.

Pluck stands alongside his father at Vinery Stud, where he too should be able to make a good contribution to his sire-line's success. For decades the line descending from America's 1960 champion juvenile Hail To Reason (Turn-To) has been a source of class right the way across the distance and age spectrum and all around the world, largely courtesy of his excellent sons Roberto and Halo. Sunday Silence (Halo) has been its most influential member, but More Than Ready too takes his place in the vanguard.

The Cup Supreme…

The VRC Carnival will always be dominated by the G1 Melbourne Cup, so it was very fitting that one of the most celebrated Cup winners should poke her nose into the result of the meeting's principal sprint, the G1 Darley Classic. Malaguerra (Aus) (Magnus {Aus}) was a good winner of this, doubling his Group 1 tally in the process, and he ranks as the latest high-class horse to descend from Rainbird (Aus) (The Buzzard {GB}), a popular racemare who posted some terrific performances in the spring of 1945 when she finished second in the Caulfield Cup before going one better in the Melbourne Cup 17 days later.

In the short-term, Rainbird proved to be a disappointment at stud, matings with such high-class sires as Dhoti (GB) (Dastur {GB}), Helios (GB) (Hyperion {GB}) and Empyrean (GB) (Hyperion {GB}) failing to yield high-class offspring. However, subsequent generations have shown her to have been massively influential. The top-class racehorse and stallion Centaine (Aus) (Century {Aus}) ranks as her greatest descendant, but her tribe also includes the stallions Snitzerland (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), Foreplay (Aus) (Danehill) and Time Thief (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), as well as the excellent sprinting gelding Rain Affair (Aus) (Commands {Aus}).

The branch of the family from which Malaguerra hails is instantly identifiable with the late, great Caulfield-based champion trainer Angus Armanasco, breeder and trainer of many fast horses with the 'Tennessee' prefix including the horse's dam Tennessee Morn (Aus) (Bletchingly {Aus}) and granddam Tennessee Vain (Aus) (Whiskey Road}).

Keep Trying…

When Awesome Rock (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) was demoted from first place after passing the post a short head in front of Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) in the G1 Australian Cup at Flemington in March, one might have felt that his best chance of landing a really big win had been and gone, snatched from his grasp. However, the 'try, try and try again' school of endeavour has finally paid dividends for the Leon Corstens-trained 5-year-old; he has only won four of his 25 starts, but the most recent of his victories has come in the G1 Emirates Mackinnon S. His previous wins had come in the G2 Dato Tan Chin Nam S. at Moonee Valley two months ago, the Listed Symphony S. at Flemington last season, and in a 2-year-olds' handicap at Sandown in February 2014. That Awesome Rock has finally cracked a Group 1 victory is very much in keeping with the profile of the stock of his sire Fastnet Rock (Aus) (Danehill), who has shown in both hemispheres that his good horses tend to progress well as they mature.

Furthermore, Awesome Rock comes from a family of Classic horses, having both G1 Epsom Derby hero Dr Devious (Ire) (Ahonoora {GB}) and G1 Oaks heroine Dancing Rain (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire} in his pedigree. His dam Awesome Planet (Aus) (Giant's Causeway) too was a Classic performer, finishing third in the G1 NZ 1,000 Guineas. In time, Awesome Rock ought to make a good stallion.

Williams Planning…

The highlight of the VRC Carnival was, of course, the triumph of Almandin (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) in the G1 Emirates Melbourne Cup. This victory provided prominent Melbourne owner Lloyd Williams with his fifth triumph in the great race, following the victories of Just A Dash (Aus) (Whiskey Road) in 1981, What A Nuisance (NZ) (St Puckle {GB}) in 1985, Efficient (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) in 2007 and Green Moon (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) in 2012. The extent of the investment which Williams has made and continues to make in his on-going quest for Cup victories is astounding, even bearing in mind that his commercial career has been massively successful thanks to the prosperity of the Hudson Conway building company and Melbourne's Crown Casino. Unless one is freakishly lucky, the best way to try to win a big race is to own many horses who might win it, and hope that one of them does. Williams has perfected this policy, over the years having recruited droves of potential stayers both from New Zealand and from Europe. His links with Coolmore have yielded many good horses in recent years including former Ballydoyle inmate The United States (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who carried his colours to Group 1 success in Sydney earlier this year. Furthermore, the seeds for the next wave of contenders have already been sown. Williams' 2-year-olds currently in training in Ireland include the promising winners Arcada (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) and Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparall {Ire}), inmates respectively of the stables of Joseph O'Brien and David Wachman.

Williams rounded out the Carnival in fine style by taking another of its longer races, a 2000m handicap on the final day which was won by Little White Cloud (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}), another who began his racing days in Williams's ownership in Ireland. Williams had Little White Cloud in John Oxx's stable prior to bringing him Down Under. Trained by Oxx, the young Little White Cloud won a mile 2-year-olds' maiden race at Dundalk in November 2012 before showing very good form as a 3-year-old the following year, including when finishing second to Leading Light (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) in the G3 Gallinule S. and sixth to Trading Leather (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the G1 Irish Derby.

Ambassador Appleby…

Sheikh Mohammed appears to lie not far behind Lloyd Williams when it comes to being keen to win the Emirates Melbourne Cup (which is understandable as he is instrumental in the race's sponsorship). It has been a joy to see how well the Godolphin team has been running throughout the Spring Carnival in Melbourne, with the performances of Charlie Appleby's horses having been particularly excellent. Providing two of the five Godolphin runners in the Cup, Appleby saw both of his charges run well, most notably with Qewy (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire}) finishing an excellent fourth. Qewy had previously landed the G3 Geelong Cup. The second place of Scottish (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the G1 BMW Caulfield Cup was a terrific performance, while Oceanographer (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) did extremely well when taking the G3 Lexus S. on VRC Derby Day. Francis Of Assissi (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) has also been a star, and he rounded out the Flemington Carnival in fine style for the stable, following up his Group 3 triumph in the Bendigo Cup by taking the G3 Queen Elizabeth S. by 10 lengths.

Appleby's unvarying helpfulness and openness reflect very well on his employers, and this venture Down Under has been the latest reminder that the decision to appoint him as the successor to the disgraced Mahmood al Zarooni as the trainer in Newmarket's Moulton Paddocks Stables was an extremely good one. He is a wonderful ambassador for Godolphin, as well as a very good trainer.