Bloodlines: Winx’s mum prepares to make another big impact

Winx’s mother, Vegas Showgirl, is embarking on a major change from her regular Australian stallion selection, with owner John Camilleri sending her to Japan to be mated with one of the world’s top sires, Deep Impact.

Vegas Showgirl, in fact, is one of three of Camilleri’s marvellous band of broodmares making the Japan trip, with Peron (Husson x Faster Pussycat) and A Time For Julia (Redoute’s Choice x Procrastinate) to visit the champion son of Sunday Silence.

Camilleri and Segenhoe Stud’s manager, Peter O’Brien, had been toying with the idea of sending the dam of Winx to an overseas stallion, with Galileo and Deep Impact heading their preferences. In the past fortnight negotiations with the owners of Deep Impact were completed and the three mares are scheduled to fly out from Sydney on July 25.

Deep Impact was introduced to Australian buyers by John Messara’s Arrowfield Stud at this year’s Easter Yearling Sales at the Riverside Stables at Warwick Farm. Arrowfield’s two Deep Impact fillies sold for $1 million and $1.1 million.

Vegas Showgirl is a daughter of Al Akbar and was purchased by Camilleri’s Fairway Stud at the 2008 Magic Millions Broodmare Sale for $440,000. Five years later he sold Winx for $230,000 as a yearling and the mare has amassed an amazing $19 million in prizemoney and captured the imagination of racegoers.

Vegas Showgirl’s progeny since include the stakes-winning Snitzel colt El Divino, successful for the Waterhouse-Bott stable. Her next son Boulder City, a $2.3million purchase, was retired a month ago to take up stud duties at the Riverbank Farm in Victoria at an introductory fee of $5500.

Vegas Showgirl’s next two progeny are exceptional types, says, O’Brien who has cared for both since they were foaled. ‘‘We kept the Snitzel filly and she is an absolute cracker. She entered the stables of Ciaron Maher earlier this week and has been named Courchevel. The mare’s other foal is by Exceed And Excel and both John [Camilleri] and I are thrilled with her progress and eagerly look forward to racing her as well,’’ O’Brien declared. ‘‘The horse breaker who educated the Exceed And Excel filly told us recently that he had broken in over 100 yearlings this year and said without any hesitation that she was undoubtedly the top of the tree.
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‘We have been greatly impressed by the progeny of Deep Impact, which have sold in Australia and after approaching the Yoshida family [owners of Shadai Stallion Station] felt their offer was most appealing to mate the three mares with him.

‘‘All three mares will be served in early September and, providing all are tested in foal, they should return to Segenhoe by November and will be foaled down here in Australia.’’

It is not the first time Camilleri has bred his mares abroad to southern hemisphere time, having bought two European mares and mated them with Frankel.

Camilleri has a boutique band of 25 mares. He is one of Australia’s most successful breeders and his foresight to make full use of Deep Impact should prove profitable.

Daddy cool
Last week’s Bloodlines touched on Coolmore’s involvement with the progeny of Scat Daddy. Last weekend the sire stood out again while his son No Nay Never produced his first stakes winner, both at the Naas meeting in Ireland.

The deceased Scat Daddy was given his 99th stakes winner courtesy of Sergei Prokofiev in the listed Rochestown Stakes. In the following Naas race No Nay Never was in the spotlight with the win by Servalan, also in a listed race. No Nay Never returns to Coolmore’s Hunter Valley base later this year along with another of Scat Daddy’s sons, the striking grey Caravaggio.

Still on Coolmore, and Aidan O’Brien has pencilled in the first northern hemisphere start for Fastnet Rock’s brilliant son Merchant Navy at The Curragh before heading to Royal Ascot for his main mission in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

Capital display
No surprise to see Montreal, a son of Lonhro from Danehill mare Cirque Du Soleil, make a quick impact in Hong Kong after his impressive Sydney win last December.

Montreal’s Hong Kong-based owners transferred the four-year-old from the stables of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott to those of Caspar Fownes. At Sha Tin last Sunday he was one of four winners ridden by Australian hoop Zac Purton.

Montreal won at his second start in the colony and his impressive display suggested he will rise to open company in quick time. He won a class three race over 1000 metres with Fownes telling the media: ‘‘He’s a big horse and we didn’t give him a lot of work going into his first run. We’ve treated him all along like he’s a really nice horse and now he’s shown us that. I think a nice 1200 metres will be even better for him.’’

Montreal won his maiden at Hawkesbury, a class one at Wyong and then romped home in a Randwick 1200 metres restricted sprint last Boxing Day.

Zoustar qualities
Golden Slipper-winning trainer Gary Portelli is taking a fancy to the progeny of former champion three-year-old Zoustar.

At Rosehill last Saturday the trainer saddled up his first Zoustar starter in the opening race and Ronstar showed great fighting qualities to win at his debut and become the seventh individual winner for the Widden Stud stallion.

Two days later in a Warwick Farm barrier trial Portelli produced two-year-old Lord Zoulander in an 804-metre heat and he showed he shouldn’t be too far off a win with a nice performance.

Zoustar is fully booked for the 2018 breeding season despite his service fee increasing from $44,000 to $60,500. Another stallion whose book is also full is Epaulette, the Darley-based sire whose first-season two-year-olds have been extremely successful in the northern hemisphere as well as producing a number of likely types from his first Australian crop.

It’s a breeze
The Inglis group has entered new territory to try to boost its Ready2Race Sale, which takes place on October 15 in Sydney, two days after the second edition of The Everest at Royal Randwick.

The new-look Ready2Race sale will include a breeze-up session at Taupo in New Zealand for the first time for vendors from across the Tasman as Inglis tries to revitalise the auction. There will also be breeze-ups conducted at Cranbourne and Warwick Farm.

Article courtesy of Fairfax Digital and The Sydney Morning Herald.