The tote told the story of the expectations for the debut of the LA bred and owned Eagle Pass (Catbird-Monashees) pictured here as a foal at Woodville last Thursday and the three-year old gelding delivered like a $1.50 shot, drawing away for a three and a half length win and recording a smart 1.10.2 for the 1200m.
Due to an injury suffered as a youngster Eagle Pass could not be offered for a sale as a yearling and as the first foal of a mare we had purchased at the 2007 Sydney Easter Broodmare Sale, the farm were keen to get the strongly made son of Catbird to the races to help his young mothers broodmare career along. In fact Eagle Pass's younger half sister the Bart Cummings trained Shuswap (by Pins) actually beat him to the races running a most encouraging second on debut in Australia back in January before being spelled.
By leading international stallion Woodman, who has been a better broodmare sire down under than a straight out sire, and from the family of Fast N Famous and Railway Handicap winner Alynda, Monashees, who has a weanling Darci Brahma colt and is back in foal to Pins, looks another welcome addition to the LA broodmare band.
Another young LA broodmare looking to launch her career has been Rites of Spring (Stravinsky-Sound Lover) and last Thursday saw just the second race start of her son Bare Bear (by Zabeel) who was purchased by Patinack Farm/Anthony Cummings for $500,000 from our 2008 Sydney Easter Yearling Sale draft. Carrying 58kgs and coming from near last at the 600m, the four-year -old ran out a comfortable winner, and looks set to justify the patient approach Patinack's trainer John Thompson has taken with the horse.
O'Reilly and Towkay were the only sires represented by more than one runner in Saturday's Group One New Zealand Oaks and while Chennai (Towkay €“Kanpur) and L'Amour (Towkay-Penthouse Blue) were well beaten in the Classic, both fillies have performed with distinction this season, gaining black type placings for connections and look set to make further progress at four.
Robbiemjay (Towkay-Marjie Marjie) was a winner over 1360m in the South Island on Sunday.
Finally, we mentioned in last month's newsletter the incredible run being experienced by descendants of the Blue Hen Te Parae mare Sanderae. Well it hasn't stopped with the latest performers being Saturday's impressive Te Rapa debutant Glorious Days (Hussonet-San Century) and current AJC Derby favourite Absolutelyawesome (Zeno Rob Roy €“Switch Hitter).
