Smokin' welcome in Ipswich Eye Liner
Over a million dollars of the earnings
Smokin' welcome in Ipswich Eye Liner
SMOKIN' JOEY, the 7-year-old Encosta de Lago gelding who carried top weight and favoritism to victory in the $175,000 Eye Liner Stakes (1350m) at the big Ipswich meeting, ranks among the toughest sprinters currently in racing. He has been to the races 52 times for his owner breeders, Joe and A. Lanteri, for eight wins up to 1600m, seven seconds and $1,398,533.
Over a million dollars of the earnings has been derived since he transferred to his third and current trainer, Mornington based Wez Hunter. Other performances under Hunter have included wins in the SAJC Goodwood-G1, MRC Carlyon Cup-G3 and VRC TAB.com.au-G3. He finished second in the MRC Futurity-G1, VRC Emirates Stakes-G1, ATC Sebring Stakes-G3 and fourth in two Group1s in Perth, the Kingston Town and Railway.
Smokin' Joey flopped when asked to run longer distances earlier in his career, appearances in the MVRC AAMI Vase-G2 (2040m,11th) and Victoria Derby (2500m,14th).This was in contrast to his seven years older brother Our Smoking Joe.
Also a million dollar earner, Our Smoking Joe ran 68 times for ten wins (in first 37 starts) up to 2500m, headed by the MRC St George Stakes-G2 and VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes-G3.
Nine Group1 checks came from seconds in the VRC LKS Mackinnon Stakes,Turnbull Stakes, MRC Underwood Stakes and STC Ranvet Stakes, thirds in the VRC Australian Cup and STC BMW Stakes and fourths in the AJC Chipping Norton, VRC LKS Mackinnon and STC Ranvet.
Trained by the Freedmans, the first to handle Smokin' Joey, Our Smoking Joe had different breeders, Mitchell Townsend, CJ Murfet and Mrs A Murfet, and owners, Mrs E.J. and DJ Coombes.
The Lanteris have retained two winning half-sisters to Smokin' Joey and Our Smoking Joe in Gallant Lady, a Galileo Melbourne winner and South Australian Oaks and VRC St Leger second, and Good To Be True, a winner three times in Victoria provincial – country racing.
Gallant Lady had foals in 2012 (Bel Esprit filly) and 2014 (Pierro colt) and is likely to have an All Too Hard foal in September and Good To Be True has supplied two Fastnet Rock winners, Our Smokin' Rock (won Newcastle, Ballarat,Tatura, Sale, Listed fourth) and Rocca Santa (won Seymour).
A $15,000 Melbourne Autumn yearling sale buy, Dalzing, the mother of Smokin' Joey, Our Smoking Joe, Gallant Lady and Good To Be True, ran twice for a debut win at two at Tatura and five months later a 8.9 lengths fifth of 13 at Flemington.
She is by the brilliant Marscay stallion Blazing Sword and from Dalaal, a non-earner in three starts, but a sister to Taj Quillo, a winner of eight sprint races in Melbourne, including the Gadsden-G1, Bobbie Lewis-G3 and the Aurie's Star Handicap twice. She finished second in the Marlboro Cup-G1 and third in the Futurity-G1.
They were by Taj Rossi, the 1974 Australian Horse of the Year whose nine wins included the Victoria Derby, Cox Plate, Ascot Vale Stakes and Sandown Guineas.
A son of Matrice and Dark Queen, a sister-in-blood to the great South Australian bred race filly Storm Queen,Taj Rossi started his stud career in America in 1977, but returned to Australia in 1983. He died in April 1986.
Coincidentally, his greatest American product, Rossi Gold, was from Rock Gold, a three-quarter sister to Loved, the fifth dam of Smokin' Joey and Our Smoking Joe.
Two more imported winners by sires used in Australia
TWO winners on Saturday June 13 imported after learning their trade in Europe and enjoying their first Australian victories, Rockalong (Ire), a 1350m event at Rosehill Gardens, and Danchai (GB), the $175,000 Ipswich Cup (2150m), added to the list of successful imports by sires used in both hemispheres.
The Chris Waller trained Danchai is by Authorized (Ire), a Montjeu (Ire) (a Sadler's Wells former shuttler to New Zealand) who in England won the Racing Post Trophy (2yo) and English Derby and visited Darley Hunter Valley four times, 2009-12, leaving about 240 foals. Represented by Group1 winners Australia, Ireland and England, Authorized now calls Darley in France home.
Sydney winner Rockalong is a son of the Ireland bred Danehill 2002 champion European 3-year-old Rock of Gibraltar, a winner that year of five Group1s at a mile. A Coolmore sire who has had Group1 winners in Australia, England, Ireland, France, America, South Africa and Hong Kong, Rock of Gibraltar had eight southern seasons, 2003-2010, at Coolmore Hunter Valley for 750 racing prospects.
His son Rockalong, a runner in Australia for Newton Thoroughbreds Pty and the Paul Perry Stables, has raced fifteen times, the last three in Australia. His campaign kicked off on May 16 with a modest showing at Scone.
Unraced since October 13, he had won three non-stakes races (1400-1600m) in succession in Engiand. In awarding him a rating of 104, Timeform described Rockalong as a useful handicapper.
Produced by High Spot, a non-winner by English Derby winner Shirley Heights, Rockalong is a half-brother to Missfit, a Group 2 winner at Santa Anita, and a close relation of Gibraltar Blue (Ire), a Rock of Gibraltar winner of three races at this level in South Africa.
Foaled in 2009, the same year as Rockalong, Ipswich Cup winner Danchai has four dual hemisphere used sires in his pedigree. Besides Authorized and Montjeu paternally, he is from Scarlet Empire, an unraced daughter of Red Ransom (USA), former Vinery visitor, and Shawanni, a minor winner at two by Shareef Dancer and from Negligent, the 1989 champion filly Great Britain 2yo filly. Negligent was by Ahonoora, a speed influence who looked after 54 mares (49 foals) at Arrowfield in 1988 and, before dying, eight when she came back in1989.
Danchai's dam is the only one of eleven foals from Scarlet Empire who did not race. All the others, including four successful in stakes, won races.
Before his success in the Ipswich Cup, Danchai had not won in 13 starts in Australia, but efforts included stakes seconds at Randwick (JRA Plate-G3) and Doomben (Chairman's Handicap-G3) and thirds at Kembla Grange (the Bert Lillye) and Rosehill Gardens (the Eremein on May 30).
He had showed good promise in ten starts in England, including wins at Hamilton Park (won by nine lengths) and York (John Smith's Cup, 10 furlongs) and three seconds, two at Newmarket and one at Sandown Park. Timeform rated him on 106.
Some Holy Bull in Ipswich winner's stall
FREQUENTERS of race meetings and horse sales are often regaled by holy bull, but not in the manner it was presented at Ipswich's Cup meeting on June 13. On this occasion it made a rare appearance in the winner's stall as the result of the guile of Neville Stewart, the owner of the Oaklands Stud near Toowoomba and a thoroughbred industry leader for over thirty years.
Instead of being mouthed, this Holy Bull on this occasion was provided by the win of Wicked Intent, a Stewart bred chestnut colt who enhanced his reputation as a juvenile with an iron constitution when he lumped top weight of 60.0kgs to a 1 ¾ lengths victory in the Bundamba Plate.
Holy Bull's contribution was as the third sire on the top line in the pedigree of Wicked Intent, a son of Wicked Style, an American Group1 winning 2-year-old of 2007 who resides at the Oaklands Stud and whose 2015 fee is $8,800.
He is one of five Group1 winners by Macho Uno, an American Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner by Hall of Fame inducted Holy Bull, a six times Group1 winner, Horse of the Year and sire of more than fifty stakes winners, including Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo.
The male line that produced Wicked Style challenges as the most absolute outcross to what is dominant in Australia. It is an Americanised branch of the England breed shaper of the mid1800s, Touchstone.
A $16,000 Gold Coast Magic Millions March yearling sale graduate from the second crop of Wicked Style, Ipswich winner Wicked Intent was racing for the eighth time and recording his fourth win. He won his first three in dazzling style, appearances at the Gold Coast (900m, by 2.3 lengths), Doomben (1050m, 4.5 lengths) and Doomben again (the Phelan Ready-LR, 1050m, 4.3 lengths).
Other performances that have stamped him as a good horse have been seconds at the Gold Coast (B.J. McLachlan-G3) and Doomben (Champagne Classic-G2) and 2.1 lengths sixth of 16 when favourite in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
Uniquely, he was ridden in the Magic Millions Classic by big time jockey Chris Munce, the man who now trains him. Munce retired from riding after that meeting and now has stables at Eagle Farm.
Wicked Intent represents a very successful Darling Downs family. He is one of only two foals produced in Australia by Tell'Em It's Easy, a 2005 foal whose 19 starts included one win each, Toowoomba (3.8 lengths) and Gold Coast (two lengths), and five minor placings, one of them at Eagle Farm. She was exported to China.
Tell'Em It's Easy was bred by the Turkington's at the Wattle Brae Stud using their longtime good sire Easy Rocking and Be Bold, a half-sister by the imported Noholme sire No Faith to stakes winners Startell (by Mister Kwila,12 wins, QTC Brisbane Handicap,Toowoomba Weetwood), his brother Tellem (16 wins, SCTC Glasshouse Handicap, Toowoomba Weetwood twice) and also Telltina (Semipalatinsk,10 wins, QTC Exhibition Handicap) and Tellson (Dantibes, 4 wins, BTC Courier Mail Classic, Golden Stakes, QTC JF Meynink Stakes).
They were all produced by the Eureka Stud bred Midnight Cowboy Gold Coast Prime Minister's Cup and Toowoomba Cup winner Bernalla, dam also of Easy Rocking Stakes placed Vocalic (16 wins, eight in Brisbane) and Rocklet (6 wins).
Bernalla's half-sister Just Now, a Eureka bred daughter of their outstanding sire Semipalatinsk (American bred son of Noholme's champion son Nodouble), won10 races, including the AJC Oaks, Princess Handicap, VRC Turnbull Stakes and BATC Labour Day Cup. She ran second in the Queensland Oaks.
