Below we take a look at the background of the six New Zealand bred runners in Saturday’s Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.
ALBARADO – Savabeel x O’Fille (O’Reilly) $7
Savabeel, a son of the legendary Zabeel, needs no introduction as a sire of Classic winners, one of which was 2011 VRC Derby winner Sangster. There’s staying prowess on the damside, too. O’Fille, a daughter of the versatile O’Reilly, never raced beyond 2100m – a distance over which she won the Gr.3 Trentham Stakes – and was Group One-placed over 2000m. The pedigree of the $140,000 Karaka purchase from Rich Hill Stud features stallions further back on the dam side – Grosvenor, Le Filou – who also scream stoutness.
Albarado boasts a staying pedigree and is from a family that includes Wotan, who earned his place in Melbourne Cup history when he was a shock 100-1 winner of the 1936 edition. Bred by Peter Smith, whose father Bill and uncles Bob and Pat raced Wotan, Albarado is also from the family of Gr.1 Wellington Cup (3200m) winner Willy Smith.
Trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, who prepared Sangster to win the race in the same colours of prominent owner Tommy Heptinstall.
JOHNNY GET ANGRY – Tavistock x Luminova (Zabeel) $34
The first of four sons of Tavistock, a stallion who wasted no time stamping his Derby prowess by producing the winners of the Victoria Derby (Tarzino), ATC Derby (Tavago) and Hong Kong Derby (Werther) with his first crop. The $50,000 Karaka buy was bred along same cross as Tarzino and Werther, being out of a Zabeel mare, while his second dam Pavlova finished fourth in a Queensland Oaks. SA Derby winner and Melbourne Cup placegetter Markham also features further down the page.
Johnny Get Angry was bred by Greg Perry’s Greenwich Stud and sold through the Bradbury Park draft at Karaka. He was purchased by Malua Racing and Flemington Bloodstock on behalf of his owner/trainer, legendary AFL coach Denis Pagan. Johnny Get Angry may be an outsider but his trainer knows a thing or two about grand finals, having won two with North Melbourne Football Club.
LET’S KARAKA DEEL – Dundeel x Tegwin (O’Reilly) $10
Dundeel is yet to produce a Derby or Oaks winner, but this is only his third crop of horses eligible for those races and the Murray Baker-trained stallion did produce one of the most dominant ATC Derby wins in the history of the race. The $80,000 Karaka purchase from the draft of Wentwood Grange is the first foal from an O’Reilly mare who won over 1600m and is a half-sister to Grafton Cup runner-up Winkler. Second dam Anne Carina (by Danske) won up to 2500m.
Bred by the Hawkins family of Wentwood Grange under their Llanhennock Trust banner, Let’s Karaka Deel was purchased by Cameron Bennett’s Flying Start Syndications in conjunction with Dave Mee of Pinhook Bloodstock and is trained by the in-form Ciaron Maher & David Eustace.
YOUNG WERTHER – Tavistock x Romantic Time (Fastnet Rock) $4 fav
Fascinating subject and not only because the $140,000 Karaka purchase is striving to win the race at just his third start. Absolutely no knock on the paternal side with Tavistock’s credentials listed above, but the only real example of significant stamina on the dam side is Tancred Stakes winner Grand Zulu, who is out of a half-sister to the second dam. Romantic Time never raced beyond 1600m in 12 starts, with her sole win coming over 1250m. She’s a half-sister to one-time raging Golden Slipper favourite Amelia’s Dream.
Young Werther is a true Cambridge Stud product and is officially bred by Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan but was sold as a yearling under the new Cambridge Stud ownership of Brendan and Jo Lindsay to O’Brien, who is an advocate of the speed gene test, with Young Werther a T:T long, which means he needs a staying distance to show his best. It could be a case of pedigree vs science.
REDWOOD SHADOW – Redwood x Prickley Princess (Thorn Park) $15
By Westbury Stud stallion Redwood, a son of High Chaparral, a renowned sire of stayers, but the $75,000 2yo purchase is out of a mare by Stradbroke Handicap winner Thorn Park. The name that jumps out off the page is Cox Plate placegetter Te Akau Shark, who is out of a half-sister to the second dam, while Prickley Princess is a half-sister to Listed Lord Mayor’s Cup (2400m) winner Ecuador and his Group One winning sister Pondarosa Miss.
Bred by Te Awamutu’s Darrell Hollinshead, Redwood Shadow is from a family the Hollinsheads have enjoyed several generations of success with. The gelding is trained by Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr).
WERTHEIMER – Tavistock x Wild About Me (Lonhro) $34
Another son of Tavistock, which is a plus, but you have to go searching for stamina on the maternal side. Wild About Me, a daughter of Lonhro and maiden mare Like Me Wild, she registered her sole win in a 1360m maiden at Wanganui.
Wertheimer races in the familiar colours of his breeder Tommy Heptinstall, as Tavistock himself did. Many of Tavistock’s owners also share in the ownership of Wertheimer and he has followed a familiar path. He started his training with Andrew Campbell in New Zealand before transferring to the Busuttin/Young Stable in Australia. Wertheimer won his first Australian start back in August and established his Derby credentials when overcoming a torrid passage to flash home for sixth in the Victoria Derby Trial.
WISAKA – Tavistock x Sarvon (Zabeel) $61
Part of the Tavistock gang, the $320,000 Karaka yearling’s dam is a daughter of Zabeel, meaning he is bred on the same cross as Tarzino and Werther. Sarvon’s dam Palia won four races, the biggest of which was the Gr.3 Emancipation Stakes (1400m), while she also placed third in the Listed Rough Habit Plate (2020m). She ran in the 1998 Queensland Oaks (2400m) but finished 13th. Palia is the dam of nine named foals, easily the best of which is Gr.1 Champagne Stakes winner Onemorenomore who, like most of the family was at his best up to 1600m.
He hails from a family that his breeder Bob Emery has enjoyed plenty of success with including the likes of the very speedy Dr Green, Vigor Winner and Wisaka’s half-brother Swords Drawn, while it is also the family of Hong Kong sprinter Green Birdie. Wisaka was also one of the pricier Tavistock’s of his year, selling out of the Woburn Farm draft for $320,000 to Paul Moroney Bloodstock and brother Mike’s Ballymore Stables.
