Prominent Sydney racehorse syndicater Louis Mihalyka (Laurel Oak Bloodstock), head of one of his syndicates that bred and races million dollar earner Rebel Dane, gained new achievement as breeders on Saturday when 4-year-old Authorized gelding Maygrove emerged as a future big star with an authoritative victory in New Zealand's historic Wellington Cup (2400m).
Now winner of five of 20 starts, the last four in his last seven outings, he was bred by the Laurel Oak Zhivago Syndicate, sent to New Zealand at eight months and sold for $110,000 at the Select sessions of their annual yearling sales.
He is the second foal and first winner for Lady
Zhivago, a Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan bred Zabeel mare who, raced by a Laurel
Oak syndicate, won three races, appearances at Canterbury (1900m), Kensington
(1550m) and finally Bendigo (2200m). Her first foal, a Casino Prince colt, was
sent to China as an unnamed 2-year-old.
Maygrove has strong stamina imparting maternal breeding. Besides being from a Zabeel mare, her second dam, Give It A Whirl, is an unraced daughter of Nassipour, sire of 1991 Melbourne Cup winner Let's Elope, and from Attempting, a Try My Best half-sister to Tristanagh, a Sir Tristram winner of the VRC Victoria Oaks, Wakeful Stakes, MRC Thousand Guineas and STC Tea Rose Stakes.
Stamina is also supplied in Maygrove's breeding through his sire Authorized, a Montjeu English Derby winner who shuttled out to Darley in the Hunter Valley in the four years 2009-2012. Another of his runners, Complacent, won the Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick and finished second in the Victoria Derby.
Authorized has two colts in the Classic Yearling Sale catalogue, the first from Maybe Leica Dane, a Nothin' Leica Dane blood sister to Western Australian Oaks winner Superior Star, and the other, like Maygrove, from a Zabeel mare, Sydney winner and Group 2 and 3 placed Zaroyale.
There were three Group races on the Trentham program and all were won by horses sired in Australia. Besides Maygrove, they were Platinum Scissors, a 3-year-old filly by Rebel Dane's deceased sire California Dane who looked an outstanding prospect for the future by the manner in which she took the Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m), and Puccini, the 4-year-old Encosta de Lago stallion who claimed the Group1 Thorndon Mile (1600m). - Brian Russell Media
