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If not for the late nomination of the O'Reilly colt Shamexpress, stallions standing at the big four Hunter Valley Stud's Coolmore, Arrowfield , Vinery and Darley would have supplied the entire field for the Group 1Golden Rose at Rosehill Gardens.
Reigning champion Fastnet Rock has three live hopes of avenging the loss of Smart Missile 12 months ago.
He has the favourite Nechita, the promising maiden Ninth Legion and the progressive Your Song.
A Gooree homebred,
Your Song (pictured) is the second live foal of the Fuji Kiseki mare Zembu.
A winner in Melbourne, Zembu had cost Gooree $450,000 at the 2001 Inglis Easter Yearling sale. She is the first foal of the royally bred import Wanice (USA).
There would be few mares imported to this part of the world that could boast a more appealing pedigree than Wanice (USA). She proved a spectacular failure and in 2009 she was exported to Argentina having been sold the previous year for $50,000.
A daughter of the great Mr Prospector, Wanice is a three-quarter sister to multiple Group 1 winner Golden Attraction and a half-sister to 6-time Group 1 winner Fantastic Light from the family of Gorgeous, Seaside Attraction, Cape Town etc.
Your Song looks capable of returning the family back to the glory days. At his first start he finished third behind one of Saturday's opponents Albrecht (Redoute's Choice) before breaking through at his next start over 1300 metres at Warwick Farm. He made it two in a row with a strong win on a heavy track over 1400 metes at Rosehill.
At his first taste of Stakes company Your Song battled on strongly for second behind the champion Pierro in the Group 3 Run To The Rose.
Gooree have a second homebred lining up in the Golden Rose and like Your Song he is by a Coolmore stallion.
The Gai Waterhouse-trained Kabayan came within a short head of winning a Group 1 at his third start at two last season when defeated by Sizzling in the TJ Smith at Eagle Farm.
To miss a clash with his stablemate Pierro in the Run To The Rose (G3), Kabayan was taken to Caulfield for his seasonal debut in the McNeill Stakes (G3). He overcame a wide run to miss catching the outsider Lady Of Harrods by a head.
Kabayan deserves to become the first stakes winner for his sire Haradasun an enormously gifted, if somewhat headstrong, son of the Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus.
The stock of
Haradasun ( pictured left)obviously benefit greatly by given a bit of time. He did not sire his
first winner (Hot Fever) until April last season but then reeled off another
four winners at the back end of the season, enough to place him fifth leading first crop sire.
A win in Saturday's $1 million feature for Kabayan would boost Haradasun's stocks considerably.
While Your Song comes from a relatively new family for Gooree, Kabayan comes from a family that it has nurtured for many generations.
His dam Tarlaquena made just one unsuccessful start on the racetrack. She is a daughter of Gooree's record breaking yearling purchase Don Eduardo out of Danehill's stakes winning daughter Tropical Affair who produced the Tesio Stakes (G3) winner Matras to a mating with Don Eduard's sire Zabeel. Matras is in turn the dam of the very talented Encosta de Lago filly Zutara.
Tropical Affair is a half-sister to the stakes placed Just As Beautiful the dam of Pago Pago Stakes (G2) winner Salade (Snitzel). Just as Beautiful is out of a full-sister to the grand racemare Princess Talaria.
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