To quote Kramer, his father was a mudder and his mother was a mudder, so with steady rain falling in Sydney and the likelihood of a rain-affected track at Randwick this young colt should have conditions to suit on Saturday.
The Chris Waller-trained Overlord steps up in distance to 1300 metres in the opener at Randwick having placed at his two career starts over 1100 metres and 1200 metres.
In the latter he finished second to Gerald Ryan’s, highly regarded, undefeated So You Think colt Peltzer who he will meet on 2kg better terms on Saturday for a one and three-quarter lengths defeat.
While Peltzer was highballing it out in front, Overlord came from last although he did save many lengths by sticking to the rail.
A homebred for Geoff and Mary Grimish, Overlord is a son of the noted wet-track sire Sebring out of the Grimish’s grand performer Red Tracer.
Now, Red Tracer was a top-class performer no matter what the conditions, but she reveled on heavy tracks on which she started six times for five wins.
Like her son Overlord, Red Tracer was trained by Chris Waller.
The daughter of Dane Shadow notched 15 wins and placed 14 times in a 38-start career while banking $2,371,010.
All but one of her wins came in stakes races, highlighted by Group 1 wins in the VRC Myer Classic on a good track and the Tatt's QLD Tattersall's Tiara on a slow track.
Red Tracer won three consecutive Group III ATC Millie Fox Stakes and consecutive runnings of the Group II BRC Dane Ripper Stakes.
As the lone filly produced by the 20yo Snippets mare Kisma, Red Tracer has an important task in the keeping this branch of the family alive.
With nine colts to her name, including a weanling colt by Pariah, her first foal in four years, all eyes will be on Kisma this spring as she carries a positive test to the champion Snitzel.
Red Tracer has two stakes-winning siblings, her Group 1 AJC The Galaxy winning full-brother Shellscrape and her Group III BTC Classic winning half-brother Counterattack.
Shellscrape retired to stud in 2011 but when a good deal of his foals were born either without tails or with stump-sized tails, he was returned to the racetrack after a two-year break but failed to flatter in six starts.
A son of Redoute’s Choice, Counterattack retired to the place of his birth, Kitchwin Hills Stud, in 2017. He covered 49 mares after which he shuttled to Gestut Karlshof in Germany, but it appears he went on a one-way ticket.
Kisma is a daughter of the Vain mare Vain Hope who was herself out of a very accomplished racemare in Haley’s Hope (Habitation).
Trained by Roy Dawson, Hayley’s Hope provided the 21yo Neil Williams with his then biggest success in the 1985 Group III GCTC The Prime Minister's Cup.
At the time of her win, Hayley’s Hope’s owner George Wilson had already sold her to South Australian interests at the conclusion of her race career.
Hayley’s Hope did not lack for well-performed suitors early in her career, visiting Without Fear, Marscay and Vain.
Besides the line left though the Vain mare Vain Hope there is also another thriving line through Hayley’s Hope’s daughter Marscay Magic (Marscay) whose descendants included the AJC Gimcrack Stakes winner Defiant Dame, MVRC Red Anchor Stakes winner Hidden Warrior, VRC Maribyrnong Stakes winner Kirkberg, and Levin RC Ryder Stakes winner Snow Excuse.
After missing in 2018, Red Tracer was covered by Dundeel last spring.
She has a yeanling filly by I Am Invincible who has been named Fearnought.
Watch as Overlord finishes second tp Peltzer last start.
