It’s been a good week for the exciting young stallion Brave Smash (JPN). Kimochi won at Randwick on Wednesday, and Brave Mead credited the Aquis stallion with his first stakes-winner in the Listed Brix Property Group Valley Pearl (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
Ridden by John Allen for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Brave Mead was hunted up to lead from an inside barrier and never looked back.
He had the small field off the bit and chasing by the time they straightened. The son of Brave Smash (JPN) was untroubled to defeat the Better Than Ready filly Ana Jaahzaby two and three-quarter lengths with the Zoustar filly Celestial Storm three and a quarter lengths back in third.
Carrying the colours of Australian Bloodstock, Brave Mead was a close-up third at his career debut over 1200m at Pakenham on February 23 when a heavily backed favourite. He blew away a field of maidens over the same course and distance three weeks later.
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uo;It was a good performance, and it’s great to get a winner for Australian Bloodstock and for Brave Smash.
“His (Brave Smash) record is excellent, and we’ve got a couple of nice ones tucked away for the same camp, so he’s one to watch for sure.”
“We were a little bit disappointed first-up where he raced a touch green, but we haven’t had a chance to really test him.
“His racing has been quite thick and fast, and he’s done a pretty good job running three times in four weeks.
“The team have done a good job to hold him together, but he’s got a great attitude. He was very well-behaved beforehand.
“The (ATC) Sires is in eight days, and he didn’t do much today.
“He looks like he’ll get seven (furlongs), no problems. I’ll have a chat with Ciaron and the team.
“He’s not fully furnished. He’s a nice medium-sized horse with a bit of scope. He’s not just a two-year-old; whatever we’re getting from him now, he will improve into his three-year-old spring, so that is exciting as well.”
A $90,000 purchase for Ciaron Maher Racing when offered by Lustre Lodge at the 2021 Inglis July (Early) Online Sale, Brave Mead is a half-brother to Listed Geelong Classic winner Solemn (Bernardini) and stakes-placed Honeywine (Street Cry).
Bred by A B Breeding Venture, he is the seventh winner from the nine to race for the Galileo mare Mead, a half-sister to Group 1 Australasian Oaks winner La Volta and dual Listed winner Terevega.
Mead has a yearling filly by Hellbent and was covered by Tassort last spring.
Aquis Farm’s Brave Smash (JPN) is the fifth first-season sire to produce a stakes-winner.
